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#1. Re: [E36M3] Strut Brace - from Bill Sharp
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Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 19:38:59 -0500 From: Bill Sharp <M3@cueframe.us> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Strut Brace It just doesn't get any better than Sparco. Bill Ft. Worth 2/22/99 Coupe On Oct 6, 2007, at 7:18 PM, Reed Nicholson wrote: > Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 17:16:50 -0700 > From: "Reed Nicholson" <reedthis@comcast.net> > Subject: RE: [E36M3] Strut Brace > > > I believe Dinan himself has admitted his strut brace has no functional > value. He just produced it because there was such a great demand > for one. > > The solid braces are no doubt the most effective. I have an old UUC > Strutbarbarian which fits well, and I have convinced myself that it > has a > positive effect. > > Reed/Seattle > > >> >> Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 16:44:02 -0700 >> From: "Ivan Petrov" <crazyinp@hotmail.com> >> Subject: Strut Brace >> >> Ok lets talk about strut brace. >> >> Currently I have Dinan, but have been looking at the new RE. >> Looks much more rigid but in the same time will be a b*(#$ to >> work on the car and has to be removed every time (not as easy >> as the dinan). The question is I have been hearing about >> hinges and heim-joints aren't. >> >> I know Dinan is bling but I still don't believe is bad >> design, please correct me, should I move to something better? >> >> Thanks >> Ivan > > > > ************************************************* > Please help support the E36M3 list by visiting our sponsors: > > Bimmerworld http://www.bimmerworld.com > Turner Motorsport http://www.turnermotorsport.com > Eurosport High Performance http://www.eurosporthighperformance.com > Rogue Engineering http://www.rogueengineering.com > Treehouse Racing http://www.treehouseracing.com > Elephant Motorsports Inc. http://www.elephantmotorsports.com > > DIGEST INFORMATION: > http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm > ************************************************* > >
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#2. RE: [E36M3] Strut Brace - from ben@rogueengineering.com
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Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 20:41:46 -0400 (EDT) From: ben@rogueengineering.com Subject: RE: [E36M3] Strut Brace Funny thing, how money motivates people. When I went to visit Scott Leanders, the Dinan sales manager, in 1998, I went to discuss private labeling a short shift kit for them. Scott wanted one, all of his sales people wanted one, and their customers (Dinan dealers) wanted to offer one as well. Whereas the presentation went very well, product testing went well, what prevented Dinan from offering a short shift kit was Steve Dinan himself Steve Dinan thought the shifter that came in a MZ3 Roadster TOO short, and that the stock shifter in his E39 540 shifter was fine. Different strokes for different folks, they say. Here we are, almost 10 years later, Dinan now offers unmodified factory levers as "short shift kits". A little black paint and a sticker costs a lot nowadays ($100 more than a otherwise stock factory lever), according to the Dinan catalog. Best Regards, Ben Liaw Rogue Engineering • 201-444-8150 -----Original Message----- From: Reed Nicholson <reedthis@comcast.net> Sent: Saturday, October 6, 2007 8:18pm To: E36M3 <e36m3@bmw-m.net> Subject: RE: [E36M3] Strut Brace Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 17:16:50 -0700 From: "Reed Nicholson" Subject: RE: [E36M3] Strut Brace I believe Dinan himself has admitted his strut brace has no functional value. He just produced it because there was such a great demand for one. The solid braces are no doubt the most effective. I have an old UUC Strutbarbarian which fits well, and I have convinced myself that it has a positive effect. Reed/Seattle > > Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 16:44:02 -0700 > From: "Ivan Petrov" > Subject: Strut Brace > > Ok lets talk about strut brace > > Currently I have Dinan, but have been looking at the new RE. > Looks much more rigid but in the same time will be a b*(#$ to > work on the car and has to be removed every time (not as easy > as the dinan). The question is I have been hearing about > hinges and heim-joints aren't. > > I know Dinan is bling but I still don't believe is bad > design, please correct me, should I move to something better? > > Thanks > Ivan ************************************************* Please help support the E36M3 list by visiting our sponsors: Bimmerworld http://www.bimmerworld.com Turner Motorsport http://www.turnermotorsportcom Eurosport High Performance http://www.eurosporthighperformance.com Rogue Engineering http://www.rogueengineering.com Treehouse Racing http://www.treehouseracing.com Elephant Motorsports Inc. http://www.elephantmotorsports.com DIGEST INFORMATION: http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm *************************************************
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#3. Re: [E36M3] Strut Brace - from DocWyte
