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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      06-18-2014, 08:43 AM   #1
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Strut Bar (E88 Specific)

Well I guess it's not really specific to the 'vert, more just a question and sanity check.

I'm about to pull the trigger on a proper strut bar for the 1er. Am I correct in my assumption that it will be of particular value on the inherently less rigid chassis of the soft top?

The M3 FSB has helped to settle and stiffen the front end but I still feel that it dives and rolls too much on turn in.

Have at it.
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      06-18-2014, 10:57 AM   #2
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I'm not sure if the brace made any difference when I installed mine but it looks good though.
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      06-18-2014, 11:41 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob Daman View Post
I'm not sure if the brace made any difference when I installed mine but it looks good though.
I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a factor in my desire to purchase one
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      06-18-2014, 11:50 AM   #4
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Theoretically yes, it'll add more rigidity but keep in mind some strut bars are cr@p, ie hinge designs.
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      06-18-2014, 11:54 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3002 tii View Post
Theoretically yes, it'll add more rigidity but keep in mind some strut bars are cr@p, ie hinge designs.
Yea. I'm leaning towards the AA version - though it's not like we have many options. The Dinan one is so sexy...At the same time the thought of paying $350-500 for a bar of metal is off putting. It is what it is I guess.
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      06-18-2014, 12:03 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 135Pats View Post
Yea. I'm leaning towards the AA version - though it's not like we have many options. The Dinan one is so sexy...At the same time the thought of paying $350-500 for a bar of metal is off putting. It is what it is I guess.
Given your mods list, I would think that you'd at least try it out. If you didn't like it you could probably resell for 80% or so.

I like the AA one as well. It's pretty far down on my mods list ATM but I'll still get one eventually.
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      06-18-2014, 12:30 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 135Pats View Post
Yea. I'm leaning towards the AA version - though it's not like we have many options. The Dinan one is so sexy...At the same time the thought of paying $350-500 for a bar of metal is off putting. It is what it is I guess.
Few of us put on the 1M bar, got it for $206 shipped.
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      06-18-2014, 12:35 PM   #8
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I had the AA one, gorgeous piece if you ask me, but I couldn't feel anything with mine as far as an increase in rigidity. And it won't help with dive or roll either. But yea, they look pretty sweet
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      06-18-2014, 01:03 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 135Pats View Post
Yea. I'm leaning towards the AA version - though it's not like we have many options. The Dinan one is so sexy...At the same time the thought of paying $350-500 for a bar of metal is off putting. It is what it is I guess.
Check out the Mason Engineering bar.
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      06-18-2014, 01:16 PM   #10
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AA is a beefy one indeed. I decided to go with CF bling bmw performance one though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 135ivert View Post
Given your mods list, I would think that you'd at least try it out. If you didn't like it you could probably resell for 80% or so.

I like the AA one as well. It's pretty far down on my mods list ATM but I'll still get one eventually.
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      06-18-2014, 01:17 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSt|G View Post
Check out the Mason Engineering bar.
Whoa. Now that is a serious strut brace.



The E88 is strictly street driven so I wonder if that's overkill. I'm trying to strike a fairly impossible balance here - a reasonably quiet and non shuddering convertible that is stiff and responsive up front.

Those are largely contrasting goals I realize but we can dream right?
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      06-18-2014, 01:46 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 135Pats View Post
Whoa. Now that is a serious strut brace.



The E88 is strictly street driven so I wonder if that's overkill. I'm trying to strike a fairly impossible balance here - a reasonably quiet and non shuddering convertible that is stiff and responsive up front.

Those are largely contrasting goals I realize but we can dream right?
Yup, Mason has a long history of making serious/functional bars. They have another version with shorter firewall braces to allow top mount adjustment access.

Generally braces reduce chassis noise.
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      06-18-2014, 01:52 PM   #13
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Interesting I would have figured that adding a hard link between the strut towers would increase NVH and the general crashing ride of the verts.

Hm. You may have sold me sir. I appreciate your good advice per usual.
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      06-18-2014, 02:20 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 135Pats View Post
Interesting I would have figured that adding a hard link between the strut towers would increase NVH and the general crashing ride of the verts.

Hm. You may have sold me sir. I appreciate your good advice per usual.
My experience has generally been that with less body flex, one dials out a lot of panel noise(of which the 1er has a lot). Shock tower noise seems to be mostly determined by bushings and springs/strut choice. Happy to chat as always as we usually see eye to eye on most things.

