Non-M E82: Options for front & rear STRUT bars?

[suprtran]

Looking to add more stability to my 135i.

Any recommendations as to which front & rear strut bars are available and worth looking into?

I've seen: Turner, Mason, HPA, Cusco, ARC, OE BMW

Those who have had strut bars please chime in. Thanks.

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by suprtran

Looking to add more stability to my 135i.

Any recommendations as to which front & rear strut bars are available and worth looking into?

I've seen: Turner, Mason, HPA, Cusco, ARC, OE BMW

Those who have had strut bars please chime in. Thanks.

Strut bars? I love strut bars! Makes cars so much more precise.

Bmw performance is nice and affordable (not the cf one). Good looking.

Heaps of decent ones on ebay (also lots of ugly ones lol)

As long as it's stiff (solid is better), get whichever is a good price and looks the best


Arc is my fav. Super nice looking . I'll probably get an alu bmwp one or a cf arc

[suprtran]

Originally Posted by flinchy

Strut bars? I love strut bars! Makes cars so much more precise.

Bmw performance is nice and affordable (not the cf one). Good looking.

Heaps of decent ones on ebay (also lots of ugly ones lol)

As long as it's stiff (solid is better), get whichever is a good price and looks the best


Arc is my fav. Super nice looking . I'll probably get an alu bmwp one or a cf arc

I've read hinged strut bars defeats the purpose of a strut bar needing to be solid because it introduces weak points. Is this true?

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by suprtran

I've read hinged strut bars defeats the purpose of a strut bar needing to be solid because it introduces weak points. Is this true?

nah, both my last cars had hinged ones

they do NOT pivot unless you undo the hinge - the point of them is so you simply undo it and flip it up when you want to do work on the engine, instead of 100% removing the bar... when you do it up, it is NOT moving. period. i've even had cameras in there to record any flex/pivoting, none at all.

i mean, sure, if you put it on a full pressure test, the hinged bars would fail first
... at several thousand psi more than the car will ever EVER normally experience.

and they will be less rigid, but in the same context as above, only machines will be able to tell the difference.

[HP Autowerks]

Originally Posted by suprtran

Looking to add more stability to my 135i.

Any recommendations as to which front & rear strut bars are available and worth looking into?

I've seen: Turner, Mason, HPA, Cusco, ARC, OE BMW

Those who have had strut bars please chime in. Thanks.

What you want to look for in a strut tower brace is one designed to tie the strut towers to the firewall for maximum rigidity. If you have damping adjustable suspension, it's another reason to look into braces with an open top design to allow access to rebound damping adjustments.