I want to preface my response by saying that I am not affiliated with the sellers in any way, and wasn't planning to buy a strut bar for my M. However, I can give fairly educated responses to some of the concerns you raised.wideopn11 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 20, 2017 12:46 pmHmm. (Understanding this is not the final product) but am I seeing this right? Does the bracket only connect to 2 bolts instead of all 3? Strange choice as the bottom part of the bracket doesn't really need to be reinvented; just the top to give you guys extra clearance over the engine cover. I kinda question the usefulness of only connecting to 2 bolts and elevating the anchor points like that. I'm no engineer but in my opinion the only part that needed to be fabricated for the V8 guys is the bar in the middle; not the brackets.Not trying to be Debbie Downer or anything just thinking out loud.
On the subject of 2 bolts,
it's not really a detriment to what the strut bar does. With a strong enough bolt and the bracket torqued properly, then it's friction that keeps the bracket in place on the strut tower (Kinda like the physics behind mounting a wheel onto a hub, except with much less force)... and if the bracket is built strong enough, then a minimal number of bolts will be needed to keep it flush. So for ease of manufacturing, if you can design a bracket sturdy enough to not need 3 or 4 fasteners, then you can get away with even 1. In practice, not really though. You need 2; one could act as a pivot but you need a 2nd object to act as stopper.
Plus, fewer bolt holes = fewer parts to precision manufacture = fewer headaches in installation.
As an example, my 03 M45 (with a MacPherson strut suspension) came with a factory mounted strut bar which was somewhat like this in principle. A C-shaped bracket attached to only 2 strut bolts... then the bar attached to that one bracket by a single bolt. You'll see the whole assembly is then triangulated to the firewall. Pics at the bottom
As for the height,
generally shorter is better. Best example I can say is look at a dining table. You and a buddy on opposite ends are trying to push it towards each other (compression) then pull it away from each other (tension).
- Grab it by the tabletop, lift the table off the floor and push/pull with all your might - this is like a bar that is basically flush with the strut tower.
- Now put it down and grab the bottom of the legs to lift it up then push/pull with all your might - this is like having a tall bracket. Now the table legs and joints need to be strong enough to be able to transfer the forces without bending or breaking.
Of course, there are concessions to be made, depending on how the entire system of structure and suspension has been engineered.
After all that, I'd like to say no worries. I doubt this item will see any considerable forces. Our chassis is plenty rigid.