On a related aside, one of the most kickass things about E36 coupe/sedan ownership was the existence of the 'vert. Thanks to said soft top, E36 owners got the "X-brace", which was a structural cross brace installed standard on 'verts to keep them from flopping about. It seriously beefed up the already relatively stiff coupe/sedan.

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      06-18-2014, 02:23 PM   #15
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Yea the E88 has some extra bracing farther aft in the chassis, it's not as robust as the above picture but I think (hope) that the general structural rigidity has improved since the 36 was being produced. Mmm now i'm just thinking about E36 M3s hahaha.

And yes, the amount of noise that emanates from the various door panels and pillars in the 'vert....whoa. It's like there are a bunch of marbles just hanging out in the door tweeters.
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      06-18-2014, 02:56 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 135Pats View Post
Yea the E88 has some extra bracing farther aft in the chassis, it's not as robust as the above picture but I think (hope) that the general structural rigidity has improved since the 36 was being produced. Mmm now i'm just thinking about E36 M3s hahaha.

And yes, the amount of noise that emanates from the various door panels and pillars in the 'vert....whoa. It's like there are a bunch of marbles just hanging out in the door tweeters.
So you hit a patch of bad pavement and get (for lack of a better term) aftershocks in the cowl and squeaks in the dash and A-pillar? Right now that's my biggest problem with the E88 and would hope to dial out with the strut tower bar. While the Mason engineering bar looks SERIOUS, I don't think it would provide that much advantage over the AA on a street-driven car.
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      06-18-2014, 04:03 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by 135ivert View Post
So you hit a patch of bad pavement and get (for lack of a better term) aftershocks in the cowl and squeaks in the dash and A-pillar? Right now that's my biggest problem with the E88 and would hope to dial out with the strut tower bar. While the Mason engineering bar looks SERIOUS, I don't think it would provide that much advantage over the AA on a street-driven car.
Yep. It's a rattle machine with the windows up.
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      06-19-2014, 07:41 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 135Pats View Post
Yea the E88 has some extra bracing farther aft in the chassis, it's not as robust as the above picture but I think (hope) that the general structural rigidity has improved since the 36 was being produced. Mmm now i'm just thinking about E36 M3s hahaha.

And yes, the amount of noise that emanates from the various door panels and pillars in the 'vert....whoa. It's like there are a bunch of marbles just hanging out in the door tweeters.
Yeah, the E90 era in general got a pretty big boost in structural rigidity(though the E60 was weirdly less than the E39).

I seriously miss my E36 M3 and E36 M3s in general. Easily the most important car I've owned.


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      06-19-2014, 08:25 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSt|G View Post
On a related aside, one of the most kickass things about E36 coupe/sedan ownership was the existence of the 'vert. Thanks to said soft top, E36 owners got the "X-brace", which was a structural cross brace installed standard on 'verts to keep them from flopping about. It seriously beefed up the already relatively stiff coupe/sedan.

Can I present you with e88 specific braces (Link for 128i n52):

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...08&hg=51&fg=80

Se part 3 and 2, they make a V shape thats fits under the airbox / headlight area. Mounts to the Crush arms of the engine bay. I just saw it on an e88 the other day of @pj.rodriguez, its cheap and eurobox compatible.
The left side changes with a different engine, so 135i guys look up your own version.

Part 4 is the front A brace to the side

Part 6 & 7 may not be needed for coupe, but the 335i guys have talked abotu using an M3 version of that part to replace the oem rear A brace in the coupe
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"The 1-series is the last car that BMW engineered before the Germans, as a car-making culture, fell out of love with driving." - R&T 2013 135is
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      06-19-2014, 08:31 AM   #20
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The plot thickens. Does the E82 have mounting provisions for it?
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      06-19-2014, 08:33 AM   #21
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The plot thickens. Does the E82 have mounting provisions for it?
Interesting, I know both the Z4 roadster & coupes have V-braces running along the back of the car... but damn, $155 for both sides is rough lol.
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      06-19-2014, 08:42 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3002 tii View Post
Interesting, I know both the Z4 roadster & coupes have V-braces running along the back of the car... but damn, $155 for both sides is rough lol.
Really? I was thinking that was pretty cheap. E36 version was ~$200.
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