Infamous95

wassup everyone... i jus wanted everyonez opinion on this matter... obviously stillen, redlinemax, etc. sell front strut barz for $120 and up. Ebay on the other hand... has those aluminum strut bars for about 20-30 buckz. how much of a difference is there between the materials?... strength of the barz?... any main overall difference? jus curious to see what everyone else thinks. aight

-also.. what kind of strut bars is everyone using?

86maxima96

iTrader: (10)

i'm glad we get a thread like this every week. a strut bar is a strut bar. the ebay ones are fine. for the more expensive ones, you are paying for the look and the name mainly. for as hard as the majority of maximas are driven, you are not needing anything more than an ebay bar can give you.

99grnmaxgxe

iTrader: (11)

No real difference in all of them unless you're lowered.

aznprid972

iTrader: (26)

I upgraded from the eBay strutbar to a Stillen one and felt no difference. But for $50 for a Stillen one, you can't pass up on that deal.

Mxrider52

iTrader: (8)

There is a diff between some of them. The ones that are non adjustable provide more chassis stiffening then the ones that are adjustable.

matrix11229

What is the purpose of a strut bar ?

Max_Out

iTrader: (4)

reduces body roll by making the front suspension more ridged.

Gismo-T

iTrader: (38)

........and some of them sit right on top of you EVAP, which is a like teh e-bay bars!

Max_Out

iTrader: (4)

I didnt have any problems with the fitment of my bar that i got off ebay... Weird.

Gismo-T

iTrader: (38)

Some people that got them from e-bay, had issues with them breaking teh EVAP right behing teh TB!!!

Not saying all e-bay strut bars.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

Why does being lowered make a difference? The car doesn't weigh any more or put any more force or deflection into the strut.

The purpose of a strut bar is to stiffen the region of the chassis where the strut bolts in. On some cars, the front strut is midway between the firewall and front crossmember, so that the forces in the strut actually cause some deflection (flex) in the chassis. The reason it affects handling is because the strut controls camber, and camber change due to front chassis flex causes it to be less predictable. Some people say it does help on Maximas.

I've owned one, and I don't think it does a damn thing. I've driven with and without it, and I truly believe people are too convinced that they like having the bar to be truly objective about whether it works. If you really want one, I would say that the aluminum bars are the inferior option, since aluminum is less stiff than steel and generally lower strength too.

Dave

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

Incorrect.

Max_Out

iTrader: (4)

ok so what is does it do? please educate me.

phenryiv1

iTrader: (19)

It maintains the position of one strut tower relative to the other and maintains rigidity in the front suspension. Combined with the lower componnts of the front suspension, it makes a "box" on which the front chassis rides up and down.

Infamous95

ok... im dropped on paradox coiloverz... pretty low... going lower this weekend.

so what kind of difference does a drop make on having a strut bar? or specific kind of strut bar....

(gettin a good response from this thread!... lets keep it going!)
anyone here got a 95 max?... cauz im thinkin bout getting a strut bar... (anyone selling???.. lolz)...

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

It prevents change in camber due to chassis flex.

Although one thing about that which I still don't get is that more negative camber usually helps in cornering, and the strut bar prevents that.

But someone would still have to convince me that the 1/32" of flex in the chassis makes any difference the handling.

Dave

phenryiv1

iTrader: (19)

It is going to tighten up steering response by allowing the suspension to do its job. Without the bar, you get more chassis flex than is desired. The strut bar helps allow the strut towers to remain in a positin where they can travel in a more linear fashion, thus making handling more predictable, and making steering more precise.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

Yep

This is where I disagree. I don't think our front end flexes enough to hurt the handling. It might change the feel of the car a little bit, but that doesn't mean the handling is better. I think the compliance of the bushings and tires and other stuff greatly overshadow any effects of the strut bar.

I would love to hear from someone who autocrosses their Maxima and who has done side-by-side lap *time* comparisons with and without it. I doubt you'll hear that though; this forum is more populated with bolt-on'ers than racers.

Dave

phenryiv1

iTrader: (19)

Soonerfan, a 5th genner, is big on AutoX and changing his setup constantly to determine what works and what does not, in the realm of suspension tweaks. A PM to him will tell you whether or not he has ever lapped the same course w/ and w/o an FSTB installed.

