strut bar really help?

[surreal]

I have been looking in to purchasing a Dinan strut bar...but does anyone who has this mod...know : is it really worth it?...is the handling that much better? that you can tell w/o a doubt?

600 dollars for Dinan strut is alot and im just looking for some feedback

thanks

[vinuneuro]

The handling difference of it is not worth $600, imo. Investing in camber plates will make a much larger difference for a lot less.

[surreal]

not to sound like an a$$hole....but do you have a strutbar on ur X or have driven in a X with a strut bar?.....and i have air suspension..so i thought camber plates aren't applicable ? (could be wrong)

more feedback thanks

[Kewl X5]

Wow, the Dinan Strut bar is $600!!! Inflation.....I was one of the earlier X5 owners who got the Strut bar early and I don't think I even paid half that price....Guess, the cost of aluminum has gone up.....

Anyhow, to answer the question, I have always been a big believer in strut bar.....Reason I got it was that I gone from 18 to 19" wheels and my experience with my last BMW E30 that potholes and struts do not get along....My strut tower in the E30 did bend a little bit....

Now, the X5 is built really well and it is a solid car.....Will it make it more solid....well, think of it this way, if you happen to hit a pothole, it would less likely that one of the strut tower will bend/move....If you doing some really hard cornering, the strut towers will be less likely to bend or turn and the handling will be more predictable.

Now, comes to the question of price/benefit ratio....only you can answer that.

Also, I also installed the Rogue Engineering camber plates which essentially does the same thing as the Dinan's one but much more cost effective. That also improved the handling as well by adding another -0.5 degree of camber for the front tires.

It all adds up, but I surely can do more tougher cornering more predictably since I added all these things and I personally thought it was worth it.

Interestingly enough, all the newer BMWs (E90 3-series, E60 5-series, Z4, X3) all have some extra strut support nowadays and also, my E46 M3 has a standard strut bar as well. So, even BMW thinks it helps.

[surreal]

again though..i have a 4.8(air suspension) and im pretty sure you cannot get camber plates with the ari supension....correct me if im wrong

[Verbalkint]

I have the Dinan strut bar (without the camber plates), and I'm running on 19's.

I do notice that the front end does seem appreciably tighter. The ride seems somewhat stiffer and more planted -- especially when cornering, on the twisties, and on entrance and exit ramps. I definitely notice a difference. Not a huge difference, but an appreciable difference.

I picked mine up (new) on eBay last year for approx. $375 (including s&h), and it was definitely worth it to me. At $600? Hard to say. Personally, I held off until I could get a better price.

[Kewl X5]

You are correct unless Dinan has something in the works. However, you have to make sure you get the strut bar that fits air suspension X5. I don't have air suspension on my X5.

However, I have driven the 4.8iS with air suspension and your does ride and handle better than most stock 3.0i, 4.4i (non air-suspension)....

The mounting hardware on top of the strut tower is different for air suspension vs. non-air suspensioned X5s....I believe the brace is the same.....

So if you order from Ebay, be aware about that.

Originally Posted by surreal

again though..i have a 4.8(air suspension) and im pretty sure you cannot get camber plates with the ari supension....correct me if im wrong

[JV]

Maybe if there's enough interest, we can get a local company here, Racing Dynamics, to make a strut tower brace for the E53 and undercut the Dinan cost?

I live 5 miles from their headquarters, so maybe if I get enough people to chime in with interest and price $$ they'd be willing to pay, who knows?

JV

[FULANITO]

Originally Posted by JV

Maybe if there's enough interest, we can get a local company here, Racing Dynamics, to make a strut tower brace for the E53 and undercut the Dinan cost?

I live 5 miles from their headquarters, so maybe if I get enough people to chime in with interest and price $$ they'd be willing to pay, who knows?

JV

I'm also very interested in getting this, as it is, I've called 2 different Dinan BMW dealers here in New York over the past week in order to get the strut bar and the CAI but neither one has returned my calls. Now if you think they can make something for the 4.8's I'll be interested!!!

[surreal]

Fulanito...i have done the same thing....I went to the Dinan Dealer though and im in the process of ordering the strut bar and CAI....the exhaust is up there...not sure if i want that over the other two mods...whut do you think?