so im looking to upgrade the handling of my ride.

what are some quality companies and or options that people have used and found that they work?

keep in mind in college so on budget...

 

I have bought a couple off Ebay for my vehicles and have gone with the cheapies (20.99) and they have worked just fine. I have helped some buddies install more expensive versions and they are basically the same thing that I bought for a fraction of the price. The onlydifference I could see was the name, and the metal that was used. That might make a difference when it comes to stripping out the threads.

The strut bar is just a tube of metal that has threaded ends on both sides. Those threaded ends are connected to braces that are bolted onto your strut tower. You can adjust the width of the strut bar by threading in or out the threaded ends. Its a very very simple piece of aluminum or steel.
I like the strut bars that attach to as many "points" as possible...ie more than two bolts per side on the stut tower.

I have had no problems with some of the lower priced stut bars off ebay, but I would be carefull on some of the ones that are .01!