Custom install of Strut Bar. IT IS WORTH IT!

[Greek.intuit]

I have just installed a custom aluminum brace as a strut bar, and I have been able to take turns at almost twice the speed (comfortably) as I used to be able to! Feels like a BMW (Have driven several) and actually improved acceleration because my tires are always glued to the road.

I'll put up pics ASAP!
Modified by Greek.intuit at 6:24 AM 3/5/2007

[idunno22221]

i'm very interested to see this.

[Clipsed]

Why do I get the feeling you are talking about the flea-bay wannabe strut bar?

[idunno22221]

hahahaha thats funny clipsed because was thinking the same thing. haha

[Clipsed]

LOL watch it be, and now he/she won't post the pics lol!

[CodeRed]

LOL watch it be, and now he/she won't post the pics lol!

log on aim plz i need to tlk to you

[Greek.intuit]

Actually, a buddy of mine used to race a modified 240SX and had an aluminum Strut bar he had created himself in a custom shop. It fit the versa only because we welded large bolts onto the previous mounts.

As far as everyone here that doubted me.. I WILL put up pics as soon as I get my digital camera, but maybe you should give me a sec as I have a damn good job I spend most of my time doing... so...

stop pre-judging.

[Greek.intuit]

I have posted the pics from the install at this site:

http://jagreen.myweb.uga.edu/dimitri.html

If you look, the connecting bolts are unfinished as I haven't had time to base coat or paint them, and the actual bar sits much further back than the carbon fiber ones on the market.

The mounting brackets are coated in a base red coat, but will be painted in a metallic red and the bar will be polished or refinished in a outer shell to help prevent heat expansion.

Also, if you look at the back of the engine bay I have coated the top of the inner bay in a clear coat to protect the inside and to keep out some of the sound.










Modified by Greek.intuit at 6:37 PM 3/5/2007

[reyes1212]

hmmi like it

[proxim2020]

actually improved acceleration because my tires are always glued to the road.

Another a user a while back had a question about how a strut bar could increase acceleration that I don't think anyone answered. Here's how. Anyway, the bar looks nice.

[Wings]

Anyway to do something for the rear?

[Greek.intuit]

Yeah, if you look at the hatch, there's two square pieces that are covering the rear struts. If you remove those, there are two screws that are connected directly to the rear strut towers.

I would suggest going over eBay and checking out a California custom job because they do similar kind of work to what I did. You would just need to understand you would be giving up some rear cargo space...

I'll find and put up a link...

[Greek.intuit]

[shreqboi909]

nice! hows da handling? did it ake a notisable improvement?!?!?!

[Clipsed]

lol THERE U ARE!!! haha check out your CarDomain, I replied

[Greek.intuit]

The handling is improved on every corner you take in a greatly noticeable sense, but even more than that, your car won't sway half as much on the highway!

[longo]

I have read all the posts on this but still don't get it.

If the Versa requires an additional crossmember to stop all the 'swaying, leaning, and other unwanted body motions, then the Versa frame is flimsy, and flexing at an alarming rate. (I know it doesn't have a "frame" but you have to call it something.)

I see other modders out there putting on strut bars on everyhing from minies to pickups but is there some science behind it? Are the car designers sending cars on the road with creaking frames and wobbely strut towers?

I wonder if this is a so called "performance mod" of some sort, or if the rest of us who drive the Versa inside the engineered performance range, really need one too, to keep the Versa from getting knock kneed under normal load?

[proxim2020]

Need? An easy answer is no. You do not need one unless you're in some type of competition. Under normal conditions, you won't really notice this. But for those who drive their car more aggressively the flexing becomes more noticeable and irritating in the corners and twisties

Here's another explanation

Strut_bar

[justmerging]

proxim hit the nail on the head. While it will improve upon the handling you don't need one unless you drive agressively from time to time and even then it's still not really needed it just makes life easier.

[Greek.intuit]

If you live in the city or do a great deal of Highway miles, you'll notice that the Versa likes to jump around a bit since it doesn't weigh anything....

