Hi, I am having fitted a JCW strut brace on my R56 MCS. I want to know will I be able to tell if there is less stress being transmitted through the cab of the car? As one of the reasons for me having this installed is - I have a rattle behind the dash and this usually only occurs when the suspension is under load or going over larger bumps in the road.

The car is going into the dealer to have the rattle looked at but I hoped this would limit some of the stresses being transmitted through the car and I hope stopping some of the rattle.:):)

If anyone thinks this will help let me know!!

Not sure but I'd be interested in the answer....

I've read some posts on NAM that suggest a strut brace can reduce interior vibrations but those had aftermarket braces that looked a lot more substantial than the JCW item.

I believe that they have to put the brace under a torqued load for it to work. I wont be bending the car around a track so I don't think it needs so be to substantial and if you look at the mounting points they look good and strong. I will put a pic up on Tuesday when it is fitted and hopefully some feed back on what it has done!!!

After I fitted mine, the first thing I noticed was when going over the speed bumps at work the dash rattle I used to have completely disappeared. :)

Car now feels a lot more solid & rattle free when the suspension working hard, well pleased with it. :D

Cheers
Ian

I have now had the brace fitted!!!:smile: The car does feel better and more solid on turn in and while holding a corner!!!

The rattle still remains though!:( This is now starting to get me down as the car has been in 4 times. I am glad the repair bill is not mine!

Yes, a strut brace can cure some squeaks, provided that:

1. The squeak is caused by plastic in the dash rubbinging together as the shell twists

and

2. The brace is substantial enough. The brace needs to be very substantial to have a significant effect though, many are purely cosmetic :(

The brace is JCW and looks better made than forge and others I have looked at! But the rattle I have is more of a clicking noise when you go over bumps and stress the shell.

Would really recommend the brace as I gave the car a good burn after my last post, very worthy mod!:biggrin:

I have now had the brace fitted!!!:smile: The car does feel better and more solid on turn in and while holding a corner!!!

The rattle still remains though!:( This is now starting to get me down as the car has been in 4 times. I am glad the repair bill is not mine!

I noticed the same effect on cornering. It works as advertised. :)
Also no difference on my rattle, but it was vibration issues around 2800 rpm, not suspention related. I have since fixed the rattle, but it took a few tries!

Just ordered the JCW strut brace for my girlfriends car, should be here Thursday/Friday

Fun for the weekend:smile:

Kris

I noticed a difference between the JCW I drove with a strut brace, compared to mine without it, that would be another think i'd like then :o

Fitted the strut brace earlier. Just one question did anyone else's bar need the Allen Key screws with Nylock nut tightening on both sides. Just when I was reading through the instructions it never mentioned about tightening these. But without these tightened the bar was not completely rigid.

Any answers would be much appreciated,.

Kris

Fitted the strut brace earlier. Just one question did anyone else's bar need the Allen Key screws with Nylock nut tightening on both sides. Just when I was reading through the instructions it never mentioned about tightening these. But without these tightened the bar was not completely rigid.

Any answers would be much appreciated,.

Kris

Yes the Allen bolts on my strutbrace required tightening, even though it's not mentioned in the instructions.

Cheers
Ian

Well, I initially had the JCW Strut Brace fitted to my R56 but found not much of a difference. I ended up taking it off and replacing it with the Forge version (the cheaper one) and found it to be much better and noticeable difference.

Honestly, in my opinon, the JCW Strut Brace is more show than action and cost twice as much than third party ones.

Save yourself the money and upgrade other parts, such as the anti roll bar. A slightly thicker bar will also improve handling!

Fitted the strut brace earlier. Just one question did anyone else's bar need the Allen Key screws with Nylock nut tightening on both sides. Just when I was reading through the instructions it never mentioned about tightening these. But without these tightened the bar was not completely rigid.

Any answers would be much appreciated,.

Kris

Tightened mine up too (firmly but not super tight), they were a lot of play. It's not a big deal though, the main thing is to be stiff lengthwise to prevent push-pull action between the top of struts - the hinges don't come into play in that direction anyway.

I've been looking around for strut brace for a while and found one from M7 tuning

A dealer here in Thailand said this one from M7 is the strongest one.

visit m7tuning.com for me detail and pics

it cost around $199


:)

I've been looking around for strut brace for a while and found one from M7 tuning

A dealer here in Thailand said this one from M7 is the strongest one.

visit m7tuning.com for me detail and pics

it cost around $199


:)
NIce! Finally available for the R56 - that'd be the one to get, has the anti-mushroom plates too.

Well, for a start, the moe mounting points the strut brace has the better. Keep away from any two point mounts as these are purely cosmetics. Four point mounts are a minimum but best are those with six points!

I currently have a Forge strut brace (the cheaper version) and must say that the car handles ever slightly better, especially in turns. I also test drove JCW with their strut brace mounted and honestly felt it being less stiff.

Also, to get the full potential out of the strut brace, one will also need to do similar upgrades to the suspension and anti roll bars!