What is a Strut Bar and What Does it Do?

It’s hard to talk about performance upgrades without mentioning the addition of a strut bar. So what are strut bars and what do they really do?

What is a strut bar?
Strut bars are also known under similar aliases such as a strut brace, strut tower brace, and strut tower bar. All of which refer to a bar that ties the strut towers together to improve chassis rigidity. This suspension accessory helps reduce chassis flex to give the driver a more direct feel of how the vehicle handles. Because each vehicle is unique to how it drives on the road, not everyone will necessarily need one.

2016-2017 Lexus IS200t HPS Performance Front Strut Bar, 41-100

How does it work?
Many cars today incorporate the MacPherson strut suspension, which unlike the traditional double-wishbone suspension, relies heavily on the strut towers as a point of reference for wheel alignment. When steering around a curve, the outside strut tower takes on most of the load bearing pressure. This can result in flexing or upsetting your vehicle’s suspension geometry. A strut brace serves to redistribute the mounted pressure from one strut tower to the other in order to significantly reduce chassis flex and keep your steering stable even at high speeds.

MacPherson strut vs. double wishbone

What types of vehicles would benefit?
A strut bar can make a big difference on how stable a vehicle feels. Vehicles that are already torsionally rigid won’t see any functional benefit while those with a less torsion resistant chassis will experience a noticeable improvement in responsiveness. For cars used in drag racing and mainly drive in a straight line, there’s no real difference in handling feedback. Because off-roading vehicles primarily drive over uneven surfaces, it is imperative that each strut tower operates independently, so the addition of a strut bar is counterintuitive. Drift and track cars that constantly take on turns will generally see more benefit from having a strut bar installed.

What it boils down to
Although many may think of a strut brace as a performance upgrade, it actually functions more as an accessory to help you receive the feedback you need to better handle your vehicle around corners. Does it improve handling? Not so much. Many vehicles can benefit from having a front strut bar as it tightens the front of the chassis to retain proper alignment despite varying road conditions. Not to mention, it’s a nice way to dress up the area around the engine.

What makes ours unique
We’ve just released our first batch of strut bars to complement our current selection of performance-based products. Our R&D team designed these pieces to feature a robust aluminum body and 10 gauge thick steel mounting brackets where applicable to provide excellent strength while adding minimal weight to the vehicle. Whether you’re considering adding one for purpose of functionality or visual appeal, an HPS Performance Front Strut Bar is a great way to achieve both goals.

2012-2014 Toyota Camry 2.5L HPS Performance Front Strut Bar bracket, 42-102

To view our current collection of strut bars and available colors, click here.