Finished the Lower Tie Bars for 89-03
Finished the Lower Tie Bars for 89-03
Well, after months of waiting around for guinea pigs and test-fitting, they're finally ready to go!
5th gen bar:
4th gen bar: (obviously unpainted- just wanted to get a couple pics before it was done)
3rd Gen bar:
I also have them done for B14s if anyone wants one for them:
a few more pics of the 5th gen bar installed here:
http://www.mattblehm.com/HSS_images/...r/5th_Gen_LTB/
This is on Matt Luquire's 5th gen with Eibachs, and he's got about 3.5" of ground clearance at the lowest point. That should give the rest of you guys an idea on ground clearance. It's only about 1" lower than Matt's Y pipe, so there is plenty of room for OEM or aftermarket exhaust. (the aftermarket Ys are actually much smaller due to the lack of precats, but I've test-fitted on both stock and aftermarket exhaust)
Regular price on these is $125+ ship, but I'll be doing intro/GD pricing on them for $100+ shipping on all models until
next Friday- May 7.
for any more info and contact stuff, head to my crappy website: www.mattblehm.com
5th gen bar:
4th gen bar: (obviously unpainted- just wanted to get a couple pics before it was done)
3rd Gen bar:
I also have them done for B14s if anyone wants one for them:
a few more pics of the 5th gen bar installed here:
http://www.mattblehm.com/HSS_images/...r/5th_Gen_LTB/
This is on Matt Luquire's 5th gen with Eibachs, and he's got about 3.5" of ground clearance at the lowest point. That should give the rest of you guys an idea on ground clearance. It's only about 1" lower than Matt's Y pipe, so there is plenty of room for OEM or aftermarket exhaust. (the aftermarket Ys are actually much smaller due to the lack of precats, but I've test-fitted on both stock and aftermarket exhaust)
Regular price on these is $125+ ship, but I'll be doing intro/GD pricing on them for $100+ shipping on all models until
next Friday- May 7.
for any more info and contact stuff, head to my crappy website: www.mattblehm.com
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 6,344
Matt...what's the difference between yours and GTF version? Your seems to tie to different points under the car. What finish does it come with? Painted, bare or powdercoated.
damn, shame I can't take advantage of the initial GD this time, I gotta spend my mod money next month on 2k4 rotors for the BlehmCo kit...Rest assured this will be one of my mods sometime this summer hopefully
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,144
That sure was a good looking undercarriage on taht 5th gen. Who ever has that bar on their max would sure be lucky. wait thats me hahah. I love the bar as i have stated in previous posts. I say who needs brakes if the car handles well enough(spirilis).
Originally Posted by Luquire
That sure was a good looking undercarriage on taht 5th gen. Who ever has that bar on their max would sure be lucky. wait thats me hahah. I love the bar as i have stated in previous posts. I say who needs brakes if the car handles well enough(spirilis).
I'll have to start swerving around traffic when it stops instead of staying in line 
So how does it install? Any installation instructions on the site? Does it require removal of the nuts it connects (i.e. you remove them, fit the bar on and tighten 'em down)? Any word on the tools necessary? (breaker bar, torque wrench, big socket, etc?)
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,144
You just remove four nuts and 2 washers(only 2 of the nuts have washers) and then place the tie bar on them and tighten them down with the removed nuts. Matt used an air gun but you could just hand tighten them with a good wrench(as tight as the MutherFuker will get).
so in all, all you need is a jack/lift and i think a 12mm and 14mm wrench. thats it. install takes about 10 minutes once car is jacked up.
so in all, all you need is a jack/lift and i think a 12mm and 14mm wrench. thats it. install takes about 10 minutes once car is jacked up.
Nice, I may be in for this, gotta check the funds. Id also like to know what kind of finish is available and if you think I will have a clearence issue with my Budget y and Sprint Springs?
Nice beads man. I'm also interested in weight. How much? What type of material? Got a price yet? What exactly is this stiffening? Connecting lower control arms with body I assume? Anybody with the link to the thread that the improvements were written about?
Hey Luquire, have been able to push the steering on the max after installing this? Also what other suspension mods do you have? What are thoughts on any noticable differences with the brace?
yeah would definately like to know some driving impressions......does it counter act the worries of the rsb that many have due to oversteer. some handling specs would be nice.
nice work, looks like a clean mod.
nice work, looks like a clean mod.
Sorry about not responding earlier guys.. my DSL has been down since about 5 minutes after I made this thread. 
The bar is made form 3/4" heavy-wall steel tubing. total weight is about 6lb or so. not very heavy, but a HUGE increase in front-end stick when you do those 100mph lane-changes that we're not supposed to talk about.
