Shock Tower Strut

[American flyer]

I have a 2002 LE stick and have been thinking about a tower strut. Has anyone installed one of these and does it improve handling?

[Sci-Fi]

Installed a Freedom Design Tower Strut Bar in my 2002 LE 5-speed, and you will notice improved handling when you are cornering and the bar doesn't affect the ride qualities. I chose the Freedom Design Bar over the others because you don't have to relocate the clutch fluid container, just bolt in the bar. The Freedom Design is polished stainless steel. Later on, I changed the anti-sway bars to AddCo's for a more neutral, sports car like handling. Here is a picture of my bar installed below:



2002 Almond Pearl Limited Edition 27K
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.




Edited by - Sci-Fi on 10/13/2002 22:53:57

[CREWZIN]

I went for the strut bar that was on ebay from Race & Street. Not sure about the clutch fluid container as I have an automatic. It was easy to put on and a noticable improvement in handling.

[tom]

I also installed a race and street bar on my auto it makes the front end go where you want it to go

[CREWZIN]

quote:
I also installed a race and street bar on my auto it makes the front end go where you want it to go

Darn Tom, Where the heck did the PT go before you installed the bar?

<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

[American flyer]

I was looking at the yellow WildFire strut but nothing mentioned about moving the clutch reservoir. How much trouble is that going to be?

[CREWZIN]

Both of us that replied to your question on the strut bar have automatics so we can't answer the question about the moving the clutch reservoir. Give the guys at Race & Street a call, they are very friendly and can give you all the answers to your question. Here's their information:

Address: 15742 Route 322
Clarion, PA 16214

Toll Fee: 888-826-1394
Clarion, PA 814-764-6002
Fax: 814-223-9824

[tcruiser]

Hey Sci-Fi, nice looking strut bar. Real clean looking and looks as though it fits real snug and out of the way. Been thinking about adding one to my 2001 limited. One thing under your hood caught my eye. Looks like you've installed a hood lift kit(?). That's my next big addition...can't stand that prop bar. Several places I've checked say they're on back order. I'm looking for the kind that doesn't require drilling holes and black in color. Any suggestions where I might find such? Would really appreciate any info!

[CREWZIN]

tcruiser,
I know you asked Si-Fi but thought I'd tell you about mine. Got them on ebay from a seller named "blaneb". The struts are easy to put on...no holes to drill and they come black with black pieces that attach to the hood and fenders. I painted mine silver in the picture below to match the car. I won them on auction for $119.00

[Sci-Fi]

quote:
I was looking at the yellow WildFire strut but nothing mentioned about moving the clutch reservoir. How much trouble is that going to be?

You have to either relocate the bracket or reverse it to mount on the back side of the current mounting plate. It all depends if you have a 2001 with the hood alarm switch or a 2002+. I preferred not to move anything and the Freedom Design was the only tower strut bar (so far) which did not require moving anything. I bought it at PTuning: http://www.ptuning.com/html/Item-Des...c=PT%20Cruiser . The bar is actually polished stainless steel not aluminum as stated at the website. Can't beat the price (free shipping too), best bang for the buck, IMHO.

quote:Hey Sci-Fi, nice looking strut bar. Real clean looking and looks as though it fits real snug and out of the way. Been thinking about adding one to my 2001 limited. One thing under your hood caught my eye. Looks like you've installed a hood lift kit(?). That's my next big addition...can't stand that prop bar. Several places I've checked say they're on back order. I'm looking for the kind that doesn't require drilling holes and black in color. Any suggestions where I might find such? Would really appreciate any info!

I bought mine from Hemicruiser, but "blaneb" offers a no holes need to be drilled model. Here's is his homepage: http://home.pcmagic.net/blajess/ and you can also post a forum message for him at http://ptenthusiasts.org/. There is another no holes gas hood strut system for the PT but I have misplaced the contact information. At the time I purchased mine, the Hemicruiser model was the only hood gas strut system that did not have any reported problems. The Moss system was a no extra holes needed, but many people either complained about the hood hitting the strut or misalignment of the hood, the strut raised the back of hood slightly. It has been redesigned since that time, but haven't heard anything for or against, and the new model is being sold by several aftermarket PT vendors. Drilling the 2 holes to mount the lower strut was not a big deal with me, even though I would have preferred a different solution. Of course it has to be said that dealing with Hemicruiser lately has been a bad experience for many and that buying in person or talking to Nick on the phone is the best way to purchase anything from them.

2002 Almond Pearl Limited Edition 27K
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.