Just curious. Wondering if you guys kept yours or got rid of it. It looks like it would impede airflow over about 45% of the intercooler.

Thanks

 

it's a matter of preference....do you have kids?wife?will someone miss you?are you lucky?answer these questions and you will have your own personalized answer.

 

I have the Greddy FMIC, no choice in the matter.

 

So the greddy is too thick i take it?

I was just wondering if you guys thought it did in fact have a noticeable effect on airflow or if it was so negligible that I should keep it on.

I also considered that the part of the intercooler it covered would be covered by the bumper anyway so I'm pretty sure I'll keep it on. Just looking for some logic-based third party input

 

the greddy is not too thick. the intake pipes go in front of the bumper brace mount. you could run a custom 2 in 1 out IC on the greddy and keep the brace. Greddy is the only kit that requires brace removal. APS TT has different routing to keep the brace.

the good aftermarket bumpers dont cover any of the intercooler either.

 

I kept mine. Saftey and towability are your main concerns.

 

while i doubt that brace will do much in the average car accident (most 350z's are going to slide right below whatever other vehicle it hits anyway), if you don't have a way to tie the ends of the frame rail together, then i would keep it on. i can see that making a good amount of change in the chassis rigidity. of course i've never tried to measure it w/ and w/out.

 

I notched mine. Still a little bit of support but it allows airflow. I planned on welding a bar over the top of the IC but never got around to it.

 

i know my first post was smart assed,but on a serious note...your cars safety should increase exponentially to your performance mods.the faster you go the more likely you will end up needing every safety feature you have.making power and finding trouble seem to go hand in hand(especially on street tires).

 

Thank you everyone. Since I'm on my second stock bumnper t probably is wise to keep the beamn for safety. I also never considered the structural rgidity of the frame. Good call on that one!

And yes I agree safety should be a top factor but I do doubt how much the impact beam would do for me in an accident considering how low my car is and that is usually more often sideways than facing forwards.

 

Don't have mine

 

I have the Greddy IC....Forged Performance built a custom front brace to replace the stock one. I did not want to lose the structural rigidity up front.

This DOES NOT work like the stock brace to absorb impact....it is only to maintain rigidity.

http://www.cardomain.com/member_page...jpg?013113-265

http://www.cardomain.com/member_page...jpg?441513-265

 

kept mine, i have my oil cooler and p/s cooler attached to it

 

mines in the garage...

 

Not using mine (it wouldn't fit anyway).

The impact beam is a thin walled aluminum box beam which I believe is only good for up to 5-10 mph? If mounted correctly, a thick parallel plate FMIC probably is stronger than the stock impact beam when it comes down to a serious accident.

Anything more than 5-10 mph, any FMIC is trashed anyway with or without the stock beam.

As for towing ... don't they tie the car down by the tire(s) these days?

But if the beam doesn't impede performance and can still be used ... why not just install it?

 

Mine is cut in half, Not worried about it.

 

I could see it being an effective brace for structural rigidity but if that's not the case, and it doesn't provide any "real" impact protection, then I'd just leave it off for the sake of saving a few pounds up front.