the japanese drifters have a term for it...it's called "faint" drifting...using extreme and sudden weight transfer to upset the chassis in the wrong direction first then snapping it in the intended direction...

I have no idea why anyone with a maxima would complain of oversteer...I can't get my car to turn in enough...it's pretty neutral...but in the tight turns lets face it...our cars are flat out front end heavy...which is why all my focus is on weight loss and moving the battery to the trunk....

 

I'd just like to add something here... I'm not sure why this is constantly neglected, but it definitely seems as though EVERYONE who complains about a RSB causing unsafe handling is lowered on some kind of stock-style aftermarket spring-and-strut combo, rather than true coilovers for example. I have a feeling that that's because most aftermarket spring kits are made to reduce understeer, so the addition of a RSB (which pushes the handling balance further toward oversteer) can make the car less forgiving for a relatively novice driver. That doesn't necessarily apply to cars with full coilover kits, for one: almost all of the ones availabe for our cars come by default with spring rates that are much stiffer in front than in rear, which tends to exaggerate the car's inherent predisposition to understeer at the limit. That would make a RSB far less "dangerous", and the few honest reports I have seen from people with coilovers and RSBs seem to corroborate that. They always seem to talk about having all the purported benefits with no penalties.

Sorry... just had to pop in and make that point. People saying an RSB is bad for "lowered cars" in general is definitely one of my pet peeves on the .org....

 

I don't use coilovers and I'm not arguing against the RSb

 

And you're not alone.

I wasn't saying that everyone on springs/struts hates RSBs... only that everyone who hates RSBs is on springs/struts.

See what I mean?

 

I knew what you meant, I was just being sarcastic. Must have forgotten the [sarcasm] parenthesis

 

It might also have to do with the twist beam suspension design and how putting a really stiff bar in there can cause tires to lift off the ground and go through radical camber changes due to lack of flex when in theory the camber is supposed to be remain fairly constant in the rear. With coilovers this can be tuned out probably and with stock springs you would never get to this point, once again pointing that some might not like a RSB and aftermarket springs and depending on suspension setup and driving style a Maxima might perform better without one.

 

Any news?...

 

http://fgy33.tripod.com/id30.html

Damn, the SMX max got 0.90g skidpad at 3000 lbs without frame connectors.

I gotta admit I'm anxious to see how my car is going to handle@2700-2725 w/frame connectors/k-sports and 180+ removed just from the front end.

 

nice article, but those guys didn't' say the most important thing - what springs and shocks were installed on that Maxima.

 

IIRC, they were Eibachs on stock shocks...

 

So full coilovers would be even better.

Either way 0.90 is pretty impressive for a suspension that is supposed to suck *****. And they had far from every handling mod, too (discounting the most important one - weight reduction).

 

My 3 gen pulls .96 on street tires and 1.04 on slicks.

 

how in the world is it possible to run such stiff springs on stock shocks?? It must bounce like a pogo stick with that setup.

 

news: Piper's new shop is still not setup completely, so it will be another week or two before the car gets dropped off.


...in other news, I did pick up a 5-point harness today (though will not be using the submarine strap)

 

True, it's very impressive. We shouldn't sell the Maxima short just because there are so many better cars coming out 10 years later.

However, given how flexy the chassis is, I bet a 1997 Maxima had a stiffer chassis in December 1996 than a 1997 Maxima does today, due to weakening after all those miles and flexes....

 

It would only bounce over bumps.

 

Oh, forgot to ask... Is there definitely a 4th gen test car as well?

 

not sure....you should touch base with Corey. Once my car/5th gen setup is ready, then he's going to do 350Z, then 4th gen, IIRC.

 

After the lack of a definite answer as to the shop being ready by mid March, I decided not to drive out east then, so I won't be the test car. Go for it d00df00d.

 

sorry, it's out of my/Corey's control.....

 

No prob, it's not anyone's fault; the shop is ready when it's ready. And I decided it's better for me to take a plane on this trip anyway.

 

any updates?????

 

Yeah, what's the news?

If they're not ready for 4th gen test fitment until late May or June, I call dibs on being the 4th gen test car. Before then I can't do it.

 

no updates...this is on the back burner for the moment while Corey's shop gets finished setting up (this week) and while we work on getting camber plates made. I've decided to run DSP class in autocross this year (at least for a while) where I can be competitive, so I'm in no rush to do the SFC's at this point, since they're not legal in DSP.

That said, we will get around to it at some point this summer, but between Corey and myself, we have a couple other priorities to take care of first.

I'll keep you posted.

 

Throw cake at each other?

 

I thought subframe connectors were legal in DSP...hmm...oh well

 

nope, only in SM or P . At this point I'm going to run DSP and STX (depending on when they run morning/afternoon), where I think I can be more competitive.

Piper couldn't make them right now, because they just moved to a new shop also, and have (so they say) a 2-month backlog of cars to finish....

 

Damn.... I was just about to ask you that.....

 

Honestly... why don't we all just try to find a custom welding shop and see if they can make some for us.

I mean, it's not that complicated, just buy the right kind of metal....

 

i was wondering what are they made out of?

Are they solid or hollow metal pipes?

What diameter are the pipes,

Does it matter how many you put or where you put them?
Im not autocossing i just want to corner and hangbetter on the corners.

 

bump any updates?

 

see post #224

 

The shops that can do this kind of job should know the answers already, if the shop that will be doing it for you doesn't, find a different shop. Sorry for not being able to answer your questions, but I wouldn't let the people who don't know this stuff work on my chassis.

 

Well, the pipes are definitely hollow and made of some type of steel.