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epbrown wrote:^That, I like, being more low-key myself. Did you buy it with that finish or was it something you had done?

Mmmm x 2 I really like that.

Caddyshk wrote: Why?

I'd originally intended to get the SS bars,
then changed my mind when I got the OE in a pkg deal with exhaust & a bunch of other bits & pieces from LeatherZ.

I really don't like the cheap looking firewall braces.
& The alum. OE bar seemed to make them look worse.
Thought briefly about painting the OE bar to match the firewall braces, (...would have just cheapened the look of the OE bar).
Then basically said the hell with it & ordered the ones I wanted in the first place.

While I think the SS bar looks a little stronger, there's probably no real world structural benefit.
....The engine bay with the S54 is almost like a piece of art, & IMO, the SS bars just finish it off.

inTgr8r wrote:

Caddyshk wrote: Why?

I'd originally intended to get the SS bars,
then changed my mind when I got the OE in a pkg deal with exhaust & a bunch of other bits & pieces from LeatherZ.

I really don't like the cheap looking firewall braces.
& The alum. OE bar seemed to make them look worse.
Thought briefly about painting the OE bar to match the firewall braces, (...would have just cheapened the look of the OE bar).
Then basically said the hell with it & ordered the ones I wanted in the first place.

While I think the SS bar looks a little stronger, there's probably no real world structural benefit.
....The engine bay with the S54 is almost like a piece of art, & IMO, the SS bars just finish it off.

I thought its because you saw them on my car during the last cruise.

pbdm4k wrote:

inTgr8r wrote:

Caddyshk wrote: Why?

I'd originally intended to get the SS bars,
then changed my mind when I got the OE in a pkg deal with exhaust & a bunch of other bits & pieces from LeatherZ.

I really don't like the cheap looking firewall braces.
& The alum. OE bar seemed to make them look worse.
Thought briefly about painting the OE bar to match the firewall braces, (...would have just cheapened the look of the OE bar).
Then basically said the hell with it & ordered the ones I wanted in the first place.

While I think the SS bar looks a little stronger, there's probably no real world structural benefit.
....The engine bay with the S54 is almost like a piece of art, & IMO, the SS bars just finish it off.

I thought its because you saw them on my car during the last cruise.

That certainly helped

Rick Hunter wrote:Not yet. But here it is: NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE noted on a Coupé for day to day driving. The bling factor got the best of me this time. ---

Doh. Sorry to hear about your experience. I definitely felt the difference on my roadster, and I'm sure you'll be able to easily re-sell the strut bar to a roadster owner if you want to.

Don't let that stop you from doing the CDV delete mod though. We can have you test-drive my M again and see how you like it before you make a decision.

EDIT: If you're a BMWNA rep and you're reading this post, by my M I mean someone else's M.

Meh... no biggie. I got it for a good price.

As for the CDV mod... we will have to discuss this again sometime.

I think the SS bars look nice as well, although it's doubtful it's much stronger than the oem with all the holes in it...

I think as long as you get something without a hinge in it, it'll be worth it.

Any duders still got a valid link to the installation instructions? plzzzz

I want the CF strut on the BMW site. Not for our Zs though.

Anyone know if a realignment is necessary after a strut bar installation?

And how much to tighten the bolts?

Gauss wrote:Anyone know if a realignment is necessary after a strut bar installation?

And how much to tighten the bolts?

If you undo the strut nuts while the car is on the ground then the weight of the car will prevent the strut tops moving before you refit the nuts plus you there should be a dowel in the strut top to lock in the factory camber setting. If you were happy with the settings before fitting then there's no need to adjust anything however it's the perfect opportunity to dial in some neg camber! Torque for the front strut nuts are 35Nm but I'm not sure about the rears. Sorry.

35 Nm = 25 ft-lb?

Yup! 25.8 according to my converter.

Anybody got instructions on installing the OEM one? The link provided is dead.

FIXED. See post #1