Update: Took me 1.5 hrs (including testing time) to install the bar.

I was not worried about installation even though this is my first time installing a part in my G35 - the instructions were straight forward and overall installation was 5/10 on the difficulty scale.

The most imp thing to keep in mind is have patience.

I started off with the passenger side and had no issues. I had to remove the plastic clip cuz it got in the way. Remember i said have patience, well i didnt at first and broke part off the clip. Anyways the passenger side was a piece of cake. Just ensure you have a LONg extension socket to reach the bolt in the back.

Driver side requires A LOT OF PATIENCE. The ABS and A/C lines are here so be careful - i made some scratches on the a/c line but they were slight grazes so I was fine. Sliding the bracket under the plastic white clip was like finding a needle in a hay stack. YOu can do it right away or have to keep on trying. It took me like 10 attempts to finally slide it in. Once in, the rest was a piece of cake.

Tightening up the bar on the lowest setting and there was no rubbing at all on the hood liner.

I didnt test drive it right away cuz it took me another 2 hrs to finishing replacing the trim on my jwt pop charger heatshield.

The test drive was so much fun! I didnt expect much of a perf increase but I noticed the stifness of the car as soon as I pulled out of my parking spot. Driving around was fun - i took a lot of my usual bends in my area and straights and noticed a bit more wheel spin (VDC off). On the turns at speed I noticed more control. I also felt the car lose traction when coming off the line and then taking a turn on 1st or 2nd gear. But the control is so much more now when driving and taking turns quickly (speeds of above 60kmph).

Summary - good buy - i can only tell more once ive driven out a fair bit.
Before installation its a good idea to wash or clean up your engine cuz its easier to remove bolts IMO and well not dirty yourself much. Also wear gloves!
I was too excited and even though I bought new gloves, I didnt use them :P

Im going to have a lot of fun now!

 

update: drove the car to work and back - approx 60kms. Took the highway and then the city roads had quite a few turns.

The handling has improved by atleast 40% now. I've noticed the front is planted to the floor as if gravity is sucking it in even more. The car picks up a bit faster as a result and I can feel the stifness! This bar is a lot of fun and well worth it!!!

 

^^thanks for the comments and review...its much appreciated!

 

Hey Richie, I hear that one of the modifications in the v.2 STB is a change to the mounting brackets to clear the top end of some coilovers. Is this true? If so, would I be able to get just the brackets as I already have a v.1 STB? Thanks.

 

Yes this is true.

Here is a picture of the different in the mounting brackets



The joint in the middle has been shifted to the left compared to v1 so there is a little more room for coilover adjustment ***** - but they might still be limited room for adjustment.

 

Thanks Richie. Is anyone out there currently running the v.2 STB with HKS Hipermax RS coilovers?

 

I installed the strut bar on "ohsobad" car and he has HKS coils... not sure which ones though....shoot him a PM.

 

I believe he has the HKS Rs coils.

 

does this clear the procharger setup... it should I think since its ok with vortech.. just wondering about my hood

 

yea, not too sure about the procharger setup but from this picture, it looks like it'll fit not problem since the intake tubing resembles stock

 

bump...all orders placed will ship out Monday, 11/5...thanks for everyones patience!

 

top....

 

I can't wait! I've been eyeing this for quite some time and she will finally be mine! MUA-HA HA HA!

 

Payment received! You'll be getting an email with the tracking information once order/shipping has been processed.

Thanks!

 

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!:d