Strut Tower Brace... Any Options for Buying One Here in California or in the USA?

Catbert

Catbert

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From what I know, installing a strut tower brace in an E9 will improve corning and overall handling while providing support to the strut towers to avoid metal fatigue. I will only be doing street driving and some spirited driving on cruises and not venture onto any race tracks. So long as doing so does not harm the car nor interfere with the flexible suspension geometry that aids handling, then I am considering installing one, that is, if one is available.

I also learned that a solid strut bar without any hinge points or adjustment hardware is superior to those with a segmented design. That's because hinge and swivel points create unwanted movement and "slop" that hinder the anti-flex gains a strut brace offers. So far, I have seen nothing that is available through any parts suppliers currently doing business. Does anyone know of any good options? @sfdon? @rsporsche? @e9Leveque? :cool:


This photo is just for illustration of a strut bar with solid construction
OFAB-E46M3-FSB_02_960x960.jpg
 
I did a group buy of the Daddywad strut brace several years ago. As a group, we spent a chunk of time looking at our options. I had previously purchased the W&N type strut bar, and couldn't make it fit on my car. So, that style of strut brace was not an option for me. At the time, it appeared to me that there was one manufacuturer of these, and all the retail outlets were carrying that same product. In other words, I concluded that the fitment problem I had with the W&N brace could not be avoided by buying that same type of strut brace from someone else. The Alpina style brace that Daddywad sold was the only truly different option. (At the time, the very low production custom strut bars others mentioned were all sold out). The Daddywad strut brace has worked well for me.

I would not even consider a fixed strut bar for a coupe. There is a lot of variability in our cars due to the way they were made, and there is no one size fits all strut bar that will bolt up to all coupes. That e46 M3 was manufactured to much tighter tolerances. For an e9, you need a certain amount of adjustment to take into account variations in strut tower distance from car to car.
 
Ohmess said:
I did a group buy of the Daddywad strut brace several years ago. As a group, we spent a chunk of time looking at our options. I had previously purchased the W&N type strut bar, and couldn't make it fit on my car. So, that style of strut brace was not an option for me. At the time, it appeared to me that there was one manufacuturer of these, and all the retail outlets were carrying that same product. In other words, I concluded that the fitment problem I had with the W&N brace could not be avoided by buying that same type of strut brace from someone else. The Alpina style brace that Daddywad sold was the only truly different option. (At the time, the very low production custom strut bars others mentioned were all sold out). The Daddywad strut brace has worked well for me.

I would not even consider a fixed strut bar for a coupe. There is a lot of variability in our cars due to the way they were made, and there is no one size fits all strut bar that will bolt up to all coupes. That e46 M3 was manufactured to much tighter tolerances. For an e9, you need a certain amount of adjustment to take into account variations in strut tower distance from car to car.
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Great comments and info, @Ohmess. Your remark about the tolerance variability and potential fitment issues makes a strong case for an adjustable strut brace. I certainly don't want to go down this path only to encounter a big headache to overcome. I want a straight bolt-on product as all do. I sent a PM to @daddywad and will hopefully learn if he might have any available. Thanks! :cool:
 
while a solid bar might be better if you are going to drive your car at the limit, there are certainly some significant drawbacks - for one, removing the bar anytime you want to adjust your valves or get to anything along the firewall in the engine compartment. sometime fitting them can be difficult - i had one for my e30 m3 and it was very difficult to get on ... you really had to manipulate things to do it. NEVER again.
 
I only drive my car on rallies and I wouldn’t think of putting one on it. I think all mechanics hate them. Number two on my list for least bang for the buck right after Headers.
 
rsporsche said:
while a solid bar might be better if you are going to drive your car at the limit, there are certainly some significant drawbacks - for one, removing the bar anytime you want to adjust your valves or get to anything along the firewall in the engine compartment. sometime fitting them can be difficult - i had one for my e30 m3 and it was very difficult to get on ... you really had to manipulate things to do it. NEVER again.
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That is what my main concern is... the downsides. It's one thing to have to remove it to do certain maintenance tasks. It's another when it's a PITA to put it back on. Think I'll take your suggestion to just pass. Right now, I have enough gremlins I'm doing battle with to get my car sorted out. Cheers!
 
sfdon said:
I only drive my car on rallies and I wouldn’t think of putting one on it. I think all mechanics hate them. Number two on my list for least bang for the buck right after Headers.
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They're number two on my list for bling-for-buck. Second only to headers. :love:

@Catbert if you care to join me on the bling train, I'm arranging a "care package" from my friend in the UK, and I've been considering the daddywad brace. I'm sure there's some extra room in there to make the trip.
 
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