Best front and rear strut bar

[Liam]

good question TrentW, I was thinking the same. Also, I want to buy some adjustable camber plates like ground control or Vorshlag. Can I still use the Mason engineering bar with it?

Yes... They are the very best bar on the market. These products a correctly engineered and tested.

If you look back at that link about chassis compliance testing you will see bars made by Mason Engineering. They were tested against a bunch of other braces and they came out on top.

I used to sell braces braces made by them and I had a hand in the R&D on the X and the rear system for the e30s...

No one is paying me to say this... Could give a shit less what the Internet race car engineers think... Or if anyone buys them.

Bottom line.

[nutrof]

good question TrentW, I was thinking the same. Also, I want to buy some adjustable camber plates like ground control or Vorshlag. Can I still use the Mason engineering bar with it?

[TrentW]

Is the Mason front bar a three bolt attachment on each side?

What's preferable on a street car--aluminum or steel?

[lifeiskaos]

mason for the rear, i'm a fan of the sparco in the front

[gearheadE30]

+1 on Mason.

[Liam]

So again... whats the best front and rear?


I have to stop drinking and posting... I've caused so much trouble already.

Bottom Line: Mason Engineering is the very best.

[nutrof]

So again... whats the best front and rear?


I have to stop drinking and posting... I've caused so much trouble already.

[Eric]

tower bars
because the average age -25 years,and that the E30 chassis monocoque is constructed of spot-welded thin steel panels,it will benefit from additional add on tubular
tower braces front and rear.BMW engineers addressed this problem
Some cars will visibly show joint crack propagation from age/flex/usage.
The bars were designed to remedy this fact and common occurence.Amateurs are just that and sometimes broadcast incorrect technical mis-information

I found a horizontal crack in my car just behind the fuze box. it is visible from the wheel well, and is not from rust.

[jjmtools]

tower bars
because the average age -25 years,and that the E30 chassis monocoque is constructed of spot-welded thin steel panels,it will benefit from additional add on tubular
tower braces front and rear.BMW engineers addressed this problem
Some cars will visibly show joint crack propagation from age/flex/usage.
The bars were designed to remedy this fact and common occurence.Amateurs are just that and sometimes broadcast incorrect technical mis-information

[Liam]

I'm aware of the Zen brace and that logic. But I'm of the opinion that you'll gain greater chassis stiffness by running the roll cage rear braces to a point approximately above the upper spring mounts. And if you want even more stiffness (and the class rules allow) x-brace the rear tubes.

You don't need either brace on a street car and on a race car (where it matters) you'll have a full cage to help with rear stiffness.

Not just "Zen" this information and testing is from several sources...

I really don't have any stake in this anymore either if you want this stuff for an e30 you will have to go to Mason Engineering.

I'm no longer involved in this end of the business... Strickly doing R&D and testing for another company.

[jlevie]

I'm aware of the Zen brace and that logic. But I'm of the opinion that you'll gain greater chassis stiffness by running the roll cage rear braces to a point approximately above the upper spring mounts. And if you want even more stiffness (and the class rules allow) x-brace the rear tubes.

You don't need either brace on a street car and on a race car (where it matters) you'll have a full cage to help with rear stiffness.

[Liam]

And the evidence for that assertion would be?

My assertion is based on the fact that the rear shock towers only anchor the top end of the shocks and the rear suspension is a conventional spring/shock configuration, not a strut type suspension. Since rear wheel alignment is determined solely by the trailing and sub frame geometry, movement of the shock towers has no affect on wheel alignment.

It's not the shocks that are causing the flex back there, it's the force transmitted from the sub-frame causing twisting around the back of the monocoque. And... Just running a bar top to top in one load path isn't sufficient to control it either.

Also this isn't only to control suspension compliance... It helps keep the shit from breaking (which was the first indicator we had that something was going on there).

Here is a link with more information on this: http://www.evolutionzen.com/chassis-compliance.html

My assertion is based on lab and track testing and failure analysis .

[IRON-E]

gets pop corn...sits back....




Oh boy, I smell a ban

[jlevie]

And the evidence for that assertion would be?

My assertion is based on the fact that the rear shock towers only anchor the top end of the shocks and the rear suspension is a conventional spring/shock configuration, not a strut type suspension. Since rear wheel alignment is determined solely by the trailing and sub frame geometry, movement of the shock towers has no affect on wheel alignment.

[Liam]

The best front strut bar will be the cheapest one you can find, which frequently is the Sparco bar. There's nothing to be gained from a rear strut bar, so spend that money on something that matters, like better brake pads for example.

I'm sorry to have to be the one tell you this but you are incorrect.