Project Serious Sentra

FET's Super Compact MSX

Quick Test

Staff Report

[Put into HTML format by Dan Thompson]

This article originally appeared in the Turbo & Hi-Tech Performance September 1996 issue and was reprinted with permission. For more info on Turbo Magazine check out their website.

When it comes to Project Serious Sentra we have resisted the temptations to veer away from the car's sleeper look. Most of the inquiries have centered around adding a body kit. Everything from your basic wing, airdam and side skirts to Trans Am-style wide-body kits have been "recommended." Recently, swapping from our underhood intercooler to a high-visibility center-mount unit was proposed. This proposition fell on deaf ears.

The compact size of the MSX is illustrated when compared to a quarter.

However, when we first laid eyes on FET's new MSX fog lamps, we began dreaming up excuses to put them on the car. What we liked, and what many other enthusiasts may like, is the size and shape of the MSX. It is small and rectangular like many OEM lights (or OEM light openings) yet it looks light years ahead of the OEMs in styling.

Positioning the mounting bracket was a no brainer as the OE lamp size was similar. The bracket itself was easy to position and should take well to tight-quarter installations.

The lights install with an Allen wrench that is included in the package (we used our own). This setup makes the lamp adjustment a snap and, with a 93 degree illumination angle, night vision is dramatically improved over the factory lights.

Thanks to its leading-edge technology, the MSX is the NSX of lights - refined, modern and powerful. The MSX's brilliance is a tag-team effort between the unit's Xenon-charged Hyperbulb and high-tech Multi-Surface Reflector. These two components allow the MSX to deliver more light from its 55 watts than lamps with double the wattage. The Multi-Surface Reflector ensures even light distribution and excellent projection capability. the MSX's ability to throw light (93 degree illumination angle) is also due in part to its Borosilicate glass lens. Protecting all the CATZ's internals is a die-cast aluminum housing that has been specially coated to survive life on the highways and back roads. With mounting brackets, the MSX is 1.97 inches in height, six inches wide and three inches deep.

Installation on the Sentra was super simple as the brackets were easy to manipulate yet retained plenty of rigidity to securely attach the lamps. The lights include a trick wiring harness and illuminated switch, but since the SE-R was equipped with Halogen lamps from the factory we elected to use our existing wires to hook up the lights. Once on the juice, the MSX's were the perfect blend of OE and super trick. When it came to illumination, the Gold Iridium MSXs extended vision well beyond the factory headlights, making nighttime navigation a much less stressful proposition.

Also part of the MSX package is this trick wiring harness with high quality connectors. An illuminated activation switch is also included but we used our existing wires and switches to hook up the lights.