Z4M Strut Brace #51710305114

baris41 · Post by **baris41** » Mon May 16, 2022 6:05 am

I'm trying to find OE strut brace, anyone interested to sell?

Beedub · Post by **Beedub** » Mon May 16, 2022 7:36 am

rocking horse s**t rare...... plus stupidly expensive now days.... i doubt you'll get one

Justino · Post by **Justino** » Wed May 18, 2022 9:38 pm

Didn't know that, its made me realise I've got the Holy Grail of OE strut brace, OE CSL's, aero side cills (not yet fitted) and the roof gap filler thingy mejigs.

I prevaricated for years on the cills. When I first looked they were still available at the dealers, but I've had to go 2nd hand on these.

When I heard BBS were stopping production of the CSL's, I wasn't going to make the same mistake, so pulled the trigger and got some from Germany, before we left the EU, so no VAT on the imported parts.

What else should I be looking out for??

beanie · Post by **beanie** » Thu May 19, 2022 9:04 am

Might as well get an original CSL airbox and CSL rear camber arms if you’re feeling flush!

Electric folding mirrors are a fairly rare option and there was an official bmw rear spoiler. Not much else in the way of upgrades I don’t think but tbh, anything for these cars is a fairly safe ‘investment’. I wish I’d bought a load of old golf mk2 recaros and bbs rs 10-15 years ago before the prices went crazy.

Argenta · Post by **Argenta** » Fri May 20, 2022 9:59 am

I'm partial to the CSL-idea, not having the "heavy" options like el.seats, el.mirrors, large satnav-package etc.. Only "light stuff" like rear parking sensors, cruisecontrol etc. Only departure from that is my M3 brace, tho its all aluminium so very light.
Anyone else thinking the same?

Justino · Post by **Justino** » Sat May 21, 2022 8:01 pm

beanie wrote: ↑Thu May 19, 2022 9:04 am Might as well get an original CSL airbox and CSL rear camber arms if you’re feeling flush!

I have been thinking about the airbox, an Evolve or similar on the basis, its sounds epic, and its about enjoying your hard gotten gains, rather than just looking at in the bank. I was thinking just letting them do it, rather than a DIY - I'm capable of doing it (other than mapping), but I have so many other part done jobs, I don't need another.

I'm not familiar with the CSL rear camber arms, presume they allow more negative camber?

TomK · Post by **TomK** » Sat May 21, 2022 9:15 pm

Justino wrote: ↑Sat May 21, 2022 8:01 pm I'm not familiar with the CSL rear camber arms, presume they allow more negative camber?

Fairly certain they're the same length from memory, it's just the same eccentric bolt adjustment as standard, they are not adjustable. But they are desirable. I never weighed my old ones but for sure they're a lot less being hollow aluminum vs the standard steel items.

beanie · Post by **beanie** » Sat May 21, 2022 11:26 pm

I think they use a ball joint at the end as well.

They also have the benefit of having the full engineering prowess of bmw behind them. Lots of aftermarket stuff looks great but they never seem to have any sacrificial/collapsible sections which the csl parts seem to have. Big bucks though.

Justino- As for the airbox, just do it! From a logical perspective it’s hard to make a case for them, but from an emotional and experience-driven point of view, they’re worth every penny imo.

Justino · Post by **Justino** » Thu May 26, 2022 10:44 pm

beanie wrote: ↑Sat May 21, 2022 11:26 pm Justino- As for the airbox, just do it! From a logical perspective it’s hard to make a case for them, but from an emotional and experience-driven point of view, they’re worth every penny imo.

So which is the recognised best after market option for the CSL version, and do you use some BMW parts, eg snorkel?

beanie · Post by **beanie** » Fri May 27, 2022 10:11 pm

It’s been a while since I really looked in to them but iirc, some are more faithful replicas of the CSL box, karbonius and Geoff Steel which can use an oem or similar looking snorkel, whilst others take a slightly different approach to the opening Goke/Evolve and some others.

I’m not sure there’s really a best, but the Geoff steel box seems to be decent value and is reportedly much improved compared to their earlier boxes. Karbonius are a favorite as they’ve got the oem looks and are supposedly very good quality.

As for extra bits, I don’t know what boxes come with what. I ‘think’ you’ll need the csl air shut off valve (Part no. 11617833647) but it’s worth checking with the box manufacturer as some may include everything (evolve used to and may still do). You’ll also need to move the dipstick out of the way or buy the shorter csl version that sits under the airbox. It isn’t as easy to access so most just bend the original out of the way.

There used to be a couple of good threads floating around the net that listed all the bits, tools and procedures needed for fitting a box- a much better bet than my foggy memory that’s for sure!

Z4-forum.com

Z4-forum.com