What does a strut brace (aka stress bar or strut bar) do?
The concept of a strut bar is intended on reducing the flex between the front strut towers during hard cornering loads. By reducing this flex, information technology allows suspension points to remain undisturbed, allowing for the suspension to practice it's job properly. This often gives the bulldoze a feeling of increased stability and improved turning response, when in reality, the suspension is reacting every bit designed.
Who tin can benefit from a strut bar?
For those that may believe a strut bar is only for "rails cars" or "racecars", it is too street driven vehicles that do good from a properly engineered strut tower bar. Whereas anyone tin can appreciate the ability for a front break to remain constant at all times, other benefits include support of the manufactory strut towers from "mushrooming". These generally occurs if the vehicle hits big potholes, causing the interruption to compress completely, and so damaging the rim. All the same, its non just the rim that takes the hitting, but the shock belfry as well. Over fourth dimension, if left unprotected, information technology can cause expensive canvass metal damage.
What about a rear bar?
Since the rear break points exercise not see the same kinds of forces during hard corner (when compared to the front), a rear bar is typically unnecessary in a street application. A rear bar also tends to intrude into valuable trunk space inhibiting the full utilise of the cargo space. Additionally, for those with extensive stereo modifications (such as a sub-box), a rear bar tends to get in the way. Those companies that offering a rear bar typically practice so to offer a visual compliment to the front bar.
What to look for in a strut tower brace?
When looking at a strut tower caryatid to give yous the nearly benefit, it should accept the following features:
- Sufficient protection of the strut tower summit (to forestall "mushrooming")
- No pivots or heim-mode joints to allow the bar to flex or bend, but adaptable, to permit for intention pause changes.
- Center bar with minimal bends or kinks (straighter is stiffer!)
- Provide acceptable underhood clearance (so non to dimple the hood)
- Allow for interruption changes (for those that frequent the rail)
- Fabricated from the all-time materials available (for lightweight, coefficient of thermal expansion)
Even BMW applied many of these traits to their ain strut belfry braces when they offered them. For the E36 and E46 models, both used bandage aluminum strut belfry plates and matched them to tubular steel middle bars.
Thermodynamics: Damn, I should accept paid attention in that class!
Don't worry, you won't be tested on this field of study, yet it is relevant when talking almost the best materials of creating the all-time strut tower brace. There is a CTE (Coefficient of Thermal Expansion) for most every material and so the key is to apply materials that have the Least amount of result when the estrus increases (such as in the area of an engine compartment).
This graph illustrates the different Coefficients of Thermal Expansion (CTE) of pop materials used for strut tower braces. Every bit you can see, a strut tower brace made entirely of aluminum or magnesium would exist most affected by the elevated temperatures of an engine compartment. This may be fine on a strut plate, but if the centerbar were to aggrandize, this would negate whatever do good of the bar since information technology would change the interruption settings in a negative style (usually increasing positive slant). Since the heat of an engine compartment can exceed 200ºF, this would crusade an aluminum or magnesium eye bar to start expanding. For this reason, we do non offer an aluminum version. Simply switching the eye bar to steel would cutting the variation by about fifty%. Of course, switching to carbon fiber would make the expansion virtually immeasurable.
The Rogue Engineering science RACEBRACE: High operation without the high price
When we designed our RACEBRACE, nosotros wanted to make a simple, constructive, no-nonsense functioning product. Nosotros've filled a niche of high performance at a reasonable price! In fact, BMW offers a Grand Performance strut brace for E9X vehicles (not for M3), at a staggering $1400! Information technology'south a nice looking slice, if you don't heed the two extra automobile payments to pay for it!
E36 RACEBRACE
E46 RACEBRACE
The Rogue Technology RACEBRACE was designed as an alternative offering to the BMW Motorsport manufacturing plant strut tower brace, which is no longer available. This particular was standard equipment on the 1995 BMW M3 GT (350 produced, for Europe only) as well as the 1995 BMW M3 Lightweight (The states marketplace). This well engineered brace utilized cast aluminum end plates and a adjustable steel centre bar. These rare parts easily fetch over $1000 on the used marketplace. Unfortunately, this bar did not fit ASC+T vehicles
The Rogue Engineering RACEBRACE also makes a great replacement for the factory E46 M3 strut brace. These factory strut braces were included on 2002-2006 model year E46 M3s (2001 models did not get it from the factory). Although rare, we have seen the manufactory cast aluminum mounting plates crack or worse, break. While most are covered under factory warranty, the dealer is normally very quick to deny any warranty because of modifications done to the vehicle (also depression, springs too stiff, or a louder muffler was the cause of the crevice). While fantastic in concept, the cast strut tower plates are plain non strong enough to handle the stresses which are existence exerted onto the towers from the suspension. The RACEBRACE's solid steel plates offer enough strength to handle these stresses.
