DIY Network

Tricked-Out Suspension: Strut-Tower Bars From "Tricked Out" episode DTRK-101

	Guest automotive expert Andy Williamson prepares to install front and rear strut-tower bars on our souped-up Civic hatchback.
	With front and rear strut-tower bars, you can strengthen your chassis at both ends -- and make a handling difference that you can feel.

In this segment of Tricked Out host Andrew Totolos installs strut-tower bars to finish out the suspension upgrade on a 1996 Honda Civic hatchback.

Since this car will be used for racing, we wanted the suspension to be relatively tight, and therefore opted to install strut-tower bars on both the front and rear of the vehicle. Tower bars are a great suspension upgrade because the enhance performance without affecting ride quality. The work by connecting the tops of the strut towers to supplement the original design and increase structural rigidity.

DIY Difficulty Rating for Repair: This job is fairly straightforward. We gave it a difficulty rating of 2 on a 5-point intermediate-level scale. Experienced gear-heads should have no problem installing these upgrades.

This Episode's Upgrades:

Performance coil-over kit
Adjustable shocks
Strut tower bars
17-inch wheels and performance tires

Other materials:

In addition to standard auto-mechanic's tools (wrenches, ratchets, extenders, screwdrivers, nut-drivers, torque wrench, etc.), some of the specialty tools that will be needed for this project include small flat-head screwdriver, cordless drill and 2-1/8 hole saw, spring compressor, a jack and jack-stands. An air-compressor and set of pneumatic tools is optional, but may help speed the assembly process.

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Front and Rear Strut Tower-Bars

Adding strut-tower bars is a simple modification, but it must be performed with the wheels on the ground. If you remove the strut-tower nuts while the car is on a jack, the struts will fall to the ground and may cause damage.

• With the car on the ground, begin installation of the front tower bars by loosening the tower-bar bolts on both sides of the vehicle (figures A and B).

  Figure A

  Figure B

  
  
• Slide the brace over the strut-mounting studs (figure C).

• Reinstall the nuts and torque everything down to factory specs -- which can be found in your vehicle's factory service-manual. (If you don't have a service manual for your vehicle, check with your local service center for the proper torque specs.)

• Once installed (figure D), a strut-tower bar under your hood not only looks great, it also helps "lock in" your camber that will make a handlingdifference you can feel.

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

  	Camber refers to the angle of the tires with respect to the ground. Adjusting camber can be important for particular styles of driving or racing.
  	Media Watch the Video

Camber is a term used to describe the angles of the tires with respect to the ground. "Positive camber" means that a pair of tires are leaning out at the top a bit, while "negative camber" means that they're leaning in. Adjusting camber can be important for particular styles of driving or racing. For drag racing, for example, a driver may want to have "zero camber" -- i.e., since the vehicle will be travelling in a straight line, and road curves are not an issue. To view a Tricked Out Tip-Clip featuring more information on camber, click the video icon beneath the image at right.

• For installing the rear tower bars, the procedure is about the same. On our vehicle, installation on the back required cutting access holes in the interior trim-panels for the bar to pass through (figure E).

• Dealing with plastic covering your strut-towers is no big problem. Simply measure and mark the distance from the top of the panel to the top of the strut on the outside of the panel (figure F). Carefully drill out the holes in the panel using a 2-1/8" hole-saw

• Mount the rear bar just as you did with the front, with two bolts at each tower. With the front and rear bars installed, you've strengthened the chassis at both ends.

  Figure E

  Figure F

  
  

  	Figure G
  	Figure H
  	Figure I

With the suspension components installed, as well as performance wheels and tires, there's only one thing that still needs to be done before taking the Civic for a test run at the track: adjusting the ride height. This requires a simple math calculation.

• For our Civic, the original factory-standard ride height was measured earlier at 9 inches. Our target ride height is 7.5 inches. Since installation of our new struts resulted in a new height of 8.5 inches, we now simply need to drop the height by 1 inch to reach our target of 7.5 inches.

• The instructions that came with our suspension kit indicate that that 1 inch equates to about eight turns of the adjustment ring. (Note: All kits are different. Check your manufacturer's instructions for adjustment specs.)

• To adjust the ride height (figure G), raise the car and loosen the locking mechanism with the supplied Allan wrench (figure H).

• Position the adjustment ring according to your calculations (figure I). Dirty or gummed-up threads may necessitate that you use the supplied spanner wrench. Since ours were new, adjustment by hand was easy.

• Once you're satisfied with the adjustment, lock it into place with the Allan wrench. Repeat the steps at all four wheels.
  

In the segment that follows, we take the tightened-up Civic to the track where the car's owner, Marc Turner, takes it through the test course to see how much difference the mods really make.

Important: Included in this segment are the steps in this automotive procedure as shown in the episode. These steps are general guidelines that are applicable to most vehicles. With any particular vehicle, there may be procedures, specifications, settings, tolerances, components, etc. that are specific to that vehicle. There are also variations according to the type and brand of repair-kit you select. Always consult your vehicle's service manual when undertaking significant automotive repairs, and read and follow the manufacturer's directions and precautions that come with your kit or replacement parts.

Safety Alert: Always wear eye protection, and follow proper safety precautions, when working with power tools or pneumatic tools.

RESOURCES :

Sport Compact Bolt-On Performance Guide: Import Cars (Sport Compact Bolt-On Performance Guides)
Author: Joe Pettitt
Order this book from Amazon.com.
Voyageur Press (October 2000)
ISBN: 1884089526

Honda & Acura Performance Handbook (Performance Handbooks)
Author: Mike Ancas
Order this title from Amazon.com.
June, 1999
Publisher: Motorbooks International
ISBN: 0760306699

Honda/Acura Engine Performance: How to Modify D, B and H Series Honda/Acura Engines for Street and Drag Racing Performance
Author: Mike Kojima
Order this title from Amazon.com.
April 2002
Publisher: HP Books
ISBN: 155788384X

Honda/Acura Performance Handbook: High Performance Modifications for Street and Drag Racing Applications
by the editors of Sport Compact Car Magazine
Order this title from Amazon.com.
November 1999
Publisher: HP Books
ISBN: 1557883246