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      08-31-2012, 07:29 AM   #1
135iDCT
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Question Strut Tower Brace vs Strut Brace

what's the difference between them, r they do the same job
can i fit them together


vs

Last edited by 135iDCT; 08-31-2012 at 07:38 AM..
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      08-31-2012, 11:14 AM   #2
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The brace stretching around the car laterally will, in theory, increase the rigidity of the chassis. The E82 has such a stiff chassis already, the affect will be minimal. I added one to my car and there was no discernible difference. I'd spend my money on a sway bar instead.
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      08-31-2012, 07:34 PM   #3
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the ones reaching from the tower to the firewall compared to the strut to strut.. probably not much difference between them

the best ones are 3-point (firewall AND struts)

i personally find the chassis to be a bit too floppy for my liking - definitely not as rigid as my previous (modified) cars
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      09-03-2012, 06:28 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flinchy View Post

i personally find the chassis to be a bit too floppy for my liking - definitely not as rigid as my previous (modified) cars
Agreed. Coming from an E46 M3 and E85 Z4M, the 135i's chassis leaves A LOT to be desired in terms of stiffness. Even getting a dealer's E90 loaner several times was an improvement over the sloppy feel of my 135i. Upgrading to M3 suspensions bits has since improved the overall chassis feel for me, but it's still a far cry from what I'm used to.
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      09-03-2012, 07:09 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by suprtran
Quote:
Originally Posted by flinchy View Post

i personally find the chassis to be a bit too floppy for my liking - definitely not as rigid as my previous (modified) cars
Agreed. Coming from an E46 M3 and E85 Z4M, the 135i's chassis leaves A LOT to be desired in terms of stiffness. Even getting a dealer's E90 loaner several times was an improvement over the sloppy feel of my 135i. Upgrading to M3 suspensions bits has since improved the overall chassis feel for me, but it's still a far cry from what I'm used to.
You can get front + rear strut tower bars, underbody front (2 point at least) - and i haven't looked but i'd say also front L+R under-fender braces

I wouldn't call it outright *floppy* - tests show that it's a pretty good and stiff chassis compared to most stock cars.. But again, i'm used to 'floppy' oem cars that have a whole bunch of bracing to pretty much make them as stiff as possible (without fully custom seam welding etc.) - after riding in a few cheaper cars with bracing, then my car.. It's not much to fix up, and what stiffening can be done is more than sufficient

M3's and z4's also have very stiff and low suspension, more seam welds, thicker sway bars (and more solid strut braces from the factory)
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      09-03-2012, 07:30 PM   #6
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Certain strut hat mounts and/or camber plates don't fit with stock strut braces, they however fit with M3 strut braces. Just throwing that out there when considering to upgrade your front strut support setup. Best would be as mentioned above, a 3 point system, pretty much a triangle on your engine bay.

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      09-03-2012, 08:02 PM   #7
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Any difference between the factory 135 tower brace and the 1M/M3 tower brace that hooks to the firewall.
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      09-03-2012, 09:14 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eddie135
Any difference between the factory 135 tower brace and the 1M/M3 tower brace that hooks to the firewall.
Jefry mentioned above that it allows camber plates and strut mounta to fit more easily.. Otherwise: it's thicker, stiffer, stronger, more rigid etc. and a TON more expensive hah

The stock 1er brace (at least in mine) isn't a full brace. It hits back to the firewall straight away where you'd want it to meet in the middle
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      09-03-2012, 10:49 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flinchy View Post
Jefry mentioned above that it allows camber plates and strut mounta to fit more easily.. Otherwise: it's thicker, stiffer, stronger, more rigid etc. and a TON more expensive hah

The stock 1er brace (at least in mine) isn't a full brace. It hits back to the firewall straight away where you'd want it to meet in the middle
Thanks , looks like it is worth upgrading then.
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      09-05-2012, 01:00 AM   #10
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A brace designed to tie the firewall and the towers together will give you better rigidity then just a brace mounted between the two towers. The M3 style brace also spreads the load evenly over the tower, not just to one point only.
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      09-05-2012, 01:42 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HP Autowerks
A brace designed to tie the firewall and the towers together will give you better rigidity then just a brace mounted between the two towers. The M3 style brace also spreads the load evenly over the tower, not just to one point only.
But wouldn't the firewall only one not share the load properly, since the towers aren't actually linked, just stiffened?
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      09-05-2012, 02:13 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flinchy View Post
But wouldn't the firewall only one not share the load properly, since the towers aren't actually linked, just stiffened?
We are looking for triangulation for maximum stiffness.
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      09-05-2012, 03:27 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HP Autowerks View Post
We are looking for triangulation for maximum stiffness.
exactly!

that would require it to have the cross bar though, as it stands it's a triangle that's missing a side, that's missing a whole bunch of rigidity.

surely a product like this exists?
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      09-05-2012, 11:45 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flinchy View Post
exactly!

that would require it to have the cross bar though, as it stands it's a triangle that's missing a side, that's missing a whole bunch of rigidity.

surely a product like this exists?
I am sure someone makes one out there.
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