# Nismo front lower tie bar



## Silvspec86 (Apr 4, 2003)

heyall, 
i was just pondering and i came across the R tune spec-V...which gave me some sweet ideas, but my biggest question was : is the Nismo front end lower tie bar really worth the $150 it sells for? has any one installed one here? how big of a difference am I expected to see? and is the thing easy to install? it says it lowers the ground clearance by 3cm, how does that work? also, does nismo thincker sway bars make alot of difference in handling?


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## BlackoutSpecV (May 8, 2002)

do you run AutoX?

if the answer is no, then it will not make a diffrence worth $50 let alone $150. If you do AutoX then you can expect slightly better handleling and a very true feel. You really have to push it to notice this mod in my opinion (this is based on past experiance with lower tie/sway bars).


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## Silvspec86 (Apr 4, 2003)

i Autox for fun with my buddies on weekends, i 'm really attracted to the 3cm lower ground clrearance, how is this acheived? do the suspension arms need to be farther apart or closer together for it to install? the lower ground clearance has to do something for handling right? and waht about the nismo sway bars? they any good?


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

I think the lower ground clearance just means the bar hangs below the bottom of the car 3cm, so after installing it you have 3cm less ground clearance (ground clearance is the the distance from the lowest point on the car to the ground)


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## BlackoutSpecV (May 8, 2002)

sr20dem0n said:


> *I think the lower ground clearance just means the bar hangs below the bottom of the car 3cm, so after installing it you have 3cm less ground clearance (ground clearance is the the distance from the lowest point on the car to the ground) *


 correct, it has nothing to do with ride height.


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## tekmode (Feb 22, 2003)

i was thinking about getting this bar...but i don't autoX enough for me to buy it


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## Silvspec86 (Apr 4, 2003)

gotcha, ground clearance, not ride height. what do you guys think about the Nismo thicker sway bars? those any good? do they make a difference in light autoxing and heavy street driving?


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## 7SPEED (Mar 24, 2003)

I think getting the bushings would have more of an effect that you could feel.

I hear good things about the rear sway though.


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## Silvspec86 (Apr 4, 2003)

ah, that bushing set with the two bracket lookin things? that looks hard to install, i'll do some research on it, tell me would you guys recommend getting the rear sway bar or front one?


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

well a front sway bar alone would stiffen up the front, adding even more understeer to our whopping amount we have stock. Adding a rear sway bar would stiffen up the rear and help the car to oversteer. Since the natural tendency of the b15 is to push like a snow plow, this extra tendency to oversteer will help to balance it out. I'd say if you only get 1 sway bar then definately get the rear.


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## tekmode (Feb 22, 2003)

and I have already ordered my rear.....should be here sometime next week


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## Silvspec86 (Apr 4, 2003)

i was thinking along the same lines also, but i'm gathering that the rear 25mm sway bar is adjustable? how does that work? besure to post up some pics and installation tips, Tekmode! and tell us how it feels


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## Silvspec86 (Apr 4, 2003)

if you slap on both front and rear sway bars, will the Spec-V handle that much better? i mean how close to a 3-series? i'm just trying to get an idea of the difference to see if its worth it.


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## ewraven (Jul 20, 2002)

IMO, put some good tires on the Spec V and it will handle as good as a 3 series. Not including the M3 of course.


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## Silvspec86 (Apr 4, 2003)

yeah, good tires? already ahead of you, i just blew $500 big ones and got my self two sticky pairs of Yokohama AVS ES100's these give alot more grip(espessialy when warm) , no more unintentional burnouts, and the its just plain magical in the corners. but i'm still looking for something that will give another boost in handling.


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## simeronbugh (Aug 22, 2003)

sr20dem0n said:


> *Since the natural tendency of the b15 is to push like a snow plow, *


True lol, but the greatest thing about the handling on this car is the torque combined with the LSD. You can pull yourself out of a tight situation by mashing the gas in the turns. The Spec is capable of unbelievable cornering. Feathering the throttle to the apex and then stomping it on the way out, the front end will pull hard which ever way you want to go. Only problem with it is the breaking point on the ass end. You have little or no warning when the tail starts to slide. But even that is easily corrected with letting off the gas a bit and a steering wheel twitch. Just have to get a feel for it.


