Hey guys I have had a rear sway bar for a while now. I know it is giving me a little more stiffness in the rear but we do have a solid rear axel. Doesn't the solid rear axel almost act like a rear sway bar? Have you guys actually ever taken a look at that thing? It is pretty stable. I am just wondering if after I drop the car the handling will be enough to justify selling this bad boy. I just thought about it the other day and was wondering what everybody thought. Seems like the biggest benefit it gives is it makes the rear end break a little more predictable under very hard cornering, which I hardly ever do.

Mark

 

Without aftermarket suspension a sway bar really helps keep the rear end flatter during cornering. Even on an SE, the stock rear is pretty floaty. (is that a word?)

When I get my coilovers, I may remove the sway bar. It's been said that with a stiffer suspension, the rear stays pretty flat even without the bar.

 

with the drop i have eibach and kyb gr2's i can take turns and the car stayes PLANTED on the ground never EVER had a problem takign any so far.

 

Quite a few guys say that on a lowered setup the sway bar really isn't needed. The handling benifits from being lowered with progressive springs keeps the car very flat on the road. Some have noticed a better ride with the sway bar removed on lowered setups.

Lower your car, then compair the ride and handling with it on, and then off. It's an easy mod to take off the car. Remember it's your car so you need to make it ride and handle as you wish. If you like the ride and handling with it off, then keep it off.

The rear beam does have pretty good anti-sway properties. The addition of a sway bar stiffens it up even more, but also adds unsprung weight to your suspension which is a negative factor.

 

The rear suspension is "independent". I guess that you can over stiffen the suspension but I don't think so. I have a RSB but no drop and don't plan on one, so I can only speak about the RSB. For me having a tight suspension is more appealing to me because I like the feel and confidence it gives me. The car is heavy enough where the car shouldn't "break free" unless you are REALLY out of control, or have crappy tires (oh yeah... the car comes with them standard... oh well) and at that point I much rather have a tight car than a loose one. Been there done that with a car that has sh!tty suspension.... making a quick swerve to avoid a stupid deer and having to overcorrect because the car is all over the place, nearly killed myself, not fun! Should have hit the fu**ing deer.

 

No it isn't. It's a solid axle.

 

Yep... just checked the service manual... my bad, sorry.

 

Even on the SE the suspension is floaty......

 

I thought so too... very floaty...

Anyways, I have aftermarket struts/springs... its a whole new world now, my car can take most corners pretty well... never had a RSB though.... so I'm not sure how different it is from having stock suspension and RSB....

 

For those that have only done springs and not the struts, the sway bar helps a lot. I installed Maxspeeds at 10,000 miles and kept the stock struts. It was still floaty with only the springs. Much better with the sway bar.

 

I guess my theory was kind of right then. I will have to sell it after I drop the car because I am sure it will handle just fine with tein h-techs and gr2s

Mark

 

it also depends on your wheel/tire setup, which affects the overall handling characteristics of your car during a turn. Alot of japanese drivers like their fwd vehicles with thinner but higher profile tires in the rear, which keeps the rear end loose.. aiding the car to "pivot" more easily through turns (i believe the term is "trail braking" on the track - slightly riding the brakes while gasing it during a turn). A setup like this with a lowered maxima + rsb could make it too tail happy depending on your driving style.

I have coilovers and my rear wheels having a wider tread + rsb, therefore the car has a more predictable feeling during cornering, based on my driving style. I've never had a problem with the rear, the front of my car usually gives out first (understeer)... thank god for lsd. Time for blehmco LTB and subframe bushings

 

I had it on my 02 max.........it helped alot even with a full suspention set up (drop and springs) its just a item to give the suspension a finished touch...I loved it worked perfect...... you will notice a diff even on stock suspension, knock that floaty feel down..

by the way the axel is solid on that car............

 

I noted a SIGNIFICANT improvement in handling with the addition of the RSB. A solid rear axle (which, as pointed out, is what the 5th generation has) still benefits from a RSB. The rear WHEELS stay true more so with a solid rear axle than an independent. However, a RSB assists in keeping the car level (including the front end alignment) during cornering.

As shared, a RSB addition alone will make the car have more of a tendency to oversteer than understeer. Most factory set-ups favor understeer, as it's safer (natural tendency is to brake / slow down with understeer, which will transfer weight to the front of the wheels and assist you in getting out of trouble). Try the same with a car that is oversteering and you will watch the rear of your car pass the front (steer into the skid!).

I had read that the most difficult suspension to "balance" is an independent front suspsension with a solid rear axle...which is what the Maxima has.

 

I do not race on the road nor do I corner that hard so for me "rear end predictability" is pretty much useless. Not saying you race or anybody, but a lot of people on here like to go all out during turns and I live in a surburban area where there is no room to do that type of thing. The only place I could see even thinking about that is out in the country or on a track. Then again, why would anybody take a family sedan on a track? Some people do for some reason that is beyond me. A FWD family sedan and track should not go in the same sentence

Mark

 

im lazy..........who has the best deal on the rsb?

 

Me if you are willing to wait a month or so. I am selling mine.

PM me if you are interested.

 

lets just take the family out and call it a sedan... a sporty sedan, much like the mazda 6, STI, EVO, and legacy GT. Not nearly in the same category or class, but thats the way I like to think.

Why take a family sedan to the track? Then why bother fixing a maxima at all? I'm more in love with the motor than the car itself, great potential and great engineering ... the fwd and rear beam can be dealt with. And the rear beam itself is actually fairly efficiently on even surfaces, like the track