strut tower brace(s)

[bahnstormer]

who has a strut tower brace? do you like it?
how much did you pay?

i've found a few vendors that sell some



MSRP: $275.00
Your Price: $247.50
Code: 196.99.34.011
Front strut brace, BMW 535 and M5 89-96/525 91-96 with M50 motor E34. Each Racing Dynamics strut brace was design by professional race car engineers for chassis stiffness and ease of mounting. Each strut brace is designed using our specially designed extrusion for increased stiffness and properties to allow bending of the alloy without crimping at the bends or need to cut and weld multiple pieces (an inherently weaker design). End plates are machined on high speed CNC machining centers for exactness and repeatability ensuring the BMW owner of the finest strut brace available anywhere.
Shipping Weight:8.00 pounds
this one is from http://www.electrodyne.cc/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=ED&Product_Code=196.99.34.011






the second one i found


Stress Bars - Front

The BMP stress bars have been our most popular sellers for over 10 years. Constructed of high quality aircraft aluminum, and jig welded, the light weight all aluminum* construction and reasonable pricing makes these our most popular bars.



MSRP $250.95 Your Price: $189.95

is from bmpd....





and the last one, from bav auto (but its a racdyn one)



Improve handling and stability in spirited driving. Racing Dynamics stress bars are essential if you have larger wheels and tires, have stiffened your suspension or tend to drive hard. They tie the tops of your strut towers together to augment structural rigidity, minimize chassis distortion and can prevent damage from potholes or curbing at the edge of the track. Made of strong, lightweight aluminum alloy.

Part Number Description Price
196 99 34 011 Racing Dynamics Front Stressbar
$224.95





for these prices do u think its worth it?
might it be better to have a shop make a nice sturdy
stiff bar?

what do you all think?

[Jon K]

Front strut bars do contraversially nothing. Sway bars are a much better investment.

[bahnstormer]

well, i'm sure they do something, and i think that in a chassis as old a mine it
should help, but perhaps you're right. sways first.

so then, who has sways on thier car? where did u buy them from?
is rd my best bet?

[Robin-535im]

I don't know how much it adds in stiffness. BMW's are pretty well built as it is... BUT.. contrary to Jon's comment, the strut bars probably do *something* or else the ///M's wouldn't have come with them from the factory. AFAIK, Euro E34 ///M's and and US E36 and later had them as a factory option.

I'd sure put the sways on first, then the strut bar if you feel you need it. But unless you're hitting the track, I doubt the brace would do more than add weight. My PO put it on and it looks cool enough so I kept it.

I have dinan adjustable sways and they kick a$$. RD's are probably fine too, as are ///M tech non-adjustables. I don't think you can get too stiff on a car as heavy as ours (too stiff and your inside wheel can lift in a hard turn - Jeff N. might know if this ever really happens on our cars) . Adjustable is a really good idea to maximize front/rear balance.

HTH

[bahnstormer]

i've read in more than one source that the strut tower brace is really felt when
you run larger wheels/tires. it helps turn in a little better and it does make sense
thinking of it logically. those towers take a lot of load, and are very far apart...

[jjw]

It depends, it make a big difference in my touring, you can really felt the stiffness they add to the chasis, but on my 540, the difference is very small, if it can be felt at all. And if you interest, I still have a new RD bar sitting in my garage.

[Johntee540]

I am running the RD Strut Brace and Sways. The car has virtually no push anymore. I can feel a significant difference. - JT

[bahnstormer]

well push is avoided by adjusting tire pressure on my car, i want less body roll and the sways should provide that =]
i sent u a pm jjw

[Hector]

from Colin (Cacatfish). I also have RRS style 245/45/17" wheels, and I can feel the difference. It's not a huge difference but is noticeable. You are right, you get the biggest bang for the buck with bigger wheels and wider tires. Essentially, there is more torque exerted on the strut towers as a result of the extra width of the tire. This is actually small, about a 4% increase in torque. If you go to wider tires, say, 245 or 255, then you'll get more chasis flex and the difference between whether you use a brace or not will be more noticeable, specifically, if you like to frequent the track. Tire wall stiffness and improper inflation will add to chasis flex.

If you want to improve handling, the order of which components should be changed/modified are:

1) Tires
2) Larger diameter wheels and lower aspect ratio tires
3) Shocks
4) Sway bars
5) Strut braces
6) Other related vehicle and suspension stiffeners

but the order can vary depending on driving conditons, suspension integrity...

I read from other forums that people with phenomenologically acute vision can actually see the 1/4" gap or so in the hoodline grow to 3/8" without a strut brace while cornering -- that's a 50% increase!! If you can look straight down the gap without killing yourself in the process when cornering, some say this gap is virtually unchanged when you have a strut brace. Don't know about this but I haven't gotten that wild hair to do such a test.

[bimmerd00d]

strut braces do virtually nothing on an already well designed suspension (e34).....on a honda, they simply make a shitty handling car handle a tad better.

