KidJustin

First I would very much like to thank the CUSCO team down at Huntington Beach for the sponsorship, the great product, as well as the opportunity to just get to know a great bunch of guys really dedicated to CUSCO and providing the best aftermarket products someone can get for their vehicle.

It has been a while since I first met them to test fit the first prototype and throughout all this time it became very clear to me early on that with their skills, knowledge, and the effort they have put into designing this strut bar, it is perfect for our tC2s and I would say one of the best must have mods for the car.

Now onto the review:

No Competition (visually, comparing to what other struts are out)-
Since I have not experience the other struts available, I am only going based off the photos I have seen. By looking at other strut bars, they are one piece setups and the brace around the shock are not full circles (TRD) or they have an adjustable preload (Tanabe), which has its own controversy. This here is a clear indication that CUSCO's strut bar will more likely be more secure and offer even more rigidity to the chassis. Installation-wise, each brace can be easily secured first before putting it all together with the bar. The braces can be secured with a socket and the bar with a large hex key.

Also, CUSCO takes the cake as far as the high quality of the materials they used for the strut bar, as well as all of their products. Here take a look:
The Look (for all those "Show>Go" modders)-
DAMNNNN...doesn't that just look sexy??

Chrome finish strut bar with CUSCO blue braces, a very nice touch to dress up any engine bay. The design of the strut bar is flat, which keeps with the sleekness of it all as well as the slim, lightweight feel of it. Don't forget the CUSCO racing sticker that comes with it. Line in up perfectly in the middle and represent the product! But maybe the sticker thing is not for you, well never fear because the bar comes etched with the CUSCO logo and added "Made In Japan" to let everyone know you got a legit product.

This part of the review might not have a lot of words, mainly because you have to see how appealing it is to believe it. Here is the CUSCO strut bar with a stock air box:

And with an aftermarket (Descendant) cold air intake:

The strut bar only adds to the limitless possibilities a Scion enthusiast might have to dress up their engine bay. But what's really great about it is that it is not only visually appealing....

The Feel (What are the performance improvements?)-
The visually appeal the CUSCO strut bar also works well with the actual practical purpose of the product. The design is sleek and eye catching, but it is also meant to be like that to get the best improvements out of the bar.
Right away from a non-AutoXer's perspective you will feel that the steering feels stiffer. Not the kind of stiffness when the power steering goes out, but the kind that just makes it feel like there is more grip on the front tires and you have more control on handling the car. In addition to that, the CUSCO strut bar is VERY sturdy but VERY lightweight. Not this bar particularly, but I know of examples of when cars with a CUSCO strut bar have gotten into an accident and totaled the car, the CUSCO strut bar was still near perfect condition. You can have the enhanced feel of handling without compromising added unwanted weight to the car.
Obviously this is best for those AutoXers out there because the most noticeable improvements come with situations such as hard cornering at high speeds, quickly weaving around cones, and all that good stuff. And am completely sure that the CUSCO strut bar will greatly improve performance, feel, and probably even lap times.
But what about those daily drivers? This is exactly my situation and I can say that for someone that never cared about doing a strut bar upgrade, I have no idea what I was thinking before and will always have a strut bar on my must have list for any future car I will own. While the improvement is not night and day...because well, the turning on a new car isn't (and shouldn't) be bad in the first place, the CUSCO strut bar just has that slight, fine-tuning adjustment to make driving just a little more enjoyable. To be real, some may notice it, some may not, but either way it is better overall for the car.
Here is what I did notice...
(disclaimer: I do not enforce reckless driving of any sorts and I do not and will not take any liability for any accidents happening after trying to mimic any of the driving conditions I am about to say.)
The closet simulation I had to weaving around cones was weaving around traffic. Before I used to be worried of fitting in a gap on a tight lane change because the car doesn't completely get into the lane fast enough and end up annoying the other car...or worse...But now it is as if I just think it and the tC2 knows it and does it with the exact reaction time as me. I have also weaved around cars that have cut me off...all the while nothing (packages or people) in the car felt any jerkiness or ended up flying across the car. It all felt very stable. On some turns I used to feel as if the car was pulling itself across and everything in the hatch would start rolling around like crazy, that is all gone now.
Then as for testing out the feel on some hard cornering, I went to some residential turns I knew are usually relatively clear. Before the CUSCO strut bar I usually found myself either 1) slowing down a lot before the turn or 2) found myself taking a super wide turn and basically driving on the wrong side of the road. But after the CUSCO strut bar, I feel like I am still in complete control while not having to sacrifice speed. This is very good for lopping freeway on-ramps. I can get on the ramp and immediately start to get the speed up so that I will flow with traffic (if not faster) for super easy merging. And if its one of those two lane on-ramps, I can quickly change to the lane that is clear and pass up those other cars slowing down on the turn.

The Conclusion (The Look, the Feel, and how it affects your Wallet)-
It looks cool, its designed and tested, its strong, it adds to safety, it gives you better feel behind the wheel, its made in Japan, its cheaper than TRD (CUSCO MSPR is $200, TRD MSRP is $245). What else can you ask for???
From daily drivers to full on racers, a strut bar is a must just for that better feel in handling and added quick response times, and CUSCO clearly goes above and beyond on their product. This is arguably one of the best products on the market and only a start of things to come. It's a simple fact, CUSCO makes great products and its is great for them to dip into the tC2 market.




