is no longer on back order according to the website.

 

the 2k2 FSTB?

 

it says for 99-02 maxiam so i guess it will fit ok

 

I had one on back order and it shipped yesterday.

 

Someone told me there are no dumb questions, HENCE> "What is the benefit of adding this FSTB to my 2K Max ??? PERHAPS> 1)Stiffer front suspension 2)???

 

to a certain degree that is what it will do. In doing this steering will be more responsive and cornering will be improved.

 

Mine is in transit and is scheduled to arrive 3/29!

 

Mine too!!!

Tony

 

Thanks for the update. Time to place my order...

 

Bar received and installed. It rubbed on the intake. Tried to remove but the rotten nuts at the bar ends ceased onto the hex key bolts! Had to remove entire assembly from the strut tower, put it on the workbench, hacksaw off both bots, install new stainless bolts, and file a notch in bottom of bar to clear the intake. What a pain. The bar does feel like it stiffens up the front though, so at $80, plus the extra hassle, I'd say it was worth it.

 

What part of the intake did it hit? I'm installing mine this week and I didn't see anything under the hood that looked like it might be in the way, but I haven't actually taken the bar out to the car yet...

Tony

 

There's a simliar FSTB on Ebay for $59.99 . It loooks just like the Courtesy Nissan one..

 

If you're talking about the one sold by directcarparts@hotmail.com it will fit. Same supplier as the Group deal we had previously.

As for the Courtesy rubbing, per emax95 and see5's suggestion try loosening the midsection by 1 or 2 turns (this lengthens the bar a bit) but not too much that it will hit the underside of the hood.

Also try to either a) keep it right above the manifold, b) slightly tilted forward or c) slightly tilted backward. With b and c it's rather tricky though because when you accelerate the manifold moves backwards and when when you go in reverse the manifold moves forward.

 

I had the same thing happen to me when I needed to remove the FSTB to replace my spark plugs. For some reason I was having a hard time with pulling the plugs off the recepticles of the coils?

 

i just ordered the fstb from the guy from ebay..still waiting for him to respond though

 

What is this about 5th Gen Courtesy FSTBs hitting the hood and the intake manifold? I purchased a 4th Gen Courtesy FSTB as my first mod and cut the driver's side strut tower bracket to make it fit on a 5th Gen. (That was common practice before the 5th Gen bar became available.) It has NEVER hit either the hood or the intake manifold.

Does Courtesy Nissan know about this problem?

 

That only applies to the 2k2 as the manifold gets in the way.

 

Thanks, soundmike. I got it. Any word from Courtesy Nissan on when they'll have a FSTB that fits a 2K2? And do any of the other FSTBs fit 2K2s reliably?

 

Well, the Courtesy, Trust and the one i got (also sold 30 units here at the Org via Group deal) all fit actually.

No modifications needed. It's just the nature of these bars that you might have to do some minor readjustments. (as they've got bolts on each end which connects it to the endplates.)

 

I installed my Courtesy FSTB over a week ago, and honestly haven't noticed any difference in the handling. I installed it exactly to the vague directions, but is it possible I missed something?

Also, nuts were torqued to 35lb. What's up with directions saying failure to do this is "extremely dangerous"? Do they mean AT LEAST 35lbs?

any wisdom in the subject?

 

Did you try some spirited driving before and after the install? I noticed it quite significantly on my 2k2. Torque steer also seems to have lessed quite a bit.

Yes. It's 34-5lb.ft. Not "at least" but "around or exactly". If you have it in too loose the FSTB is useless. If you have it on too tight the flex will outstress the bolts and there's a chance it will pop-off.

 

I installed the Courtsy bar in Feb but the bar was ordered in December and sold as a 2001 bar. It fit fine and does not rub.

I rotated it back a bit for more clearance.

 

Thanks for the explanation on the torque. As for driving spirited, I would say that is a constant for me. True, I have not noticed any torque steer since the install (this did become common since going from 15" to 17" wheels). It is the other benefits that I haven't noticed. I have heard that steering becomes more "precise" and there is less body flex. Well, steering feels just as over-boosted as ever and I don't know how to gauge body flex. I think that the performance upgrade must be mild in comparison to the recent wheel/tire change. Maybe that's why it's hard for me to see.

