Michael. 2312 Report post Posted January 11, 2012 Just wondering what others on here are using for strut braces on their E36s? From what I have seen the E36 318i 4 cylinder strut braces sit the highest and the 6 cylinder ones sit a bit lower? I'm needing one thats a bit higher so it clear the manifold on the V8 so have been thinking the 318i versions might be the way to go... like the ones Turner Motorsports have advertised http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-3557-rac...e36-318iti.aspx Post up pictures if you can just so I can see what the options are. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30-323ti 66 Report post Posted January 11, 2012 Anything with hinges is just for bling... Build your own. Have a look at the 1pc sparco bars for the E30 chassis for some inspiration. Or even the Mason & Rouge Engineering bars for the E46 Mason Aluminium E30 Sparco. NB how it has a 3rd mount down the side of the tower also. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2312 Report post Posted January 11, 2012 Anything with hinges is just for bling... Build your own. Have a look at the 1pc sparco bars for the E30 chassis for some inspiration. Or even the Mason & Rouge Engineering bars for the E46 Yeah I've always been skeptical of the hinged ones... seems like a part that should be completely rigid! A good point about the custom fabrication... might be the way to go for my application. If I've made up what I have already, shouldn't be too hard to make up a custom brace. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30-323ti 66 Report post Posted January 11, 2012 Yeah I've always been skeptical of the hinged ones... seems like a part that should be completely rigid! A good point about the custom fabrication... might be the way to go for my application. If I've made up what I have already, shouldn't be too hard to make up a custom brace. That's what I figured!! Get the welder out!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jom 96 Report post Posted January 12, 2012 Just wondering what others on here are using for strut braces on their E36s? From what I have seen the E36 318i 4 cylinder strut braces sit the highest and the 6 cylinder ones sit a bit lower? I'm needing one thats a bit higher so it clear the manifold on the V8 so have been thinking the 318i versions might be the way to go... like the ones Turner Motorsports have advertised http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-3557-rac...e36-318iti.aspx Post up pictures if you can just so I can see what the options are. Start with the crossbrace under the sump - it's a standard part on the E36 convertible. If you want to use a strut brace, the only way to get it properly stiff is to tie it back to the firewall - otherwise it's a waste of space. Part no. is 51718410212 - no.16 on the diagram Jo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thorburn 120 Report post Posted January 12, 2012 I'd also recommend the x-brace. They can also be found in z3's. It seems that they like to crumple in any impact near it. It'd be rather tricky to tie a strut brace into the firewall on an e36. I'm sure strut braces must do something on e36's. Hence why some strut braces only fit when the car is jacked up. That front mason bar looks good Not sure if alloy is the best choice though. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2312 Report post Posted January 12, 2012 (edited) Good point re linking to the fire wall, I have always thought they should, just seems logical for added rigidity. Does the cross brace (part 16 in the above picture) replace the non-motorsport basic brace bar (part 7 above)? Edited January 12, 2012 by V8E36 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2312 Report post Posted January 12, 2012 Oo I guess it must be able to, I've seen a few pictures showing the single brace bar still attached. Only reason I want to retain it is I've used that bar as a second mouting point under the gearbox, much like what is done stock with the BMW motors. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thorburn 120 Report post Posted January 12, 2012 (edited) ^this is new to me. Going to the car to check for extra mounting holes now When I put the xbrace on mine I just swapped them. The plastic cover over the heater isn't going to be very solid for tying into the firewall Edited January 12, 2012 by bbs Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jom 96 Report post Posted January 12, 2012 Good point re linking to the fire wall, I have always thought they should, just seems logical for added rigidity. Does the cross brace (part 16 in the above picture) replace the non-motorsport basic brace bar (part 7 above)? Yes it does replace the stock part - but there are other non-BMW braces out there that don't cross over the sump (not sure how deep your's is) . I think Turner do one? Might also mount separately. bbs - the mounting holes are in the front x-member, but you will need to fit the rivnuts youself. Not a