[skroonigan]

So I ordered a used BMW G80 Front Brace a few weeks back from Ebay, I suspected it would work/fit on a G20. Well, good news it does. The front brace I'm referencing is behind the rain tray and mounts behind the strut mount and the firewall. The G20 front brace is stamped steel and the G80 is thick aluminum. I put together a crappy video on how to install it. You need to pull the wiper arms to get access behind the rain tray. Pulling the wiper arms is the hardest part (I have to order a wiper arm puller to remove mine). Felt an increase in NVH on bumps that can be felt in the dash/front windshield area, turn in didn't feel much different, but the car felt a bit more responsive to steering inputs. I don't have any other sort of front strut bar, so I suspect if I did the difference would be more noticeable.

Here's an ebay listing for the bar I'm referencing:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/14570111470...Bk9SR6rtrLH5Yw

[330iToy]

Hi where is the video? Did you add anymore of the G80 suspension braces? Thanks

[helmet91]

Wow... pretty cool. Did you happen to compare the weight between the two parts?

Looking forward to the video - very interested to see how much of a pain disassembly is. Also wondering about torque values.

[helmet91]

M3 Front Brace Bracket - 8075012
OEM G20 Brace Bracket - 51617423989

RealOEM shows the following hardware:
05 Hex bolt M10X55 10.9 ZNS 4 07147483888
06 Hex bolt with washer M10X25-10.9ZNS3 4 07119905147 $1.07
07 Torx bolt M8X25 8.8 ZNS3 8 07119908535
08 Threaded plug M10X30 6 07129909659



vs

[skroonigan]

I should have weighed them both. They felt very similar in weight, neither seemed noticeably heavier than the other. Rendering the video now.

[skroonigan]

Here's the video:

Apologies up front, first crack at one of these types of things.

Wasn't sure on the torque specs, I just made them tight without going nuts.

[helmet91]

Definitely looks a lot nicer. Too bad you’re the only one that know it’s there. LOL

Could be a fun project. The part is definitely pretty cheap if you find one used.

Nice work

[GA/\/\/\/\A_CT]

Does it make a noticeable difference in handling?

[skroonigan]

Originally Posted by GA/\/\/\/\A_CT

Does it make a noticeable difference in handling?

Yes, the car seems to be flatter(less body roll) in turns. Doesn't really effect turn-in like I've found in the past with adding a strutbar to a car. It's very subtle change, not super noticeable.

[skroonigan]

Starting to investigate if it's possible to use the G80 "Front Panel" (radiator support in a G20. Took a look at pictures and it looks possible. I'm wondering if the G20 subframe has mounting holes for the V brace looking thing.

PFA:
G80

G20:

[RCKYMTN M34OI]

Originally Posted by skroonigan

Starting to investigate if it's possible to use the G80 "Front Panel" (radiator support in a G20. Took a look at pictures and it looks possible. I'm wondering if the G20 subframe has mounting holes for the V brace looking thing.

PFA:
G80

G20:

Good info!
But for the minimal improvement(if any) it would give I doubt it's worth the trouble of installation. Probably more effecient to explore aftermarket chasis stiffening parts if that's what you're after.

[skroonigan]

Originally Posted by RCKYMTN M34OI

Good info!
But for the minimal improvement(if any) it would give I doubt it's worth the trouble of installation. Probably more effecient to explore aftermarket chasis stiffening parts if that's what you're after.

Yeah, agreed. I do like how beefy that G80 radiator support bar is. If I could get a lot of the parts used for a good price it might be worthwhile. It looks like that top cover plate would have to be modified to make it work, as bonus you would replace that ugly silver top cover with a nice black one.

[seanblee]

For anyone else considering this, note that the M3 brace is a nice thick piece of aluminium, so you'll need to replace the bolts that secure the stock brace to the bulkhead (firewall) with longer ones - non-M uses M10x25mm, M uses M10x35mm (part 07148086257). Torque spec for these is 56Nm + 90 degrees. There are four of these bolts (2 per side).

At the strut tower end, you'll need to replace the existing bolts as they're one time use. They're M10x55mm (part 07147483888) - don't use the M3 bolts here as it has an extra bracket on top of the tower so uses longer bolts. These are also torqued to 56Nm + 90 degrees, and you'll need four total (2 per side).

[skroonigan]

Originally Posted by seanblee

For anyone else considering this, note that the M3 brace is a nice thick piece of aluminium, so you'll need to replace the bolts that secure the stock brace to the bulkhead (firewall) with longer ones - non-M uses M10x25mm, M uses M10x35mm (part 07148086257). Torque spec for these is 56Nm + 90 degrees. There are four of these bolts (2 per side).

At the strut tower end, you'll need to replace the existing bolts as they're one time use. They're M10x55mm (part 07147483888) - don't use the M3 bolts here as it has an extra bracket on top of the tower so uses longer bolts. These are also torqued to 56Nm + 90 degrees, and you'll need four total (2 per side).

Awesome, thanks for doing the homework I didn't do. Ordered the bolts and going to replace them when they come!

[helmet91]

How sketchy is the removal and reinstall of the rain tray??

[skroonigan]

Originally Posted by helmet91

How sketchy is the removal and reinstall of the rain tray??

Not at all sketchy. Most sketchy part is removing the wipers using the wiper pulling tool.

[helmet91]

Well, I ended up ordering off of US Ebay as I couldn't find a good source of the part in Europe. A few places in the UK had the brace, but I didn't want to deal with the potential hassle of import duties. I also saw a couple shops in Lithuania, but the shipping fees were insane.

Unfortunately, shipping to my US address (hard to explain) would have been equally expensive due to the overall size of the brace. Fortunately, I have a buddy getting ready to move to Germany from FL, so the Ebay seller is just sending the part to him. He's already got my Dinan exhaust LOL. Only downside is that his household goods probably won't get to Germany until late October.

I can't believe I couldn't track this brace down in Germany somewhere... maybe I just did a bad job looking?