Euro bumper brace

[arch4ngel]

Since the day I bought my 325is I've hated the sight of my bumpers.
Besides their occasional use as a bench or tool holder, I could care less about them.

So I finally decided to go with euro bumpers. After months and months of looking for the right set I finally got some delivered last week from a member here (thanks carbeater :up:).

While tearing them apart to give them a good cleaning I noticed the front and rears have a huge metal bar running along the insides.

After doing a bit of searching it looks like these pieces are a bumper reinforcement, that came on federalized e30s.

These ones are a bit bent up but most likely can be saved.

What do you guys think, are they worth saving and bending back into shape?
Or get rid of them for the weight savings (they are pretty heavy, no idea on weight) and buy some regular brackets?

The car is currently a daily driver.

[scabzzzz]

If I were you, I'd leave the reinforcements on there.
I had the tiniest little fender bender and dented up my BRAND NEW euro bumpers set, front and rear, from a >5mph collision of someone rolling back into me on a hill.

I mean, how much faster are you going to be from that small bit of weight youre shaving off?

[kronus]

Actually, those bars are at least 15 lbs each. I want to remove my rear one.. it did nothing for the bumper's structural integrity, since the bumper has a slight bend to it.

[arch4ngel]

Thanks for the input.
I'm less worried about going faster than the work it'll take to bend them back.
Seems like it'll be worth it though, no idea how fast the car they came off of was going when it was hit, but the bumper itself is barely dented.

[arch4ngel]

Actually, those bars are at least 15 lbs each. I want to remove my rear one.. it did nothing for the bumper's structural integrity, since the bumper has a slight bend to it.

Ouch, 30 lbs is a lot of weight! Then again I wonder how much weight savings i'll see by getting rid of the massive aluminum and plastic horrors currently hanging off the car... could be less even with the braces.

I fail to see how the bend in the bumper would make a diff though.
The more I think about it the more it seems like the brace is to protect the body and frame as opposed to the bumpers, which will be bent anyway (though probably to a lesser degree) in a collision.

[T3rd Ferguson]

Actually, those bars are at least 15 lbs each. I want to remove my rear one.. it did nothing for the bumper's structural integrity, since the bumper has a slight bend to it.

15 pounds? i think that's a little steep. mine didnt feel like they were 15lbs. i even shipped the front one to washington, that weight would definitely impact the shipping cost

[scabzzzz]

It aint 15 pounds I can tell you that much.
The whole bumper with the impact strips is 15 pounds.


Leave it in. Its worth it for collisions. Unless Im misunderstanding the question.

[kronus]

15 pounds? i think that's a little steep. mine didnt feel like they were 15lbs. i even shipped the front one to washington, that weight would definitely impact the shipping cost

It may be possible that the one in my rear bumper is bulkier than what you have. Different places did the federalization procedure...

Mine is made of full length, rusty, inch-and-a-half thick bar stock. I'll take a few photos of it this weekend.

[Japandrew73]

weird I don't have this on either of my euro bumpers... lucky me:D

[arch4ngel]

It aint 15 pounds I can tell you that much.
The whole bumper with the impact strips is 15 pounds.


Leave it in. Its worth it for collisions. Unless Im misunderstanding the question.

Yea, that was my question more or less.
I'll try bending the brackets back into shape and see how it lines up.

Pretty sure mine is the same as Kronus from how he described it, I'll take some pics tonight or tomorrow.

[JasonC]

I took mine out and tossed them in the trash. For as close as the bumpers are to the body and the damage that will be done to the car if something did hit your car. It isn't goping to matter if they are in there or not.

[SoCal323i]

I took mine out and tossed them in the trash. For as close as the bumpers are to the body and the damage that will be done to the car if something did hit your car. It isn't goping to matter if they are in there or not.

You're probably right but I left mine in just because I was being lazy.

[JasonC]

I can also say first hand how well the euro's bend up like paper with a impact at and or below 5mph :o

[arch4ngel]

Here's a pic of the front:



Looks completely different from SoCal323i's.

Didn't have a chance to put it on a scale but it weighs probably twice what the bumper itself weighs.

I tried to take a close up of the core damage but it didn't come out right, but you can tell the brunt of the impact was taken by the bar.
The bumper is a bit wavy but very little damage overall, compared to the bent mounting point of the bumper core which is some heavy duty steel.