Who has it.... is it worth it???

 

I've been wondering this forever, personally though, I think I'm going to go with the TDS one that everybody loves. I asked about the spohn bar in one thread and got these responses:

"That 'preloading' function might be of use; I don't know if I would notice it in regular driving. I just installed one fron Top-Down Solutions and could not be happier with it. It REALLY made a difference with the front of the car, to the point that a) I never realized just how much these things flex and b) how loose my back end is!"

Just some speculation there...and also

"I have an adjustable Spohn, works great....better for linin bolt holes up too....Made a huge difference in the handling of my car....All i need now is a set of sway bars."

Not very informative as far as comparison goes though...I'd love to hear what people say about it also.

 

sigh... i was really trying to justify $90 instead of $50... besides i would prolly bone up and get the moly one.....

 

well ive never seen anyone with the adjustable one. If you want it, buy it. it cant be worse then anyother wonderbar, and you will be able to say you have something cool and different. maybe its great, who knows, you can be the one to tell everyone

 

I have nothing negative to say about GM's Wonderbar or after market versions of it. The piece was designed to strengthen the steering box area of cars equipped with 16" wheels, though only IROC's were equipped with them. All in all, no doubt a good preventive measure for thirdgens regardless of wheel size. Frankly, however, I'm amused at members who suddenly feel a dramatic difference in the way the car handles, yada, yada, yada. I suspect that in a blind test, most couldn't reliably say whether a Wonderbar had been installed or not.

JamesC

 

Cheap one it is lol.... and i have 16" wheels on my RS, the five spoke 91 style wheels with the "camaro" center cap

 

i have it on my iroc and love it! i can never justify to my girlfriend what i pay for or buy for my iroc so i just fib and say it needs it cause the old one is bad or i say it was half the price i really spent...lol honestly unless you race the car or run corners very very hard i see no reason to get one that is adjustable. i spent the money for mine cause its still the cheapest thing i put on my car yet...lol. what ever you choose you will notice a difference

 

I'm not going to claim a dramatic difference when I installed mine (which I think I bought from you James) but I did notice that the car felt better/tighter in the area of steering response. Like you said, a good upgrade regardless.

 

I have the Spohn adjustable, moly, wonder bar. It is a well made piece and I am happy with it. That said, if I ever need to buy another one, I would not spend the extra money on the adjustable version. The wonder bar ties the two frame rail together up front, near the steering box, and keeps the rails from spreading or sqeezing together. A regular wonderbar does this pretty well. The only "benefit" to the adjustable version is the ability to put a preload on it. The question is, is it better to preload the wonderbar in tension or compression? I was not sure, and rather than cause a problem, I did not put any preload on it. I may as well have a non adjustable version, which would be lighter.

I recommend buying a good, non adjustable wonderbar and spend the extra money on another new part. Get a moly version if saving a few ounces is important to you. You will not go wrong with a Spohn or TDS wonderbar.

 

Just get a stock Wonder Bar. There are really no strength benefits from aftermarket ones, and stock have been found, as cheap as $3.

 

Exactly. I have a 6 point, SFC, Spohn everything and so on with a motor push almost 500 HP N/A and I still feel more than confident running my stock one. I painted it with POR-15 and it looks sick too. Over the winter I will have it coated with some kind of plating.

If you really want weld the end plates a little more, but you will probably just warp it. They are strong. That tube only take load in its line of axis. It would take thousands of pounds on compression to crush it and 10 times that to snap it. There is virtually no forces acting vertically on it. Stock is fine, if not, then get the cheapest after market one.

 

i was happy with the stock piece. it made a differenc when i tried to push my large 275's up front. i later got smart and went back to a 245 width. the fact i'm running 19's though puts alot of strain on the setup so i can't say i need it for sure but it mentally makes me feel safe.

 

Kandied: You had 275, but went back to 245s. Thats what I want to do. I have 275s, but have since learned that it is not really worth all the other little headaches. Can 245s fit on a 9.5" rim OK? Is that the width you run?

 

Wait, why didn't you guys like the 275's, what "headaches" were there, and why would 245's be better?? I was really hoping for 285's in the front when I get new rims...

 

They probably rub. I would get stock with rims and tires on the front (245) and go as wide as you can fit on the back (285, ect). I know my front tires dont have alot of playing room as it is!

 

i had 4th gen salad shooters with 255s in the front and they rubbed... :\

 

Rubbing and stuff. I pounded the areas that they rub to make room, but still they rub some. When I back out of my driveway and such. The really wide fronts also track A LOT more. Not fun. That means that they go in and out of the grooves in the road and the car goes side to side. Even on roads where you don't really see the two dents, they are there. I dunno, its no big deal, but i am sick of it. Thats all.