If anyone is taking advantage of Paradox System's September sale and is looking for a cheap handling upgrade, I would suggest getting their Rear Strut Tower Bar.

I installed mine today and saw that the corner of the mounting bracket got in the way of the frame. It needs to be trimmed off. I will post pics of everything tomorrow.

If you also want to keep the "carpet" trim that goes around the walls, I would suggest cutting in between the bottom two ribs and try to cut a less as possible. I was unable to make a hole and attach the bar to the brackets because of the shape of the trim.

Anyone else have questions or experience with the RSTB?

 

did you feel any improvement in handling?

 

i have had 2 different ones. the one i have now is straight and i put a shat load of preload on it. it really stiffened up the rear. just bolting it on does little stiffening for daily use but helps in really hard cornering. i wich i could do the same for the front.

 

explain the pre-load part if u will

 

Only drove it a couple of miles today on straight roads. It feels better on the corners, but once I get my setup going again, I will test it more.

The preload is how tight you make the bar from the get go. I gave mine a moderate preload to be stiff before I tightened the load nuts.

People. Get on these quick. It is a great mod for the money. I have been looking for something other than stillen for about two years now.

 

u adjust it by the bolts that go into the bar

 

yes. same as the fstb.

 

i installed my bar, without tightening the mounting bolts. then i turned the bar to spread the mounts. i did this with a pair of pliers to really stiffen things up. then i tightend the remaining bolts. there is a noticable difference which i never felt before with the bar. i know it did something because when i flex the chassis on driveways and such there are no squeeks anymore.

 

What's the diff between expanding vs contracting the bar for preload?
Jae

 

why would you want to pull in? durring a corner the chassis flexes in so it would make more since to have it push out. but you know i never thought about going in.

 

it hit me today, you really cant contract the bar. the bar i have contacts the frame around the strut opening. there is a lip there and the bar pushed againt it. if you contracted the bar it could possibly stress the bolts and snap them. so its not a good idea if you think about it.

 

Sweet, good to hear that with proper preload it makes a noticeable difference.

Honestly, I was quite unimpressed with the bar since it DIDN'T FIT as slimer mentioned. A little bit of grinding took care of it, but on principle it's very annoying. Also, I wish it were steel rather than alumunum so it were stiffer.

JSutter, you rotated the bar with pliers? Then rotated it back and tightened? Maybe your bar is round but the Paradox bar is flattend AND has two bends. Your explanation is leaving me confused.

 

mine is stright so i can spin it to push out.
i had this one and is bent so you cant spin it since it will bind up.

 

Preload, eh? I've heard that RSTBs are next to useless, but maybe those reviewers missed that feature.

Anyone know how long the sale is going on?

EDIT: Just checked the thread in the Sponsors forum... guess it's over. But if you guys swear this is a good product, I might still buy it later.

Is this one the flat type, or does it have bends in it?

 

What did you use to get the straight one?

Did you buy one for a civic on ebay?

 

5th gen bar but its not a direct fit. you need mounts from a 4th gen, b14 sentra, or possibly a p11. the 5th gen holes dont line up.

 

I already have the mounts.

 

cool, now just measure the distance an make/buy a straight bar.

 

im down for one of these, no neg. effects like the rear sway bar??

 

no negatives

you dont need to cut anything metal, the trunk metal can be bent out of the way.


hey do you have a pic of the paradox RSTB?

 

Check out this important thread:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?p=4363834

 

I have the same question. Does it increase oversteer, because my car has enough of that as it is.

 

How does your car already have enough oversteer???? Please tell me what you did to give it too much oversteer......

 

I was wondering the same thing. All the weight is up front. The only way I can induce oversteer is by using the handbrake.

 

Maybe cuz he has soft springs and a RSB?

 

good answer.. someones reading the stickies

 

Heh.... yes I have read the stickies, but I actually didn't read that in them.

It just kinda makes sense. Understeer vs. oversteer is mostly about proportional load transfers... A RSB increases the tendency for forward load transfer (which reduces understeer/causes oversteer), and if you have soft springs, that increase will be large compared to any of the effects of the springs.

That was a kinda convoluted way to say it, but it works... the guys who have coilover kits, almost all of which are much stiffer in front than in rear, don't say the same things about RSBs and oversteer because having stiffer front springs causes a big tendency for rearward load transfer, which kinda balances the effects of a RSB.

But anyway... OT... To answer the initial question:

CHASSIS STIFFENING HAS NO NEGATIVE EFFECTS. EVER.