[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by W37V

Have you given much more thought how you could remove more weight without losing daily comfort?

What about swapping out the oil pan? Not sure how much would that yield but I think automatic uses aluminum oil pan while manual uses steel. That might be worth 1-2 lb.

No, I’ve been slacking off lately with the car and just doing track days instead of mods lol.

I did order the M3 strut brace Guy Fieri recommended. Will be installing that soon.

And I still need to go through the car and take out some parts that are no longer applicable like the rear seat belts, rear seat latches, etc. So there should be some updates soon.

The last month I’ve been the the process of buying a house (at the worst time in history to buy a house!!) so that has been distracting me, but we should be closing next week and then I can start focusing on what’s important again

[Torgus]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

No, I’ve been slacking off lately with the car and just doing track days instead of mods lol.

I did order the M3 strut brace Guy Fieri recommended. Will be installing that soon.

And I still need to go through the car and take out some parts that are no longer applicable like the rear seat belts, rear seat latches, etc. So there should be some updates soon.

The last month I’ve been the the process of buying a house (at the worst time in history to buy a house!!) so that has been distracting me, but we should be closing next week and then I can start focusing on what’s important again

I already had my whole suspension done with I added the m3 brace but it did seem to make a positive difference. I think I would have noticed it a lot more just on springs and struts etc. but in no way a negative. It will be interesting to hear your review of it after the install.

As much as I hate Ultra racing(and the color I) always toyed with the idea of this as it almost tries to triangulate the arms: https://ultraracing-usa.com/bmw-3-se...trut-4-points/

It is amazing no one made an arm to go across to triangulate the m3 FSTB, maybe it would hit the m3 hood with how high the S65 sits in the engine bay? Or the washer fluid fill is in the way(not for me relocated)? I guess new strut plates would have to be made etc. but you owuld think the m3 guy's wallet could handle it. All the FSTB for the m3 delete the V and just go across and seem worthless. One buy had it all welded with CF. I forget who. Looked really nice but I think he said it was like $1600 all said and done with the Dinan CF arms etc.

Does seem to sit FAR back:




I have toyed with the idea of just having someone bend some metal and weld it to the strut tower m3 pieces and rattle can or powder coat it. The main reason I never bother with it is cost because I am sure the gains are minimal and it for it to look good would cost way more than I want to spend


edit: Now you have to pimp out your garage in the house. Another place to DUMP money Gotta get the cool race tile floor, Heat & AC, cabinets, TV/PC set up, etc.

[The Nightman]

justpete mentioned modifing the M3 strut tower rings to accommodate the Ultra Racing brace, but not sure if he went through with it: https://www.e90post.com/forums/showp...6&postcount=17. I'm not convinced that this or the Ultra Racing M3 brace add a meaningful amount of rigidity to the already excellent M3 brace.

Biginboca congrats on the house. If you think car mods are expensive...

[Biginboca]

Torgus thanks for posting that. The Ultra Racing brace you show is hard to judge, it not only is sitting far back it also bends upwards over the top of the M3 plenum. Really hard to know if it’s doing anything worthwhile, I mean it is at least as effective as the oem M3 brace because it still has pieces to do exactly what the oem one does. Also I think we can all agree, Ultra Racing makes so many damned braces that seem like utter nonsense it kind of casts doubts on all their products.

Like Guy Fieri said he had the ultra racing brace that I have now (runs straight across the top of the motor directly from strut to strut):




So this UR brace works in combination with the e9x 328i/335i strut braces to make a true “bracing triangle” and he said this combo didn’t even do as much as the oem M3 brace alone on his car.

As you can see my Ultra Racing Brace also has a couple bends in it so that may be why. It is very light weight and adding bends with no supporting buttresses at the bends, which just makes these bends a nice pivot point I think lol

Guy Fieri I also considered trying to add the brace I have now back in with the M3 bracing, but with me still trying to take more weight off the car I want to start being very careful that all the bracing actually does something. And you already said the Ultra Racing Brace didn’t even do as much as the M3 oem braces lol

[Phil325i]

From what I can tell from the photos, the UR M3 brace uses the existing M3 strut top mounts. So I think it must be instead of the M3 factory brace, not as well as. If so, it won't provide any triangulation effect, because it removes the connection with the bulkhead that the OEM M3 brace has.

Of all the bracing I've fitted, the M3 strut brace had the greatest effect by far. BMW M knew what they were doing...

[The Nightman]

I think the reinforced M3 strut tower rings make a big difference. On the 1M, BMW paired the M rings with the regular braces for whatever reason (costs?).

Biginboca I bet the more solid xdrive strut mounts will work nicely with the M3 rings. The mounting surface looks similar to the M3 strut mounts and it appears to be reinforced with gussets:

xdrive:



M3:

[Tambohamilton]

I have the XD mounts. Never considered that they might affect stiffness; I bought them to lower the front end by 8mm ish

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by Phil325i

From what I can tell from the photos, the UR M3 brace uses the existing M3 strut top mounts. So I think it must be instead of the M3 factory brace, not as well as. If so, it won't provide any triangulation effect, because it removes the connection with the bulkhead that the OEM M3 brace has.

