Engine strut brace?

Beedub said:
RubyBlueZ4MC said:
Thought I'd throw a piccie of mine in too :)
jaremu7e.jpg
Click to expand...

are you aware this is fitted incorrectly..... the bend should face forward ;-)the whole bar needs to be rotated 180 Deg, also this means you will need nuts for the towers as these are one use items.... sorry to be the bearer of bad news!!

file-11.jpg
Click to expand...
I must admit when I looked at it I couldn't understand why it looked different to mine, just thought it must have been a coupe thing. :)
 
RubyBlueZ4MC said:
Beedub said:
RubyBlueZ4MC said:
Beedub, no I didn't know that. Thanks for pointing that out. Do you think I could fix it myself :wink: ?
Click to expand...


easy peasy :-) i believe in you !!!!!
Click to expand...

What do I need - like a screwdriver?
Click to expand...

My OEM looks natural.

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/bat1959/StrutBrace.jpg

Most important when you do fit one is. Car is on level ground and you use a torque wrench.
 
13mm nuts, release the nuts using a ratchet with 13mm socket, use a 13mm spanner on the inner 3 on the straight bar, turn your bar to look as per the pics above, use a Tq wrench set to 34nm on the outer 6, the inner 4 dont have a Tq spec.... you could do this easily and you'll really enjoy it.....i believe in you :-) or take it to a member thats local :-)
 
theblues said:
bit of a stupid question does it effect your insurance? was advised to tell them about wheels so would imagine its the same
Click to expand...
Yes - some people have even reported that their insurance company have refused cover for cars fitted with (non factory fitted) strut braces.

I can think of 2 possible reasons:
  • The type of people who fit strut braces drive their cars harder and are therefore statistically more likely to make a claim (and, when they do, the claims will be large ones)
  • In the event of a front end collision, the strut brace will transfer force from the damaged side of the car to the undamaged side, so you end up with with more damage overall and therefore more expensive repairs.
A strut brace is not the sort of thing that a loss adjuster would be likely to miss. Nor is it likely to be something that you could remove quickly after an accident (especially if it had been damaged as part of the collision).
 
ZedFourM said:
I can think of 2 possible reasons:
Click to expand...
The other, and most common reason, is they simply don't cover vehicles with mods of any sort, or that they don't cover high risk vehicles with mods.
 
ZedFourM said:
theblues said:
bit of a stupid question does it effect your insurance? was advised to tell them about wheels so would imagine its the same
Click to expand...
Yes - some people have even reported that their insurance company have refused cover for cars fitted with (non factory fitted) strut braces.

I can think of 2 possible reasons:
  • The type of people who fit strut braces drive their cars harder and are therefore statistically more likely to make a claim (and, when they do, the claims will be large ones)
  • In the event of a front end collision, the strut brace will transfer force from the damaged side of the car to the undamaged side, so you end up with with more damage overall and therefore more expensive repairs.
A strut brace is not the sort of thing that a loss adjuster would be likely to miss. Nor is it likely to be something that you could remove quickly after an accident (especially if it had been damaged as part of the collision).
Click to expand...

thanks :thumbsup:
 
So it sounds like we have to take everything off our z's now or the ins. folks won't pay out ! Bu**er !
 
saskia said:
So it sounds like we have to take everything off our z's now or the ins. folks won't pay out ! Bu**er !
Click to expand...
Why? I seek out insurers who will cover all my mods and simply pay the required premium for proper cover and have an "agreed valuation". Not the cheapest way to insure a car, but at least I know that I'm properly covered and can enjoy having all the benefits of my mods.
 
Beedub said:
also this means you will need nuts for the towers as these are one use items.... sorry to be the bearer of bad news!!
Click to expand...

I read that these nuts are one use in the fitting guide too...

I have a brace to fit from a member, came with some nuts... Is there any harm me reusing them?
 
They are Nyloc nuts and it is a matter of debate whether they may safely be reused. Either way it's nothing that a little Loctite won't fix.
My strut brace is second hand so I used Loctite on the nuts when I installed it. After many thousands of miles of spirited driving including a dozen track days, I loosened the shock tower nuts in order to dial in more negative camber and found all six to be tight as anything :thumbsup:
 
RubyBlueZ4MC said:
Beedub said:
RubyBlueZ4MC said:
Beedub, no I didn't know that. Thanks for pointing that out. Do you think I could fix it myself :wink: ?
Click to expand...


easy peasy :-) i believe in you !!!!!
Click to expand...

What do I need - like a screwdriver?
Click to expand...

hahahahaaaaaa!!
oh ruby!!!!
please send a vid of you using a screwdriver to undo the nuts :lol:
 
exdos said:
original guvnor said:
I meant where the strut is fixed to the front wing specifically rather than the actual suspension components. Maybe I'm wrong but I was sure I'd read about increased failure rates for cars with strut braces. Willing to admit I might have got that mixed up with something else though.
Click to expand...

It's interesting to note that BMW first started fitting OEM diagonal bracing from the bulk head to the suspension towers on the E46 platform (maybe others models around the same time) but before that, they didn't do this. From this I read that BMW know that this kind of bracing is beneficial as well as increasing the stiffness of their chassis. The constant flexing of metal parts is more likely to cause "metal fatigue" with consequent tears to panels. Likewise, BMW sell their own strutbrace for the Z4M, so they must approve the use of this. Fitting the suspension tower plates of the strutbace, will, in itself, strengthen the suspension towers (BMW already fit strengthening plates above the front top mounts to some of its top end models: i.e Z3Ms) and as I said earlier, tying the two towers together with the braces splints them and thus strengthens them and their connection to the wing panels by reducing flex and the incidence of metal fatigue.

I put my money where my mouth is, and I wouldn't be without my StrongStrut strutbrace.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure BMW could be that confident of the benefits for normal fast road use otherwise they would've either fitted it as standard or offered it as an optional extra.
 
original guvnor said:
I'm not sure BMW could be that confident of the benefits for normal fast road use otherwise they would've either fitted it as standard or offered it as an optional extra.
Click to expand...

Have you ever driven a car with a strutbrace? If so, what were your findings?
 
BMWZ4MC said:
They are Nyloc nuts and it is a matter of debate whether they may safely be reused. Either way it's nothing that a little Loctite won't fix.
My strut brace is second hand so I used Loctite on the nuts when I installed it. After many thousands of miles of spirited driving including a dozen track days, I loosened the shock tower nuts in order to dial in more negative camber and found all six to be tight as anything :thumbsup:
Click to expand...


May fit mine this today then :thumbsup:
 
Are they the same nuts in use with the Strut Brace fitted? You're adding about 5-6mm of depth, or reducing the equivalent amount of thread on the shaft...

Thinking about fitting mine also, but pondering on the nut question. 5yrs of BA engineering training is screaming at me to get new nuts if they're Nylock. I have to say I didn't notice when I looked at them yesterday. In fact 5yrs of BA engineering training is telling me to wire lock them, but that's a different game altogether!
 
Stuart Truman said:
Are they the same nuts in use with the Strut Brace fitted? You're adding about 5-6mm of depth, or reducing the equivalent amount of thread on the shaft...

Thinking about fitting mine also, but pondering on the nut question. 5yrs of BA engineering training is screaming at me to get new nuts if they're Nylock. I have to say I didn't notice when I looked at them yesterday. In fact 5yrs of BA engineering training is telling me to wire lock them, but that's a different game altogether!
Click to expand...

please wirelock them, that would be awesome lol, totally un neccesary but awesome
i want to inspect your wirelocking and see where 5 years of training gets you :lol:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom