I was looking on ebay for strut bars for my '91 525i and couldn't find any. I found a ton of strut bars for the E36 3-series and they were cheaply priced around $30 shipped. Other websites sell E34 strut bars for almost $200 plus shipping. To me that is expensive, considering that my new Eibach ProKit only costs $130 shipped for the whole set. Is the strut bar worth it? Does the strut bar really help a lot in steering and handling for the E34? Why don't people/companies make strut bars cheaper for the E34?

Please tell me if there are less expensive strut bars out there for the E34, used or new. Otherwise I will save up for gas strut inserts and not the strut bar. Which would you rather do?

which site did you find strut bars for the e36 for $30 shipped?

Unless your car is in tip-top shape, you'll get a LOT more bang for your buck by replacing worn-out suspension components with OEM or good-quality aftermarket parts.

Buying mods like a strut bar is kindof a waste unless the rest of the car is totally up-to-spec, IMO. The E34 is an impressive car when all the stock stuff is in good shape, and even more impressive with a mild spring/shock/swaybar upgrade using ///M parts or good aftermarket.

My strut bar has "Dinan" on it.Helps me to remember all the money I have spent. :eek:

I don't even have a strut bar on my car and it goes around corners on rails. Theres a few guys here that can vouch for that. However I do want one and will be getting a Strong Strut bar soon. The moral of this post is do your suspension first. The strut bar will only enhance a good setup, but it won't help a shitty one. Oh and prices are a reflection of materials, machineing and quality engineering. You know...expensive. :stickoutt

those $30 made in taiwan strut bars are garbage.

Good jewelry is always expen$ive.

i bought a cheap strut bar for my other car and i swear i could bend the thing with my hands. i don't see how it could be helping me out when i'm cornering. how could something flexable reduce front end flex :confused: ?

Maybe thats your problem, According to the articles that ive read on strut bars you should have no flex in the bar.
This write up is from bmwe34.net (http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/upgrade/suspensions.htm) :
Strut bar (strut tower bar - strut brace)
They link the two opposite strut towers together. A good strut brace is design to reduce the flex in the strut towers when the car is in a corner. The flex is greater if the car is lowered.

A well designed strut bar is a must have if you track your E34, it will improve the chassis stiffness making the the steering quicker and more responsive... Perfect for the autocross.

Ok, why do I talk about a well designed bar?
The best bar would have no link to it and shouldn't be adjustable, because you want NO flex in the bar (it kind of defies the purpose). Else you will just buy a worthless piece of engine jewelry.

darron

no screws/bolts allowed... mmmm, tig-welded....

My suspension components are in OK shape, not the greatest though and I still noticed a little bit of a difference, but only in extremely hard cornering.

I bought one of those $30 universal ones. (the bar and other metal was very solid) but it had flexible joints. I just welded thicker metal around the bracket area and welded the joints. Its damn strong now for really cheap :D

And sorry to get off topic, but :
Where did you get the eibach pro kit for 130 shipped???

My suspension components are in OK shape, not the greatest though and I still noticed a little bit of a difference, but only in extremely hard cornering.

I bought one of those $30 universal ones. (the bar and other metal was very solid) but it had flexible joints. I just welded thicker metal around the bracket area and welded the joints. Its damn strong now for really cheap :D

And sorry to get off topic, but :
Where did you get the eibach pro kit for 130 shipped???
I was lucky. I got the Eibach Prokit off eBay from some guy who bought it and never used it. Which universal bar did you get and where did you get it from? I know how to do a bit of arc welding myself. =)

no movement, no flex, no junk, no kidding. check it out http://members.cox.net/azz3man/E_34.html

The E34 is an impressive car when all the stock stuff is in good shape, and even more impressive with a mild spring/shock/swaybar upgrade using ///M parts or good aftermarket.

I agree with this statement. Our car just got everything replaced, and a few suspension parts upgraded to that off of an e34 M5, and I can honestly say that it handles well.

Do other things first.

I don't even have a strut bar on my car and it goes around corners on rails. Theres a few guys here that can vouch for that.


:devillook :devillook :devillook

I have an extra Racing Dynamics strut brace if anyone interested for E34.

agree with the others - make sure the other parts of the suspension are solid first.

Thanks to everyone for their input. If a strut bar for my E34 costed $30 I would have bought it already. In the past I have had good luck with cheapo bars from ebay. Now that I think about it, my front shock inserts are blown and in need of replacement. Any suggestion on shock inserts? Should I replace the front ones only or all?

That's surprising. The Ireland bar didn't fit on my car. The bar rested on the intake plenum cover and thus couldn't span the shock towers.

That's surprising. The Ireland bar didn't fit on my car. The bar rested on the intake plenum cover and thus couldn't span the shock towers.

was it a regular e34 bar? Regular e34 bars dont fit the e34 m5. The bar designed for the e34 m5 is made so it clears the intake manifold. I've seen some where they are a U shape, and some where it looks like they smashed the bar in a vise grip over the intake spot.

edit : just realized theres a picture of the one with the smashed looking piece. That looks like a good bar btw, too bad I can't afford one. :embarrasm

I'm looking at the Ireland strut bar. Do those mounts just rest on top of the bumps? Or do the mounts have something under them to go between the bumps? I'm talking about the bumps on top of the strut tower.

the Ireland strut tower mount has extra metal to go inbetween the strut tower bumps. So the weight of the mount is spread over the bumps and between the spaces of the bumps. It is definitely custom fitted to the strut tower.