http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=518814

I should probably put that link in the first post too....

 

Heck, I'll post a couple of the pics here too:

 

Looks very similar to my setup. I dont know what steel was used and what thickness but I doubt it would be even 50lbs added to the car. I took off the center section of my SFCs (the stage 2 part) which is .120 wall and it was very light.

BTW if you want to see reviews on the sfcs I have made lots of posts about my custom ones and I did a review on them

 

From the makers:
"the material we are using, 1" X 2" rectangular, 11 gauge, A513 has a very good tensile rating of over 50,000 lbs per square inch."
http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...0&postcount=45

"I weighed a set tonight for the 4th Gen cars. 40lbs on my cheap bathroom scale. The 5th Gen sets will be about 6 ounces heavier due to slightly longer rails."
http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...3&postcount=52


Edit: BTW 11 gauge steel is roughly 0.12"

 

My feeling is that in a crash, you want the cabin space to remain as intact as possible. The crumple zones that absorb energy are fore and aft of the cabin. Since the SFCs only run under the cabin and terminate before either front or rear axles, there is no affect on either crumple zone. If anything, the SFCs can only strengthen the cabin. But to be honest, because of the dynamics of a crash, the floor probably has less to do with the strength of the cabin than the roof. Take a look at the poor design below: The floor deforms very little.



The only way the SFCs will crumple and pierce something is if the floor buckled and buckled upward, instead of downward. But this is very unlikely because in the event of a crash, you can think of the rear end as deflecting towards the path of least resistance (upward or to the sides, but not downward).

 

That's a good theory, thanks for the explanation. I guess one possible scenario falling outside your assumptions might be a pile-up, where the floor may buckle upwards depending on how the cars collide. Not trying to be an @ss, this is just for discussion's sake. For the most part, I'd be comfortable with SFCs on my car.

 

dumb question and i really didnt see it but is this bolt on or weld on?

 

Weld. Did you even bother clicking on the links for more information?

http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...19&postcount=1

 

wow....you're right. It was a dumb question. Did you even read the first post in the thread that he made for the writeup/review? I dunno....maybe the word WELD is not in your dictionary?

 

honestly, I have no worries at all. As it is, the maxima is far safer than all the sub-compacts and compacts out there. In a collision, I don't see any significant issue since impact will be above the level of the SFCs generally. I've seen alot of wrecked maximas at junkyards and don't recall observing any with bent floorpans/lower areas, even when the entire hood and trunk were crumpled up.

 

Thanks, Mr Pick n Pull. The one thing I'm worried about is getting em now. I didn't expect the GD list to get 10 so quickly.

 

Relax. I always welcome (and even value) constructive comments. That's what the org is for. Besides, I'm far from perfect and probably have more dissenting views about things than most, so I'm not going to be a hypocrite and jump down someone's throat for questioning my logic. As for the SFCs, my feeling is that if a pile-up is hard enough to crumple the cabin and buckle the SFCs and force them all the way up through the floorpan and through your seat, I'm guessing you would have been FUBAR with or without SFCs. <--- Now that's a smartass answer.

Edit: Irish also brings up a good point about the height of the impact. That's a major strategy behind making small cars safer. Bottom line is that I don't think anyone should have any safety concerns about installing SFCs. I can't really comment on insurance issues though. But experienced adjusters/investigators have probably overseen so many accident investigations that they'll gun for driver error over anything else. So unless everybody was driving at/below the speed limit like perfect little angles (less likely than winning the Powerball), the SFCs should probably the least of your concerns.

 

your wife said it was OK to buy them.

 

whatever....we all know that you're wife's name is Helga.

 

cool thanks for putting the pics on there. Next question since the foam was another thing brought up. How is this now days, I looked into this for another car about 5 years ago and the comments were the same, flamable be carefull no welding after its in and once its in its there for life. I wouldn't want to do anything like this if it's going to be problematic.

 

Bump to get another 10 going!

