Engine strut brace for Z4M roadster

[Adamw]

Hi all
Looking for a recommendation for a nice brushed aluminium strut brace to brighten up the engine bay and hopefully provide some additional front end rigidity.

Can any recommend a good place to purchase from?

Additionally, if anyone has one they wish to sell, please shout.

Adam

 

[Wassup]

They are rare as hens teeth and command a premium, I've seen them change hands between £350 and £450.

The E46 M3 strut brace fits with a little fettling, and they are more easily available.

 

[Adamw]

Thanks for the response.
That makes sense and explains why I’m not finding many that fit what I’m looking for when searching online.

I was wondering if there was a go-to brand/company that people used for these but appears not

 

[Mr Tidy]

With only just over 1,200 Z4Ms coming to the UK they are always going to be rare. Your best hope for an OE one is if someone is selling their car as they often remove parts like that for a better overall return.

My car has one, but it's a keeper!

 

[Adamw]

With only just over 1,200 Z4Ms coming to the UK they are always going to be rare. Your best hope for an OE one is if someone is selling their car as they often remove parts like that for a better overall return.

My car has one, but it's a keeper!

Thanks
I’m not sure what an OE one looks like & didn’t know BMW did one as standard - an option??

Any pics

 

[Mr Tidy]

I think it was offered in an accessories catalogue, like Aero sills.

I'll try to get a photo tomorrow.

 

[Adamw]

I think it was offered in an accessories catalogue, like Aero sills.

I'll try to get a photo tomorrow.

Thanks

 

[Adamw]

They are rare as hens teeth and command a premium, I've seen them change hands between £350 and £450.

The E46 M3 strut brace fits with a little fettling, and they are more easily available.

What needs to be fettled for the 46 brace to fit ?

 

[TomK]

With only just over 1,200 Z4Ms coming to the UK they are always going to be rare.

Given the BMW one wasn't standard equipment I'm not sure the quantity of z4ms made has that much to do with them? They were an option for a 6 year (near 200,000) run of cars, not just the 2 yr (9,000) of the M.
The fact they weren't standard says a lot really. They're pretty pointless since the two existing strutbraces to the bulkhead triangulate through the strut towers and the slam panel. I'd be amazed if you noticed a difference, I certainly didn't.
Here, the ever optimistic Sytner website will happily take £300 of your money and then refund you, because they say every part is in stock sigh...

https://www.sytnerstevenagebmwparts.co.uk/p/Bmw__/Strut-brace/132198534/51710305114.html

The m3 one is physically different even if it looks similar. You may or may not find the tower mounts rub the inside of the bonnet, and clearance to the airbox is marginal particuarly if using a csl style one.

 

[Adamw]

Given the BMW one wasn't standard equipment I'm not sure the quantity of z4ms made has that much to do with them? They were an option for a 6 year (near 200,000) run of cars, not just the 2 yr (9,000) of the M.
The fact they weren't standard says a lot really. They're pretty pointless since the two existing strutbraces to the bulkhead triangulate through the strut towers and the slam panel. I'd be amazed if you noticed a difference, I certainly didn't.
Here, the ever optimistic Sytner website will happily take £300 of your money and then refund you, because they say every part is in stock sigh...

https://www.sytnerstevenagebmwparts.co.uk/p/Bmw__/Strut-brace/132198534/51710305114.html

The m3 one is physically different even if it looks similar. You may or may not find the tower mounts rub the inside of the bonnet, and clearance to the airbox is marginal particuarly if using a csl style one.

Cheers, very helpful

 

[Mr Tidy]

Given the BMW one wasn't standard equipment I'm not sure the quantity of z4ms made has that much to do with them? They were an option for a 6 year (near 200,000) run of cars, not just the 2 yr (9,000) of the M.

Thanks, I wasn't sure if it fitted all E85/6s although I imagine it was mostly M owners that bought them!

 

[Wassup]

I still got my modified E46 M3 strut brace, replaced it with the polished genuine z4 specific strut brace. Happy to send pics over the weekend

 

[Adamw]

I still got my modified E46 M3 strut brace, replaced it with the polished genuine z4 specific strut brace. Happy to send pics over the weekend

That’d be good - cheers

 

[Jimbo76]

I thought the strut brace was standard on the E85 M cars, both roadster and coupe, along with E46 M3...

 

[TomK]

I thought the strut brace was standard on the E85 M cars, both roadster and coupe, along with E46 M3...

That's an M3 brace, which was standard on the m3 as they do not have the firewall braces like the Z4.
The optional Z4 brace is silver.

 

[Jimbo76]

That's an M3 brace, which was standard on the m3 as they do not have the firewall braces like the Z4.
The optional Z4 brace is silver.

How can you tell? Are the mounts on the strut towers different as well, to accommodate the 'cross the engine' brace rather than the ones that run back to the bulkhead??

The reason I ask is that this is a photo of my car... I assumed this set up was standard on the M...?

 

[AndyBeech]

How can you tell? Are the mounts on the strut towers different as well, to accommodate the 'cross the engine' brace rather than the ones that run back to the bulkhead??

The reason I ask is that this is a photo of my car... I assumed this set up was standard on the M...?

Not standard, was an optional extra. The Z4 brace had a flatted bit on the mount so it doesn't rub on the bonnet.
The Z4 one's are silver as Tom said, black are E46 unless been resprayed I suppose.
If you look on your bonnet you've likely got some rub marks around where the mount is.

 

[TomK]

How can you tell? Are the mounts on the strut towers different as well, to accommodate the 'cross the engine' brace rather than the ones that run back to the bulkhead??

The reason I ask is that this is a photo of my car... I assumed this set up was standard on the M...?

Well the big giveaway is that it is black. As I said above, the z4 one is a chrome silver.
I've had both on the bench side by side. The mounts whilst similar have a slightly different load path, the bar itself, I can't quite remeber but perhaps the z4 one has more of a ^.
Not the best angle for comparison but you can kind of see the clearance difference to the right hand side of the airbox.

 

[Bmwz4ruby]

It’s literally a 10 minute modification to make the M3 ones fit. Just file off the outer edge of the strut mount on each side. You can probably just see on my photos the material I have taken off.