Strut Brace?

PourBoi-Jay · 12-16-2017, 06:21 PM

M3 brace or bust

Phil325i · 12-17-2017, 10:36 AM

I've had Ultra Racing braces on other cars and I'd advise getting it powder coated before fitting. They're made in the Far East where salting roads and bad winters don't happen and I've found them rather liable to rusting...

Biginboca · 12-17-2017, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil325i

I've had Ultra Racing braces on other cars and I'd advise getting it powder coated before fitting. They're made in the Far East where salting roads and bad winters don't happen and I've found them rather liable to rusting...

Ok good to know, thanks. I’m in Florida so no salt or bad winters, but I’ll put a coating of black paint on it so it blends in under the hood.

Efthreeoh · 12-17-2017, 07:02 PM

I have the BMW OE carbon Fiber strut brace. BMW was off loading it back in 2009 or so for $350. It looks good, but it doesn't do anything at aggressive street level driving IMO. I just redid my suspension last week and left the brace off for the alignment shop to work on the car. I've not yet put the brace back on. I haven't been able to tell a difference.

The Nightman · 12-18-2017, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biginboca

Ok good to know, thanks. I’m in Florida so no salt or bad winters, but I’ll put a coating of black paint on it so it blends in under the hood.

I Plastidipped mine and used 303 AP to give it a non-tacky satin finish. Looks clean and has held up for over a year so far.

The Nightman · 12-19-2017, 06:09 PM

On the topic of braces, I highly recommend the E9X M3 rear subframe braces for E90 owners since the E90 has no rear bracing. I got the idea from Tetsuo and you can see his post here and my post here.

Part numbers:
- Left brace: 51618040751
- Right brace: 51618040752
- Center bracket: 18211436309
- 4x M8x35 10.9 bolts and washers

I got the braces and bracket off eBay for <$100. They really helped make the rear end feel more solid and planted.

Nafy · 12-19-2017, 07:10 PM

Justpete, your engine bay is so clean and nice. A little off topic, what kind of engine oil cooler set up do you have? I noticed that you have a adapter plate. Where do you mount your oil cooler? And what front bumper do you have? Thanks.

justpete · 12-19-2017, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nafy

Justpete, your engine bay is so clean and nice. A little off topic, what kind of engine oil cooler set up do you have? I noticed that you have a adapter plate. Where do you mount your oil cooler? And what front bumper do you have? Thanks.

Just saw this, oil cooler was covered here -- http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=214 -- bumper is the BMW Performance Aero part -- http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=398

l3ricktop · 01-31-2020, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PourBoi-Jay

M3 brace or bust

Will the M3 bracing fit the standard E90 chassis?
Asking cause the E90 M3 has different front end vs the standard E90 sedan...

Can you describe difference between the standard bracing and the M3 more closely pls? I can see the circular flange on the strut mount, but what else? Like are the rods ticker or so...?

thormessiah · 08-25-2020, 10:26 PM

Is this worth getting for improved street Cornering? Looking into the Cusco one if it helps reduce body roll at all

CALWATERBOY · 08-25-2020, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biginboca

I see there’s a few strut braces available for the E9x series ranging from a $75 Megan Racing one to a $1,000 Carbon Fiber BMW one.

Do these really do anything for the E9x platform? We already have the diagonal bracing to the cowl is there really any added benefit besides looks for the aftermarket braces that cross directly from strut to strut?

I installed the M3 strut brace, which blocks nothing and works well. But was it an improvement? Mildly. Just mildly.

hellokitty · 08-27-2020, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thormessiah

Is this worth getting for improved street Cornering? Looking into the Cusco one if it helps reduce body roll at all

It is one of those upgrades that you do after you have done everything else. It is the cherry on top.

It made a noticeable improvement in terms of steering responsiveness. The car is quicker to respond when you turn in.

StradaRedlands · 03-03-2023, 10:13 PM

Hey strut brace experts, I got the Whiteline one, and a rough fit has it riding on top of the power steering reservoir (2006 330i N52). Any workarounds that I'm not seeing??? Looks like a good brace otherwise.

Tambohamilton · 03-04-2023, 02:04 AM

Can you turn it 180deg, so the bar is against the cowl?

StradaRedlands · 03-05-2023, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

Can you turn it 180deg, so the bar is against the cowl?

I wish! But no, the drillings are side specific. And I checked it out just for funsies, and it still doesn't clear the PS reservoir, but also rides up on the wiring loom.