What the strut bar has done for me other than letting me race around town is this:

1. City driving is a great deal easier, crazy roads don't throw my car around like they used to (New York, D.C., and Atlanta), and I can corner around sharper turns that suddenly creep up at night (safety bonus).

2. Highway driving is easier because: wind doesn't blow the car around, even when I pass large trucks, and the versa seems sturdier going around 495, 395, 85, GA400, and 285 during some rougher curves in heavy traffic.

3. I averaged 38 mpg on the highway with "Plus" or midrange gasoline. I haven't seen figures like that come from stock Versas...

4. Your car just feels tighter and more secure on off-ramps.

So no, it may not effect you much if you drive the speed limit in the suburbs, but for any driving aficianado, it is a must have for any driving condition... you will notice a difference.

[mvalpreda]

The MPG is that high just by adding a stut brace? What were you getting before that? I typically get 29, but I drive a lot of hills 3 days a week.

[Greek.intuit]

I am getting somewhere around 38 on the highway as calculated by mileage on my recent trip to New York, NY.

Using Plus gasoline: City: 32 Highway: 38

All you have to do to get better mileage is as such.

Spring the extra 10 cents a gallon. It has fewer deposits and burns hotter so that you have less wasted fuel when you rev the engine a bit.

Fuel injector cleaner: even in newer cars, if it gets cold, humid, or rains, you get some deposits that clog up the small fuel injectors pretty bad. Just put one bottle in every 3 fillups and you'll notice a difference.

As far as the strut brace, on the highway, I used to get 36, but that was because I was constantly driving around trucks, and that pushes the Versa around like a toy doll, so I just dropped it in and noticed the difference rather immediately...

[Wings]

Why use premium fuel in these things, the engine hardly needs it?

[proxim2020]

Just put one bottle in every 3 fillups and you'll notice a difference.

Holy crap that's excessive! I wouldn't advise anyone do this. Fuel injectors only need to be cleaner every 20-60k or so. The chemicals in fuel injector cleaners can actually eat away at the tip itself. They can even eat away at the spark plugs. Generally, cleaning is one of the items that you should only do when necessary.

A better idea would to be to use better gas. There's a list of what's called "Top Tier" gas stations. These companies offer high detergent contents in their products to prevent deposit buildup. The majority of the companies on the list gas cost just as much as everyone else's gas. Also, clean your fuel injectors at a maximum of 20k intervals, minimum 60k intervals. Once the car gets near or slightly over 100k, have the injectors and valves inspected. If necessary have the injectors and valves cleaned, off the car, and by a professional.

Also, using octane 89 or 93 won't help out any (although some people swear that it will ). The Versa's engine doesn't have a high enough compression ratio to take advantage of the higher octanes. The only advantage of the higher octanes is the ability to resist knocking and not more power or the ability to burn hotter.

[Greek.intuit]

Explain to me then why I'm noticing better gas mileage and better performance using better gas. It not only doesn't leave as many deposits, but there is a noticeable difference on long trips or high revs.

As far as fuel injector cleaners go, it is a fallacy that they eat away at the fuel injector itself. The cleaner works like this:

Pyroil Fuel Injector Cleaner cleans fuel injection systems by removing deposits that plug injectors. It is composed of highly concentrated detergents and dispersants that promote maximum engine efficiency and is compatible with all modern pollution control equipment, catalytic converters and oxygen sensors. It will not harm fuel injectors and also cleans internal deposits from carburetors.

Cleans injectors in one tankful Restores engine performance Keeps fuel injectors clean One treatment lasts up to 2,000 miles Provides carburetor cleaning Helps control corrosion Safe for oxygen sensors and catalytic converters EPA registered

So as you can see,

Beyond that, there are top tier gas stations, that part is true, however, there is a simple difference between detergencts and good quality gas, and that is the level of detergents and method of refinement. A great deal of companies add extra detergents to crappy gas (i.e. QT and Chevron), while some other companies (BP and Shell) actually use slightly less detergents, but use better quality gas.

