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I saw a thread a while back and figured it would be fun to try out the "prettier" V2 strut tower bar on my V1 and see if it fit over the Maggie. They are pretty inexpensive and have cast aluminum bases with a thick nicely welded Aluminum brace.
I'll be test fitting it out tonight, but I don't foresee any issues. There are pad height differences where the large fasteners are bolted in compared to the stamped/extruded LS2 bar I have currently installed, but those bolts should be long enough to make up the difference.
I might have to modify my magnavolt bracket as it uses the two strut tower
bolts and the pad height increase on the new bar will raise it a bit higher, so that'll be TBD.
I'll also get some weight measurements to see how the two bars compare.
Technically it "fits". A few areas are pretty tight as far as clearance goes.
2005 LS6 Maggie Strut Tower Bar (2 bolts per side, thin square Steel tubing, thick die cut steel stanchion plates) = 2.91lbs
2006-2007 LS2 Strut Tower Bar (3 bolts per side, thick rectangle Steel tubing, stamped thick Steel stanchions) = 8.14lbs
2009-2014 LSA Strut Tower Bar (2 bolts per side, thick rectangle AL tube, Cast AL stanchions) = 5.16lbs
I need to finish bolting it all together and fix my hood seals etc, and see if there are any hood pad clearance issues. There is a recessed area for the strut tower bar in the hood pad, so it should fit right in there without issue, Stay Tuned.
Passenger side
1. Battery negative terminal is going to be a pain to get to as the bar pretty much backs up into the battery almost touching it.
Driverside side
2. AC line needs a little massaging to avoid touch condition
3. Clutch reservoir needs to be moved slightly (there should be enough play in the bracket so no problem there)
4. Brake Reservoir is tight, but doesn't not contact strut tower bar.
What's your impression of the strength/rigidity comparison vs. the LS2 piece?
The V2 bar will be stiffer based on the fact that the bar isn't "kinked" in two places like the V1 LS2 bar where a mandrel crush bends the bar 7" inboard on each side to give it the desired shape. Also the much thicker and structural cast aluminum stanchions of the V2 bar will be stiffer compared to the stamped steel V1 LS2 bar.
V2 > V1 LS2 > V1 LS6 as far as stiffness goes.
I doubt anybody would be able to perceive a butt dyno difference with this piece on the car, but getting rid of 3 lbs will be nice. Also the weight of the V2 bar is all in the stanchions, vs. all the weight of the V1 LS2 bar is in the bar itself, so the CG is lower on the V2 bar, another win.
Thanks barrok, that's exactly what I was looking for. Only downside to V2 bar I see is two connections per side vs 3 but the extra material plus Al vs steel properties looks to make up for it. Just ordered one!
Thanks barrok, that's exactly what I was looking for. Only downside to V2 bar I see is two connections per side vs 3 but the extra material plus Al vs steel properties looks to make up for it. Just ordered one!
Bolted in and surrounding clearances are good after adding a small new tweak to the AC line and adjusting the clutch reservoir fastener. You won't be able to install the battery negative terminal "cap" without using a die grinder on the cast part of the strut brace.
The hood pad will need some modifications. It's a very tight (interference) fit. The recess in it isn't wide enough for the V2 bar to fit into completely and the hump overlaps the V2 bar by an inch or so.
I took the pad out and it closes fine without hitting any metal. There is about a 3/8" gap from the top of the bar to the hood when closed.
I'm sure a little massaging of the installed hood pad with a couple hood open and close cycles will make the proper clearances
The V2 bar will be stiffer based on the fact that the bar isn't "kinked" in two places like the V1 LS2 bar where a mandrel crush bends the bar 7" inboard on each side to give it the desired shape. Also the much thicker and structural cast aluminum stanchions of the V2 bar will be stiffer compared to the stamped steel V1 LS2 bar.
V2 > V1 LS2 > V1 LS6 as far as stiffness goes.
I doubt anybody would be able to perceive a butt dyno difference with this piece on the car, but getting rid of 3 lbs will be nice. Also the weight of the V2 bar is all in the stanchions, vs. all the weight of the V1 LS2 bar is in the bar itself, so the CG is lower on the V2 bar, another win.
The **** are you talking about? The longer the stanchions, the exponentially less stiff the unit is. The shock tower brace operates on the same principal as a sway bar (they're both torsion bars)--the longer the arms, the lower the torsional stiffness. Even if cross sectional area and material were the same, the V2 bar would have approximately half the torsional stiffness as the V1 bar. Also, the V2's reduced cross sectional area make it less stiff, and the fact that it's aluminum and the elastic modulus is 1/3 that of steel means that this brace is vastly weaker.
What we should be doing is developing a four point bar out of tubular steel, not this aluminum ****.
Last edited by FuzzyLog1c; 10-26-2017 at 05:56 PM.
I'm know engineer but I'm with fuzzy on this one. I've got one and with all the little mods it required coupled with the fact that the V2 bar only uses 2 bolts and isn't centered over the strut towers made it a no go for me.
but, if it fits over an LSA blower, it could be worthwhile
The **** are you talking about? The longer the stanchions, the exponentially less stiff the unit is. The shock tower brace operates on the same principal as a sway bar (they're both torsion bars)--the longer the arms, the lower the torsional stiffness. Even if cross sectional area and material were the same, the V2 bar would have approximately half the torsional stiffness as the V1 bar. Also, the V2's reduced cross sectional area make it less stiff, and the fact that it's aluminum and the elastic modulus is 1/3 that of steel means that this brace is vastly weaker.
What we should be doing is developing a four point bar out of tubular steel, not this aluminum ****.
Ideally a bar that ties into the firewall would be great, but I'm not building a race car, but simply exploring a possible bolt on upgrade.
The LS2 bar stanchions are weak as hell. I can bend/deflect them with my hand. Add to that the bar itself is crush bent in two spots... where do you think the body twist is going to manifest itself? Let me help you.... in the bar itself and at the shock towers, which defeats the whole point of having a strut brace.
With the V2 bar the stanchions don't budge at all and have way more material due to the fact that it is solid Aluminum to make up for the material strength differences, not stamped 2mm sheet steel. The V2 bar itself is actually a triangle extrusion that is on a slight arc.
V2 bar = 75mm wide
V1 LS2 bar is 54mm wide.
The shock tower bar does NOT operate like a sway bar. when you compare the LS2 bar with the flimsy stanchions you're adding another 2 degrees of freedom for the loads to travel to, same with the crush bent area of the tube. Instead of a 2 bar linkage, it becomes a 4 bar linkage.
With the V2 bar it is a proper structural piece as the stanchions are extremely stiff and they effectively become the shock towers from a structural standpoint.
You should really go take some mechanical engineering classes, it will help your understanding of suspension and chassis design immensely.
I fit mine and thought it sucked. Engineering aside, it didn't look or fit right imho and as you've pointed out, you aren't going to feel the differences.
I fit mine and thought it sucked. Engineering aside, it didn't look or fit right imho and as you've pointed out, you aren't going to feel the differences.
10-26-2017, 08:31 AM
V2 Front Strut Tower bar on V1 
