Strut tower bar question
 

sorry is this is a dumb one, but what will adding the strut tower bar(mp3 bar) do? the brochure says it adds crispness to the steering but what does that mean exactly?

what it does...is it connects the tops of your strut towers together...it gives stiffness to the body....so that it doesn't flex as much...which transmitts presure from one side of the car to the other...

As I understand it, when you enter a corner hard, much of the car's weight is transferred to the opposite side of the car that you are turning towards (ie. making a left turn, weight is transferred to the right side of the car). If you enter hard enough, you will lose traction due to the decreased weight on the wheel.

So basically, the strut bar makes that car stay in contact with the ground, thereby providing more traction at all the wheels, which in turn lets you corner harder and faster.

Hmmm...Now that I read the Nuke's post again, Nuke basically said this, but I'll post this anyway just to make the idea a little more explicit. :D

is this something a schmuck could install or do i need to let the dealer put it on?

if you know how to operate a combination wrench or a socket wrench....YOU can put it on yourself...its a piece of cake....

get the part from the dealer...or where ever....then go by a dealer and have them lift the hood on any P-5, since there will be plenty of them there...and look where its installed and how....you will see how simple it is to put on.....then go for it. :{D

This is a better description of a swaybar than a strut brace. Strut braces prevent body flex, which makes the steering more precise because the car's wheels are held in tighter alignment.

Strut braces mainly benefit cars with really flexible unibodies, such as a Datsun 240Z, AE86 Toyota Corolla, or Fox3 Mustang. Strut braces don't usually do a whole lot on a car with a reasonably strong body structure (like a 99+ Protege). They have a small effect on traction, but the effect on a Protege will be pretty minimal compared to the other parts of the suspension, such as the springs, swaybars, shocks, bushings and tires.

IMHO a strut brace for the front of a BJ Pro belongs on the "Do This Last" list, not the "Do This First" list. YMMV :D

thanks fellas

Did I miss something? When you turn left, weight is transferred to the right side of the car, and vice versa. An anti sway bar ties the two sides of the suspension together to resist this weight transfer and therefore reduces body lean. The strut tower bar does exactly what Chris said, it prevents flex and holds the alignment better.
I did notice a difference in my '00 ES when I added the strut tower bar however, and I would recommend one for the 3rd gens. I would get an inexpesive one though, as I don't think the more expensive ones provide much additional benefit.

a strut tower bar is a good investment....you will notice a quicker steering response,especially on hard cornering or a hard high speed lane change....a strut bar will stiffen the chassis and also help the anti sway bar in sharing the load under a hard corner....think of it like this...even with the anti sway bar...you have 2 strut towers
! ! ...under a hard corner with no strut bar,1 strut tower bears most of the load ! /....the strut tower bar ties the 2 struts together equalizing the load in the hard corner / /...the symbols i put demonstrate how the strut towers flex under load

Huh??? However you understand it best is fine, but the way you're explaining it seems likely to confuse other people trying to understand what the two different bars do.
For example, adding a strut tower bar will not reduce body roll in a corner. The strut tower bar bolts to the sheet metal strut tower mounts on each side of the car only. The strut tower bar has nothing to do with the suspension directly. Any improvements by a strut tower bar are indirect, and a result of stiffening the chassis at the upper points the suspension mounts to it. This does improve steering response by reducing flex which makes the car respond faster since chassis flex takes time. It also improves suspension alignment which makes handling more consistent, again due to reduced chassis flex.
A stabilizer bar (anti sway bar) mounts to each side of the sub frame, and to each side of the suspension either at the strut or control arm depending on the vehicle. The sub frame position is fixed, therefore, so are the stabilizer bar mounting points on the sub frame. The ends of the stabilizer bar are mounted to the suspension on opposite sides of the car. So when taking a corner one side of the suspension wants to compress because of the additional weight being shifted on it, while the other side wants to extend because of the weight being shifted away from it. The stabilizer bar resists this by being twisted like a torsion spring since it is mounted to both sides of the suspension AND the sub frame. Without all four of these mounting points, a bar cannot resist weight transfer (body roll).

Does adding a strut bar really that much of a difference? Can you notice it if someone installed it without you knowing?!

I have one on and i don't feel much difference unless i take hard turns. I can't wait till the next autocross to test it ou though. that's where you'll be able to tell the difference. the only thing is that it will put me out of h-stock so we'll see.

Gonna agree with Proman there. Its nice but no big deal. I just wanted my steering to be a little more enjoyable, which it now is. Plus it was really easy to put in, if you get the right parts, and adds some show-off value as well there.

It's hard to say. How noticable it is depends on the individual. The steering response change was noticable to me. For it's ease of installation, and low cost, I think it's worth it. Depending on how much or cars chassis' flex, it can have benefits that you don't feel directly also. Such as maintaning better alignment due to reduced chassis flex.