serin

iTrader: (2)

read brubenstein's comment on traction with an rsb.
is it true that you'll lose traction sooner than without it? i thought the point was to increase grip in turns?

i saw the comment at this thread while i was researching between the stillen and addco bars:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....ighlight=addco

ispeed

I think that it just gets you used to high speed cornering and not letting off the gas in a turn. This is putting you at the threshold of failure for you tires. The point of the RSB is not to increase traction in the turns. Its to prevent body roll that can essentially cause 1 wheel to be on the road but the other in the air. The RSB is designed to keep this from happening. The result better stability in the corners and thus yes it does have an effect on traction. If your wheel is in the air and not on the road then the force required for your back end to slide is essentially cut in half. with both tires on the ground it is harder (increased contact patch) for the car to spin.

UMD_MaxSE

iTrader: (1)

The RSB will allow the back of your car to slide out easier thus giving you a bit of oversteer at the limits. The RSB ties the two sides of your car together, so the rear end has the potential to slide. I like it though

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

The RSB doesn't address traction per se. That post is misleading. The maxima is set up from the factory to understeer(it's safer in emergency situations) but that is not the best performance set up. This means the front end will slide first when going into a turn. The RSB will help the car tend toward a more neutral set up. ie.. when you go into a turn, both sides will start to slide together.

ispeed

Sport Compact Car just had an article on this and I agree with what you are saying, except for the not best for perfomance with an understeer. The understeer is a better IMO b/c the front end sliding out can be corrected with either brakes or letting off the throttle. With oversteer, you can swap ends, meaning the car can turn 180 or more. If you rear slides out and you say only turn 90 degrees. You are sliding perpendiclular to the existing motion. Looks like a T with the car being the car bar and the stem the direction of travel. If you do this and have enough speed, your gonna roll.

Even SCC says that mild understeer is better for performance rather than a neutral car.

As for what's going on with the RSB, all I can say is it makes the a$$ of the car sit down in tight corners. Instead of the car feeling like it is floating in the rear it feels like it is squating down even harder. I have never fishtailed the car rain or not.

I have taken the car to extremes with speeds in turns and have only come close to losing control once. I found that on the downslope of a hill and turn combo that taking that turn at 40+ MPH above the recomended speed the entire car will just float and start to "power slide" as I call it. Don't think the RSB had anything to do with that. I think it would happen to any car going that speed on that turn.

Anyway didn't mean to have such a long post, but I'm bored. And yeah its just my 2 cents and what I have observed with my RSB.

y2kse

iTrader: (1)

FWIW, I don't tend to drive my car that aggressively in turns. But I must say that the combination of the FSTB and RSB makes the car feel much more solid, particularly when I have to maneuver quickly to avoid (idiots, drunks, a$$holes . . . choose one) on LA freeways who exhibit less than perfect driving skills.

UMD_MaxSE

iTrader: (1)

On the way to work when I take the backroads, there is this one downhill slope and then a curve with a posted speed of 20 mph. The fastest I have taken that is 45-50 mph....no loss of control, but slight bit of tire squeal. So it does seem that the tires are probably the weak point in determining when the back end slides out......with the stock potenzas, when it's wet, watch out

brubenstein

I did not say there was a loss of traction. I said there was an increase in wieght transfer due to increased roll stiffness. This increases the load of the outside tire. The tire contact patch can handle a finite force. With a sway bar you reach that force at a lower cornering speed. Keep in mind, though, that the front and back of the car is connected. By making the rear, outside tire do more work (by transfering more weight to it) the front outside wheel has to do less (for a given speed). By distributing the cornering forces more evenly between the front and back the net cornering speed can go up. The breakaway characteristics of the car changes, though, with it easier for the rear end to slide.

bcannon

Does stillen or any other rsb manufacturer say any thing about loss of control with the rsb?

So even though they say that you can loose control at the limits with a rsb, no one here has yet, right?

I know I'm not one to take every 90 degree turn I can find at 45 mph.

Sly

I've autocrossed several times since installing the FSTB/RSB and have not lost control. The car is more neutral, but despite trying to get the rear end to swing around, I haven't been able to on dry pavement. A snowy parking lot, with the e-brake, is a different story.

Paul6speed

My Maxima takes turns much faster with the FSTB and RSB. This combination still results in understeer, not oversteer. It's really tough to get oversteer on a front drive car, due to the weight distribution. 65/35 or so.

In its stock form the Maxima has tons of understeer. IMHO a car with oversteer is much easier to control... then again I grew up on rear wheel drive. When you lose control in a understeer situation, about the only thing you can really do is jam on the brakes. With oversteer you can control with throttle and steering.

UMD_MaxSE

iTrader: (1)

I thought that if you are about to lose control in an understeer situation, the last thing you want to do is hit the brakes.....

Paul6speed

In an understeer situation and you may lose control of the car in the corner, your car goes straight. You'll need to apply the brakes, or head into the wall/cliff/guard rail. Of course you let off the throttle, but there are less options in an understeer moment.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Understeer is very commonly referred to as the grandma option. It's because it puts the car into the least amount of trouble if you overcook a corner. Actually most seasoned drivers probably want anything from very slight understeer, neutral or very slight oversteer in their suspension. Of course it depends if you have RWD w/ about 500hp. In that case you can induce massive oversteer just about anytime you want. So the ideal suspension is very dependant on the driver skill, FWD/RWD config and the amount of power available.

ispeed

True, True! You just said it best there.