Will M3 strut bar fir 325i? (e46)

[russian46bimmer]

Will an M3 strut bar fit my e46? I want to get a strut bar for my car and I hear that the m strut is "GOOD ENOUGH"

[NDubSki]

As long as your car isn't a 2005-2006 I believe you should be set?

Need one more person to validate this,

[TerraPhantm]

Should fit fine as long as it's not a SULEV model

[sjpgoalie]

Will an M3 strut bar fit my e46? I want to get a strut bar for my car and I hear that the m strut is "GOOD ENOUGH"

Lol wut at the responses to this question? And as long as it doesn't have solid rocket boosters too right ladies and gents. Iirc either coupe ones fit coupes and sedans are out of luck or no M front strut bar fits a non M if my memory serves me correctly. I'm assuming you're speaking of a front bar. Otherwise you buy a non M bar for the non M car on an e46.

[TerraPhantm]

Lol wut at the responses to this question? And as long as it doesn't have solid rocket boosters too right ladies and gents. Iirc either coupe ones fit coupes and sedans are out of luck or no M front strut bar fits a non M if my memory serves me correctly. I'm assuming you're speaking of a front bar. Otherwise you buy a non M bar for the non M car on an e46.

Wrong. M3 bar fits fine on all non-Ms except the 325i SULEV. It was a common upgrade until the performance bars came out. The non-CF bar is identical to the M3 bar, except it's chrome instead of black. Coupe/sedan doesn't matter.

[sjpgoalie]

So the shock tower lengths are from left to right are identical on all e46s in the front you're saying, except the sulevs I'm guessing they have stuff in the way..what brace are you talking about?

[TerraPhantm]

So the shock tower lengths are from left to right are identical on all e46s in the front you're saying, except the sulevs I'm guessing they have stuff in the way..what brace are you talking about?

Shock tower length is identical in all E46s yes. The problem with the SULEV models is that the valve cover gets in the way.

[beermedude]

also, I read from 1 of the gurus on another similar thread, that the underhood insulation needs to be cut, for bar to fit, or hood will be difficult to close.

(i don't like doing that, if it doesn't have to be done....)

[TerraPhantm]

also, I read from 1 of the gurus on another similar thread, that the underhood insulation needs to be cut, for bar to fit, or hood will be difficult to close.

(i don't like doing that, if it doesn't have to be done....)

The official instructions for the CF bar says to cut the insulation, but I've heard that people don't bother and it works fine. You do need to move the positive terminal though. I'm not sure if anything needs to be cut for the M3 bar.

[jreyes19]

The official instructions for the CF bar says to cut the insulation, but I've heard that people don't bother and it works fine. You do need to move the positive terminal though. I'm not sure if anything needs to be cut for the M3 bar.

would it be safe to assume that you may have to cut some insulation to prevent scratching if the m3 bar is fitted in order to fit an m3 hood which has a small bump at the center adding abit more hood space(in height)
just throwing that out there

i have heard the same about the cf bmw performance about having to move the pos. terminal

[2Bored330ci]

I believe the issue isn't so much scratching as eliminating pressure between the hood and the bar. With the padding in place, most hoods will come into contact with the bar which will cause there to be pressure up against the hood. Trimming the insulation will alleviate this. It cuts fairly easy and not too much has to be cut. Also, the pos terminal does need to be switched around as mentioned but with a Dremel tool and a little wire, it is a simple process. Not sure if it has to be done for other bars but I don't believe so.

[sjpgoalie]

I did some reading and they "fit", but rub on the hood as mentioned above and some people reported that they'd developed friction points on spots atop the engine from it moving the slightest amounts over time. Why not just buy a regular one made for your exact engine and year lol, I don't get it. If you're trying to save money over a strut bar, with these kind of issues to deal with, I'd spend the extra money on front brake pads following after a track day or something, better off raising your own potentional and learning to extract the actual potential of your car than giving it an almost unnoticable amount of increase of it. And if money is not the case, then I don't see the point in buying an M3 one. They're not stronger lol and they don't look right. I imagine they are actually weaker considering there is a rise in them, which probably allows it to bow a little under heavy load, and more or less all e46 non-M braces are designed on a flat plain for that reason.

The S54 has ITBs amongst several other things that change the bar design and would make this not worth it to me. I bought a carbon fiber one for my first e46 back in the day from Umnitza before they began getting into all sorts of makes, fit like a glove, spent less than $200, it bolted up in a style that doesn't flex due to bolt placement and tower covers like cheap ebay ones, and it was on the car with no modifications in less than 10 minutes.

[TerraPhantm]

I did some reading and they "fit", but rub on the hood as mentioned above and some people reported that they'd developed friction points on spots atop the engine from it moving the slightest amounts over time. Why not just buy a regular one made for your exact engine and year lol, I don't get it. If you're trying to save money over a strut bar, with these kind of issues to deal with, I'd spend the extra money on front brake pads following after a track day or something, better off raising your own potentional and learning to extract the actual potential of your car than giving it an almost unnoticable amount of increase of it. And if money is not the case, then I don't see the point in buying an M3 one. They're not stronger lol and they don't look right. I imagine they are actually weaker considering there is a rise in them, which probably allows it to bow a little under heavy load, and more or less all e46 non-M braces are designed on a flat plain for that reason.

The S54 has ITBs amongst several other things that change the bar design and would make this not worth it to me. I bought a carbon fiber one for my first e46 back in the day from Umnitza before they began getting into all sorts of makes, fit like a glove, spent less than $200, it bolted up in a style that doesn't flex due to bolt placement and tower covers like cheap ebay ones, and it was on the car with no modifications in less than 10 minutes.

It looks fine. The M3 bar is stronger than the hinged bars out there, simply because it's a non-hinge design. The official non-M bar is identical to the M3 bar, except it's painted silver instead of black. Even the CF bar (which does have a different shape) calls for the hood insulation to be cut. Many people have installed the M3 bar in non-Ms without making modifications. I don't know if it rubs against the insulation, but it's not really a big deal even if it does

The bulge in the M3 hood is mostly for cosmetic purposes. I'm pretty sure a non-M hood would fit fine on an M3.

[sjpgoalie]

The bulge is actually for clearing the heat shielding. That's the design I'm talking of, hingless. The hinged ones are useless. How much are you guys paying for these oem ones?

[2Bored330ci]

The cutting for the CF one is to accommodate the different design since it angles out over the engine so much. The regular strut brace which goes straight from strut tower to strut tower should not have any interference with insulation, only some minor rubbing as others have pointed out.

[greeg]

I've got an 04 330ci with ZAM options (Canadian car). It has the black M strut tower brace. The black paint on the top center of the brace has worn through, the under hood insulation is not cut but is well compressed, and the hood has a subtle dent across the top in the region where the brace is fitted below. So - the brace fits with uncut insulation but may have a negative consequence for your hood.