Celica Forums Install Guides and Technical Articles Suspension, Wheels, and Brakes Guides APR Flex Control Bar, Upper-Strut Tie Bar

APR Flex Control Bar
By Isaac DeCoursey @ EverythingCelica.com

I love this flex-control bar! I've had it installed to my Celica for the past year and don't think I could ever go back to driving without it! This flex-control bar gives noticeable difference to an aftermarket or stock suspension setup.

Install takes about 10 minutes.

On an install difficulty scale of 1 through 10, with 1 being easiest, I'd give this a 3.

Available for the Toyota Celica in either BLUE or RED


Also includes the Battery Tie Bar in matching color..





Ok, on with the install...

The APR upper-strut tie-bar is a tight fit, but it still manages to get in exactly where it needs to be.

You'll need a ratchet with 12mm socket for the strut's nuts and a 10mm socket for the battery tie-down nuts.

Park your car on level ground.
Point your wheels straight forward.
Set your parking brake.


APR Flex Control Bar Box


Flex Control Bar Packaging

This package comes with an Allen wrench and a battery tie down bar


Flex Control Bar

First, loosen the battery's positive terminal and rotate it towards the passenger side. Re-cover it once you're done - to avoid an unintentional shock and a trip to the hospital.

Next, do the same thing to the ground battery connection, rotating it towards the driver's side. Then securely tightening those bolts again.


Use a 12mm socket to remove the 3 nuts on either side of the strut (6 total)

IMPORTANT: Once the strut bolts are off, take a slightly damp rag and wipe down the area so that it's free of dirt or other debris. Be sure this area is clean and dry before proceeding. If you skip this step, there is a chance that the control bar plates will not sit tightly and you may hear a grinding or clicking noise when you drive around corners.


Remove your factory battery tie-down...


Replace it with the one included with your new flex control bar. DO NOT tighten the bolts yet.

NOTE: The battery included with some Celica are smaller and won't have room for the included battery tie-down. No worries, you can still fit the flex control bar onto your car without problems >>CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW<<

Now take the smaller of the two included Allen wrenches and tighten the bolts on the underside of the silver bar. Then use the included larger Allan-wrench to slightly loosen the flex-control bar's plate fixture so it can be manipulated into the correct position for the next step.



Place your new flex control bar over the strut tower bolts and rotate the plates so they slide over your car's suspension strut bolts.


Re-install the factory nuts you removed earlier to the strut tower bolts... just attach them to the point where they start grabbing the bolt's threads.

AFTERMARKET SUSPENSION NOTE:
(if you still have stock suspension, you can ignore this note)
If you DO have aftermarket suspension, you MAY need to use a vehicle jack. IF your plates ride high and the nut's threads are difficult to grab onto the bolts (a factory supplied vehicle jack is located inside trunk area, drivers side, behind the tail light panel). Use the vehicle jack to raise the side of your car and bolt on the strut plates - tightly (as next step mentions). Do this for both driver and passenger side.

Once all 6 nuts are loosely attached, tighten them evenly across using a crisscross sequence until they are secured tightly. Do not fully tighten one side then go to the other. Take your time and tighten each one a little bit at a time, similar to how you would correctly install lug nuts to your wheels.

CAUTION:
Do not apply too much torque when tightening these bolts, you could strip your strut nuts or worse, the strut's bolt threading - causing the entire strut to require replacement. Use common sense when tightening these.



Once the strut plates are securely installed, tighten the plate-bar nuts with the included larger Allen wrench.


Check the spacing of your engine bay and the flex control bar. It is tight - but you should have at least a 1/16th inch gap between the two.


Finally, center your battery tie-down and tighten the bolt. If you are installing using the factory battery tie-down, follow the pictorial located >>here<<<

That's all. You are done.


I know this installation may sound obvious, but its all about the sequence in which you do the installation.

Good luck, and enjoy your improved suspension


Additional install photos can be found at...
https://celicahobby.com/gallery/index.php/category/inst-apr-flex-control-bar

...

APR Flex Control Bar VS the others...

That is one nice installation guide. Great descriptoin on how to proceed with the installation. Great photos as well.

Put it on today. It took about 15 minutes. No problem. But I did print out yout instal page just in case. Thanks

Great Instructions Isaac It went exactly as outlined.
It was definitely the easiest install I've done.

I'm trying to install the APR Flex control bar...there is a problem though, the plates that bolt onto the strut on the driver side won't go down far enough for me to bolt them on...it seems that the included battery tie down bar is in the way...when I take that out it straps down fine, but I can't drive without a battery tie down bar...

I've already tried jacking up the car and using the stock battery tie bar too...WHAT CAN I DO???? pleease...

Lower your aftermarket battery by taking the plastic plate out from under it... that should give you enough room for the battery tie-down

I had problems with noise coming from the bar after installation, and it wasn't from it hitting the engine bay. The solution I found (and it seems to have done the trick), is to unbolt the bar and apply grease/lubricant to the bottom of the strut bar plates, as well as the rubber contacts on the top of the strut tower.

Seems that when taking turns or bumps, the rubber expands just a little bit, causing slight noise when it rubs against the metal plates. Minimizing this friction should eliminate the rubbing/grinding noises you hear.

Is there any problem installing the APR Strut bar ifyou have a carbon fiber hood?

I have a VIS Invader Carbon Fibre Hood...The only thing I've noticed is the outside edges of the tower plates slightly rub against the underside of the hood...Not a big deal...I'm going to take my dremmel tool and grind out some notches in the underside of the hood to accomodate.


On another note...if hav a Hyper Ground system installed, you may run into some fitment issues around the battery...I cut a small piece of rubber hose and wedged in into the battery tie-down bar so my ground wire wouldn't rub against the sharp edges...***SEE PIC!

I really like this part! How much does the kit cost?

APR Performance Flex Control Bar: 2000-2005 Toyota Celica
Part No.: AS-300004
List Price: $186.00
http://aprperformance.com/index.php....browse&category_id=13&Itemid=29