 

That could be the case. Emax95 also reported not feeling as much of a difference on his 2k2 with the FSTB installed so i guess it's more of a sensitivity thing.

The turn i have going towards our gate is wide and sloping. I used to have to slow down as the car would feel somehow uncontrollable doing a quick/fast one.

After the FSTB i could get on it without a problem and feel like the car goes where i want it to go without much hesitation.

 

Amen to that! What tires did you have before and after? I changed out my Potenza RE92s and upgraded to Potenza RE950s. The difference is so so so profound. It's like the car was just waiting to be liberated from the crappy OEMs. I wonder how many sales Nissan has lost during test drives because people were not happy with the handling. If they only knew what a change a simple tire-swap makes!!

Tony

 

How much did you get your 950's for Tony? Was it the same size as the 92's or did you upsize?

 

Same thing happened with me. I followed the instructions, put the bar on, but don't really notice any changes in the way the car handles/feels while making turns and what not.

 

try making a U-turn or freeway onramp turn at 60mph

 

What the hell. Let's put it to the test:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=109759

 

I will have to re-visit my car's limits. Thanks for the reply.

 

RE950s myself. Too cool.

 

They were 235/45-17s. I got them for $132 ea. at 1010tires.com. They're in Canada, so you have to pay an import tax depending on where you live. I'm in WA state, so I had to pay like an extra $50 on top of shipping, but they were still way cheaper than the $190 ea. they wanted at Les Schwabs. They were even cheaper than Tirerack.

However, it may be worth the extra $$ if you ever have a problem with the tires to buy them locally. My car now pulls ever-so-slightly to the right and my suspension has been ruled out as the cause. So I may have a bad tire. It's not that bad of a pull, and no one seems to know what I should do next. I would have spent way more money at Les Schwabs, but they would have just ordered new tires no questions asked to try and solve the problem. But then again, how many times will someone get a bad tire? And I still don't know if it's really the tire(s).

This was a longer answer than you prolly wanted, but I didn't want you to think my purchase was 100% headache-free.

Tony

 

I know that it was mentioned earlier in the thread, but the manifold problem was addressed. Has anyone had problems with the bar hitting the hood? To fix this I took off the black rings at the top on the strut tower and this seemed to give me more clearance. I don't think it is hitting anymore, but I will have to look at it tomorrow to tell.

 

Well the results of the poll are in, and it appears that most people can feel an improvement in handling with the installation of a Front Strut Tower Brace. Of the 20 respondents, 17 indicated that they felt an improvement and 3 weren't sure if they felt an improvement or not.

Hope that info helps those that are deciding whether to purchase a FSTB.

 

In soundmike's writeup on how to install a 5th gen FSTB he states that the vehicle should be on level ground. Why is this critical? what if your driveway is slightly sloped?

 

who's soundmike? that dude doesn't know anything about what he's talking about. don't listen to him

seriously, it's not very critical but given you're taking the bolts off the strut towers your struts could theoretically move slightly out of its place if the ground is not level making the car shift its weight on one side and thus cause a misalignment. I could be wrong but i'm just playing with physics here.

 

I went to install mine today (courtesy) and I could NOT get the nuts off of the right-side tower. The mechanic that intalled my springs must've tightened them way too tight. They would not budge at all. Anyway, they were so tight I stripped all of them trying to get them off and they still wouldn't budge. I'm taking the car into him tomorrow and have him see if he can get them off. BTW, the right tower came off no problem.

So I need new nuts to replace the ones I really screwed up. Should I try to order some more at my dealership or do you think I can get away with getting some at my local hardware store that are the same size?

Tony

 

I realize it would not be possible to mount this thing without it hitting the insulation on the hood. However, I wanted to know how many of you guys removed the black rings on your strut towers, when you installed your courtesy ftsb.

 

What I was wondering is how many of you installed this thing right on the strut tower, omitting the use of the black spacer that comes on top of the strut tower? When I first installed it, I installed it on top of the black rings, which was fine until I tried to close the hood...ouch...

 

It's interesting to note that my 2k2 did not come with the spacer. So, yeah, i just installed it right on the strut tower itself.