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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > All-Wheel-Drive (Xi / xDrive) Talk > FRONT STRUT BRACE on a 335xi



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      01-07-2009, 04:40 PM   #1
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FRONT STRUT BRACE on a 335xi

i'm sure this one must have been around before. if so, sorry i could not answer my own question.

i am looking to put a strut brace on my 2008 335xi. i saw on a post where the installer used washers under the bolts to clear the engine and such. it also mention that the ends of the strut were doing some ramping where they bolted down. it would seem to me that with the washers, and the ramping that all that would be gained from the strut was lost in the alterations.
is this true?

the head tech at Bel Air, BMW said the BMW strut will not work because of the turbos getting in the way and that the strut towers on the xi's were a little straighter (vertical) than on the non xi's.
and if this is true, anyone know of a strut brace designed for the xi's ?

thanks, dave
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      01-08-2009, 01:19 AM   #2
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i was able to get an mforce design strut tower on my xi by cutting one of the bolt slots open to get to install correctly but I have an NA so our engine bays are a bit different.
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      01-08-2009, 07:17 AM   #3
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I have a AL STRUT TOWER BARS by JIC CROSS from **********s.com Great fit and great price. I have a E90 335XI.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162800
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      01-08-2009, 07:28 AM   #4
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I purchased my strut brace from BMW and found that it sets nicely over the DCI but will not fit properly over the stock intake without modification .... AKA removal. No, this isn't an XI model but thought it might give some perspective none the less.

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      01-08-2009, 09:09 AM   #5
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Sorry if I may have hi-jacked the thread. Does anyone know the reason why the OEM strut braces (both versions) are not "officially" recommended for the xi?

I have the OEM one on my xi (not 335) but it is a perfect fit.
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      01-09-2009, 04:33 AM   #6
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TO SGxi

read the last paragraph of the original post, should get your answer there.
hope this helps. the tower are more straight, up and down (vertical).
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      01-12-2009, 01:16 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spydeputy View Post
read the last paragraph of the original post, should get your answer there.
hope this helps. the tower are more straight, up and down (vertical).
Actually, on the E90 325xi and 328xi, the OEM ones posted in the picture is a direct bolt-on for the car. It doesn't require any modifications on the brace or the car itself.
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      01-13-2009, 12:44 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mill999red View Post
I have a AL STRUT TOWER BARS by JIC CROSS from **********s.com Great fit and great price. I have a E90 335XI.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162800
i have one on my car too and im a e90 335xi. no problems what so ever
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      01-13-2009, 12:51 AM   #9
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I don't recall the XI having limitations for the front strut brace - It possible certain aftermarket braces have an issue. The air box on the 335 is what is typically in the way. Going to an aftermarket intake usually clears that issue up by freeing some space.
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      01-13-2009, 10:52 AM   #10
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BMW's catalogues specifically indicate the OEM strut brace is not suitable for xi models. So I'm just wondering if there's any justification for that.

Though I have to admit, they don't recommend 19s on the xi cars either...
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      01-13-2009, 01:17 PM   #11
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Get the M3 front strut brace and call it a day
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      01-21-2009, 04:45 PM   #12
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Kev, has it been confirmed that the m3 strut brace will fit the xi cars? I have the AFE DCI and I don't want the bar going near there, not to mention I really like how the m3 brace looks.
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      01-24-2009, 12:44 AM   #13
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My strut bar fit perfectly.
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      01-24-2009, 09:58 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stratplaya06 View Post
Kev, has it been confirmed that the m3 strut brace will fit the xi cars? I have the AFE DCI and I don't want the bar going near there, not to mention I really like how the m3 brace looks.
fits on stock airbox, not sure about aftermarket ones.
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      01-26-2009, 02:51 PM   #15
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For those of you who have installed a front strut brace, I'd be interested to know what dynamic driving differences you experienced after installation. Do any improvements seem to be material enough to be worthwhile?
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      01-26-2009, 03:10 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GmanJeff View Post
For those of you who have installed a front strut brace, I'd be interested to know what dynamic driving differences you experienced after installation. Do any improvements seem to be material enough to be worthwhile?
What I have and continue to experience is the steering/handling seems to be a bit more precise as the car doesn't (in my case) hop so much when taking a curve ......... it isn't anything you're going to really notice riding around town ......... I believe the addition of front/rear sway bars would compliment this well.
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      01-27-2009, 05:46 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ToadHollow View Post
What I have and continue to experience is the steering/handling seems to be a bit more precise as the car doesn't (in my case) hop so much when taking a curve ......... it isn't anything you're going to really notice riding around town ......... I believe the addition of front/rear sway bars would compliment this well.
around town you won't notice anything. when i'm having fun on the enterence and exit ramps. slightly less body roll in front, and the stated above the car doesn't hop over bumps
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      01-27-2009, 05:52 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ToadHollow View Post
What I have and continue to experience is the steering/handling seems to be a bit more precise as the car doesn't (in my case) hop so much when taking a curve ......... it isn't anything you're going to really notice riding around town ......... I believe the addition of front/rear sway bars would compliment this well.
around town you won't notice anything. when i'm having fun on the enterence and exit ramps. slightly less body roll in front, and the stated above the car doesn't hop over bumps
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      01-27-2009, 08:45 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by battlehawk1025 View Post
around town you won't notice anything. when i'm having fun on the enterence and exit ramps. slightly less body roll in front, and the stated above the car doesn't hop over bumps
+1
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      02-10-2009, 07:04 PM   #20
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i have a dinan strut bar on my car.. and its a perfect fit.. no mod required
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      03-03-2009, 01:46 PM   #21
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Toadhollow, I'm thinking of buying a DCI intake, was it worth the money?,,did you notice any performance gains?
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      03-03-2009, 03:55 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 335xidave View Post
Toadhollow, I'm thinking of buying a DCI intake, was it worth the money?,,did you notice any performance gains?
I'll answer this question as an opinion ONLY. Lots of different opinions on this forum so..........

Yes, performance gains and yes, IMHO it is worth the money (especially in comparison to some of the new intakes being introduced). I have the Pro-Dry filters as I didn't want to deal with the cleaning/oiling deal (been there, done that with previous intakes).

I dyno'd the car last summer with the DCI and the "swoop scoops" installed. I was able to show a sustained gain of an average 15rwhp over the stock intake. Albeit, this was in 90+ degree heat and 65% humidity. To make things worse, I later found the car had runnability issues and codes. Once the codes were cleared; the car was running like I had just had the Dinan installed all over again. I never got to dyno again though.

So, the DCI has enabled MUCH better throttle response, more hp and better mileage (just over 2 mpg increase to date). The only change since the dyno has been the replacement of the "swoop scoops" with the RPI scoops.


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