Of all the bracing I've fitted, the M3 strut brace had the greatest effect by far. BMW M knew what they were doing...

That’s not accurate, the Ultra Racing brace that Torgus posted for the M3 actually uses all the oem M3 mounts and then adds some cross bracing. You need to go to the product page to see the whole brace, some of it is hidden by the cowling pieces in the photos he shows…

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by Guy Fieri

I think the reinforced M3 strut tower rings make a big difference. On the 1M, BMW paired the M rings with the regular braces for whatever reason (costs?).

Biginboca I bet the more solid xdrive strut mounts will work nicely with the M3 rings. The mounting surface looks similar to the M3 strut mounts and it appears to be reinforced with gussets:

Interesting I never noticed that about the 1M before. I wonder why they would have done that? This is the 1M strut brace set up…

[ornicar]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

Interesting I never noticed that about the 1M before. I wonder why they would have done that? This is the 1M strut brace set up…

In my opinion It is probably to try to limit the costs.

I got this strut bar at one point when I had some JRZ with the setting button on Top.

I had not feel any improvement at all.

This design is rather weak IMO and not to the level of the Motorsport name!

The design use on the M3 is better with its stiffer central mount.

They couldn't reuse this part due to different angle.

HPA sell a modified centre mount. I think this is a good solution for e82 & e88 owners

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by ornicar

In my opinion It is probably to try to limit the costs.

I got this strut bar at one point when I had some JRZ with the setting button on Top.

I had not feel any improvement at all.

This design is rather weak IMO and not to the level of the Motorsport name!

The design use on the M3 is better with its stiffer central mount.

They couldn't reuse this part due to different angle.

HPA sell a modified centre mount. I think this is a good solution for e82 & e88 owners

Wow great info there. I’ll pass this along to my buddy building a track 128i…

[Phil325i]

Thanks for clarifying Al. Sorry to mislead. Not sure that UR brace would fit a non-M though. That steep arch in the cross member is, I suspect, only possible because it's accommodated by the M3 hood's 'power bulge'

[Torgus]

Originally Posted by Phil325i

Thanks for clarifying Al. Sorry to mislead. Not sure that UR brace would fit a non-M though. That steep arch in the cross member is, I suspect, only possible because it's accommodated by the M3 hood's 'power bulge'

You think? It clearly sits below the rear hood sealing molding:



Here is an N54 with the same m3 covers/molding:



@2:29 We wanted more air flow above the engine so we added the power dome(this makes no sense to me)

While it makes no sense to be I always assumed the power dome was just for looks and not clearance. Or is he saying they made a little more torque when they raised the roof of the plenum so the hood had to be raised to accommodate it?

My issues are:
1) $250
2) Might not do anything
3) useless weight

[BSM n54iS]

Originally Posted by Torgus

@2:29 We wanted more air flow above the engine so we added the power dome(this makes no sense to me)

While it makes no sense to be I always assumed the power dome was just for looks and not clearance. Or is he saying they made a little more torque when they raised the roof of the plenum so the hood had to be raised to accommodate it?

My issues are:
1) $250
2) Might not do anything
3) useless weight

Oh so the name power dome actually means it I guess the S65 runs hot also if more airflow above and around the engine allowed them to increase the torque on it (geez I wonder how bad the torque would be w/o it) But also how much more airflow does a dome add?

[Torgus]

Originally Posted by BdSM n54iS

Oh so the name power dome actually means it I guess the S65 runs hot also if more airflow above and around the engine allowed them to increase the torque on it (geez I wonder how bad the torque would be w/o it) But also how much more airflow does a dome add?

The E46 m3 had a power dome as well and it did not need it w/ the side fed ITBs. Styling 100%. I really think this is a continuation as the newer m3 have continued this 'powder dome'. They had to made the m3 look 'different' then the other models as well and the hood bump was a good way to do it IMO.

BMW perhaps added some ceiling to the intake plenum. The ITBs already make it tall and then they added height to the trumpets. But from the engine pics I don't think they 'needed' the power dome to fit the S65. Maybe I am wrong:



Going back to the other discussion about intake runners and length etc. BMW lengthened the intake runner trumpets for more tq according to that video(I believe) which the S65 needs as it is a bit nutless unless you are WOT banging the gears and making the engine scream. Probably did this for DD aspects vs. WOT HP.

[The Nightman]

That is how I understood it - powerdome needed to clear larger intake designed for more torque. Nothing to do with airflow "around" the engine since it isn't aircooled

[Biginboca]

I finally did the M3 strut brace install today. At first I ordered a used set from a seller on eBay who ships these regularly, but the set I received looked like they were from a front end wreck with bent bars and crap looking parts. For $300 plus tax lol. So sent those back and ordered new parts as a kit from FCP for about $550. Not a cheap conversion!

