[iqraceworks]

I've seen a lot of people posting about diff braces, and how they really improve traction. Has anyone done any actual testing on this? Like most things.....people want to believe that a product makes a big difference after they install it.....call it the placebo affect. ...not saying this is the case.

I'm wondering if many of these people have worn out subframe bushings, and the diff brace is just a bandaid for that? I do know that when I replaced my worn out subframe bushings with solid ones, it made a worth of difference.

On a car with a tight suspension, solid subframe bushings, and good tires.....are the diff braces worth the money?.....do they really improve traction? if so...how?

Thanks!

[Silent9n54]

i would say no, the only difference i noticed was increased noise at low rpm. I would think it would have some benefit on a manual car, but on my automatic i did not see any difference.

[zomski101]

Don't think it increases traction but it did eliminate the sway feeling at the rear under hard acceleration and small wheel hop that I had on wet roads.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

+1 always been curious will probably try it out myself for the price.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by zomski101

Don't think it increases traction but it did eliminate the sway feeling at the rear under hard acceleration and small wheel hop that I had on wet roads.

Ohhh that's good that's exactly what I'm looking at for, mostly the sway feeling. I know exactly what you mean. Wheel hop to but I had a manual car now I'm DCT I don't think it's an issue. I guess it's still worth to give it a try for that one benefit.

[ab987]

I think exactly what you are saying is right. It helps people who have shot bushings. What fixed the side-to-side sway under acceleration for me was subframe inserts. The NVH that a diff brace would add, especially if you have a tuned mass damper like I do (e93 thing?), is just not worth it.

[iqraceworks]

Originally Posted by ab987

I think exactly what you are saying is right. It helps people who have shot bushings. What fixed the side-to-side sway under acceleration for me was subframe inserts. The NVH that a diff brace would add, especially if you have a tuned mass damper like I do (e93 thing?), is just not worth it.

Same thing on my car. The rear end felt really lose, especially when hard on the gas and changing lanes on the highway. It felt like the back of the car had a mind of its own. Solid subframe bushings made it feel as solid as a rock.....no more lose feel from the rear end.

Would a diff brace have made it feel better with the worn out bushings? Probably....but the right fix is to replace the bushings, I think a diff brace is just a quick and easy bandaid.

[ab987]

Originally Posted by iqraceworks

Same thing on my car. The rear end felt really lose, especially when hard on the gas and changing lanes on the highway. It felt like the back of the car had a mind of its own. Solid subframe bushings made it feel as solid as a rock.....no more lose feel from the rear end.

Would a diff brace have made it feel better with the worn out bushings? Probably....but the right fix is to replace the bushings, I think a diff brace is just a quick and easy bandaid.

Absolutely, that's exactly what I think too, people just want a quick and easy bandaid that doesn't properly fix the problem but masks it.

[Mustafa.e92]

I was looking into the power flex yellow bushings front and rear and just new oem diff bushings. What do you guys have done for your rear ends? I'm going into the next season with much more power than now and need to tighten up the rearend but don't want all the extra nvh

[iqraceworks]

I used these Whiteline hard urethane bushings from FCP Euro in my rear subframe......nice and tight, no extra NVH, the car feels super planted and tight in the rear now. It was a massive change compared to the worn rubber oem bushings.

As far as diff bushings....I'm still running the stock ones since they looked to be in ok shape.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...UaAnl7EALw_wcB

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by iqraceworks

I used these Whiteline hard urethane bushings from FCP Euro in my rear subframe......nice and tight, no extra NVH, the car feels super planted and tight in the rear now. It was a massive change compared to the worn rubber oem bushings.

As far as diff bushings....I'm still running the stock ones since they looked to be in ok shape.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...UaAnl7EALw_wcB

Wait so you only bought these? You didn't replace all 12 bushings? I guess we don't need all 12 for the rear to be good or doing all 12 would be even better?

[iqraceworks]

Well, I also did the M3 rear arms......but that's it. Everything else looked to be in great shape.

[ErvGotti]

TBH it helped me with wheel spin, but as you said diff bushings/inserts would have probably done the same thing. I plan on addressing that this spring, but for $99 bucks and a 1 hr install it made a noticeable difference for me, especially with rear sway and stability. I'll probably keep it installed even after the addressing the bushings. I didn't notice any increase in NVH, but I already have a lightweight flywheel and stiffer diff and engine bushings so things are already a bit harsh.

[Torgus]

Originally Posted by iqraceworks

Same thing on my car. The rear end felt really lose, especially when hard on the gas and changing lanes on the highway. It felt like the back of the car had a mind of its own. Solid subframe bushings made it feel as solid as a rock.....no more lose feel from the rear end.

Would a diff brace have made it feel better with the worn out bushings? Probably....but the right fix is to replace the bushings, I think a diff brace is just a quick and easy bandaid.

Yeah the solid subframe bushings make a WORLD of difference. I did solid diff bushings and a diff lockdown kit at the same time(over kill). I did this because I had just snapped an axel at the track due to wheel hop and wanted my diff w/ the quaife differential to never 'move' again.

The good news about diff lockdown kits is they are inexpensive and you can resell them easily.

While it may be about worn out bushings now. My stock bushings did not look horrible. I think a lot more has to do with the car having 2x as much power if not more. Stock the n54 dynos what like 275 hp and 300? It's easy enough to get 425whp/475wtq out of the stock twins. I don't think the bushings can handle it.

[ab987]

Originally Posted by iqraceworks

Well, I also did the M3 rear arms......but that's it. Everything else looked to be in great shape.

Same exact setup for me, M3 arms except I did inserts instead of the full replacement. Night and day difference after the inserts. No wobble or anything. M3 arms didn't really do much in the rear though.