I am trying to figure out what front strut tower brace fits the 5.5 gens with 6mt/hlsd. The Stillen bar clearly does not work. The hood doesn't even close. The racingline bar rubs the under hood insulations but the hood closes.

Which FSTB do you have and does it rub hood/hood insulator?

 

I use the Otto brace from ebay pretty sturdy and barely fits under the hood but it does clear, plus its cheap as ****

 

otto

 

i didn't realize clearance was an issue with strut bars on our cars... i have an ebay one sitting in my back seat that i need to install.. i guess i better install it soon to make sure it fits!

 

Apparently there are clearnece issues if you have a 6mt car. The still bar i took for a 2k2 auto and it fit perfect on there.

 

I thought the clearance issue is with the NWP IM Spacers on the 5.5s and up

http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...9&postcount=25

But SoonerFan has IM Spacers on his car. Sooner do you have ES Motor Mounts, Can you confirm the statements from above link?

 

my strut bar fits fine on my 6MT.. the hood closes fine, and there's plenty of clearance above the IM.. maybe even enough for spacers.. ebay FTW

edit: actually the only issue i had was that with the strut bar on, i couldn't use the torque wrench to torque down one of the bolts on each strut.. so i had to guesstimate by using a regular wrench to tighten those bolts.. it should be fine though

 

otto bar and i have the spacers, it clears just fine

 

Racing line and it pinches the drivers side spray nozzle hose..

 

i have the spacers but no ES mounts...never had an issue

 

NWP spacers and Otto FSTB with no issues.

 

Looks like Otto is the way to go

 

doesnt do much (by itself)....but adds a nice under hood look (you can tell in the pic that its close)

 

Zack, I have a Stillen and there are no IM clearance issues or hood closure problems at all.

 

If your looking for performance dont even bother unless you are going for the looks.

 

which is why its good to go with the cheapest possible

 

I have HOOD clearence issues. There is tons of room with the intake manifold. The strut bar is rubbing on the hood insulator lining.

 

if there is "tons of room with the IM" then you are right, the hood will never close. mine is close to the IM and touches the hood insulations...i can see a mark from it...but it isnt a huge deal

 

I will get some pics with it tomorrow. There is alot of resistance when it comes to closing the hood because of the Strut bar.

 

Cattman Ti-Bar clears the intake manifold but had to make adjustment to windshield washer hose location! This FSTB was actually used on my previous 2000 Maxima GLE and I'm using it on my 03 SE Auto! 1/2"-3/4" clearance with intake manifold

 

$20 eBay bar - clears IM and everything, doesn't touch hood lining

Otto bar - clears IM and everything, touches hood lining but does not hinder hood closing

I also have ES motor mount inserts but no IM spacers.

 

I got a really cheap one at a local performance store ($40). It's one of those adjustable ones, similar looking to the cheap ones on ebay. I had no clearance problems, except when tightening one of the strut mount bolts on each side.

Oh, and I did feel a bit of a difference in steering when I installed it, despite not having any suspension mods at the time. Probably the best mod for the money.

 

Hmm I see alot of 20$ ebay bars, but not the otto. I'm definately going to grab one as I didn't realize I could get a decent bar for 20 bucks haha.

 

cattman