Moving-picture show of broken factory E46 M3 strut tower mount
1 Replica braces of this type are generally one/3 the cost of the accurate counterpart.
2 No longer available, only when sold used in good condition, they tin fetch more than $1000
RACEBRACE Features and Benefits
- Lightweight tubular steel bars are 100% TIG welded to high strength steel plates and powdercoated black for a durable finish. While aluminum may be marginally lighter, steel is used for its superior Coefficients of Thermal Expansion over aluminum or magnesium alloy.
- The RACEBRACE'due south one-piece blueprint offers the strongest possible connexion from each strut tower. Its one slice welded construction resists bending and flexing moments that hinged, flat confined simply cannot compare. While there may be others offering one-piece bars, we engineer our confined to support along the stress of the load path equally closely as possible, not merely "connecting" the two towers together.
- The multiple bar configuration, with center support bars, resist twisting and bending of the front chassis. Although it does not bolt to the firewall, the bar's multiple tubes resist bending and twisting in multiple planes (when compared to strut braces' that utilise only flat bars).
- Open belfry design allows for piece of cake admission to adjustable camber plates and shock adjustments.
- Designed to offering adequate clearance over the engine components also as underhood clearance.
- Strut tower offers full 360° back up, completely covering the strut tower surface area. This can prevent costly sheet metallic damage "mushrooming" from potholes, especially with lowered cars.
- Removal of the strut brace takes only minutes with elementary hand tools. Adjustments to suspension slant/caster plates tin be made without removal of the bar.
Model Notes, Installation Notes & FAQ (READ Advisedly!)
- E36 Models
- Make sure you have adequate slant plate/strut mount stud exposure.
- Installation of the manufacturing plant Strut Belfry Reinforcement Plates are highly recommended.
- For E36 models with M50/S50 engines with oil fill caps towards the firewall, the caryatid does not interfere with the removal of the cap. Utilise of a funnel is recommended for spill-free oil additions.
- Fits S50B30 (Euro 3.0L) with no problems.
- Does Non fit 4-cylinders vehicles or Z3s.
- E36 version weighs half dozen.9 lbs.
- Does Non fit E36s with MK60 ABS conversions (normally constitute on rail/racecars)
- The E36 version may fit with an LS engine transplant (equally verified by one of our customers). This is Not a guarantee of fitment. No returns accepted without restocking fee.
- The E36 version may fit with an S54 swap engine transplant (but NOT with ABS MK60 in place). This is Non a guarantee of fitment. No returns accepted without restocking fee.
- These are produced in jigs to ensure consistency in manufacturing. As chassis proceed to age, get shell up on pot hole ridden roads, the chassis specs tin can, and will, change. If fitment becomes an issue, nosotros cannot produce a bar to fit the unpredictable and uncertain harm from a vehicle'due south use.
- E46 Models
- The E46 Models are slotted, to lucifer the manufacturing plant strut tower slots making installation easier.
- Installation of the manufactory Strut Tower Reinforcement Plates are highly recommended.
- E46 model was designed specifically for the M3 2001-2006, merely also fits 6-cylinder E46 from 2002 onwards. It is not designed for E46 vehicles from 1999-2001. Early on model E46 M3s have these bumps, but with camber plates (longer studs), our RACEBRACE can still be installed.
Shipping information
- Because the RACEBRACE jumpsuit construction, it requires a box which UPS and other common carriers have deemed "Oversize 1" (despite its true weight). Freight charges will be calculated based on this data.
Installation Notes
Since the RACEBRACE is a single slice design, installation is not quite as simple as the multi-slice ones on the market place. It does take some technique to ensure that it fits correctly. Here is some tips for install.
- If being fitted to an E46, remove the "locating" pin on each side of the strut mount. These can be easily removed with an allen cardinal.
- When fitting it on either an E36 or E46 with OE strut mounts, remove the iii nuts from both sides. You can identify i side of the RACEBRACE on one side and loosely install the nuts a few threads. For the other side, y'all may be required to lift up on that side with a floor jack to "lower" the strut stud threads movement out of the way and then that the bar may sit apartment. Be careful Non to jack information technology up too loftier as the entire strut may drop out of the strut belfry. Once the bar can sit down apartment, you tin can lower the car then that the strut mount studs and protrude through the tower and the brace at the same fourth dimension.
- There are rare instances that the towers are have moved closer over time and the bar will not fit properly. Note that these are produced in a production jig (not on a car) in our factory.
- Using the supplied washer and flanged nuts, tighten each to approximately 18 ft lbs.
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