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Date: Sat, 06 Oct 2007 18:42:18 -0600 From: DocWyte <docwyte@comcast.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Strut Brace I had a Racing Dynamics one, a sparco one, then a real ltw one. The Sparco was a total piece of trash. Very poorly made, easily deflected by hand and it blocked the code reader port and the oil filler on a '95. The oem ltw one was a nice peice, but incredibly overpriced. The Racing Dynamics was nicely made and fit well. Out of all of them, the Sparco was the worst and I felt no difference at all. The ltw one looked the nicest, but I also felt absolutely no difference with it on or off, on the street or the auto-x. The Racing Dynamics one was of good quality, decent price and was the only one I felt any difference with. In summary, I feel the whole solid brace thing is basically bunk, they still make little to no difference. If you want one for eye candy, that's a different story... Reed Nicholson wrote: > Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 17:16:50 -0700 > From: "Reed Nicholson" <reedthis@comcast.net> > Subject: RE: [E36M3] Strut Brace > > > I believe Dinan himself has admitted his strut brace has no functional > value. He just produced it because there was such a great demand for one. > > The solid braces are no doubt the most effective. I have an old UUC > Strutbarbarian which fits well, and I have convinced myself that it has a > positive effect. > > Reed/Seattle > > >
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#4. M3/4 Owners - Time to replace your car?? - from dgc
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Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 20:51:30 -0400 (EDT) From: dgc <dgcrum@jps.net> Subject: M3/4 Owners - Time to replace your car?? BMW have announced they will be building an E90 M3 sedan. http://www.worldcarfans.com/9071006.001/official-bmw-e90-m3-sedan-revealed Will they bring them here. And more importantly, at least for Jeff C, will they make an E91 M3 Touring?? E36M3 content: I replaced the original alternator on my 96 M3 last week. It made it 193k miles before the brushes simply didn't touch the rotor any more. I knew it was going to happen and was monitoring the voltage. When the voltage read below 12, the dash lights seemed dim. Below 11, the airbag light and brake warning lights went on. Below 10.5, all the gauges went dead and the engine stumbled a bit. Did I need to use every last bit of carbon on the brushes? Probably not, but it was an interesting experiment. Most notably that the ECU was the very last thing to stop receiving power before it all shut down. No, I was not on the freeway, but in the driveway at home. Y(alternator)MMV. All gauges returned to normal once the alternator was replaced. The battery seemed to put up with the starvation just fine, in case anyone wonders. Cheers, David C
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#5. Re: [E36M3] Strut Brace - from Jeff Conner
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Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 18:24:24 -0700 (PDT) From: Jeff Conner <jeff.conner@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Strut Brace Really? I've heard that the Sparco bar is not very useful at all. Mason makes a very nice bar, the OMP bar I have on the track car is pretty stout and there are a few others that offer simple, strong designs. The faux-carbon fiber hinged do-dad on my street car from umnitza is pretty much an under-hood ornament, though I *swear* it improves turn in response by .003045% :-) -jeff ----- Original Message ---- From: Bill Sharp <M3@cueframe.us> To: E36M3 <e36m3@bmw-m.net> Sent: Saturday, October 6, 2007 5:38:43 PM Subject: Re: [E36M3] Strut Brace Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 19:38:59 -0500 From: Bill Sharp <M3@cueframe.us> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Strut Brace It just doesn't get any better than Sparco. Bill Ft. Worth 2/22/99 Coupe On Oct 6, 2007, at 7:18 PM, Reed Nicholson wrote: > Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 17:16:50 -0700 > From: "Reed Nicholson" <reedthis@comcast.net> > Subject: RE: [E36M3] Strut Brace > > > I believe Dinan himself has admitted his strut brace has no functional > value. He just produced it because there was such a great demand > for one. > > The solid braces are no doubt the most effective. I have an old UUC > Strutbarbarian which fits well, and I have convinced myself that it > has a > positive effect. > > Reed/Seattle > > >> >> Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 16:44:02 -0700 >> From: "Ivan Petrov" <crazyinp@hotmail.com> >> Subject: Strut Brace >> >> Ok lets talk about strut brace. >> >> Currently I have Dinan, but have been looking at the new RE. >> Looks much more rigid but in the same time will be a b*(#$ to >> work on the car and has to be removed every time (not as easy >> as the dinan). The question is I have been hearing about >> hinges and heim-joints aren't. >> >> I know Dinan is bling but I still don't believe is bad >> design, please correct me, should I move to something better? >> >> Thanks >> Ivan > > > > ************************************************* > Please help support the E36M3 list by visiting our sponsors: > > Bimmerworld http://www.bimmerworld.com > Turner Motorsport http://www.turnermotorsport.com > Eurosport High Performance http://www.eurosporthighperformance.com > Rogue Engineering http://www.rogueengineering.com > Treehouse Racing http://www.treehouseracing.com > Elephant Motorsports Inc. http://www.elephantmotorsports.com > > DIGEST INFORMATION: > http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm > ************************************************* > > ************************************************* Please help support the E36M3 list by visiting our sponsors: Bimmerworld http://www.bimmerworld.com Turner Motorsport http://www.turnermotorsport.com Eurosport High Performance http://www.eurosporthighperformance.com Rogue Engineering http://www.rogueengineering.com Treehouse Racing http://www.treehouseracing.com Elephant Motorsports Inc. http://www.elephantmotorsports.com DIGEST INFORMATION: http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm ************************************************* ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396545469
