Originally posted by jackasssi
Dont bother with any strut/tie bar that has hinged ends, whats the point of bracing if it moves? Neuspeed makes good SOLID tie bars. Strut bars do more for looks than anything else.
The bar that will makes the biggest improvement is a rear sway bar uprgrade or addition - lower tie should be used if hard driving is to be done. With the right suspension set-up & tires you could bend or tear the frame when using a large rear sway bar under the right conditions.
People confound the function of strut/tie and sway bars because they're all bars.
Strut bars and tie bars are essentially the same thing in that they stiffen the body of the car by tieing together at least two points subjected to structural stress. A strut tower bar mounts to the strut towers, hence the name.
A sway bar is not a stiffening device but a part of the suspension. It acts like a torque arm to increase the spring rate on one side of the suspension during a turn and thus decreases body roll.
Stiffening the body of the car that the suspension (including the sway bars) mounts to will generally make the suspension more effective at doing its job.