Jesse729

Ive always thought strut tower braces were for show and they didn't really do much. I have tokico struts and ebach lowering springs along with a rear sway bar, would a strut tower brace really help with handling?

Geoff

There are threads EVERYWHERE about this. Do a search if you want more info, but everything ive read says yes, especially if you have upgraded struts/springs

aih98max

iTrader: (3)

ya, get one. i have upgraded springs/shocks, and a rsb and fstb and i love it. now all i need is 5 speed swap.....

shiftnatredline

iTrader: (1)

I have front and back strut tower bars. When I put them on I could notice some difference. Once I get my suspension it will be much better I'm sure.

Nismo Scorpion

its only blot on i got right now everything else is stock. i can take corners alot better ( faster ).

86maxima96

iTrader: (10)

for $20, does it really matter? get it, see if you like how it changes things. if not, take it off and get over the pocket change that you spent on it. some say yes, it helps while others say no. read the hundreds of threads on this and then in the end it will be up to you anyway.

Bobo

I have stock SE suspension, with a FSTB and notice an improvement in handling with it.

They don't cost very much and are a cosmetic improvement as well, when you open the hood.

ComradeJew

iTrader: (3)

I only have a front strut bar... should I even bother getting a rear one?

Nismo Scorpion

who sells a rear one n e way im intrested but dont want to pay more than 30

86maxima96

iTrader: (10)

rear ones are hard to come across but i think stillen and maybe paradox made one? also, a custom one piecing together a FSTB and a RSTB from a Sentra to fit in the rear of a Max.

more info here: http://maxmods.dyndns.org/index.php?MaximaRstb

mikey chalupa

Hey Jesse, how does your suspension ride? I'm going with the same set up and you Blues with Eibachs and I'm waiting on the blues now. How is the ride?

jltibbs

iTrader: (1)

i have illuminas, rear anti sway bar, front and rear strut tower braces. rides like a go cart.

JeremiahMaximaSE

DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE!!!!
-Jeremiah "J$"
1995 Nissan Maxima SE

jltibbs

iTrader: (1)

is this the same jeremiah from CE's website? looks a lot like it !?!?!

i know it is now that i see the logo on the read door.

phenryiv1

iTrader: (19)

Merged....

JeremiahMaximaSE

Yes, I was sponsored by CE at one time. Actually the text on the rear door reads "MAXIMA SE" in italic lettering. My first "mod" to my car if you can call it that. i was considering taking off the lettering, but I've had it on there for over a decade now...I would suspect that the paint would be faded around it! In the effort not to stray from the topic of this forum, the sway bar is HIGHLY recommended. It has saved my life a few times in tight turns
-Jeremiah "J$"
1995 Nissan Maxima SE

jxkim

iTrader: (18)

i am also glad to see a new strut bar thread weekly.

yea if you dont spend $200 your bar will suck! haha. u dont always get what you pay for when it comes to cars. more money doesnt mean better quality

Pieps

I just bought a rear strut tower brace off Ebay for under 40 shipped, thought i would share that. Pretty good price for a somewhat rare item. Mine helped tighten up the rear, but not as good as the FSTB for the front.

Crooper_Hedder

iTrader: (2)

What about the lower tie bar, e.g. Blehmco? They're supposed to tie together the underside of the front suspension, right? I put a Stage 1 on my car, but I did it at the same time that I installed my RSB, so I don't know if it made a huge difference or not. IMO my Ebay FSTB made a noticeable difference, and the RSB made a huge difference.

Sounbwoy

iTrader: (2)

I don't autocross (yuck!) and I don't have lap times, but I used to race in ITA (CRX) and have also done several HPDE's in my Maxima. For BOTH cars, the bar made a difference in the "feel" of the cars. Turn-in was slightly crisper and the car seemed to be more stable once once turned-in. Bigger difference in the CRX (b/cit's lighter??)
As far as street use-not sure. The Maxima seemed more stable at highway speed, say if I was behind a semi, with less steering correction needed.

mightymax5

From my understanding of the strut bar keeps the body flex at a minimum because we have uni-body frames . This makes the performance of the suspension react better and faster. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!