I searched and didn't find much, so I thought I'd ask here. Has anyone in the Maxima community ever considered making a rear cross bar like Do-Luck makes? Here's an example:



That is, adding a bar that goes between the B-pillars, basically. I'm wondering if it would be more of a benefit to have it higher up or close to the floor. Can anyone maybe at least confirm my thoughts about how this would help our cars? Seems like a cheap, easy way to add some additional rigidity. Also, keep in mind I have no subframe connectors or lower tie bars, but I have just about everything else (except coilovers).

Someone school me I'm totally open to having this idea completely shot down if you have a convincing enough argument that it's a waste of time to add.

 

in for more info,.. and how do you suppose this would be cheap unless you have the resources to build and fab yourself,.. and what right hand drive car is that?

oh ill add one thought... one con would be the comfort level of the passengerswould be severly decreased,.. but who cares about that now anyways

 

Ironically enough, it's from an older Cefiro (RWD, pre-A32). It would be cheap because it's just a bar welded/bolted to the B-pillars basically. The bar shown in the picture is where it is because it is mass manufactured and meant to be relatively easy to install. If you make your own, you could just cut a tiny section out of the B-pillar panels near the floor and maybe even cut through the bottom of the center console area and have it almost completely hidden under the front seats, with no negative effects for rear passengers. Think of how a RSTB gets installed and how you have to cut those panels for it to have somewhere to peek through. It's just a metal bar, how hard can it be? Maybe an afternoon's worth of work?

 

if its $100 or less do it...any more then that and its worthless and added weight IMO.

SFCs are more of a worth while mod and I loved mine.

and if I were to make these custom...I would do a bar low and in the middle with x bracing in the middle, just my opinion.

 

SFCs.

Lower tie bar.

Fender bars.

Then worry about your gypsy magic.

 

Given my access to free labor and next-to-nothing materials, I'm not worried about cost. Just asking if it's going to be positive at all. I guess now that I think about it maybe I should just make my own SFCs

 

I know the Maxima chassis is very different than Supras, but I personally have/had the Do-Luck bar in my Supra. It makes a world of a difference in my Supra. I also tried out Sparco's harness bar which is much higher and is right behind my head in my Supra. Same thing, the difference is very noticeable and a worthwhile mod.

Whether or not it would be worthy in a Maxima.... I've wondered about this forever...and was planning on fabbing something one of these days and try it out.

FWIW, Do-Luck bar: $425 (Supra fitment)
Sparco harness bar: $425 (Supra fitment)

 

Try it and report back.

 

Is your Supra a targa by chance? If so, I have a feeling that's probably a large contributor to the massive difference you saw with those bars. With a Maxima, which can only be a hardtop (and especially mine with no sunroof), I'd be willing to bet that if there is a difference it would be less noticeable simply because the Maxima has a completely solid roof in place to help with stiffness/rigidity in that particular area. The question is, is there still a possibility that there WOULD be a noticeable difference? I guess that's what this thread is aiming to find out
I think I just might when some warm weather rolls around!

 

Yes. Do that.

As long as you know what you're doing.

 

I put one in my Maxima a couple years back and noticed no difference. Now SFC's, that is a different story. IMO don't waste time or money on this idea, subframe instead

 

Really? Interesting. Did you make your own or what? Any pics?

Glad to see someone with experience with this. Maybe it is a waste of time.

 

I purchased one made for a Sentra SE-R and had end pieces made. I figured 'what the hell, never seen that before' and bought it. I have yet to figure out how it is supposed to do anything. It ties the floor of the C pillars together kind of like a strut bar does, but i sthere really that much flex in the floor from side to side? There is no front to back support. SFC's definitely add side to side and front to back. It looked cool tho.

 

SFC's with a stage II will accomplish the same thing.

 

Yes, my Supra is has a Targa top. However, being a Supraforums member for 7 years now, I can tell you that even the Hardtop guys have reported a difference with the cross bar.

 

Not sure if you guys know, but Ebay has been selling these for a while now... Highly doubt it will make any difference in our cars. I'd thought about getting one a few months ago, but it would be more for appearance than anything.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ADJUS...Q5fAccessories

 

Yeah, screw that. It's adjustable (meaning it's worthless pretty much) and it sits right where your passenger's feet would go. I can see why they did it the way they did (if I wanted to make money I'd do it the same way), but no thanks.

Thanks for finding that, though, I had no idea.

 

I see that cross bar performing two functions. Providing enough local stiffness to the sills to affect their vibration frequencies and modeshapes (which affects your SOTP "feel") and providing convenient tiedown for whatever that bottle is.

It isn't nearly rigid enough to provide any meaningful amount of general chassis stiffness by itself, and it isn't stitched to any lateral chassis structure to double-up on existing chassis structure. At a stretch, it might improve side impact crash performance a little.


Norm

 

Thanks for the "advanced" input

 

i would think maybe some round steel pounded out to the shape of the floorpan then run to the trunk and another might be more rigid. then again i did so much extra welding to my camaro with fiberglass body and aluminum frame who knows what relly worked. where do you guys get sfc and other parts for the maximas?