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

simeronbugh said:


> *Only problem with it is the breaking point on the ass end. You have little or no warning when the tail starts to slide. But even that is easily corrected with letting off the gas a bit and a steering wheel twitch. Just have to get a feel for it. *


That is the worst advice you could give anyone. If you're in the middle of a turn and the ass starts to slide out you DO NOT let off the gas....throttle off oversteer anyone? You'll whip the ass to the front faster than you can say "WTF?". If you're cornering hard and the back starts to give way give it gas to plant the back and straighten yourself out.


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## simeronbugh (Aug 22, 2003)

Uhmm.... I've been there a few times, and it seems to work fine for me.  You don't let off completely, just enough to make the front stop pulling so hard. And, like I said, a slight steering wheel correction. But, scratch the advice, it's more trouble than it's worth when most people reading it can't comprehend the concept. Also, it wouldn't be in the middle of a turn, it would be coming out of it. You know, what I said about mashing it AFTER the apex. It's a little easier to correct it when your line is straightening out.


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## simeronbugh (Aug 22, 2003)

sr20dem0n said:


> *DO NOT let off the gas....throttle off oversteer anyone? You'll whip the ass to the front faster than you can say "WTF?". *


Young pup rookie. LOL. Why don't you drive your monster truck Vette over some dirt piles or someting? Do some studying up on FWD/RWD oversteer/understeer physics.


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## sr20dem0n (Mar 19, 2003)

Do you have any idea what you're talking about?
Get into a turn at your traction limit and then let off the gas, watch what happens and then call me from the hospital


Think about it, you're flying through a turn, your back end starts to come loose, letting off the gas transfers the weight to the front of the car, giving MORE traction to the front where you already have too much traction, and lifting weight off the rear where it needs it the most.


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## EverythingNissan (Aug 26, 2003)

If your rear end kicks out in a FWD car you'd mash the gas to get the rear end to come back in line.


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## ewraven (Jul 20, 2002)

Silvspec86 said:


> *yeah, good tires? already ahead of you, i just blew $500 big ones and got my self two sticky pairs of Yokohama AVS ES100's these give alot more grip(espessialy when warm) , no more unintentional burnouts, and the its just plain magical in the corners. but i'm still looking for something that will give another boost in handling. *


I've got a couple thousand miles on my ES100's so far. Those tires really do make a big change in the cars handling. Did you get 225/45's? The Discount Tire guy told me they had 235/40's in stock; but I was worried about them rubbing.


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## simeronbugh (Aug 22, 2003)

EverythingNissan said:


> *If your rear end kicks out in a FWD car you'd mash the gas to get the rear end to come back in line. *


The pedal is already to the floor. The point I'm trying to make is if you hit the gas too early coming out of the apex and the tail starts to slide (yes, it will do this even though it's FWD, trust me) you WILL have to let off the gas a bit, not completely, to correct it. The pedal is already to the floor when it starts to slide, so you can't give it more gas. SR20 is correct about weight transfer, but you guys aren't reading between the lines. You're talking about one extreme to the other, not realizing that there is a lot to play with between the two.


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## Silvspec86 (Apr 4, 2003)

ewraven said:


> *I've got a couple thousand miles on my ES100's so far. Those tires really do make a big change in the cars handling. Did you get 225/45's? The Discount Tire guy told me they had 235/40's in stock; but I was worried about them rubbing. *


no, i got the stock size, which is 215/45/17 i'd be worried if i had 235's on mine. i've got only about 500 miles on mine, they havent squeaked once in a corner. wheel hop is also reduced. and arnt they so much quieter on the highway? Discount Tire broke my center cap off, i got a lil pissed, but they gave me a new one. are you able to do burnouts like you used to?


