Tanabe Sustec Front Strut Tower Bar for 16-21 Civic

Tanabe Sustec Front Strut Tower Bar - 2016-2021 Honda Civic (Red)

This is one of the best value handling upgrades you can bolt to a 10th gen Civic, and you feel it on the first corner. It ties your two front strut towers together so they stop moving independently, which keeps your suspension geometry where it belongs instead of letting chassis flex change it mid-corner. It's finished in red, so it also does something for the engine bay while it's at it.

Not For The Type R

Check this before you order. This bar does not fit the Civic Type R. The FK8's engine cover sits where the bar needs to go, and the two make contact. There's no working around it with different hardware or clocking.

Every other 10th gen is covered though, LX, LX-P, EX, EX-L, EX-T, Sport, Si, and Touring, so if you're in anything but a Type R, you're good.

What A Strut Tower Bar Actually Does

Worth understanding, because it explains why you notice it immediately. Your front struts mount to towers in the fenders, and those towers are welded to a unibody that flexes under load. Turn hard and the outside tower gets pushed while the inside one gets pulled, so the two ends of your suspension move slightly relative to each other.

When that happens your alignment isn't your alignment anymore. Camber shifts on both sides, the tire contact patches move, and the car goes vague exactly when you want it to feel precise. Tying the towers together means they move as one. Your geometry holds, the steering gets sharper and more direct, and the front end responds when you ask instead of a beat later.

The gain shows up most on turn-in and quick direction changes, which is where a front-drive Civic wants the help.

Why It's Such A Common First Mod

A tower bar is where a lot of people start, and the reasons are good ones. It's inexpensive, it goes on in under an hour with hand tools, it's completely reversible, and it needs no tune, no alignment, and no supporting parts. There's no ride quality penalty and nothing to maintain afterward. You bolt it in and drive a car that feels tighter than it did that morning.

It also works well alongside everything else. If you eventually add sway bars, coilovers, or better tires, the tower bar keeps doing its job underneath all of it.

It Looks Good Doing It

The red finish isn't just for show, though it is partly for show. The 10th gen bay is fairly plain from the factory, and a red bar spanning the top of it gives you a splash of color right where the hood opens. Small thing, but it's the first thing anyone sees when you pop the hood, and it makes the bay look like somebody's been in there.

Fitment

• 2016-2021 Honda Civic LX, LX-P, EX, EX-L, EX-T, Sport, Si, Touring

Does not fit the Civic Type R, the engine cover interferes with the bar.

Who Should Run This Tower Bar

This is for the 10th gen owner who wants a sharper front end without spending much or committing to anything permanent. First mod on a stock car, a supporting piece for a build that's already underway, or just a fix for a car that feels soft turning in. Bolt it on, and go find a corner.

Fits: 2016-2021 Honda Civic, all trims except Type R. Does not fit: Civic Type R (FK8), engine cover interference. Type: front strut tower bar. Color: red. Install: bolt-on, no modification required.