[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by CajunBMW

Thanks. That was super helpful. I think we may have different cars as my air filter is on the left (if facing the engine with the hood open), but if I understand correctly that should not influence too much or much at all for the install. In looking at my car this weekend, I see the wire issue on the left that runs along the strut tower that you discuss. On the right there is a covered box, will the brace hit that covered box? From your help and the help from the rest of the forum members, it seems like I should be able to easily do this mod.

Thanks again for your help.

Yeah it looks like you have a 340 and i have a 335, so your airbox location is different. Shouldn't matter though, so long as the bar is stated as fitting your car. Other plastic placement may be different, im not sure.

As to the bolts, you can always remove 1 and go to your dealer to make sure you get the exact same one.

[auburnf30x]

Originally Posted by auburnf30x

Received my Megan Racing strut brace today. My thoughts and notes...



Naturally, this brace is known in the state of California to contribute to cancer, homelessness, and the proliferation of feline AIDS, so please proceed carefully with this in mind.



Installation was fast and easy, total of about ten minutes. Most of that was spent getting the protective plastic off. Many people have noted that they didn’t have to remove or modify the ECU cover on their N20/B58, this does not appear to be possible on the B46/48. Someone PLEASE correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe these covers are just cosmetic, so I’m going to leave mine off until I get the time to trim it to fit as neatly as possible.

The good: YES, the difference is noticeable. Largely in road feel. I’m not entirely sure why it makes such a difference, but the brace does help alleviate the criticized numbness in the F30 steering. It definitely feels more ‘alive’ and communicative than before. I do notice some improvement in rigidity, namely when entering incline changes at an angle there is less of that side to side ‘wobble’. It does feel like the car rolls less, but I think that’s just a perceived effect from the wobble reduction and improvement in steering feel rather than an actual reduction in body roll. Overall, the car feels somewhat more planted and confident.

The neutral: I don’t feel that ‘handling’ has really improved any. I put that in quotes because yes, the way it FEELS when pushed is definitely better. I don’t think, though, it makes any quantifiable improvement in the car’s cornering capabilities, other than the increased feedback and confidence it may give the driver from improved feel.

I also don’t like that I have to modify my ECU cover, but Megan Racing explicitly warned that this would need to be done, so not really a negative point.

The bad: That’s not all that will need to be modified.



More noticeable than, and negatively distracting from any improvements in steering feel was this obnoxious light rattle, present only at and just off idle. On the main engine cover, there is a flange over a harness that vibrates very closely to the bar. It will need to be trimmed. This is actually much less significant than the ECU cover and won’t need much to be trimmed...but it wasn’t mentioned, and I really don’t like cutting my car.

Overall, good and worth doing for the improvement felt in the wheel. Just be aware, if you have a B46/48 some cutting will be required.

Update, still greatly enjoying the extra feel in the steering. I have noticed that this extra feedback sometimes also makes the road seem a little harsher and noisier, could be completely in my imagination or possibly why it wasn’t included in the first place. I’m fine with it, as I suspect most of us would be.



Also finished modifying the ECU cover...although for some reason, I wasn’t comfortable doing so until I had a replacement. This car makes me OCD.



All done! Made it through the whole post without drawing attention to where I nicked the cover with the dremel...crap.

[CajunBMW]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Yeah it looks like you have a 340 and i have a 335, so your airbox location is different. Shouldn't matter though, so long as the bar is stated as fitting your car. Other plastic placement may be different, im not sure.

As to the bolts, you can always remove 1 and go to your dealer to make sure you get the exact same one.

Thanks I ordered the Weicher's brace. It is on back order and will come later this month. I will get the bolts ahead of time. After watching the Kies video, this should not be too hard. I have access to a torque wrench and with the help above in this thread I have all of the info to do this the right way.

[CajunBMW]

Originally Posted by johnung

It's very simple to install.

The video was great. As I just stated in the post above, I ordered the weicher's brace, which as shown in the video should be easy fir me to install correctly. Thanks again.

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by CajunBMW

Thanks I ordered the Weicher's brace. It is on back order and will come later this month. I will get the bolts ahead of time. After watching the Kies video, this should not be too hard. I have access to a torque wrench and with the help above in this thread I have all of the info to do this the right way.

Cool, just read my post here on how to preload it during install: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...&postcount=233

[CajunBMW]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Cool, just read my post here on how to preload it during install: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...;postcount=233

I did read your thread. Thanks. Your reminder was good as I looked at it again. I understand the concept of preloading, but I do have a question. The idea is that when the strut towers are under stress they can compress (move towards each other), correct? So by preloading with the bar just a tad bit longer as you point out, and then tightening down the bolts appropriately, you have a bit of loaded potential to keep the towers firm. Is that the correct interpretation?