 

sorry i didnt read that i just took a look at the pictues so see how it looked and where exactly it was located. i'd get one.....i got a mechanic shop across from my work i could use the lift in there to weld it on.

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=519654 heres the new GB

 

Bump to get this gb Going.

 

Found this on my doorstep today...






I'll take it out of the packaging later...

 

I want that on my doorstep.

 

I already put on a coat of undercoating and some anti-rust paint. Yeah, it's lame gold, but nobody sees them anyways so who cares....



A couple comments though:

1. not going to be able to flip the diagonal braces...there isn't enough clearance on the center hub. grr.

2. don't like how the ends of the diagonal braces are open....water/crap could get inside and rust it. I'm going to plug them up with some foam.

 

Where do you buy the undercoating and rubber coating at josh?

 

3m undercoat is found at most automotive stores. Just remember SPEND THE EXTRA MONEY AND GET 3M if you get the cheap stuff you will regret it. The fabricator used the cheap stuff on my custom SFCs and I looked under my car 6 months later and somehow it had magically dissapeared and my SFCs were already rusting. I had to get under the car treat the rust recoat everything twice with paint and then do it right and spray everything 2-3 times with 3m undercoat.

You can get the foam at a marine website.. My computer crashed last week so I dont have the link any more but I have posted it on here several times. I also think that if you are going to plug the holes just use a plastic button plug (another thing you can find in just about any shape or size at your local automotive or hardware store) And then epoxy the button plug in place and spray it with a few coats of 3m to further seal it up.

 

Do you think I should spray paint them like josh did or would it be alright just to use the 3M undercoat? Also the 3M undercoat, is that the rubber stuff or like a primer type?

 

I'm just going to use cheapo spray foam from home depot...$3 for a can.

the undercoating I used was the Dupli-color Professional/Paintable (buy at Advance Auto/Autozone/PepBoys). I used this stuff in my wheel wells 2 years ago and it's still there, so it's plenty good.

 

I used paintable undercoating first (2 coats) and then painted with anti-rust paint just in case (and to make it show up better when i take photos once it's on the car).

 

Anti-rust paint? I guess I can get that at automotive stores?

 

Yep but your in CA so you dont really need to worry like we do.. I would use a few coats of paint and a few coats of 3m undercoat. The center section of my SFCs were just painted with a couple coats and rust spots still started showing up everywhere through the paint.

 

I want in on this but it may not be for a few weeks. Also, can I do something besides PayPal? I mean, not like CC but Cashier's Check? Sorry, I like to be difficult

 

Can anyone recommend a good undercoating that comes in roll-on/brush-on formulation? I hate the fumes and aerosol overspray from spray cans.

 

Looks like it matches your auto-x rims somewhat.....

 

Damn, I was hoping like 2 coats of underbody coating would do it for me, all this talk about paint has me thinking

 

come on.... are you kidding me.. if dong a shaker can spray job is of concern to you dont do any custom modifications to your car like SFCs.. All you do to paint them is put them somewhere on the road or against a wall that you dont care about. spray one side with the shaker can flip em over spray the other side, wait 15 minutes and repeat....

Wait however many hours it indicates on the can for the paint to dry and do the exact same process with the spray on undercoat.. you can do this before the SFCs ever go on the car... It doesnt get any more simple... And if you dont want to paint them.. using the just the undercoating is probably fine.. I just dont take any chances with my car, given I live on the ocean in New England

 

My bad dude lol.

I used underbody coating and thats it. Should be good to go since I don't have any harsh winters down here.

 

Puppet and Irish when are you putting these on? I am getting mine next week and I am extremely eager to hear about your first hand experience with installation and your impressions of the results. Good luck with the install.

 

I go to school in miami..and trust me you are probably straight down here.. The rust problem is almost a non issue when compared to new england

 

Did you guys have to do any prep work before spraying on the undercoating, like wiping down with alcohol, etc?

 

I did nothing, I would wipe off any grease if you get some on the bars.