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Other links:

• Visit 1 | Visit 2 | Visit 3
• Install Guide
• Group buy organized by SL member biglilsteve
• Official CUSCO ad

biglilsteve

iTrader: (2)

Linked this in the group buy thread

Brichard0625

Finally mine is being sent...had my card stolen after i did the group buy and forgot to inform upgrade motoring of the card change so my product was there laying around waiting for me to call up so then can take the rest of the money i owe...but it will be here on wednesday

XPRTc

iTrader: (5)

I just find it interesting that the front strut bar for the 1st Gen has mounts that aren't full circles and has an adjustable length tensioner that you mentioned in your review that the 2nd gen has different properties that make it superior.

KidJustin

point taken...there is always a right way and a wrong way to do everything (non-circle, adjustable, circle, non-adjustable). im my opinion the circle and non-adjustable is the best way to go. and for the tC2 i can only confirm that

but as far as the tC1...that might just be the best design for that car. its a different car. i know CUSCO in general does a great job with their products so i would trust it. but of course, because of my own opinion, if i had a tC1 i might look somewhere else first for a strut bar.

also keep in mind...there will always be a market for those that want things different ways. it would be dumb for CUSCO (or any company) to make only one type of it...that would segregate themselves from a whole other market of consumers.

u make stuff that sells, no matter if u like it or not. but u need to make sure it is a good product either way to build that reputation and keep customers coming back.

hope that clears it up. maybe if i had a tC1 with that bar i might change my opinion. u never know.

Vlad1024

It is interesting that there is no validation for these products. A good test would be to put some strain gauges on the frame, strut supports, and firewall. Then see what the loads in these components are under cornering loads. I believe that the result will be that the loads are indeed reduced in all the aformetioned components but will be increased in the outside strut tower(the transfered load has to go somewhere).

On some cars the struts are located far from the fire wall and need more reenforcement(most come with some sort of brace from the factory) but on our cars the strut towers are practically on top of the firewall. In fact, if you look about 6 inches down from the top of the strut on the tC1 you will see that the strut tower is part of the firewall. I believe that on these cars strut bars provide a negligible benefit; while there probably is some(tiny) deflection under load it is nothing compared to the change in alignment due to suspension travel. You would be better off controlling suspension motion with a sway bars(which have a demonstrated benefit) and/or springs+struts.

ZeroEyeQueue

It's hard to find an objective opinion in this situation. KJ, as I know you've tested the Cusco extensively, I simply cannot take an opinion about the "best" way to do things, when only one way has been tested. To make a bold statement as to the Cusco being the best engineered for our cars, I would imagine that you would have to test every product available.

As stated before, I'm not trying to bad mouth Cusco or say that it is a bad product, because it isn't. Cusco has been known to make the best aftermarket suspension equipment around.

However, you're going to find similar performance and rigidity from 2-point strut tower braces. So similar, that it wouldn't matter which one you choose.

ZeroEyeQueue

Agreed.

Brichard0625

finally got mine installed

KidJustin

strut bar, cai, headers, thick-___ cable for ur sound system

the engine is looking good buddy!

Vlad1024

Did a 3 year old weld that header 'cause DAMN.

Brichard0625

Thanx im just waiting on pulley and tune and im happy!..and the welds are good on the headers i dont know what ur looking at the only thing that looks like it was just stuck on here is the weapon r plate which looks like it'll fall off if u touch to hard!

KidJustin

yea jtk2 has the same weapon-r headers. looks the same

ashtc2

KJ, I know you're sponsored by Cusco and all, but if there isn't really any added benefit of getting the Cusco over the TRD (besides 3 bolts instead of two, and material properties), then does it just come down to personal preference. I would rather put something Toyota designed for my car, then something aftermarket that hasn't proved itsself to be that much better.

ProjectTC2

iTrader: (1)

In reality, strut bars have no added performance to our car regardless of brand. So it's entirely personal preference. I personally choose to go with the Cusco because it's cheaper, looks better, and in theory would have better performance, if there was any added performance at all.

Errikos

maby you guys can shed some light on whats the difference
between the AS and OS model offered by cusco for the 2011+ tc i see that they are about $45-$50+/- price gap but not seeing any other good info,

some sites show the AS for 05-10 while others also have it listed as 2011+

thanks in advance

adamaoc

Nice! good review and nice pics!

KidJustin

i'm sure you know by now lol....but to answer for other people

OS = Oval Shaft because the bar is oval shaped
AS = Aluminum Shaft because it is just a simple bar that is made out of aluminum

also Cusco does NOT offer the AS for the tC2

and its not a rule, but the AS are usually adjustable while the OS is not

Errikos

Yep lol thanks again giving my deposit after work ill post pics when its done!

WellesleyScion

Ok, let me make myself clear. 1 time and 1 time only. DO NOT BASH OTHER MEMBERS. This is a final warning in this thread, and this entire tC2 section on the forums.

The next person I see talking trash, bad mouthing, being rude, saying something that isnt 100% chipper and nice, will be banned. It does not matter to me who you are, or who you think you are. This is everyones final warning.