big deal, it just needs a long bolt, a thick washer, an extra nut and a couple of spanners. Details are on the net. Jo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thorburn 120 Report post Posted January 13, 2012 I've had my xbrace in for a while. I've also gone with the rivnut route. Although I might change that at some stage as I'm not sure on the strength of rivnuts. In saying that my seat mounts to rivnuts as well. Another thing that I might have to change. With all this talk of strut braces I thought I should have a go at making my own. Purchased steel today. If it doesn't turn out well it will never be mentioned again Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2312 Report post Posted January 13, 2012 Yes it does replace the stock part - but there are other non-BMW braces out there that don't cross over the sump (not sure how deep your's is) . I think Turner do one? Might also mount separately. bbs - the mounting holes are in the front x-member, but you will need to fit the rivnuts youself. Not a big deal, it just needs a long bolt, a thick washer, an extra nut and a couple of spanners. Details are on the net. Jo I was looking at my sump last night, since I've fitted new improved engine mounts the engines dropped about 10mm, so the sump base now sits nearly in line level with the bottom of the front subframe, maybe 5mm higher... little bit of uncertainty if a stock cross brace will fit but I think i might. If not I can always get something fabricated... With all this talk of strut braces I thought I should have a go at making my own. Purchased steel today. If it doesn't turn out well it will never be mentioned again Haha, give it your best shot, I'll be interested to see how it turns out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CamB 48 Report post Posted January 25, 2012 Did fitting the X Brace make any difference and if so what ? Secondly ther comment / myth about fitting strut braces only when jacked up is crap, OE one fits straight on with car on the ground as it SHOULD. I didn't notice anything from fitting the x-brace when I did on mine, but maybe I am poorly calibrated. Having said that for less than $100 (2nd hand) it hardly breaks the bank, and given they put them on the models with a flexible chassis it may well be doing something... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thorburn 120 Report post Posted January 26, 2012 At the very least an xbrace is a nice sump protector. OE strut brace.. like the e36 ltw one that is adjustable length? I'll jack up my car soon and see if I can still get my strut brace on. Would be nicer to check with another car that doesn't have a roll cage I'm not sure if I did feel a difference or not. With all the time spent putting it on i'm sure my brain had to say yes it has to save me from disappointment. Will need to find some sort of strain gauge and a logger to realy find out if it is useful and when Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1039 Report post Posted January 26, 2012 The only time you notice any difference from a strut brace is if you stress the limits of your car and driving. The car being uprated springs / shocks The driving being taking the car to the limit Strut braces are only imployed to limit the top movement of the strut towers. It will make your car feel twitchier at the limits but give you a more linear feel all the way up to the limit than with out. Lots of people dont like them because they can remove the natural cusion effect your chassis has when attacking the corners and can make the car feel unstable on the road. I personally love mine on the e30, but the car sees the track a lot and thats where they shine on a car without a cage. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MLM 57 Report post Posted January 26, 2012 A thought on the hinged braces. They would tie the strut towers together, provided the hinge was high quality. A solid strut brace would if you can imagine a square being pushed over at the top to form a parallelogram place huge tensile loads on the top hat bolts. This would be negated by fixing to a firewall. Admittedly the movement would be tiny so probably wouldnt be a problem but a degree or two over the width of the car would be amplified. I dont know how may (if any) people have suffered snapped bolts after fitting a strut brace. You would think the floppier the chassis the more prevalent the problem. Just a thought. Not to say one is better than the other, just offering a perspective of why a particular design may exist. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted January 26, 2012 I'm using a hindged Alpina brace at the front and a AC brace at the rear, the Alpina one has stoppers at the bottom of the hindges to stop from moving. The hindges need to be loosend for me to remove it other wise it won't come off. Will also be fitting an X brace that i recently required too but that will be mostly for sump protection. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
