Hey. I was thinking about getting a strut bar for my tC but some people say they dont make much of a difference and to get a sway bar instead. Does the sway bar and the strut bar pretty much do the same thing except the sway is better. Also, if i bought a front strut and a rear sway is it worth it? Enlighten me on how this works

 

Front strut or rear strut bar?

Sway bars will make a more significant impact on hadling.

 

front strut bars

 

The sways are MUCH much more effective. Do sway(s) and if you are still not satisfied do the front strut bar. I think the rear strut bar is just a waste of money. The front strut bar doesn't do much either but if you are really sensative to the suspension, you can feel that. With the sways, your money goes a lot further. So if you can only afford one, go for the sway(s). If you do trd rear sway, leave the front sway stock. But if you go hotchkis or ST, definitely do both front and rear or your suspension will be really off. Dont mix and match sways though!

 

Ingalls rear four point bar wasn't a waste for me.

 

who makes good strut bars? and are their different types?

 

front strut that is

 

If you are going to get an ingalls stiffy, i'd avoid the conflict by buying a hotchkis. Hotchkis and trd are the same thing, except trd is more expensive. The trd is just rebadged and painted - the only difference. If you are definitely not going to get a stiffy, then you can also look into the dc front strut bar. I'd personally recommend the hotchkis (or trd if you love the name for a more expensive cost, but know you are spending more for the name but the same product)

 

In my opinion, the front strut bar is more of a aesthetic mod. The front end of the tC is fairly rigid to begin with and I think your money would be better spent on Ingalls 4 point rear brace. But again, that's just what I think.

Read through the parts section to get an idea on the different front strut bars available. They all do the same thing, they just look different.
https://www.scionlife.com/parts/?sub=16

 

Agree 100%

 

so an ingalls stiffy is better than getting a front strut? Right now (from what i know) I'd get a rear sway from trd or hotchkis, and a front strut or ingalls stiffy

 

Okay, an ingalls stiffy is not a strut or a sway bar. Its an engine torque dampner. I personally highly recommend it if you push your car hard at times, but does not serve the same purpose as strut or sway bars.

Like I said earlier, don't mix and match sways. If you want to get a trd rear sway, great, I have one on the race setting and I love it. If you are going with hotchkis however, you have to get both the front and the rear.

Then is the front strut bar which goes on top of the strut tower (under the bolts) in the engine bay. This is not much of a performance part as I said earlier, but will have a minor performance effect.

Here is everything that you need to know about an ingalls "stiffy" etd (engine torque dampner) GREAT performance part that I recommend, but there are downsides, read up, this thread states it all:

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...=97304&start=0

 

Stiffy:


Front Strut (not on tC (xA i think) This is a dc front strut bar):


Rear Sway (sorry about the circles - irrelevant here, just the first pic I found) TRD on top, Stock on bottom:



Do a 'Search' on any of these and you will find more info than you know what to do with. alright. hope that helps

 

i still dont really understand what the stiffy does? Sorry to be a pain in the ___ but can u explain?

 

I always thought the Front STB would not even make a hint of diff on our cars. I installed a Hotchkis one and I did feel a diff as soon as I put it on. The steerin felt tighter, as for takin turns. I think i noticed a 1 or 2 mph diff in doing so. But proally nuthin big. I did test b4 and after I installed it

 

Dude, not to be a jerk, but do some of your own research. Its all on this forum, you just have to look around a bit. I already gave you the exact website with ALL the information on this exact part. This is just laziness that you are not reading through it. Nevertheless:

Here is the part on corsportusa.com who is a great seller. This can help you understand a bit:

http://www.corsportusa.com/store/cat...roducts_id=382

The point of the stiffy, is the reduce engine movement. By reducing engine movement, the wheels stay planted much more firmly on the ground which means tha wheel hop is reduced. This is accomplished by the engine not "dancing" so much under the hood. Next, it reduces strain on many suspension parts. Next, it provides for much more stable shifting, especially with downshifting. The downside, is that it does add noise to the cabin since its attached to the strut tower, and also vibration will be evident if no sound deadening material such as dynamat. If you have more questions, just read through that thread. I know it is like 15 pages or whatever, but you will understand it completely. Here is the link again:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...=97304&start=0


^^sorry to be a butthole

 

thats alright. i know i should search. just trying to make a decision for purchasing and i get anxious. haha. thanks again

 

lol I hear ya. I get the same way - real excited!

My honest opinion would be to get the trd rear sway bar (installed on race setting rather than the less stiff street setting). If you plan on racing the car, then go with the hotchkis. The trd rear sway is approx 65% stiffer than stock on the race (stiffer) setting. The hotchkis rear sway is about 230% or so I believe. Thats a huge difference and no ideal for street driving - ideal for track use however! Thats why i'd recommend the trd rear sway.

Then, I would not waste the money on the front strut bar unless you are showing the car (personally). It doesn't make enough difference for the money. It'd make enough difference if the part cost like 25-30 dollars or something. lol

And with the stiffy, i highly recommend it, but definitely do your research on that one or you will REALLY regret it.

Let me know if you have any more questions. On a side note - first thing to do is put lowering springs on that baby before you attack other suspension upgrades!

 

you can bid on my trd sway bar check in the classifieds section!

 

Progressive and ST suspension have pretty good sway bars on the market too.