strut brace?

[318is1506]

ok i see alot of strut braces out there and i was wondering if they really make a big enough difference to justify the cost ? and if so what are the major differences ?

[mr.vang]

only if you track it.

[visionracingdevelopments]

I think it's worth doing no matter what you're doing with the car. These are great cars to drive, anything that adds a bit of front end strength can't be a bad thing. If you get one avoid the cheap nasty aluminium ones which are only good for the scrap bin!

[d.hitchcock]

Mason Engineering makes a pricey but very nice strut brace.

I have an Ireland Engineering brace on my autoX car. It's identical to a Sparco brand brace, but black instead of Sparco red.

d.hitchcock

[bwawuz02]

only if you track it.

If you own an E30 and haven't upgraded the suspension, you're old and don't know how to live... With modest upgrades (including a strut bar) these cars are a blast to drive and will dart thru traffic with ease.

You say tracking, I say daily commute... potayto, potahto. to each their own

make sure you get a solid bar, the sparco copy by IE is probably the best bang for your buck.

[visionracingdevelopments]

The M42 manifold in the E30 sits quite high so it can be hard work finding one that clears it.

[d.hitchcock]

The M42 manifold in the E30 sits quite high so it can be hard work finding one that clears it.

Any idea if the Sparco/IE fits?

Or not? ;=)

If I had the extra money handy, I'd spring for the Mason bar for my 318is.

[bwawuz02]

yeah, I've seen it installed with no problems and seen people who took a mallet to the bottom of the bar to "clearance" the intake manifold... get some ITBs and it shouldn't be a problem

[Hey-u]

I have the sparco. Very tight fit, I had to use a washer to get enough clearance.

[d.hitchcock]

ITBs: Roger that.

[visionracingdevelopments]

I used to have a Sparco one but it didn't fit so I had to move it on. I then had an Ultra-racing one which did fit, but it was VERY close and I know people who had them but they didn't fit. I expect that one fitted because my engine mounts were buggered. Only bad thing about it was the fact the holes were slotted so it could move if under enough force, which is hardly desirable for a strut brace.

[stillmatick]

The M42 manifold in the E30 sits quite high so it can be hard work finding one that clears it.

ur racing bar fits on m42
http://www.madmotors.co.uk/ultra-racing-bmw-e30-3-series-front-upper-strut-brace-48453.html

[PJH318is]

I have a Hartge bar in the front, no bar in the rear.

When I first placed it, I wasn't very happy with it. The car had a tendency to understeer more and I don't like that. It does sharpen the turn-in responce because the car is more rigid, but once that fase is out of the way I found it to be troublesome. So I removed it.

A couple of months later, I placed excentric M3 control-arm bushings -> these add more caster to the car, which also increases the dynamic camber in corners. So the car had more front-end grip.

I then placed the brace back and the end-result is a more balanced car in the corners.

So the best answer to your question is: if you drive fast, even on public roads, but don't really have any other mods, I wouldn't do it. If your car is setup for some fun, I do recommend it.

[romkasponka]

strut bar should be as straight as possible and all U shape strut bars are not  rigid enough. Diameter also should be big enough.

[ak96ss]

http://www.m42club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3497