The compression ratio in the Versa is low, I admit, however, there is a good determination of proving correctness:

Try it yourself. Try two tanks of better quality gas and see if it doesn't make a difference. Part of what you may be looking at is long term benefit...

[Jemdawg]

You're basing your conclusion on a sample that is far too small to consider this significant or even relevant. If you believe you're conclusion is true, you would need to compare a whole lot more tanks of gas, both with and without fuel injector cleaners and with high and low octane fuels. You would also have to make the same distance trips on both the highway and in the city at the same speeds and same revs. In other words, your comparison of a few tanks of gas does not suffice as enough evidence of a significant change.

[Clipsed]

lol Jemdawg you should work with the Mythbusters (love that show) higher octane gas will not get you better MPG, it will actually lower it. and putting in fuel injector cleaner in the tank this early is pointless, as it is a new car. And if you believe what the back of that bottle says on the fuel injector cleaner, I am sure you have everything that they sell on TV if you are that gulible. Fuel injector cleaners have such strong chemicals, some even have jet fuel, which actually can do more harm then good. Just be careful, I am not gonna rant just give you a warning to be careful.

[proxim2020]

Explain to me then why I'm noticing better gas mileage and better performance using better gas. It not only doesn't leave as many deposits, but there is a noticeable difference on long trips or high revs.

I'd like to point to Jemdawg's response as part of my response. You have a small sample. With that said, there could be any number of factors that caused you to get a higher fuel economy. Driving slightly slower, less wind, warmer day, less hills, less traffic, less turns, etc. I once averaged 55 mpg on 87 octane in my V on one leg of my cross country trip at 74mph. How? Beats me. I know the math is correct because it was checked by 4 people (one of which was the station manager) But it didn't last and after the next 13 fillups, I only averaged 34 mpg.

Furthermore, I'd invite you to further research the definition of "octane" to find out how the different levels work. There's no difference in the quality of gas between octane 85 to 103. I find it hilarious that people think that 87 is this dirty gas full of gunk and 93 is so much cleaner. 93 will leave no less deposits in the engine than 85 unless it's specifically stated that the higher octane contains more detergents. Octane is all about volatility.

As far as Top Tier companies, there are specific requirements. Granted companies are allowed to determine how much and what types of detergents to add to the gas, but all must conform the the standard at a minimum. This standard supersedes both government and common industry standards for detergent requirements. All grades of gas must meet the detergent quantity standard.

As far as the deposits, you have to understand how they form. They are not caused by humid air . Deposits on the fuel injectors are formed only at one point, when you shut the engine off. When you shut the engine off, and there's no more coolant circulating, the engine continues to heat up. It's also known as soaking. When this happens, there's a trace amount of gas left on the tip of the FI. Most of the gas will evaporate, but a trace amount will bake on. This is where deposits begin. Only after an accumulation of the deposits (far greater than 350 - 400 miles) will it become a build up that affects performance.

Lastly, most modern fuel injectors installed in cars are a totally different type of than those of yesteryear. The newer design of fuel injectors are designed to resist the problem of deposit build up. Doesn't mean it's not going to happen, but it should happen as quickly as older cars. Using a better fuel (top tier) will keep the FI's cleaner longer also. If you don't have anything to clean, why clean? You will have spent all this extra money at the end of the year and your FIs will be just as clean as every one else's. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I won't be ashamed to admit it. Education is the key.

[Wings]

I personally think that the top tier fuels get worse mileage. When I had my V6 Altima, if I bought Shell my mileage would go down. Granted I didn't do this a lot and from my understanding you needed like 5 tanks before you saw a difference. In my area, Top Tier costs a bit more per fill up. I think the extra detergent causes there to be less actual gasoline which gets less energy per combustion cycle. Anyway I could be off.

On the other end, if you have a newer car that recommends premium but can use regular by adjusting the timing, don't expect to save money. Generally your MPG goes down the toilet and the money saved on the fill up is wasted by needing to fill up more frequently.