Sorry to post an over-killed subject, but I did not find a clear answer to what I wanted to know in the posts and FAQ page. I found the 3 main FSTBs to be 1) Stillen, 2) Steetbeat's or procarparts.com's and 3) Courtesy Nissan's.

According to just some of the posts:

1) Stillen: it's a solid bar that won't bend in operation like the others- "you get what you pay for" ...it's more difficult to install because it pushes out...someone posted that it pushed so far out that he has dents on the left & right sides of his car...it's expensive...

2) Steetbeat's or procarparts.com: cheap...need to modify bar so it doesn't rub against car components...

3) Courtesy Nissan's: cheaper than Stillen...hits against hood of the car...

I don't care about price or looks, I just want FSTB that I do not have to bend/adjust/modify to fit into my car. I do not want to have to modify the components inside my car either. Basically, I want to put it in my car and be done with it...are any of the FSTB hassle free?

I have a 98 SE fully loaded.

Thanks.

 

I have a 98 SE like you. I also have the Coutesy FSTB. None of that "hits against the hood." I think that only happens when the FSTB is not installed properly. My mechanic did mine

I think you have to make sure that the car is on a flat level surface when installing.

DW

 

Thanks for your comment. Given your mechanic did the work, are you certain he didn't bend the bar, move stuff,...to make it fit? I don't mean to be a pain, but you just never know exactly how hassle free an installation really is, unless you do it yourself; the good news is that your bar is hassle free post-installation. Thanks again.

Did anyone have a hassle free experience with one of the others, particularly the Streatbeat FSTB (although price is not the main criteria, it is the second criteria)? Thanks.

 

No bends on the install. The Courtesy FSTB, when brand new has slight bends on each end of the bar,like 6" before each end. That's how it went on the car. I heard that some 99s have trouble with the FSTB b/c Nissan made some changes to the 99 to get ready for the 2000s.

DW

 

Courtesy lists the FSTBs as either 95-98 models or 99-2001 models. I think people were having problems putting the 4th gen FSTB on 99s. The 5th gen FSTB is the one that actually fits the 1999 Max.

 

Hey man I got one from a local auto salon here in Dallas TX...I don't remember the name of mine but it looks kinda like the stillen one without the holes. I think I paid around 60 bucks for it. No problems with install and no problems with it at all. If you want you can email me and I can get you more info. dmbrazilian@yahoo.com

David

 

I have the Street Beat FSTB.. no rubbing, works exactly as designed for $35. Can't go wrong unless you really care about how your engine looks.

 

I have a Matrix FSTB $48shipped. Looks good. I had to bend an AC pipe just little bit to avoid rubbing.

 

Thanks for all the posts. I took another look under the hood- there is not much room for a FSTB. If I recall correctly, Street Beat's sells two brands (with the same specs?) and one of the brands is the Matrix. If correct, again, some people have to bend/modify it while others do not. David, maybe you could post the Dallas vendor here. Thanks.

By the way, which FSTB models are adjustable? Stillen, I read does not, what about Courtesy, Matrix,...?

 

I havent put mine on yet (still waiting to find a torque wrench), but I have the one from Matrix and it touches a few wires and some other stuff in the middle of the engine bay in my 97 SE. Is it gonna move around enough that I should bend the pipe a little, or will it matter?

 

I got my FSTB on e-bay for $40 shipped. Its adjustable and works and looks great. And about the torque wrench, i went to the local Harbor Freight retail store and got one on sale for $12 plus tax. It works great too. Its the same one on their site for 20 plus shipping.

 

I have the Courtesy on a '97 and it doesn't touch anything... install was a piece of cake, something you can do yourself in under 30 minutes... an hour if you're really **** about everything like me...

the key is this... make sure the car is on level ground. don't get in and out of the car or lean on the car after the strut tower bolts have been loosened. after you've loosened the strut bolts, don't disturb them, but gently put the brackets over. move anything and your alignment could be off...

-V

 

I have the Streetbeats bar. See http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....threadid=39592
I still have the sound off and on. I also had my mechanic install it, but the sound just comes and goes, if i play with it just a bit, it's gone, then comes back for a little bit. It's annoying, but I'll deal with it later.

98 SE auto

 

I have the Cattman (www.cattman.com) FSTB and it rocks! Looks killah.

 

I have the Vibrant FSTB from Street Beat $35, no clearance issues, my friend has the $tillen bar and aside from it being prettier his bar gives no noticeable performance gain over my cheaper bar. If it were me, i'd get the $35 Street Beat FSTB and put the ~ $120 that I save over the price of the stillen bar into a RSB.


my .02

 

I have a 97 SE
[which you might have been able to guess].

I put on a Stillen FSTB.
I went with the Stillen mostly for the looks,
but also 'cause it just seemed a little more solid/less likely to flex.

I didn't have any problems at all.
This is a simple install.

I didn't have a torque wrench,
I just tighted the bolts up pretty firmly without going nuts [NPI].

I have since bought a torque wrench from HarborFreight.com.
[good deal, but it took a long time to arrive]
but I have yet to check my work with it.

 

Thanks for the posts/help...based on what I read here and from a couple of other posts, this is what I have concluded (I could easily be wrong):

Courtesy- mixed reviews (some had issues with the nuts/bolt)
Matrix- tended to need modification
Vibrant- mostly favorable reviews (rests on AC pipe)
Stillen- $$$

I leaning towards the Vibrant, but if Bush sends me a check, maybe I'll get the Stillen and help out our economy.

Thanks again.