found two strut bars at www.auto-mark.com . one is made by hartge ($220), and is for a regular e34. the other is made by wiechers sport ($200), and is made for the e34 m5. question is, why does the m5 get its owns strut bar? would an m5 strut bar fit a regular e34 (like my 525i)?

<img src=http://forums.***************************************?attachmentid=110786&stc=1>

<img src=http://forums.***************************************?attachmentid=110787&stc=1>

then there's the two bars at bavauto:
- bavauto $200 (kinda looks like a hartge copy)
- rd $225

<img src=http://forums.***************************************?attachmentid=110788&stc=1>

<img src=http://forums.***************************************?attachmentid=110789&stc=1>

tia! :cool

it's possible that this is a wiechers sport strut bar?

<img src=http://www5c.biglobe.ne.jp/~dg34m5/maze4.jpg>

it's possible that this is a wiechers sport strut bar?

<img src=http://www5c.biglobe.ne.jp/~dg34m5/maze4.jpg>

I'm sorry,still looks like a wet noodle to me.
:stickoutt

hahaha!

Is it possible that the M5 gets a different strut bar because it has a different engine and the other strut bars might hit the engine.

Pardon my ignorance, but I've always wondered what exactly strut bars do. I know they act as a stabilizer, like a roll cage for the engine bay, but how does this help with weight transfer, etc...and what other direct benefits do they offer?

strut bars also help reducing body roll during cornering

Pardon my ignorance, but I've always wondered what exactly strut bars do. I know they act as a stabilizer, like a roll cage for the engine bay, but how does this help with weight transfer, etc...and what other direct benefits do they offer?
It's supposed to reduce body flex between the two strut towers.

Though the e34 is a very rigid car, and honestly I doubt this will do a whole lot as compared to other cars. Maybe if your suspension is all built up you'll feel a difference.

i heard it also helps when you've upgraded your suspension and have large wheels.

Is it possible that the M5 gets a different strut bar because it has a different engine and the other strut bars might hit the engine.
i'm pretty certain the bar is different because of the engine position. however, i'm trying to find out if the mounting holes are the same. i'm confused because there's some sites that say that one bar is usable on the 525i and 535i, and then another bar is usable on a m5 and 535i. just kinda weird.

Pardon my ignorance, but I've always wondered what exactly strut bars do. I know they act as a stabilizer, like a roll cage for the engine bay, but how does this help with weight transfer, etc...and what other direct benefits do they offer?

It makes my car go faster.Wait,that is what the salesman told me.

It makes my car go faster.Wait,that is what the salesman told me.

:rofl:

Rob,

the difference between the bars is because of the engine and where the bar would cross it. Remember the 535 has a high intake that the m50 does not have...but remember that the body is still the same the bend is just different.

hope this helps

theDogger

thanks brian for the info! makes sense. also, thanks for the rd bar info.

Just say no to hinged strut bars! :nono It's a pet peeve of mine, but why invest in an item that is supposed to fasten the strut towers in place, yet leave movable joints at the pivot points? I know there are those that argue the strut tower bar works by distributing the loads between the strut towers in a trapazoidal fashion with the bulkhead, but I don't really buy it.

The bars are different due to the layouts of the different engines, despite the mounting holes being the same (at least on the non-M cars). Thus far, I have not come across a solid mount strut bar that fits an E34 M5. I tried the Ireland Engineering bar and it got hung up on the intake shroud. Mblaster has tried to get something going, but finding cars to test fit has been a problem. AFAIK, the project is dead in the water.

I have an idea of my own, but I haven't had the time, nor the inclination to pursue it. I'm really tired of fiddling with my car right now, but I may blow the dust off the idea later this year.

Oh and Shragon, skip the RD bar. The general consensus is that it is crap quality.

"Oh and Shragon, skip the RD bar. The general consensus is that it is crap quality.'

2 opinions does not a consensus make.IMHO.

