Thread: Active Tuning RSTB - with no other mods

So the last time I put an Active Tuning RTSB on my car, I put a Progress Rear Sway bar on the same day, and the car also had hypercoils and shortened koni's on already..

yesterday I finally got around to putting on the RSTB I bought a couple of weeks ago and noticed that the car seems much more stable on the highway with this SINGLE modification to the suspension. Has anyone else put on just this mod without anything else? what was your take? the steering also seems more responsive, as it should because the stiffened rear helps dial in more oversteer... but I was expecting that...

Back in the day, that was the first mod I did to my car. From what I could tell, it did very little. I would still recommend it of course, but some mods don't change the car enough for me to tell much difference. Without a timed lap, I bet it would be impossible to tell I had one. Almost all of the urethane bushings were like that too.
Suspension mods that made a big enough difference where I could point at something and say "Hey, look at that. That's different." were the wheels/tires, each sway bar, and the springs/struts. The FSTB didn't make much of a difference either for me.

I'm curious how a lower control arm brace would feel. From what I hear they are a big difference, but somehow I doubt it.

the rstb makes a big difference on the b13. I have one on my turbo car but don't on my ve car. both cars have the same suppension setup right down to the bushings. I can tell you the turbo car feels more solid and stable in corners compared to my ve car.

So my photos in the other thread http://www.sr20-forum.com/suspension/23630-camber-changes-during-cornering.html did show the results I expected. I figured you off all people would have understood. If you did then you would not have said that.
Until you experience one of these cars close to a 1G turn you won't know.

I understand what they do, and how they help the suspension and all that jazz (admittedly I'd lost track of the thread you linked to and had not seen your pictures yet). I'm just trying to give my subjective experience with chassis stiffening mods on my particular car.

(Thanks for reminding me about that other thread. I hope I explain things well in there. If I don't, I truly appreciate your input on the matter as your experience is well beyond mine in this area and others.)

I have, by many standards, a loose car. I don't have a cage or any real good bracing, nor do I have a stiff suspension (RM + AGX) and when I did put in the RSTB I had a completely stock car so it was even worse (maybe if I removed it now I would feel more of a difference). I also run street tires, so I don't see the loading you would. 1G in a corner is something I'm sure my car has yet to see. My butt suspension dyno is also pretty poor it would seem. All this conspires to limit the perceived benefit of chassis stiffening mods on my car where they might make a much more pronounced difference on something like your car. I tried to convey that it still would make a difference you could tell my timed laps, I just don't have that fine tuned of a connection with my car (yet?). Spending 99.99% of my time on the street instead of a race track is also not helping me any in that department. I am familiar with highway driving though, and I didn't fell a bit of difference there.

I understand perfectly where you are coming from, I started out on the street too.
The chassis on these cars are not the best. like anything else you need a good foundation to start. Hance a cage (safety/ stiffening).
The next best thing w/o a cage is suspension pick up points. Even the soft springs need something to work against. These braces tied into each other is the only way to get results. (Then you find out you need to go stiffer and stiffer) that's a whole different story.

well my butt dyno has experienced a wide array of cars, and this is my 4th B13 and i drive 4 hours to KC almost every weekend, and 4 hours back to Tulsa.. I put the brace on in KC while I had access to a garage over the weekend, and on my way back to Tulsa I felt that the car had much more crisp steering and even felt more composed on the highway in straight lines, as if there was less "slop" in the overall vehicle dynamics.. I don't know how else to describe it... the B13 is a VERY loose, flexible, NOT STIFF chassis.. so anyway..

Ben, the difference with a good control arm brace is night and day. Without it, you bounce and move all over the place when going over rail road tracks. With it, piece of cake, no unwelcome or strange scary movements.

I've use both the Whiteline and Progress brace. They both work wonders, but the Whiteline just hangs too low for street use.

Mark

i understand what your saying. i would think that it would stiffen the body enough to were you could notice it.

ive had agx hypercoils, cusco fstb and the same rstb as you. the car i thought was stiff and tight.

when i put the autopower roll cage i was like ****, that made a hugge difference with the rigidity of the whole entire car.

i have yet to put in sway bars. but i hear all you really need is to upgrade the rear one anyway.

stratton.