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by CajunBMW

I did read your thread. Thanks. Your reminder was good as I looked at it again. I understand the concept of preloading, but I do have a question. The idea is that when the strut towers are under stress they can compress (move towards each other), correct? So by preloading with the bar just a tad bit longer as you point out, and then tightening down the bolts appropriately, you have a bit of loaded potential to keep the towers firm. Is that the correct interpretation?

Yup. The deflection/movement of the strut towers (with no brace) is quite small, so the preload in my mind will maximize the tangible benefits of installing the brace.

[casualDIYer]

Years late to the party . . .

The strut brace is pretty old tyme tech. 20 years ago everyone who had an e46 wanted the golden idol of strut bars, an M performance carbon fibre bar (a very nice piece of carbon). The bolted vs solid argument? Who cares? The bolted one is fine and is easier to get out of the way. Some bolted bars were adjustable so that was a nice plus. Did solid vs. bolted make a difference in performance? I never saw any numbers saying one was better than the other. Did a strut bar did improve handling? A little bit. It's not like throwing on tires, springs, dampers, or anti-roll bars but it's an easy DIY and you can feel a slight change.

But should you get one? There is one negative about them and likely the reason a lot of manufacturers opt for the more expensive V-bar. Tie your left and right strut tower to one another with a nice piece of really resilient steel, when you have a driver or passenger side crash, expect those forces to travel, via the strut bar, to the other side of your car.

Lovely ~

As for correcting understeer, I've had a few strut bars and they do help a bit but I also found another tip that really helps. Turn earlier. It's crazy how effective that technique is. Very easy install. Zero cost.

Please don't give away these free tips. We want to keep those a secret.

[alohasurftoad]

Rolls Performance

no trimming/cutting, easy to remove if req'd. I believe it to be the best value of the lot.

[_ObiJon]

If i had a RWD, I'd be getting this too!

F30 RWD Front Lower Subframe To Frame Brace

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

Rolls Performance

no trimming/cutting, easy to remove if req'd. I believe it to be the best value of the lot.

i got one very similar to this from ali express, it was less than $70
just plain silver, no tacky logos

makes a noticeable difference

there is a right 90 degree turn i take on my way to work
i usually take it faster than i need to
without strut bar i needed to turn the wheel with one hand, then continue the movement with the other hand
with the brace (and bolts tightened with the car on jack stands, preload i guess)
i can make that turn with one one hand movement
so instead of say 270 degrees of steering movement
i now do it with 180 degrees
not actual measurements, but just to illustrate the difference

the other thing that made a big difference is the thrust arm bushings
i got the black powerflex, and wow!
steering feels immediate now, you turn, the car turns
but it does transit vibration to steering wheel, like when you go over metal joints on the road, you feel that. had to drop my tire pressure a little.
if i could it again, i would get the purple ones, they are a little softer
black is 95A, purple is 80A

[alohasurftoad]

Originally Posted by _ObiJon

If i had a RWD, I'd be getting this too!

F30 RWD Front Lower Subframe To Frame Brace

hmmm, considering...

there's a mid brace upgrade as well.

https://rollsperformance.com/shop/ol...mw-mid-chassis

[keithyo88]

I got the Rolls. definitely less rear movement when turning.

[rusty_sojah]

i have this here in the pic, i like it not really sure what it is called though¿

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

Rolls Performance

no trimming/cutting, easy to remove if req'd. I believe it to be the best value of the lot.

I like that. Plain, simple and well thought out. I'll get one ordered.

[Rich76]

Any one know of one to fit an f36 440i
I’m also looking at adding the braces from the strut tower to the slam panel
Nearside looks ok and will fit but drivers side I’ll either have to modify the air filter lid or fit an induction kit to lower the top down.
Then I’ll work out where I can add a bar across between the two and get it welded on at work.

The alpina front panel is nice but I bet it’s costly

[SD Convert]

Originally Posted by rusty_sojah

i have this here in the pic, i like it not really sure what it is called though¿

The two side braces are based on the braces used in the Convertibles (430i, 440i and M4). In the M4 convertible, the carbon fiber cross-brace isn't used, but these are. I expect they're almost as effective as that expensive brace. The OEM Convertible brace also uses the same mounting holes on the cross-link (PN 51647294928) as the carbon fiber brace, so using them together might not work well.

The center connecting brace provides additional stiffening to help the cross-link and probably isn't necessary.

[Rich76]

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

I like that. Plain, simple and well thought out. I'll get one ordered.

I like that a lot , any idea of the brand?

This looks similar I wonder if I can make it fit a 440i