For my first suspension mod I want to add a rear sway bar. Question is which one?

 

I don't know if one is significantly better than the others. Some will tell you that Stillen is the best because they use the best materials and charge the most. But the other companies are pretty reputable. I'm having my Progress RSB shipped in the mail (I actually should be getting it tomorrow) and that I got it through Cattman Performance on a Group Deal. It was only around $135 shipped. You might want to see if that's still going on.

 

I wouldn't say there's any major difference. By my measurements, the stillen bar is marginally thicker than the Progress bar, but not by enough that it would be noticeable. I bought the Stillen for ease of installation and no U-bolts over the axle.....I'm happy with it, just as people with Addco/Cattman/Progress bars are happy with theirs...There are some rumors that some of the ebay knock-off bars are hollow instead of solid steel, so I'd probably stay away from them. Otherwise, go with your instinct

 

Hollow doesn't mean bad. I'm switching from my solid Addco bar to a genuine Stillen bar that happens to be hollow.

 

Here's a list of bar type products you can get for your 5th generation Maxima to help with the suspension.

FSTB:
- Minimal effect for the average driver; may feel more during high-speed cornering
- Some claim it helps with torque steer
- Least expensive are the generic ones from eBay (between $9 to $30); mid-level are like the ones from Otto Racing (about $40); most-expensive are from Stillen and Cattman ($150 to $200)

RSTB:
- Minimal effect for the average driver
- Usually recommended to 'just save your money for some other mod'
- Least expensive is a generic one offered occasionally on eBay ($30); only other choice is from Stillen which is expensive ($140)

RSB:
- Almost a 'required' mod for stock suspension
- Moderately-priced ones from Addco or Progress (between $110 to $140) and Stillen knock-off on eBay ($115) or actual Stillen ($240)

Lower Tie Bar:
- Designed to tie the front suspension together to provide sharper steering response and better handling overall
- Access to air tools is highly recommended
- Stage I from BlehmCo ($65) which ties together the bolts on the front lower control arm gussets, providing sharper steering response and less chassis flex in corners
- Stage II from BlehmCo ($175) bolts onto an additional frame mount behind the control arms to provide more strength and reduce chassis flex further

Sub-frame Connectors:
- Stiffens the chassis of most any uni-body type car by eliminating flex
- Requires welding for installation
- Stage I from WarpSpeed Performance ($150) eliminates rear wheel hop in turns, stiffens the chassis, reduces flex, and makes the car a more solid ride where it will also sit flat in turns
- Stage II X-bracing from WarpSpeed Performance ($75) further stiffens both the length and width of the floor

For the FSTB, RSTB, and RSB, all the bars do the same job no matter what the price, so for those it all comes down to looks and how much you want to pay for that.

Peace.

 

Excellent Information, I am looking to upgrade my stock suspension. I have a FSTB Installed, i Ordered a RSTB Stillen, but it took to long to come, so i cancelled the order.
Now i am just looking to pick up progress or cattman, alot cheaper then stillen.

 

Functionality between the Stillen, Addco/Progress is almost identical. The fit and finish of the Stillen bar is better, though.

 

Steve, i would love to have a stillen bar, infact i ordered one too...... but fate does not want me to have it...plus ahh its pricey..... $239.00 looks so good back in my bank

 

wow that extra info on suspension helps a lot. I really like the fit and finish of the stillen rsb, and since i'm getting it as a present anyway, I'll be going for that.

this is the first thread that i've seen where all the posts were by donating members

 

 

this is the first thread that i've seen where all the posts were by donating members [/QUOTE]



offcourse, if you are going to keep for a long time, there is no better source for imformation tweaking then the org... i was here with my old 94 maxima, i am back here with 2002.... i dont know about the future of maxima tho....

 

The one thing no one ever posted about RSBs is the stiffnesses of the bars. If anyone has this particular information, then please post it. Otherwise, no one can really say for sure which bar performs better, if any. Thickness does matter, but also the actual type of metal the bar is made of. There are many different types of metal, and even steel for that matter with much different properties. There have been a couple of people who have tried multiple bars and feel that there is no difference. Right now, it would just be whether you think there may be a difference or not. Everyone will have their own opinion on this one.

 

Hell yeah and add another one.

 

Because I'm as*hole...here's my useless reply. =P

 

performance-wise- they're all pretty similar. for looks- stillen hands down but it's almost 2x the cost of the cheaper one. if money is not an issue then go with stillen. personally i'm very happy with my addco rsb

 

Good point. I recently installed a Stillen knock-off bar purchased from an ebay vendor (I preferred the way this bar is mounted vs. the Progress bar's U-bolts). Although I have noticed a slight improvement in turn-in (could be my imagination) and a little less body roll when cornering at speeds over 40 mph, I can't say I've noticed the dramatic difference in handling that everyone else claims to have noticed. This makes me wonder whether my knock-off bar has less torsional stiffness than the other RSBs.

 

i'm more than satisfied with my Progress RSB.

i recently added the FTSB as well and the combination of the RSB/FTSB/New Tires have really transformed the handling of this car during aggressive manuevers. the car is a lot more communicative (controllable) and settles with absolutely no fuss when coming out of sharp/quick turns/switchbacks.

i'd recommend any max driver with a stock suspension to get the RSB and FTSB in order to extract the best handling possible with least amount of money spent. add a set of decent tires and you could probably stick right with dropped max in the twistiez while having a more compliant every day ride.

 

yessss... i've been waiting for a chance to use that smiley

 

That's part of why I'm switching. The Addco is a solid 7/8". The Stillen a hollow 1-1/8" but can be shortened and stiffened further. If anybody really wants to fine tune, here's a great tool.
http://www.realgreatbuys.com/calcs/Swaybar.asp