here's IE newest front strut bar :~)

[Sean]

id be in too!!

I would be as well. Let me research in setting up a group buy.

[AdamF 88iS]

Looks just like the sparco bar, except Sparco bars are $100 all the time, not just when there's a group buy.

[318driver]

Id rather have that one, because i dont want a bright Red bar, when my car is Calypso and my valvecover and other things will be painted black. I could alway just powdercoat the sparco, but i dont wanna go through the hassle.

Im going to be running M3 springs and shocks and hopefully have this bar. Thats probably it for now.

What other supension are you running with the bar?
Feel any tighter?

[Beej '86 325es]

another pointers were NOT to use urathene control arm bushings since they do "pop-out", best to stick to oem M3's.

That's why Powerflex's design is unique. It "pops" in but once it's in, it's not coming out.

[e9nine]

Im going to be running M3 springs and shocks and hopefully have this bar. Thats probably it for now.

What other supension are you running with the bar?
Feel any tighter?

Strut bars are misconcieved by most unfortuntately. They are even debated by a lot. I noticed the benefit of mine in a stock car in high speed turns. No matter the susp, you have; its a contributing factor to stability in high speed turns. Some have put devices to them and claim they do not even register significantly....

You notice shocks, springs and sways way more than a strut bar.

M3 springs and shocks lower a little bit and are slightly firm over stock.

[M-technik-3]

Im going to be running M3 springs and shocks and hopefully have this bar. Thats probably it for now.

What other supension are you running with the bar?
Feel any tighter?

Strut bars are misconcieved by most unfortuntately. They are even debated by a lot. I noticed the benefit of mine in a stock car in high speed turns. No matter the susp, you have; its a contributing factor to stability in high speed turns. Some have put devices to them and claim they do not even register significantly....

You notice shocks, springs and sways way more than a strut bar.

M3 springs and shocks lower a little bit and are slightly firm over stock.

I will agree with Ove's therory slightly but it is noticable on a built car. I distributes stress evenly over the cars life. Goto a junk yard and look at some series I GTi's without bars that had suspensions on them the fenders don't align anymore and the welds around the shock towers get weak or crack. Bar alleviate this, otherwise why would factories add them?

They are also a $100 safety unit for crashes. Cars with them general have less damage then those without. Scientific fact no but I am sure someone has added the numbers up.

[e9nine]

Im going to be running M3 springs and shocks and hopefully have this bar. Thats probably it for now.

What other supension are you running with the bar?
Feel any tighter?

Strut bars are misconcieved by most unfortuntately. They are even debated by a lot. I noticed the benefit of mine in a stock car in high speed turns. No matter the susp, you have; its a contributing factor to stability in high speed turns. Some have put devices to them and claim they do not even register significantly....

You notice shocks, springs and sways way more than a strut bar.

M3 springs and shocks lower a little bit and are slightly firm over stock.

I will agree with Ove's therory slightly but it is noticable on a built car. I distributes stress evenly over the cars life. Goto a junk yard and look at some series I GTi's without bars that had suspensions on them the fenders don't align anymore and the welds around the shock towers get weak or crack. Bar alleviate this, otherwise why would factories add them?

They are also a $100 safety unit for crashes. Cars with them general have less damage then those without. Scientific fact no but I am sure someone has added the numbers up.

I agree with your point. Some people just think its more of a "thing you feel" over a chassis reinforcement piece.

[Brian 89 325i]

Both A1 and A2 Gti's do that. VW is just retarded that way. Bad Design, just like vacuume locks.

Brian

[Rob]

They are also a $100 safety unit for crashes. Cars with them general have less damage then those without. Scientific fact no but I am sure someone has added the numbers up.

on the same note, couldnt a car with a strut bar sustain more damage in certain situations? granted, if a car is in a wreck bad enough that this hypothetical occurs, its FUBAR anyway, but still...

[fabianyee]

I got a Sparco bright red bar and it made a big difference in handling. Reduce understeer immediately.

I have another fren who bought the bar as well and his car is totally stock, almost concours condition. And when he tried to fit the bar in the holes are totally off. It was later confirmed that his strut towers are distort.
But instead of realigning the front, he bent the bar a little so that it fits on.
The towers are still distort but then now it stay that way and not deteoriate further.

And the strut tower on the E30 are actually one of the weak points. so adding the strut bar does help to maintain the structure a lot better...

[derek w]

Lift the front end while installing the bar. This will take the stress off of the strut towers. Dont bend the bar!!

[Streetspec_iS]

I got a Sparco bright red bar and it made a big difference in handling. Reduce understeer immediately.

hold the fuken horses .... i always thought that the Sparco didnt fit m42 applications? was this on your m42 318i or another e30?

[fporro]

just to clarify,

Jason's email info@custom3.com arranged group buy from Ireland Engineering http://www.bmw2002.com/ hence lower price.

my 87 325ic measures 39.5" from center to center of truts.

not sure how similar is it to Sparco bar or if would fit M50 or M42 engines., you guys would know better.

Cruise control cable would be about 1/16" away from bar if little plastic thing was intact, in my case 1 side was a bit damaged., look at it this morning and yes, it did rub a little, so tryed to adjusted and ended up snaping otherside. oh well, back to the yard it is, hehehhe.

yes, car does feel alot tighter, currently runing oem supension with 17/ 205 f/215 r /45.
used to have this feeling when turning, like front and rear were going at different rattes and rear always had sort of delay action. now it turns all at once., perhaps 17 yeard old sub-frame bushings do play into this issue.

either lifting one side or jacking it up from center will help installation, not the case with my car., it just went on when placed level atop both towers.

had an annoyng 55mph shimmy, (unbalnce front tire), it transfered all the way through steering whell, it seems that bar helped muting it, still there but does not travel to steering wheel. not very concerned about it,will replace tires once my H&R Bilstein Coilovers arrive, that an k-Mac c/caster plates and rear bushings.

gotten a few more warnings about k mac's rear moving, so i'm not 100% sure if i'll used those. perhaps Scott's greasable units would be a better/more secure option.

thank to all for you comments,
regards,
frank

[fabianyee]

I got a Sparco bright red bar and it made a big difference in handling. Reduce understeer immediately.

hold the fuken horses .... i always thought that the Sparco didnt fit m42 applications? was this on your m42 318i or another e30?

I have an E36 M42B18 in there... hehehe



here's a page from UDM Motorsports depicting a sparco bar in a E30 318is with the original E30 318is intake manifold.

http://www.udm-motorsport.com/otherproducts/sparcobar.htm

It cleared the manifold...

[fabianyee]

Lift the front end while installing the bar. This will take the stress off of the strut towers. Dont bend the bar!!

Can't do... the holes are off by more than 1cm... I wasn't there when he tried to fit it. 1 cm is a lot....

his front camber are off as well, according to another fren who went with him to check his alignment, 1 side is +0.5 the other side -0.5...