Originally posted by qtiger
So Monkey, you're saying that 100% of Honda drivers in SCCA and NASA circuits do not use strut tower bars?
Yes, the unibody is rigid but little lateral rigidity exists above the axle line except for the firewall. If you're implying that there is no lateral flex in the chassis at its highest points front and rear I think you'll find that a hard sell.
i'm sure you could find a couple of HC or IT spec hondas with STB's. but they are not an essential improvement in an arena where every litle thing counts.
once again i'm not saying that they are 100% useless, but they are DEFINITELY not worth the $190 you spend on them (spoon prices). i said above that if they cost $25 i'd have 1, even 2, because sure the chassis probably flexes some midcorner. but not enough to spend all that money on on reinforcement.
also, the firewall is quite a rigid spot on the front part of the chassis, and the rear area under the rear deck is quite rigid as well. maybe ideally there could be more areas that have reinforcement but think about where STB's go: right in front of the firewall, and underneath the rear deck.
it's why having a full cage might be more worthwhile for rigidity purposes and worth the cost (safety as well as chassis reinforcement) but STB's? i don't know.
if someone came out with a C-pillar bar that didn't pivot (like the EM racing one) maybe that might be more efficient than STB's.