Luquire has RSB and Eibachs. He said it got pretty tail-happy when he added the RSB, and the lower tie bar we tried on his car has pretty much counteracted that, so the car is very neutral.
the 4th gen bar is assymetrical due to clearances under the engine. I've fit this as close to the body as possible, and the Y pipe is in the way if I get any closer. Thus the reason it looks like it does- I've left plenty of room for the people with aftermarket Y pipes and the engine crossmember and such. I don't see a large exhaust being a problem with these, unless it hangs down well below the engine crossmember. I'll try to get some pics of it installed on a 4th gen to show you how much clearance it's got.
My car is lowered about 3", and I have only scraped it a couple of times in the 6 months I've had it on the car- all of which could have been prevented.. The lower tie bar is directly between the front wheels, so it's not a problem when going over speedbumps like subframes are, or anything else hanging down in he middle of your car.
The bar is made form 3/4" heavy-wall steel tubing. total weight is about 6lb or so. not very heavy, but a HUGE increase in front-end stick when you do those 100mph lane-changes that we're not supposed to talk about.
Luquire has RSB and Eibachs. He said it got pretty tail-happy when he added the RSB, and the lower tie bar we tried on his car has pretty much counteracted that, so the car is very neutral.
the 4th gen bar is assymetrical due to clearances under the engine. I've fit this as close to the body as possible, and the Y pipe is in the way if I get any closer. Thus the reason it looks like it does- I've left plenty of room for the people with aftermarket Y pipes and the engine crossmember and such. I don't see a large exhaust being a problem with these, unless it hangs down well below the engine crossmember. I'll try to get some pics of it installed on a 4th gen to show you how much clearance it's got.
My car is lowered about 3", and I have only scraped it a couple of times in the 6 months I've had it on the car- all of which could have been prevented.. The lower tie bar is directly between the front wheels, so it's not a problem when going over speedbumps like subframes are, or anything else hanging down in he middle of your car.
Ok, this is awesome man, great job! I will be buying one of these as soon as I get some money together. I already have stage I and II SFCs, and I scrape going over some bumps, even though I'm only on H&R's. You're saying this would cause any more clearance issues, correct? I can't wait to buy this....
looslip, yes. I did the original test-fit on a 5.0 gen, then when I did a "confirmation fit" on a 2003, it was completely different.. then I remembered Luquire has a Y pipe on his. all of the holes are in the exact same locations, but there were some clearance issues. I redid the entire thing around the factory Y pipe and precats on the 2003-- so it's guaranteed to fit.
95Maxrider, this bar goes directly between the front wheels- the only time you'll scrape here is if you drive lengthwise through a huge rut, or something sticking up out of the street several inches. in the 6 months I've had it on my car, I've only scraped it three times. I scrape my SFCs several times a week.
95Maxrider, this bar goes directly between the front wheels- the only time you'll scrape here is if you drive lengthwise through a huge rut, or something sticking up out of the street several inches. in the 6 months I've had it on my car, I've only scraped it three times. I scrape my SFCs several times a week.
Your gonna do this for $100? That is insane. If the TS GD wasn't going on now I'd be in. Great work Matt. You got any other tricks up you sleve? RWD conversion kit? What will be the price after the initial deal? If your still doing it for $100 at the end of August I'm in.
Regular price is $125, so they're 20% off right now. I'll of course continue selling them, and would be very happy to do group deals later as well, as long as you can round up 10+ buyers at a time. Tricks up my sleeve? Ummm, look for more pics of other projects VERY soon. If all goes well, they might be up tomorrow!
i read a thread about rsb's causing oversteer because it basically kept the rear suspension sooo stiff that it keeps the rear suspension constantly compressed even during sharp corners & bumps, not allowing the suspension to do what it is suposed to do. this ultimately causes the rear end to spin out during 'evasive maneuvers.'
is it safe to say that this tie bar will neutrilize this by creating the same effect on the front suspension??? in a hairpin turn, is the rear end still going to want to spin out or is the entire car going to slide???
is it safe to say that this tie bar will neutrilize this by creating the same effect on the front suspension??? in a hairpin turn, is the rear end still going to want to spin out or is the entire car going to slide???
