BMW 1 Series Coupe Forum / 1 Series Convertible Forum (1M / tii / 135i / 128i / Coupe / Cabrio / Hatchback) (BMW E82 E88 128i 130i 135i)
 





 

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      04-22-2008, 11:43 PM   #1
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Strut Brace

do you guys think that installing a Strut brace would postitively affect the body role? I am definatley replacing the rear sway bar, maybe the front, and i am going to lower the car as well. thoughts?
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      04-23-2008, 12:09 AM   #2
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No. Body roll is affected by the anti-sway bars and the spring rate.

A strut tower brace is to brace and "stiffen" the chassis, reducing flex.
Unless you really track your car and have a track oriented suspension setup, that brace will be bling.
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      04-23-2008, 10:16 PM   #3
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thank you for the clarification...but stiffining the car would result in a tighter ride, right?
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      04-23-2008, 10:58 PM   #4
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I doubt a strut brace would be anything on a 1er. The chassis is so strong out of the box. The E92 M3 doesn't have one, so I doubt that the engineers thought the car needed one.
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      04-23-2008, 11:08 PM   #5
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The strut tower bar effectively boxes the chassis up front at the strut towers thereby reducing body flex. This body flex can be felt as less-than-instantaneous direction changes if you do a sudden lane change for example....

You should consider a strut tower bar strictly as chassis reinforcement. Tighter body = less flex and less body fatigue over the years plus sharper reflexes when you fling the steering wheel at speed.

It should have NO adverse effect on a car's ride comfort since it doesn't change suspension geometry or the suspension's compression/rebound rates. But there are some people who think they know better and falsely blame it for perceived harshness that can easily be attributed to any other part of the car's suspension or wheels/tires...

Anyways, it's one of those very few mods that gives good results with almost no downsides... Just remember to use a torque wrench when installing it.
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      04-23-2008, 11:10 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SlickShift View Post
I doubt a strut brace would be anything on a 1er. The chassis is so strong out of the box. The E92 M3 doesn't have one, so I doubt that the engineers thought the car needed one.
Yet BMW performance parts offers a strut tower bar for sale... So what gives?
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      04-23-2008, 11:52 PM   #7
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I put a strut brace on a Mustang once. It definitely made for sharper stearing. More immediately responsive. Was worth doing, at least on that car. I don't remember that it worsened the ride at all. But the 135i is a totally different car so I'm not sure if it would have as much effect or not. Only way to find out is for someone to try it out and report back.
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      04-24-2008, 11:18 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doolab View Post
Yet BMW performance parts offers a strut tower bar for sale... So what gives?
True, I forgot about that. I just remember reading a quote from Steve Dinan saying how strut brace help a lot on E30's and E36's...a little bit on E46's...and "look nice on E90's."
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      04-24-2008, 11:06 PM   #9
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Depending on the car they can do a little or nothing at all, but like some said, it won't be detrimental to the car.
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      04-24-2008, 11:11 PM   #10
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Personally, unless you're tracking the car it's not even worth it to buy one. I picked one up about 3 years ago in my E46 and I never did notice a single thing.
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      04-25-2008, 02:49 AM   #11
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I agree with Doolab

Honestly, I wouldn't pay 200+ for a strut brace for this chassis unless I actually tracked the car regularly or just want to that bling factor.

However on my Civic chassis, I have a rear strut brace that helped but I got that for 30 bucks and I couldnt go wrong.

Just another note, moving endlinks = less effective brace. Also triangulated braces are even more effective ( 3 point )
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