Hey I want to get SFCs but I ran the idea past my buddy who is a pretty knowledgable guy when it comes to cars and he didnt seem to think it was a great idea. He said that first they would have to remove the rust prevention coating, which would leave me vulnerable to rust. Which is huge because I live in New england on the beach so there is no place out there where a car will see more salt and snow. So it is imperative that the SFCs or the area around the SFCs dont rust.

He then went on to say
"a car that has a roof is gonna be plenty stiff front to back"
and
"welding to a car that is built by stamping and bonding thin sheet metal to make a monocouqe is just a way of finding new ways to get money from car owners
if flex front to back was an issue in your car your doors wouldnt open of close right
and
think about the **** inside the car that will get melted like wires and insulation that is run along the floor.
stick with things that dont involve heating parts of your car to 1500 degrees"

I dont know guys. I wish I knew more about cars in general to make the decision for myself. SFCs sound great. So far everyone on here has reported all gains and no losses so it seemed like a no brainer for me, but he brought up some points that seem valid. Anyone who is more knowledgable than myself care to chime in here?

 

hmmm, i want these also, i've heard too many good things about it, not sure about the negatives.

 

your buddy isn't as knowledgeable as you think:

1. rust-proofing. Once the SFCs are welded on, you prime and recoat the whole area with rustproofing spray. Problem solved. Even uncoated, it would take 30-40-50 years for enough rust to take place to eat through any of the metal in the subframe.

2. the roof comment is nonsense.....BMW convertibles have stiffer frames than our maximas....it's the build of the entire car that determines torsional flex. European cars have much stiffer frames than japanese cars. No wonder that Minis, BMWs, Audis, etc outhandle comparable japanese cars hands-down.....

3. flex is an issue, but only if you don't like your car to handle well and be responsive. If you like it to handle like a big and vibrate over bumps, keep the mushy stock unibody as-is. Frames can never be too stiff. Once the frame is a stiff as possible, then you can tweak the springs/struts to get the ride and handling you want.

4. your buddy obviously knows nothing about welding techniques. So by his logic, the guys at the exhaust shop better not use a torch to cut rusted bolts off your exhaust - they could burn some wire. The wiring in the maxima does not run through the subframe rails (which is where you weld on the SFC's), so it's a moot point. A good welder can weld within a few inches of wiring and not run a risk of melting/burning anything.

for more techie info on SFCs, go hang around the autocross forums with people who really know about them......and don't listen to your buddy ever again.

 

haha thank you! I really want SFCs and I went with your suggestion. I contacted a local shop that does custom hot rods and choopers and they said they would be able to fabricate the SFCs no problem. Still no word though about when they can do it, but I figure they must be able to handle something like this no problem.

Also I am most worried about rusting around the area where the welds are. Because it will almost be impossible to weld an air tight connection between the SFC and the rails. Their solution is to caulk that area... to me that seems like kind of a temporary solution. In 3 years or so when the caulk is gone and I go through a deep puddle that occured because of unusually high tide (I live on the ocean) that frame rail or SFC is gonna get eatin away in no time at all.
To me if I went through a puddle and a couple ounces of water got into the SFCs through where the weld was done my fear is that it would rust the Frame rail where the weld is because that area would not be able to be re-covered with rust protection coating because the SFC would be covering that area when they re apply that coating. Hopefully that made sense.