My best guess is that this would fit great on a 335i with a N54/5, but not on a N52 engine.

12-16-2017, 06:21 PM	#23
PourBoi-Jay Captain 326 Rep 613 Posts Drives: 2009 335i M-Sport Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Central CT iTrader: (3)	M3 brace or bust
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12-17-2017, 10:36 AM	#24
Phil325i Brigadier General 615 Rep 3,194 Posts Drives: E92 325i MSport Coupe Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: UK South East iTrader: (1) Garage List 2009 BMW 325i Coupe [6.00]	I've had Ultra Racing braces on other cars and I'd advise getting it powder coated before fitting. They're made in the Far East where salting roads and bad winters don't happen and I've found them rather liable to rusting... __________________ E92 pre-LCI 325i - Ohlins R&T; H&R spacers; M3 strut brace; Swift thrust sheets; 3 x chassis braces; diff brace; N53 V-brace; 034 subframe inserts; BMS clutch stop; BMS CDV; RE g/box mounts; Delrin shift bushes; Saikoumichi OCC; Cyba scoops; BMW Perf Exhaust; HEL s/steel brake hoses; M3 rear spoiler; Recaro Sportster CSs; M3 white dash LEDs; LED Angels; LED side repeaters; BMW Perf black grille; CSL reps; SSDD carbon diffuser; Monster Wrap black roof/clear front
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12-17-2017, 07:02 PM	#26
Efthreeoh General 17303 Rep 18,729 Posts Drives: The E90 + Z4 Coupe & Z3 R'ster Join Date: May 2012 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	I have the BMW OE carbon Fiber strut brace. BMW was off loading it back in 2009 or so for $350. It looks good, but it doesn't do anything at aggressive street level driving IMO. I just redid my suspension last week and left the brace off for the alignment shop to work on the car. I've not yet put the brace back on. I haven't been able to tell a difference. __________________ A manual transmission can be set to "comfort", "sport", and "track" modes simply by the technique and speed at which you shift it; it doesn't need "modes", modes are for manumatics that try to behave like a real 3-pedal manual transmission. If you can money-shift it, it's a manual transmission. "Yeah, but NO ONE puts an automatic trans shift knob on a manual transmission."
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12-19-2017, 06:09 PM	#28
The Nightman Cometh 1090 Rep 1,305 Posts Drives: Boy's Soul Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Boy's Hole iTrader: (4) Garage List E90 LCI "330i& ... [10.00]	On the topic of braces, I highly recommend the E9X M3 rear subframe braces for E90 owners since the E90 has no rear bracing. I got the idea from Tetsuo and you can see his post here and my post here. Part numbers: - Left brace: 51618040751 - Right brace: 51618040752 - Center bracket: 18211436309 - 4x M8x35 10.9 bolts and washers I got the braces and bracket off eBay for <$100. They really helped make the rear end feel more solid and planted.
	Appreciate 6 feuer4275.50 zero2sixtyZ951.00 tetsuo1111227.00 VeneMorte10.50 StradaRedlands4933.00 Quote

12-19-2017, 07:10 PM	#29
Nafy Lieutenant 49 Rep 431 Posts Drives: 11 328i sedan Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Vancouver, BC iTrader: (0)	Justpete, your engine bay is so clean and nice. A little off topic, what kind of engine oil cooler set up do you have? I noticed that you have a adapter plate. Where do you mount your oil cooler? And what front bumper do you have? Thanks.
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08-25-2020, 10:26 PM	#32
thormessiah Lieutenant 165 Rep 428 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW 335i Coupe Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Texas iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 BMW 335i [0.00]	Is this worth getting for improved street Cornering? Looking into the Cusco one if it helps reduce body roll at all
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03-03-2023, 10:13 PM	#35
StradaRedlands Colonel 4933 Rep 2,993 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 330i MT Join Date: Dec 2021 Location: SoCal iTrader: (2) Garage List 2006 BMW 330i [8.21] 2009 BMW 328i Touri ... [7.90] 2013 BMW X5 35i [7.63] 2011 BMW 528i [8.75] 2006 Mazda3 [5.50]	Hey strut brace experts, I got the Whiteline one, and a rough fit has it riding on top of the power steering reservoir (2006 330i N52). Any workarounds that I'm not seeing??? Looks like a good brace otherwise.
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03-04-2023, 02:04 AM	#36
Tambohamilton Brigadier General 3058 Rep 3,909 Posts Drives: E91 330d Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Herefordshire iTrader: (0)	Can you turn it 180deg, so the bar is against the cowl?
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