2 opinions does not a consensus make.IMHO.
I've read similar impressions from several people over the years. :dunno

i heard it also helps when you've upgraded your suspension and have large wheels.

:(

the best bar triangulates teh shock towers with the firewall...
i haven't seen any of these for the e34 =[

well i just ordered my rd tower bar yesterday and when i get it i will report on how well it works. im hoping its going to help my car with its understeer

Since we are just throwing up some hot air...I dont remember where i read it, but there was a theory out there wheather street driven cars need one or not. I believe the test went...tie a peice of dental floss to the cross members, nice and tout. Go drive around, do your thing. If it breaks, you may have some benifit from a strut bar, if not...its eye candy.

Since we are just throwing up some hot air...I dont remember where i read it, but there was a theory out there wheather street driven cars need one or not. I believe the test went...tie a peice of dental floss to the cross members, nice and tout. Go drive around, do your thing. If it breaks, you may have some benifit from a strut bar, if not...its eye candy.
I know people first hand who have fealt the difference. Although I live in an area with alot of windy roads. I have a racing dynamics strut brace but have not taken it off to feel the car with out it.

ok liquid tiger i tried the dental floss thing but before i put it on, that stuff was wayy to hard to break cuz it just stretches then goes back. also after i got back from my drive around town rather than breaking it just sort of melted everywhere. :eek: ya so little hint to everyone dont do the dental floss test.

lol, sorry....thats what i read...wasnt my idea.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33591&item=7976334459&rd=1
looks like crap to me but maybe someone is interested. One a related note I just won a RD bar off ebay!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33591&item=7976334459&rd=1
looks like crap to me but maybe someone is interested. One a related note I just won a RD bar off ebay!!!
lee, if your RD bar comes with the 540 brake booster relocation bracket, i would love to snag it from you (as i didnt get one with mine :()

lee, if your RD bar comes with the 540 brake booster relocation bracket, i would love to snag it from you (as i didnt get one with mine :()


Mine didn't come with one either but we were still able to install it.

lee, if your RD bar comes with the 540 brake booster relocation bracket, i would love to snag it from you (as i didnt get one with mine :()
I'll e-mail the seller and ask him. It's off of ebay. I was gonna buy a new one this week to from bav but this one popped up and the guy is in Canada so i'm saving lot of $$!!

i'm saving lot of $$!!
it must be from GEICO

Oh and Shragon, skip the RD bar. The general consensus is that it is crap quality. yea, i'm not leaning towards the rd bar since i'm not sure if it's something that electrodyne produced, or racing dynamics italy (true rd).


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33591&item=7976334459&rd=1
looks like crap to me but maybe someone is interested. One a related note I just won a RD bar off ebay!!! stay away from that bar, it's a cheap POS made in taiwan. i got one for free a few years ago, and it was very crappy. i decided to fit it anyway, and a few months later it broke (lol). so going back to josh's theory with the dental floss, i guess i could use a strut bar, hahaha. anyway, a couple years back those were going on ebay for as low as $30.

going back to one of my original questions, it is confirmed, an m5 bar will fit a 525i (m50). the only problem is, i think the bar blocks the oil filler cap as you can see from the pic (hope you don't mind mark!). i'm not sure if auto-mark keeps the bar in stock or not, trying to find that out. they are however able to special order the correct bar from germany, but it takes anywhere from 6-10 weeks to come in.

(Picture is courtesy of Mark Eckstein of Auto-Mark Inc., www.auto-mark.com)

If you go to the racing dynamics web page they warn you that electrodyne and RD are basicly ripping off their name in US and they have stopped producing in this market due to legal BS.

I like my RD bar... works fine for me. Nice and thick so it seems pretty sturdy.

The difference is the intake plenum on the M5. That's why that bar is curved back toward th e firewall. Others are straight across but flatten out at the plenum. Fitment is a bitch on the M5. For everyone who is really trying to make their car turn, the best fix is a camber kit. I've shelved the strut bar idea for now.

for anybody interested in the wiechers sport m5 strut bar, auto-mark.com usually keeps it in stock (even though they're currently out of them).

i found a pic of the correct wiechers sport strut bar for the m50 motor.

debating what to do...

hartge strut bar on m30.

