I am thinking about getting the greddy turbo kit and wanted to know if there is a way of modifying the brace to fit the FMIC.

 

I wouldn't see how there would be a way. The intercooler mounts using the same bolt and bolt-hole as the brace does in the middle.

 

The only way would be to get the APS kit instead of the Greddy.

 

The stock one will never fit . A couple of guys have created a replacement tubular one.
Gary

 

I am actually having this done. It will basically tie the frame rails together in case I ever had an "offset" frontal collision, the energy would be absorbed by the entire frame like its suppose to. I will post pics when its being done.

Ernie

 

I was interested in this because a few people were claiming the sky was falling by pulling this off so I asked a couple of automotive structural engineers since I don't have a background in this thing.

The only reason for the factory brace is to meet the 2.5 mph federal law. This law is not a law for your safety but to reduce the cost of low speed collision repairs.

The factory brace is to protect expensive components during an impact of 2.5mph or less. i.e. head lights, radiator, ac condenser...

During a low speed impact the I/C will provide close to the same service, it just costs alot more.

During a High energy impact the unibody of the car absorbs and spreads the impact, while the drive train is pushed down to the ground as designed. The front brace is not a significant portion of the car design in this circumstance.

Going Deep: The front lower cross members which the engine mounts are attached is the main force distributor for a side impact forward of the firewall. Though I'm sure the brace your adding will help.

We're pretty lucky as far as safety goes with this car, it's very good to start with. It has earned 5 stars in all crash testing areas.
Heres a link:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/ncap/Index2.cfm
Gary

 

thanks for your help guys.

 

I could believe that 7 Eleven but there was a guy who had a G35 Sedan with the Greddy kit almost a year ago that died in a head on collision with a pole. I'm not saying the brace would have saved his life but I have to believe hitting a pole with just an intercooler rather than that brace is very different.

 

Well a brace will not save you from your own stupidity, running head on into a pole!! With a TT he was probably flying and not realizing how much he had, and the brace would probably not have helped.

A few more details would help rather than just that he hit a pole, did he hit it sideways, did the car flip afterwards......... This G35 TT accident is like an urban legend, I keep hearing about but no one can elaborate.

 

I'm guessing you heard this second or third hand?

The Man who passed away in that accident was Franks Steeves he was a real person that left behind a family. He was a great contributor to the G35 community. I just feel it's wrong to throw around his death as some random act.

If you just do a search for "g35 crash greddy" you could have found the truth.


The impact of the pole on the car was right around the driver’s side front tire and the front of the door. It appears that it hit the pole sideways on the driver’s side.

He came around a corner in the rain and the car slid sideways into the pole.

Here's the thread:
http://g35driver.com/forums/showthre...=frank+steeves
Please be more considerate about people in the future.
Thank you,
Gary

 

Thanks for the link, sad situation and it was good to find out the truth. Maybe some can read it and put an end to linking his tragic death with removal of the brace.

And your disertation above on the explanation of the car's structure was great.

 

have you guys acctualy had this brace in your hands??? This THING is made of aluminum and weight's around 5 pounds. This is going to do NOTHING on real front accident

 

No one is really saying that, its more to tie the frame rails together. Eventhough you are more than likely right 7 eleven, I definately felt a difference in the rigidity and handling of my Z after the TT kit was installed. The front brace will be designed and installed by my body shop for just about their cost. Partly because I know the guy well and because I have had alot of work done with him. He is going to charge me 350 for the parts/labor for the brace. I mean, for just 350 the added insurance, however small, is worth it. We spend way more on other mods on show and go, so 350 is not a big deal to me.

 

$350 for a 350..how appropriate...

 

I sent you a pm 7 Eleven but I apologize if my reply came off wrong. I didn't mean disrespect to anyone in any way. Basically I'd just rather have the peace of mind knowing the brace or something similar is there as opposed to just an intercooler.

 

Tonio: I received your PM and I appreciate your response it's probably one of the most respectful acts I've seen on this forum. Few people on here would do the same. By no means am I here to be a moral police.

You are not the first on this forum or a few other forums for that matter to make the same blanket comment. As Westpak said it appears to become an urban legend of sort.

It was bad enough that someone died due to an accident, let alone getting dragged around the net by misinformation.
Thank you again and let's get back to the topic.

I agree that the I/C is not a 100% replacement for the brace but after some investigation the small amount of concern I had was put to rest. This is definitely an issue for each person to deal with as they see fit. I just recommend doing some research before deciding on a course of action.

Gary

 

7 Eleven, what is your source or reference for the following statement "During a High energy impact the unibody of the car absorbs and spreads the impact, while the drive train is pushed down to the ground as designed. The front brace is not a significant portion of the car design in this circumstance."

Thanks, I would like to read up more on it.

Ernie

 

My original source for that statement is a friend of mine that would not want to be quoted as the automotive structural engineer from Auto Company X (Domestic manufacturer) that said it was ok to pull bumpers off our cars due obvious liability issues.

Here are a few links that discuss the behavior of unibody structures in a crash

the first three chapters of this one apply to all cars after that it's about aluminum cars.
http://www.autoaluminum.org/downloads/at5manual.pdf

this is a chapter out of the "AUTOMOTIVE STEEL DESIGN MANUAL"
http://www.a-sp.org/database/pdf/Ca...section3-06.pdf

Here is information on the 2.5mph bumper law
http://www.iihs.org/safety_facts/qanda/bumpers.htm

Here is a link showing that the G35 (and I'm sure the Z) is rated poor
at low speed impacts. This is more a measure of repair cost then safety (read above link. So how much are you really losing by pulling the brace?
http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings...peed_midmod.htm

All in all it's a very interesting subject I spent a week pulling info on it.

As you read you realize that the Front rails are the main focus for crashes.

There seem to be three camps fighting for the car manufacturers dollars. Plastic, Steel and aluminum. They all put their own spin on it.

Gary

 

Thanks, looks like I've got some reading to do.