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#6. Re: [E36M3] Strut Brace - from Mdriver13@aol.com
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Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 22:08:59 EDT From: Mdriver13@aol.com Subject: Re: [E36M3] Strut Brace In a message dated 10/6/2007 9:29:33 PM Eastern Daylight Time, jeff.conner@yahoo.com writes: though I *swear* it improves turn in response by .003045% :-) Oh yeah...well my Dinan improves turn in response by 0.00310% and weighs 0.5 oz. less! Though this might not be statistically significant ;-)) All joking aside, basically eye candy for what we put the cars through. I've had the JTD brace -- very well done. I now have Dinan front and back for no other reason than mounting reinforcement for my TCK camber plates and RE RSMs. cheers, Bob Gill 97 ///M3 coupe Philly Region SCCA 2005 / 2006 Philly Region BSP Champion Sponsored by Wheel Collision Center & Rogue Engineering ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com
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#7. Re: [E36M3] M3/4 Owners - Time to replace your car?? - from Mdriver13@aol.com
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Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 22:18:12 EDT From: Mdriver13@aol.com Subject: Re: [E36M3] M3/4 Owners - Time to replace your car?? In a message dated 10/6/2007 8:59:31 PM Eastern Daylight Time, dgcrum@jps.net writes: Did I need to use every last bit of carbon on the brushes? Probably not, but it was an interesting experiment. Yes, for us research scientist -- nice exp'tment! Bob Gill 97 ///M3 coupe Philly Region SCCA 2005 / 2006 Philly Region BSP Champion Sponsored by Wheel Collision Center & Rogue Engineering ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com
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#8. RE: [E36M3] Strut Brace - from Dave Hogg
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Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2007 06:51:54 -0400 From: "Dave Hogg" <dhogg1@comcast.net> Subject: RE: [E36M3] Strut Brace The UUC Strut Barbarian is AWESOME, and they've started making it again. It's again available now, new from UUC, so they told me at WGI. When my hood's open in the paddock, it's the one thing folks comment on, like "Wow, look at that bar!" No relation to UUC, it's just a great piece. Dave Hogg #20 IS with old, bog-slow driver
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#9. Don't forget the X brace - from Bill Sharp
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Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2007 08:51:06 -0500 From: Bill Sharp <M3@cueframe.us> Subject: Don't forget the X brace Do any of you feel, like me, the factory X brace underneath doubles the frame stiffness the strut bar provides? Bill Ft. Worth 2/22/99 Coupe
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#10. RE: [E36M3] Don't forget the X brace - from Matt Bader
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Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2007 10:03:32 -0400 From: "Matt Bader" <mbader@exammaster.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] Don't forget the X brace I also think (pure speculation) that the strut bar, if nothing else, does help to add some support to the RSM's even if there is no detectable difference in handling characteristics. So, while the front bar may be just for bling bling effect, the rear one might do some good. Although, when I had my sport springs and shocks installed, the front mounts were in worse shape than the rear. Replaced all of them anyway. Matt Bader 98 M3/4 Delaware -----Original Message----- From: Bill Sharp [mailto:M3@cueframe.us] Sent: Sunday, October 07, 2007 9:59 AM To: E36M3 Subject: [E36M3] Don't forget the X brace Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2007 08:51:06 -0500 From: Bill Sharp <M3@cueframe.us> Subject: Don't forget the X brace Do any of you feel, like me, the factory X brace underneath doubles the frame stiffness the strut bar provides? Bill Ft. Worth 2/22/99 Coupe ************************************************* Please help support the E36M3 list by visiting our sponsors: Bimmerworld http://www.bimmerworld.com Turner Motorsport http://www.turnermotorsport.com Eurosport High Performance http://www.eurosporthighperformance.com Rogue Engineering http://www.rogueengineering.com Treehouse Racing http://www.treehouseracing.com Elephant Motorsports Inc. http://www.elephantmotorsports.com DIGEST INFORMATION: http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm *************************************************