Carbon Fiber Strut Bar...

[GSR2NR94]

What up guys. I just bought a TC Sportline front carbon fiber strut bar for my S14, and it just doesn't seem like it is as stiff as my friend's aluminum one. With mine, I can reach in and bend it a little where as on my friends aluminum one, it is solid. Do any of you have good experiences with carbon fiber strut bars, or would you prefer aluminum over carbon fiber in this case?

[GSR2NR94]

I am going to be using it mainly for drifting if that helps any.

[orestes]

well its main function is to be stiff so i dunno if its gonna help any if it flexes. how much did you pay for it just curious

[SHIFT_KA24DE]

only reason why you would use CF instead of aluminum is for weight reduction. Aluminum strut cars usually have a i-beam structure inside to reinforce it... i'm assuming the CF bar is just hollow. i'm not too sure if it's any good... i mean it is light but it wouldn't make much of a difference. Also the elasticity of alum is higher than CF so if there is too much flex (hence axial loads and torque) occuring on the bar it could jus snap... the aluminum bar should be able to deform a little and still be able to return to it's original shape.

dunno... i'm sure there are positive aspects to it... i wouldn't know.

2 yen

[AWDSR20]

if it bends then its nooo goooood!
who cares about 2 lb weight reduction, u want it to be stiff!
BTW, CF is stiff as hell bro! what u have is PLASTICCF will NOT FLEX it will break like an egg shell!

[orestes]

yeah thats why i was asking how much he paid for it because my strut bar is aluminum and i mean cmon the thing is not heavy at all so why would you realyl go for weight reduction there. i bet it does look cool though.

[GSR2NR94]

I paid $100 for it, plus shipping, but now I am thinking about selling it so I could maybe go with Cusco or something Aluminum. I don't know yet. I can feel difference with this bar, I just wasn't sure if it was supposed to bend like that. Its not much, but I am sure that every bit of movement counts.

[slideways...]

just go buy 3 steel bars from a hardware store and weld them to the strut towers and to the firewall. it will be waaaaay stiffer than an aftermarket strut bar.
barring that i would just get the beefiest looking bar for the cheapest price i could find, fuk brand names and CF and stuff.

btw i dont know if this is a true NISMO bar but its only 60 bucks and id bet its as stiff as cusco's or anything
(its about the same thickness anyways)
http://www.courtesyparts.com/secondtier_s13.html

BTW for everyone who doesnt know about this site its kind of cool

[Hit_N_Run-player]

i was just thinking that you could make your own with steel bars and stuff, looks like beast but might work super good...

[GSR2NR94]

Well, since I am kinda working on my own car and building it for drifting, I am not going to slack off on any parts. I am going to go with something that not only just looks good, but performs the best also. I believe that "You get what you pay for." Anyways, thanks a lot though for the help. Any other comments or suggestions are still appreciated.