I saw a max modded the other day and he had a bar in the trunk and a bar across the engine...i was wondering what these are called...how much they are...and if they actually help with the performance of the car... thanks guys

96 se 5spd **fast**

 

The bars are the front and rear strut tower bars. Every Maxima owner should at least the front. Hmm more questions right. I spent the whole day trying to get someone to give me some info on what suspension mods I should do and why. Go to this website and it will tell you all you need to know about the suspension and the available modifications. Have fun

http://web2.airmail.net/scutchen/max_faq/

 

To answer "Matty's" question:

The bars add rigidity to the framework of the car --
It kinda sounds crazy to somebody who would normally think that a frame for a car shouldn't really flex all that much --

But think of the suspension like a big arc --
A very slight flex in the frame can translate into much larger distances when you extend that equivalent angle all the way to the ground --

Its really hard to explain the effect until you try it out for yourself --

If you want to really understand the "flexy flyer" effect, try test driving an 80's generation Camaro -- a car like that needs like 10 bars all over the place to make it tight --

 

Due to the Maxima's suspension setup the rear strut bar provides absolutely no advantage to the chassis stiffness. Just get the sway.