(Picture is courtesy of Mark Eckstein of Auto-Mark Inc., www.auto-mark.com)

The difference is the intake plenum on the M5. That's why that bar is curved back toward th e firewall. Others are straight across but flatten out at the plenum. Fitment is a bitch on the M5. For everyone who is really trying to make their car turn, the best fix is a camber kit. I've shelved the strut bar idea for now.
Is it worth the effort just for eye candy?

How often are you showing off your engine?
Besides Eye candy Plus a perf gain (even if only a little) is prolly worth $300.

How often are you showing off your engine?
Besides Eye candy Plus a perf gain (even if only a little) is prolly worth $300.
Not often but when you open the hood it should look too. IT is not so the cost as it is the pain of install and maintenance interference. Mblaster seems to have had one and I have not hence the question.

on my e39... love it :buttrock
http://www.2b-club.com/bobtom/Gallery/42.jpg

I might be biased,but this is my fav. of the moment

http://www.eurowerkz.com/gallery/album/Jim/engine2_copy.sized.jpg

on my e39... love it :buttrock
http://www.2b-club.com/bobtom/Gallery/42.jpg
which one is that?

that hartage one dosnt look too bad. Light on the wallet too.

which one is that?
alutec bar...bought it from Taiwan :D
works well for me~usefully~

alutec bar...bought it from Taiwan :D
works well for me~usefully~
the same company as the wheel manufacturer?

the same company as the wheel manufacturer?
no,theres other company

Is it worth the effort just for eye candy?
Putting a strut bar over an S38 is covering the eye candy ;)

Putting a strut bar over an S38 is covering the eye candy ;)
even pretty women wear jewlery.

even pretty women wear jewlery.


yea but I like em neked ;)

well i just ordered my rd tower bar yesterday and when i get it i will report on how well it works. im hoping its going to help my car with its understeer

ummmm, actually, it will make it worse... in essence you are firming up the roll stiffnes in teh front end, and that, as we all know, makes the car understeer more.

however, it may also manifest itself with more predictable, and more controlable understeer, which may allow you to drive the car consistently faster... but in the end, you need 25mm rear sway bar on "full stiff"

unless you have an E28 like me and then you just need an LSD and a 16mm rear on full stiff to have "uber-oversteer-fun"

heehee!

yea but I like em neked ;)
you guys are cracking me up :rofl

yea but I like em neked ;)
I'll take that as a no then.

Shragon. did you pick one?

most importantly....

STRUT BARS LOOK COOL INSTALLED IN THE ENGINE BAY!

i don't know if our cars really need them (or maybe they need them more!) compared to sporty cars like...the E36M3 which can have strut bars, x-brace, coilovers, sway bars, etc...

does anyone really throw the E34 around like they would a smaller car (honda, miata, m3, lotus, etc)?

I throw mine around through the twisties. =) Eventually auto-x too if you count that as throwing it around.

josh, not yet.

there were two rd bars on ebay and a wiechers sport m5 bar on ebay. both went for more than i was willing to pay for a used bar.

staying patient...

most importantly....

STRUT BARS LOOK COOL INSTALLED IN THE ENGINE BAY!

i don't know if our cars really need them (or maybe they need them more!) compared to sporty cars like...the E36M3 which can have strut bars, x-brace, coilovers, sway bars, etc...

does anyone really throw the E34 around like they would a smaller car (honda, miata, m3, lotus, etc)?
My old girl has held her own against a miata and a wrx thus far. I look forward to future meet and greats! :D :redspot

josh, not yet.

there were two rd bars on ebay and a wiechers sport m5 bar on ebay. both went for more than i was willing to pay for a used bar.

staying patient...
Just out of curiosity, how much were those bars going for? I might be interested in letting my RD go or possibly fabricating one.