My girlfriend is buying me a strut bar for X-mas;but she don't know which one.So i have been looking into it..And what i come up with is Freedom Designs on Nopionline catalog,polished aluminum for $70.00 and TSUDO polished aluminum for $65.00 and Courtesy Nissan has one for $79.00..Which one would be the best looking one for the money...(not paying for Stillen)Help X-mas is getting close I need time to allow for shipping....Thanks Jugsmax....

I'm looking for one too! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I can't imagine that there is much difference between the different brands and prices. It is after all just a bar. I mean, so long as they all fit, I would assume you would just go for the cheapest one, right?

its all in what you think looks good...

lucky guy: my woman won't buy anything for my maxima... its always "your car is fast enough", "stop buying stuff for your car, what about me", "don't race that cute civic, its not their fault its a 4 cylinder" "if you powershift one more time, I'm walking home" "I'm sure you can get air over those railroad tracks, you don't need to prove it again" j/k hehehe... but she still won't buy stuff for my car....

i thought freedom's fstb was ~$40 bucks..

FSTB for $50
 

Hey guys, I bought a FSTB made by Vibrant and it is exactly the same as the one sold by Courtesy Nissan. I bought it from a Company called Performance Improvements located in Ontario, Canada. They have a few locations and they ship internationally. The good thing is that they only charge $50 Canadian which would be much less in US dollars. Go to there website at: http://www.performanceimprovements.com and email them. You should get the FSTB well before x-mas.

Well, since your gf is paying for fstb and not u, get the stillen one :) j/k
I have courtesy bar and think it looks nice.

[Edited by AndyXXL on 11-20-2000 at 10:47 PM]

Blue, your wife sounds JUST like mine!
 

But if it's a gift, and you don't have to pay for it, go for the Stillen!!!!! That is if you don't have to pay for it... :)

Re: Blue, your wife sounds JUST like mine!
 

EASY DUDE.... rofl, I'm only 21, little young for a wife LOL....

The Freedom one looks as good as it handles.

Just wondering, did the Vibrant FTSB require any modifications to the engine compartment? or does it install as easily as the Stillen (at least from what I have read, Stillen is the easiest to install). I read somewhere that the courtesy FTSB required some hacksawing... Anyone know about this? I am looking for a relatively easy-to-install FTSB (not at Stillen's price range) since I am a newbie w/ my Max and that's the first minor mod I plan to do on it.
-Thanks

the vibrant bolts right in. i have that one on my 97 i30t and 00 max. got them from http://www.streetbeatcustoms.com for 35 bucks each. well worth the money if u can stand the wait. theyre usually backordered on em.

effects on steering
 

I have a question about the fstb, and I was thinking of ordering one myself. In the 4th gen Max, the steering wheel is a bit light--which I like because I don't have to struggle to turn it in tight spaces for parking. I was wondering if after bolting the FSTB on, would that make the steering "tighter" (as in--it takes more forcet to turn the steering wheel?)

If anyone has noticed the steering difference--please comment.

thanks--

Brian

the FSTB only changes the way teh car turns under speed by stiffening up the front end. I think with the prices that you can get them for now, there is no reason to not have one.

does it improve grip
 

I was wondering--since it stiffens the front end by forming a triangular shape between the wheels, does it increase the grip in the front? I do notice (without the FTSB) my front tends to be very hard to control on fast turns...
Yeah, I should invest in this :)

yes, grip is improved because more weights is distributed to both wheels

the FSTB doesn't directly make the vehicle handle better. On vehicles equipped with struts, STBs DO make a big difference since the shock tower is where the stress is placed when the suspension is fully loaded. On vehicles with upper and lower control arms, the emphassis is placed on the upper control arm, so an STB doesn't make as much of a difference.

The FSTB essentially increases the strength of the chassis - a higher torsional rigidity allows for a solid chassis that flexes less.

My vote is for the Stillen unit. You only buy a FSTB once... It looks much cleaner and has a better finish than the other bars. Plus you know it fits.. plug and play! For those on a budget, the other units are a good value for the money.

I have this one
 

http://www.procarparts.com/store/dis...m?pid=SB-maxfr


It is generic but for $47.95 plus s&h it is a good deal. Takes about a week to come also.

Re: Re: Blue, your wife sounds JUST like mine!
 

dang theblue, she gives you that kind of lip and she's not your wife?!?!?!? You got more probs then me!!! :)

women tend to think
 

that when you pay more attention to your car, they will get less of that attention. It becomes a necessity for them to urge you to abandon one--(from their perspective--that is the car) and redirect the money that you would have spent on the car--on them.
It is a very competitive mentality thing--and if I could I would like to study this subject further. :D

btw, I am going to order a FSTB and I think I am going on the poor man's budget and go with the one for $35 from
http://www.streetbeatcustoms.com

I was wondering--who has ordered from them? how is their service? did it take long to get the bar? And the I have a few questions about the installation of the vibrant brand--did it fit like the courtesy or stillen one--such that there is no addition cutting, trimming required?
And with the position of the FTSB, after being installed, does it block access to any parts of the engine? or get in the way of the throttle cables?

thank you,

Brian