[Johntee540]

On my car Body roll was a key component of the push in the turns. The sways and the strut brace elimated this totally. The car turns in scary fast and cuts an amazing corner.

I notice an appreciable difference. Granted I did a lot to the car at once as it was all worn out - but I did shocks, sways, springs, RRT thrust arms, RRT control arms, strut brace at the same time.

It is way better than it was before. - JT

[uberhahn]

Depending on the age and prior use of your vehicle, a tower brace may have a positive impact.

Intrinsically, a tower brace will hold the schock towers at the same distance (cross-car). However, it will do nothing to prevent fore-aft movement. Some vehicles have a triangulated strut bar that ties to the firewall. May not be applicable on a street-driven E34.

Keep in mind that over time, your suspension bushings will get trashed (at least worn). The rubber that once kept things sturdy, is now probably defunct. A strut tower brace will only mask that problem. I say, if you want to stiffen your chassis, start with the basics of maintenance and verify that your're working with a suspension that is working at it's best.

Uberhahn

[drum2430]

who has a strut tower brace? do you like it?
how much did you pay?

i've found a few vendors that sell some

this one is from http://www.electrodyne.cc/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=ED&Product_Code=196.99.34.011






the second one i found

is from bmpd....





and the last one, from bav auto (but its a racdyn one)





for these prices do u think its worth it?
might it be better to have a shop make a nice sturdy
stiff bar?

what do you all think?

Sway bars, sway bars, sway bars. M tech from Pacific BMW. 800-909-7278. Front and rear delivered to my door in Florida with new bushings for only $241.00. Easy install.

Part #'s for the bars / Bushings:
Front: 31-35-2-227-276 / 31-35-2-226-334 X's 2
Rear: 33-55-227-416 / 33-55-2-226-373 X's 2

These are the rubber bushings. Eurethane is another option. They are a little stiffer.

Huge difference in corners.

[bahnstormer]

thanks guys!

why the m tech vs the RD ?
anyone have specs on the 2?
*goes to check bmwe34.net*

my suspension is basically new.
almost everything has been replaced...
so i'm working from the right end of the
stick =]

[billy in slo]

http://www.auto-mark.com/
look for hartge parts for the e34
I recently bought Hartge wheels from them, was skeptical at first but when I emailed an inquiry to Hartge in Germany it was forwarded to this guy. The wheels arrived promptly and are beautiful but awaiting P-zero nero's which are backordered at tirerack.

[bahnstormer]

awesome link thank you.
if i had found that site on my
own, i would have not even
given it a second glace, fugly as hell....

can u do my a favor billy? weigh
your wheels before you put the
tires on! thank you =] what size
wheels did u geT?

[e34bim]

they do stiffen the body roll but not by much so as an add on they only have to be good and if its a performer then its required but as a road car it synthetic and looks cool in stainless, if it needed it they would have fitted it dont you think

[bahnstormer]

actually, no i don't think they'd have fitted it if it was needed...
for one, it might make the car too stiff for bmw's customers...
and by customers i mean those looking for a cushy soft 5 series.

also it might make maintance, engine work, and other things too
hard to do with a bar in teh way.

those are only some of the reasons bmw would not include the bar...

[billy in slo]

will do, got 4-8x16's

[billy in slo]

awesome link thank you.
if i had found that site on my
own, i would have not even
given it a second glace, fugly as hell....

can u do my a favor billy? weigh
your wheels before you put the
tires on! thank you =] what size
wheels did u geT?
.

[rbeaud]

It depends, it make a big difference in my touring, you can really felt the stiffness they add to the chasis, but on my 540, the difference is very small, if it can be felt at all. And if you interest, I still have a new RD bar sitting in my garage.

I may be interested.

Cheers,

Roland

[bahnstormer]

thanks billy for those weights!

i actually just got a reply from the company selling them too


Martin,



The Design A 16x7.5” wheels weigh just under 19 lbs. each. The 17” wheels are no longer available,



Best regards,



Mark Eckstein

Auto-Mark Inc.

www.auto-mark.com

auto-mark@charter.net

P.O. Box 22

Midland, MI 48640-0022

989.859.2520

[Jason]

are they alum? if so, how is their lifespan?

[Karl]

On my old e12 car I installed a front strut brace. But before that I added
wider tires
KYB shocks
stiffer sway bars
lowered 1"
plus a 535i engine with some intake and exhaust work
I made the changes one item at a time so I could tell what each change did. The strut brace did make a subtle, but noticeable, improvement in the feel on turn-in. The front felt like it turned a little sharper. And I know it adds stiffness because the bar fits when the car is resting on its wheels, but is too long when the car is jacked up. That's how much the old girl flexes. Of course the e34 is a stiffer chassis to begin with. I was amazed that the tires wore very evenly after drivers school in the new car, not running the corners off the tread.

[Johntee540]

I went with the Steel RRT Control Thrust Arms with the milspec bearing. They were about $190 each. They have also the aluminum for $240 each. - JT