Strut Bar Or Not?

[mazdarati1]

How about some advice?
I've been considering a strut bar to possibly reduce the 65 shimmy. Will it work? The reason I'm
on the fence is because my car doesn't shake too bad, and it handles quite nicely...and I've read
that a strut bar, can make her push, don't want that. The set-up is stock except for +one tires and
wheels, and she handles very nice as I said, so is a bar worth while other then the "bling factor" and
which would you recommend? Thanks in advance! Mazdarati1

14089

[Agent☣Orange]

Structural bracing is always nice to stiffen the chassis but unless you're tracking the car, the strut bar is mostly bling unless used in conjunction with frame rails, door bars, roll bar and so on. I really like a little tasteful bling like strut bars (yes, I know Miatas have shocks) so it's up to you.

As for the vibration, the only thing that will fix that is a more thorough wheel balance like a Hunter balance. A shock tower brace isn't going to make vibration go away but merely transfer that energy to another area, perhaps even make it worse.

[Andy]

I installed a fm shock tower brace on my car and I noticed less nvh. I also have a double hoop rollbar that also mounts to the floor board and frame rails. If it is cheap enough go for it.

[Phatmiata]

i cannot read whatever you typed do to your avatar, hard to read with your high beams on. :blaugh2:

[Agent☣Orange]

She definitely could use better bracing.

[mazdarati1]

Thanks for your input, say what color are her eyes? Oh hell....who cares?
Seriously, your opinions are appreciated.

[revlimiter]

Bracing won't fix the shimmy. That's all tire balance and wheel mounting. A brace might move the shimmy up a few mph, but it won't fix it.

also, wowvatar.

[Soledad]

Here's the thing about STBs - on a Miata, they're largely unnecessary. It will however, significantly reduce cowl shake provided you get your hands on one that is built properly. By that, I mean that there should be no points that can pivot, the bar that crosses over the engine must be rigid and have as few bends as possible, and must connect rigidly to the mounts. The mounts themselves must circumnavigate the entire point where it mounts to the shock tower, if that makes any sense. See pic below of a chintzy STB and one that is made correctly.

The other thing is that if you were to place your car on a lift and raise it up, you can actually see the shock towers tilt outward as the weight of the car is lifted off its wheels. I have seen this with my own two eyes. Place a well made STB on there and that won't happen. Mazda must have figured this out at some point because factory installed STBs started turning up on Miatas with the NB chassis.

14111

[BoBo]

A Hardtop and good balancing will greatly reduce NVH & shimmy. Drive a roadster with a (H.T.) and you will notice. If you really want a tower bar get FM shock tower brace. I have one with master cylinder brace and it definitely reduces flex while improving the brake feel. Plus our cars are old it's time to add those bracing.

I don't have any shimmy issues on my 96 but did on my old 92. Added Bracing definitely helps.

[mazdarati1]

Thanks one and all for your advice. I was shopping tanabe shock tower brace at $125.00 on Ebay. As luck would have it, a Craig's list ad had the exact one I needed for $40.00! It was installed once, but the guy had to rig his intake to run it, because he had an aftermarket unit installed. He wasn't happy with the way his intake was working and choose to take the bar off. So, I've installed and tested today, and I'm impressed. The car handles the rough city streets better, less bouncing and rattling. The 65 shimmy is reduced on most surfaces. I'd read that you should elevate the front to install the bar so I did. All together, pretty happy with the results,
Mazdarati1

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[The Driver]

A Hardtop and good balancing will greatly reduce NVH & shimmy. Drive a roadster with a (H.T.) and you will notice. If you really want a tower bar get FM shock tower brace. I have one with master cylinder brace and it definitely reduces flex while improving the brake feel. Plus our cars are old it's time to add those bracing.

I don't have any shimmy issues on my 96 but did on my old 92. Added Bracing definitely helps.

My 96 feels and drives way better with both the FM STB and master cylinder brace.

[wannafbody]

I've noticed a difference with the shock tower brace on my 96.