And I decided while I was in there today with all the cowlings off I might as well do the spark plugs. I’ve been running them for 50k miles tuned and running the motor hard. They came out looking fine to me and probably could have gone at least another 30k miles.



The M3 strut bracing wasn’t a bolt on affair for me. I had some fitment issues with one of my strut towers and the M3 strut mount. I had to shave about 1/4” away from the oem strut bar mounting location and also shave the strut brace mount to clear the bracket for the washer reservoir fill tube. I have slotted my strut mounts (-3.5 front camber) so that is likely why I had this issue…









I had none of these issues on the driver side, that side bolted to the strut top perfectly so no issues. I then found the stud included at the firewall mount for the strut bar sticks up too high for the cowling to fit over it. I had to grind that flush:



Even after this it was a very tight affair to get the cowlings to fit and mount. They are hitting those 2 mounting locations where the bars attach to the center V with 2 fasteners per side. I was able to snug them down and make it work in the end but it might make sense to do the M3 cowlings as part of this conversion.



All buttoned up. Haven’t driven it yet will report back once I’ve got some miles on it…

[ornicar]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

I finally did the M3 strut brace install today. At first I ordered a used set from a seller on eBay who ships these regularly, but the set I received looked like they were from a front end wreck with bent bars and crap looking parts. For $300 plus tax lol. So sent those back and ordered new parts as a kit from FCP for about $550. Not a cheap conversion!

And I decided while I was in there today with all the cowlings off I might as well do the spark plugs. I've been running them for 50k miles tuned and running the motor hard. They came out looking fine to me and probably could have gone at least another 30k miles.



The M3 strut bracing wasn't a bolt on affair for me. I had some fitment issues with one of my strut towers and the M3 strut mount. I had to shave about 1/4" away from the oem strut bar mounting location and also shave the strut brace mount to clear the bracket for the washer reservoir fill tube. I have slotted my strut mounts (-3.5 front camber) so that is likely why I had this issue…









I had none of these issues on the driver side, that side bolted to the strut top perfectly so no issues. I then found the stud included at the firewall mount for the strut bar sticks up too high for the cowling to fit over it. I had to grind that flush:



Even after this it was a very tight affair to get the cowlings to fit and mount. They are hitting those 2 mounting locations where the bars attach to the center V with 2 fasteners per side. I was able to snug them down and make it work in the end but it might make sense to do the M3 cowlings as part of this conversion.



All buttoned up. Haven't driven it yet will report back once I've got some miles on it…

"I had none of these issues on the driver side, that side bolted to the strut top perfectly so no issues. I then found the stud included at the firewall mount for the strut bar sticks up too high for the cowling to fit over it. I had to grind that flush:"

i had the exact same issue!

i have shaved the studs too, but it was not enough. i had some rattles and noises. So i have drilled some (big) holes in the cowl. and sealed it with black RTV.
What is crazy, is that it is the oem fit on 1M cars... with the same cowl! i don't understand.

I hope you will be happy with your strut bar.

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by ornicar

"I had none of these issues on the driver side, that side bolted to the strut top perfectly so no issues. I then found the stud included at the firewall mount for the strut bar sticks up too high for the cowling to fit over it. I had to grind that flush:"

i had the exact same issue!

i have shaved the studs too, but it was not enough. i had some rattles and noises. So i have drilled some (big) holes in the cowl. and sealed it with black RTV.
What is crazy, is that it is the oem fit on 1M cars... with the same cowl! i don't understand.

I hope you will be happy with your strut bar.

Well that’s assuring! I thought maybe my car was screwed up or something lol

The 1M uses long black bars that mount at the firewall like the stock ones on our cars, it doesn’t have the solid aluminum V piece at the cowling. (IE it doesn’t have the 2 fasteners under the cowling.)

[ornicar]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

Well that's assuring! I thought maybe my car was screwed up or something lol

The 1M uses long black bars that mount at the firewall like the stock ones on our cars, it doesn't have the solid aluminum V piece at the cowling. (IE it doesn't have the 2 fasteners under the cowling.)


[img]https://i.postimg.cc/xd6yfJ9R/124928...FF425-A58.webp[/img]

"The 1M uses long black bars that mount at the firewall like the stock ones on our cars, it doesn't have the solid aluminum V piece at the cowling."

Correct

"(IE it doesn't have the 2 fasteners under the cowling.)"

No, there have the 2 fasteners. because the bars are fiting on the ring supports, same as M3.

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by ornicar

"The 1M uses long black bars that mount at the firewall like the stock ones on our cars, it doesn't have the solid aluminum V piece at the cowling."

Correct

"(IE it doesn't have the 2 fasteners under the cowling.)"

No, there have the 2 fasteners. because the bars are fiting on the ring supports, same as M3.

Right, but those weren’t where I had the problem. The fasteners at the ends connecting to the solid aluminum V near the firewall is what hits the non M plastic cowling.

[BSM n54iS]

How come you didn't do the cowl delete for an easy 10+ lb? And dam ya $550 why not go with the Dinan?