I have had the LTB on my car for a few months now. Great fitment and it really helps out the car. I've gotten alot of compliments on the bar aswell. The best part is watching the passangers go for the oh **** handles 
I have not scraped at all and one time I could have sworn I was going to (one really nasty speed bump that went sideways
). My mods are Eibach/Tokico's, Otto FSTB/BlehmCo RSTB/ST RSB/BlehmCo stage II lower tie bar
I have not scraped at all and one time I could have sworn I was going to (one really nasty speed bump that went sideways
). My mods are Eibach/Tokico's, Otto FSTB/BlehmCo RSTB/ST RSB/BlehmCo stage II lower tie bar
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,362
Does this do the same thing as the brace made by GTFabrications?
Will this do anything for wheel hop?
If it will not help wheel hop would you consider making something that will reduce wheel hop and act as a lower brace? It looks like Warpspeed has given up on their project.(I don't know exactly what has to be stiffened to reduce wheel hop.)
Will this do anything for wheel hop?
If it will not help wheel hop would you consider making something that will reduce wheel hop and act as a lower brace? It looks like Warpspeed has given up on their project.(I don't know exactly what has to be stiffened to reduce wheel hop.)
I'm going to be looking at some stuff to help reduce wheel hop as well, but right now I don't have any at all- so it's hard to try things that will reduce it.
Are you still using OEM bushings on the car? install some ES Poly bushings on your control arms and stiffen up the engine and tranny mounts. that should help a ton and not lose any ride quality.
for shipping, I'm just going to set it at a fixed $15 for anywhere in the main 48.. (HI, AK, CAN extra of course)
TEEdotMax, this is a CHASSIS stiffening brace, not a Suspension stiffening brace. this keeps the car from bending and flexing, not the suspension. It WILL however help with the oversteer problem these cars have by helping improve the traction. It makes the suspension do the flexing and keeps the frame intact and lined up. That helps keep body roll down, which in turn will help keep the back end planted instead of letting the RSB pick up the inside tire and lose traction against the ground.
Are you still using OEM bushings on the car? install some ES Poly bushings on your control arms and stiffen up the engine and tranny mounts. that should help a ton and not lose any ride quality.
for shipping, I'm just going to set it at a fixed $15 for anywhere in the main 48.. (HI, AK, CAN extra of course)
TEEdotMax, this is a CHASSIS stiffening brace, not a Suspension stiffening brace. this keeps the car from bending and flexing, not the suspension. It WILL however help with the oversteer problem these cars have by helping improve the traction. It makes the suspension do the flexing and keeps the frame intact and lined up. That helps keep body roll down, which in turn will help keep the back end planted instead of letting the RSB pick up the inside tire and lose traction against the ground.
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,362
Originally Posted by Matt93SE
I'm going to be looking at some stuff to help reduce wheel hop as well, but right now I don't have any at all- so it's hard to try things that will reduce it.
Are you still using OEM bushings on the car? install some ES Poly bushings on your control arms and stiffen up the engine and tranny mounts. that should help a ton and not lose any ride quality.
Are you still using OEM bushings on the car? install some ES Poly bushings on your control arms and stiffen up the engine and tranny mounts. that should help a ton and not lose any ride quality.
I already have ES bushings, I have read a few complaints about vibration caused by stiffer engine mounts so I am hesitant to get them.
Anachronism, who cares if you have wheel hop in the rain? Why do people insit on flooring it in wet conditions? Makes no sense to me. You know that rubber burns at the same rate it wet and dry conditions right. I agree with you that it would be even more insanely cool to have radius arms attached to the same unit but would only be necessary if you had legit wheel hop(1/4mile). I also agree that engine mounts are to harsh.
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,362
Originally Posted by broaner22
Anachronism, who cares if you have wheel hop in the rain? Why do people insit on flooring it in wet conditions? Makes no sense to me. You know that rubber burns at the same rate it wet and dry conditions right. I agree with you that it would be even more insanely cool to have radius arms attached to the same unit but would only be necessary if you had legit wheel hop(1/4mile). I also agree that engine mounts are to harsh.
It seems to me the Maxima has horrible traction compared to any front wheel drive car I have driven. In any other car I have owned I never had to think about getting enough traction to pull onto a busy road. For the record I am useing Bridgestone RE950s which is a very good dry traction tire and one of the best wet traction tires you can buy.
Old Fuddy Duddy
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 2,712
Hey MATT!
I read through all the posts and browsed the website...but cant find a good description or picture of the mount locations.
Would there be any other "rubber" parts or items that might be replacable while installing? Or is your installation "on top" of everything else under there?
Would there be any other "rubber" parts or items that might be replacable while installing? Or is your installation "on top" of everything else under there?
Ok, so for people w/o a RSB like me, this would just help keep the car planted and stuff, right? Would it induce more understeer?
Any plans on making radial arms? Those sound really cool as well.
Any plans on making radial arms? Those sound really cool as well.
