what are some good cheap mods to do to a e34 m5?

[tybmw]

thanks-

[Gop-Dogg]

A chip is probably the only cheap one. The intake, headers and exhaust are already as good as it gets for this car. After that its stuff like shorter rear diff. or a 6-sp tranny swap or a clutch/flywheel upgrade. Not much else, really. Quite frankly, the car doesn't need anything except a front strut-tower bar, of which there aren't any decent ones available anymore.

[JamesM3M5]

Originally posted by Gop-Dogg
Quite frankly, the car doesn't need anything except a front strut-tower bar, of which there aren't any decent ones available anymore.
What do you mean? A bar with hinge points at the ends is perfectly up to the task. The RD bar is $225 at Bav Auto.

[Gop-Dogg]

Why would you want a hinged strut tower brace? Seems to defeat the purpose to me.

[abakos]

The "purpose" is to keep the towers from flexing into/away from each other. I would argue that a hinge on the end might be for the better. This prevents fatigue at the otherwise welded joints and might actually give the bar more strength over time. Granted you would have to give her quite a hammering to break one, but the type of strength you add by making it a fixed joint wouldn't really do anything.

Bars that have a lot of bends in them to clear the intake or whatever else wind up doing a lot of flexing because of how the bar will react.

I'm starting to preach or something...Long story short, as long as you have a nice straight brace between the strut towers it will do its job. Hinges aren't going to hurt a thing. Make sure you don't get an "adjustable" one or some crap that is universal.

[Mblaster]

I know some of the M5 guys tossed the RD bars because of inferior build qc and stamped parts instead of billet.

[Mblaster]

Cheap Mod for an E34M5=cup holder

[Atrane23]

haha

[Kudo540]

I wonder if you can but a 3.91 LSD Diff from a E34 540i automatic. That would give you carzy torque. I know E34 540i six speed guys swap diff from the autos. It would be a great mod if the M and 540i have the same diff just different gearing.

[Gop-Dogg]

Originally posted by Kudo540
I wonder if you can but a 3.91 LSD Diff from a E34 540i automatic. That would give you carzy torque. I know E34 540i six speed guys swap diff from the autos. It would be a great mod if the M and 540i have the same diff just different gearing.

Pre-`95 E34 M5's have a 3.91 LSD stock.

[Rob Levinson]

Originally posted by abakos
The "purpose" is to keep the towers from flexing into/away from each other. I would argue that a hinge on the end might be for the better. This prevents fatigue at the otherwise welded joints and might actually give the bar more strength over time. Granted you would have to give her quite a hammering to break one, but the type of strength you add by making it a fixed joint wouldn't really do anything.

Bars that have a lot of bends in them to clear the intake or whatever else wind up doing a lot of flexing because of how the bar will react.

I'm starting to preach or something...Long story short, as long as you have a nice straight brace between the strut towers it will do its job. Hinges aren't going to hurt a thing. Make sure you don't get an "adjustable" one or some crap that is universal.

This is all simply wrong.

A structural element designed to solidify a boxed element cannot, by definition, have hinges.

Would you accept a hinge along the corner of the box where your floorpan meets the upright sections of the body? How about where the sides of the body meet the roof?

A hinged bar is barely better than a yardstick duct-taped between the shock towers. It does nothing to keep the front suspension box square. You don't find hinges on any original BMW Motorsport strut braces or under-car braces for a reason.

I won't argue this point any further - it's basic mechanical engineering we are discussing here and not open to any debate.

- Rob

[tybmw]

thank you

[abakos]

I can see both sides of it...but I don't understand how such a thin member would have and advantage in preventing the "box" from turning into a parallelogram if it has welded joints as opposed to hinged joints.

I was working on the assumption that the purpose of the bar is to maintain the distance between the strut towers, giving the outside corner more strength by distributing the load across both sides.

I'll have to sleep on it...but either way now I'm headed to bed feeling like a jackass.

BTW- I'm not trying to argue my side, just trying to understand the finer points of the mechanics involved.

[E34Gabe]

Haha, cupholders. Priceless

[Hoov]

Keep it simple. It's a great car as is! I'd say sway bars, chip and intake...personally.

[91e34M5]

Don't forget the coin holder for the door....you said cheap.

[91e34M5]

Don't forget the coin holder for the door....you said cheap.

[91e34M5]

Don't forget the coin holder for the door....you said cheap.