Just wondering if anyone had thoughts on the Stillen Rear Sway Bar. Does it really make a difference, is it worth the cost, should I spend the money elsewhere, etc? I"m interested in anyone's opinions. I have an 2004 SL so I'd particularly like to hear from owners with the SL. Thanks.

Brent

 

I own a 04' SE and have had the Stillen Rear Sway Bar for over a year. It is one of the BEST mods that I did to my MAX. You will feel an immediate response and be able to hit the twistys much harder than you could stock. Definitely feels tighter. Add on some ultra-high performance tires and your max will be sticky

 

Was it hard to install the rear sway bar?

Do you have the Stillen front strut brace too? If yes, was this hard to install?

 

Don't have the front strut brace, I know at least one other member here has it though - have heard it's a little difficult to install.

As for the rear sway bar - I have a special tech at my dealership that does aftermarket installs. He put it in with no problems and said he also noticed an immediate improvement. Good luck with everything!

 

Why won't the sway bar work on the 05

 

The rear sway bar did far more than the front strut bar.

 

Sway bar helped cornering by alot, before i couldnt take sharp corners but now, im flying throught those corners

 

If the 6th Gen's suspension is anything like the 5.5 and 5s... the RSB does give ya much improved turning ability... but I'd say watch out for a couple of things... first, it causes oversteer which, an inexperienced driver might not be able to handle, since the car is now much more responsive and easier to turn... and second, the rear is now so much tighter that, coupled with the oversteer, it might have the tendency to "jump out" if ya hit a bump during a high speed turn, resulting in loss of control or even spinning out. These are only issues if you're not used to the RSB yet... once ya drive it around for a bit, ya won't have to worry about em...

Also, if ya already have stiffer struts and springs, the improvement in handling from an RSB isn't as much as if you're still running stock suspension... it does help, but not as much...

 

Just wanted to thank everyone for the input. Since it's gotten rave reviews besides the possible oversteer, I'll definitely be purchasing the sway bar. I think it'll make nice addition. Can't wait to take sharp corners like a pro. Thanks again.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'd recommend it to anyone and I'm sure people with it love it... just a cautionary note is all...

 

The rear suspensions are siginifiacnalty different from the 5th gen to the 6th gen. I've had a 2003 Max and now a 2004. When i hit a corner and bump the 1st time after installing the bar on my 5th gen (2003) i experienced what puppetmaster mentioned.

But i didn't feel that at all on my 2004 after installing the STILLEN bar. You'll be happy with the handling improvement i'm sure.

Bob

 

Thanks for pointing that out, Bob... glad to hear that Nissan improved the rear suspension for you guys...

 

Has anyone installed this swaybar on the 04 themselves?

 

For me, front strut bar was easy, took a little while, but its not difficult and im not super inclined mechanically.

The only thing that was a little tricky was bending the AC line....carefully. You can see it in this pic. I put a little piece of foam in between line and strut bar to prevent rubbing. Works fine.


Now the REAR sway bar, I could not do. You would need a lift for that. Dealer installed for $60.

If you have a choice, go for the rear first, biggest improvement, and then add the front. Just get em both!

 

Yeah, I figure anything less than a turbo isnt going to make this car into a DTM racer..but a $150 swaybar with the F1's should be a greater improvement than anything else, considering the intake debacle messes up torque (and the car, in my case)

 

The front strut bars won't do much at all because our suspension is so close to the firewall. Strut bars are more beneficial for cars that have the struts further up... Sway bars will definitely give a stable rear suspension.