So I was looking at my dads 5.5 Maxima he just bought and I noticed a brace that goes underneath the exhaust right after the cat and I got to thinking and I don't remember that on being on my car...so I looked underneath and sure enough that brace was missing...I guess when I was 16 and installed my catback and test pipe I pulled it out and never put it back in and I remembered reading the 3" cattman exhaust thread where it was stated that this was a sctructural part of the car and that this needs to stay on...well I've been driving around without it for 5 years and I was just wondering who all else if anyone has taken this off just out of curiousity.

This is the brace I'm talking about:

 

anything that stiffens the structure of the car and keeps it from flexing too much stays on my car. I can drive without it without problems.

 

I would guess that it's sort of a factory "mid section bar". You know, like an aftermarket "Front Strut Tower Bar" or a "Rear Strut Tower Bar".

 

I see something that needs to go, but it's not the brace

 

But it looks brand new!

 

Sell for cash.

 

Lol that's not the underneath of my dads car, I found that pic from a warspeed y-pipe install thread

I guess I'm gonna order a new brace from Courtesy Nissan because I've looked all over for mine and it's nowhere to be found...their only $42 for a new one so no harm done

 

I took the same brace off my Altima a couple months back, used a wire wheel to remove all rust, repainted and reinstalled. Yes, I was bored.