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## ewraven (Jul 20, 2002)

I got 225/45's. It is harder to spin the tires now; that's for sure. But it is definately still possible. 

Mine have started to make a little bit of a squeal during hard cornering. 

These tires are definately a lot more noisier than the Continentals though. There is a lot of road hum; which is fine by me. I actually enjoy a little road noise.


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## Silvspec86 (Apr 4, 2003)

more road noise? you sure? mine are only half as loud as the old conti's and they are supposed to be much quieter, i think its because you got a lil oversized tires, but what the hey, more grip right?


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## ewraven (Jul 20, 2002)

Yep, these do have more road noise. Before I bought them; I read the tires comments over at The Tirerack. So I knew they would be noisy and that's one reason I got them. I was almost going to get the Toyo T1-S; but, the Discount Tire guy told me about the ES100's. I went home; researched them and decided they were well worth it for 50 dollars less per tire.

On my old 1993 Nissan pickup I used to have; I got a set of used 15x7 wheels for it to replace the 14x6 stockers. Those wheels had Pirellis on them. That was the first set of tires I ever had that had road hum. I enjoyed it and missed them when they wore out only 10k miles later. 

The road hum must have to do with the tire size or you just keep your radio up real loud.


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## chimmike (Oct 17, 2002)

I'm wondering where you know it's a _front_ lower tie bar? Every ad I've seen for it says it's just a tie bar, separate from the front and rear sway bars............

I imagine the tie bar could be useful, much more so than the front sway bar......which, as stated before would just increase horrible understeer.

I think buying both isn't so smart an idea.......just go with the rear.


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## Silvspec86 (Apr 4, 2003)

hmmm well i just assumed, because the rear is just a solid axle, i didnt think it could get much stiffer, i could be wrong. so does this mean that it'll go in the front and rear? what about buying the "front" lower tie bar and then buying the rear sway bar? Wouldnt this counter understeer and stiffen up the front as well?


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## Silvspec86 (Apr 4, 2003)

actually, if you go and look at the nismo R tune spec-V, and read the article, at the end it gives a list of parts which are installed on the s-tune and R-tune, on the R-tune list, it lists it as "Nismo Front lower tie bar"


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## TigerScorpion (Jul 15, 2002)

Silvspec86 said:


> *gotcha, ground clearance, not ride height. what do you guys think about the Nismo thicker sway bars? those any good? do they make a difference in light autoxing and heavy street driving? *


Just installed the sway bar last week...so far it has been my best mod (IMO) The difference is like night and day...but then I also only have a GXE which didn't come with a stock rear swaybar.


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## TigerScorpion (Jul 15, 2002)

Silvspec86 said:


> *i was thinking along the same lines also, but i'm gathering that the rear 25mm sway bar is adjustable? how does that work? besure to post up some pics and installation tips, Tekmode! and tell us how it feels *


totally adjustable!!!


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## tekmode (Feb 22, 2003)

it's installed...very easy install. It really helps the rear come around much easier, haven't autoXed yet with it so I need to try that. Here is a pic


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## Silvspec86 (Apr 4, 2003)

wow, nice! now, how is it adjustable? what can you adjust? and can you drift with it? hehe


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## tekmode (Feb 22, 2003)

to adjust it you just move the bushing closest to the axle closer to the axle. I haven't really gotten to push it like i want to, but I will soon enough.


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## Lazarus_023 (Jun 3, 2003)

simeronbugh said:


> *True lol, but the greatest thing about the handling on this car is the torque combined with the LSD. You can pull yourself out of a tight situation by mashing the gas in the turns. The Spec is capable of unbelievable cornering. Feathering the throttle to the apex and then stomping it on the way out, the front end will pull hard which ever way you want to go. Only problem with it is the breaking point on the ass end. You have little or no warning when the tail starts to slide. But even that is easily corrected with letting off the gas a bit and a steering wheel twitch. Just have to get a feel for it. *



heh. i like having to steer *out* of a corner under throttle.


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