[240racer]

Since all we are concerned about here is stiffness, I think if the shape of the bar and the material is the same, the welds won't make a difference. The other thing I don't like about most bars is the rod ends on the end, the allow the top of the tower to pivot, instead of holding it rigid. I would also run a bar back to the firewall to triangulate. Look at the stock bar in the Sentra SE-R and the WRX and you will see what I mean. No stupid rod ends and it goes to the firewall, plus it's a steel tube (the stiffest material in the stiffest shape) I like rod ends, but they are for pivots, not for holding things tight. In my opinion if it has rod ends then it doesn't matter how much it costs it will behave acording to the friction in the rod ends.