I was looking to get a front strut bar and I know they are cheap but is there honestly a difference between them??? Can anyone recommend a brand who makes a quality strut bar. Also I want to get the HID knockoff headlights, I do not want the garbage ones that fade after a few months, I need some recommendations for that as well. Thanks all... Jarrett

 

Just get the cheapest one because all strut bars will do the job just fine. As for the bulbs, I tried alot of them including Nokya arctic white overwattage and they were all pretty much garbage. they looked good but you cant see when its dark out or raining

 

"Search"

 

Cattman is by far the best fstb, but it might be a little pricy. It is a dual bar made of titanium. Cheap bars do nothing bacause the flex.
Cheap crap = only for looks.

 

I've heard much to the contrary.

 

How much flex are we talking about here? do you think that the engine bay would flex enough that it requires the strength of ti to brace it?

 

Cheap crap might do somthing but a completly solid bar makes all the differance in the world. It doesn't require ti to reinforce it but would you give the future mother of your children a cubic zirconia?

 

Do you have a cattman fstb? I want to see how it looks under the hood.

 

if you want a STB get it from Ebay, theres a lot of good deals i got mine just for 29.99 with shipping. All the STB working the same if you want some fancy look get stillen etc...but you will spend more than 100 box..

HID??? get the 8000k.woowww men thats all you will need.

 

Aren't all the strut bars for the Maxima the type with pivot points on both ends? These type of bars are just fancy hinges no matter what material they are made out of. They may stiffen the front up slightly, but don't expect a radical change unless you find a solid bar w/o hinges. I have yet to see a solid bar for the Maxima. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Misconception is strut bars are all the same, they are not. Not saying you need to get the most expensive FSTB, but don't go with the cheap Fleabay special either! It all depends what springs/struts/wheels size, and the way you corner too. If you are bone stock, I doubt you can tell much of a difference.

Heck, if you are driving Miss Daisy all the time, then go with the cheapest bar!

Tifosi

 

You guys are all washed up. There is no way anyone here can tell a difference between Strut braces.

lilharv, you won't even notice the FSTB at all so you certainly won't tell the difference between a $50 brace and a $150 brace.

And before any of you argue with me (I know you will - "I noticed a huge difference when I installed mine..."), then I will bet you $500 you can't. Come to S.D. and while you are blind folded, I will randomly put the FSTB on and off. You do a lap and come back and tell me if it was on or off. If you can do this 10 out of 10 times, I will give you $500. If not you owe me $500. Takers?

 

Actually, I notice FSTB's on and off, but not in cornering. I notice the difference in the way the car absorbs bumps. I find that with one, the Maxima, like many other FWD modern cars, soaks up bumps better. It's as if it forces the suspension to suck up the bump instead of transmitting it to the chassis.

 

I agree with you that it would probably take a professional driver to tell the difference between two different FSTB's.

But. . .as for your scenario: bar vs. no bar. I'd take that bet. No kidding. (Unfortunately, I'm 3k+ mi. away). Be careful making wagers like that - someone might take you up on it. I've had my car on the track and I can flog it hard enough to notice the front end/chassis getting sloppy (deflecting) without the bar vs. with the bar. No joke.

If you gave me a "control" lap when I knew the bar was on the car, followed by 10 laps, each punctuated by a "pause" for FSTB removal/bluff removal, I'm confident I could tell you whether or not a FSTB was onboard for each of those 10 laps.

When the suspension is loaded in mid-corner and you hit a bump/series of bumps with the loaded corner, the tendency is for the suspension to transfer that bump energy through the chassis, causing a "wallowing" effect in the body. When the FSTB is in place (same scenario), the suspension is forced to absorb the energy and less of that energy is transferred to the chassis. (Less/no wallowing)

This debate is governed more by how hard people push their cars and how good they are at picking up handling cues by "feel." If you truly drive a Maxima at the limit (on a track, only) you CAN feel the difference in this mod. This is just my experience.

 

I wasn't joking. I'll take the bet with anyone who is near S.D.

Although I don't think you could identify it 10/10, I do beleive you that at a track you might be able to tell if it was on or off. But like you said, there is no way anyone can tell the difference among different brands. And that was his original question. I was just trying to make a point that brand doesn't matter. Just get the cheapest, best-looking one you can find.

 

I have a FSTB that I got from Meccanoble, and I cant tell a big difference. He, and other people said to get the RSB to go along with it for optimal performance. I just ordered the Addco from the GD thread, hopefully it will make a difference....so maybe you should look into getting both also for the best performance...

 

Which GD thread? I did a search there and came up w. nothing. I want an Addco RSB but at a good price.

 

Whoa?! $200 for a Cattman FSTB? For that much money I could get a BOMZ FSTB (does the job) and a GD Addco RSB (good stuff) and enough money left over for a fancy dinner. Hah! I think that's the combo I'm going to get this summer. (BOMZ/Addco).

 

i think your a little late, but try anyway...heres the thread http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hreadid=181368

 

So on directcarparts.net, the BOMZ FSTB costs $34.99 for everything EXCEPT the Maxima and the 240SX, and it's $44.99?

 

Doh! GD .ne. Group Discussion.

 

what in the hell is that? the thread i gave you didnt take you to the ADDco RSB?

 

No, man, the thread was the right one. I was looking in Group Discussion instead of Group Deal. Stupid me.

 

ahhhh