Fitted E46 M3 front strut brace on my Z4M

[07ImolaRot]

So I have read many differing opinions about if the E46 strut brace fits Z4M or not. Some people have posted picture of them installed. I was always under the impression that the part numbers are different because they are different color braces that are otherwise identical. So I decided to buy a used E46 M3 brace and try it out for myself.

Yes it DOES fit and clears the airbox and my engine mounts are brand new so the motor is not sitting low. The only caveat is that I had to put a little bit of torsinal stress on the middle bar to align it with the 4 studs on the brackets. I want to know if those of you who have the OEM Z4M brace have to do this as well when you installed yours?

I am attaching pictures of what I had to do when installing it in place.

So Firstly I bolted down the bracket to the shock towers with zero issues.

Then I put the bar through the two studs on the bracket on the passenger side.... but the driver side did not align as you can tell in this picture.



so I put a little bit of force on the bar to lift it and slide onto the two bolts and dropped it place fairly easily and it bolted down just fine. The bar is not bent but there is some stress on the right two studs because of the torsional stress I put on the bar.

those of you that have the OEM brace, does yours line up perfectly fine or did you have this fitment issue as well?

[3002 tii]

My oe bar fits easily without any manipulation.

Side note I didn’t think the e46 strut tower caps fit the Z4 bar.

[pungo]

Yes, many people have use the M3 brace on the Z4, though it sits much closer to the engine where some have had problems with it touching the bolts for the valve cover. There's definitely a difference in them besides the color...

Have you tried loosening the bolts for the shock tower brackets to see if there's a little play in those so you don''t have to "force" the brace into place

[belcom]

In the pic above of the silver colored OEM Z4M strut bar you will also see a shaved side of the mount. M3 version doesn't have that and will contact and rub the hood. Mine was not in best shape when I got it so I sand blasted all 3 pieces, then shaved off the mounts a bit on the side as pictured and painted. And yes, I also had a bit of tension but nothing crazy.

[maupineda]

I have the Z4 specific set, it just drops on, no manipulation needed.

The bases fit if you remove the alignment pins, since the pins are oriented differently on the E46 chassis and thus the pockets for them are in a different place compared to the Z, but with them removed, the bolt pattern on the towers is the same, also the Z item sits higher as they have taller embossments to clear the air box. There is about 12-15mm of space from the bar to the intake.

[07ImolaRot]

Originally Posted by pungo

Have you tried loosening the bolts for the shock tower brackets to see if there's a little play in those so you don''t have to "force" the brace into place

I have not tried that and I do not think it will make a difference to be honest. The nuts that go on the strut mounts have a collar that centers the brackets so there is literally zero adjustability to them.

I have an E46 M3 with one piece mason strut bar. I may swap the OEM E46 M3 strut bar onto my E46 for a test fitment to see if there is anything wrong with the bar itself. I doubt it though !

[07ImolaRot]

Originally Posted by maupineda

I have the Z4 specific set, it just drops on, no manipulation needed.

The bases fit if you remove the alignment pins, since the pins are oriented differently on the E46 chassis and thus the pockets for them are in a different place compared to the Z, but without removed the pattern is the same, also the Z item seats higher as they have taller embossments to clear the air box. There is about 12-15mm of space from the bar to the intake.

Thanks for this information. I think my clearance with the engine is good. and yes I did remove the alignment pins. My only fear is that the E46 strut brace may pop the nuts or bolts if there is stress on it and damage the hood given It needed a little manipulation to work. I am still on the look out for the Z4 specific one but theyre hard to find !

[07ImolaRot]

Just wanted to update this thread as I noticed a minor fitment issue. The edge of the brackets on both sides contacts the inner panel on the hood leaving a tiny mark on both sides. Otherwise I have had 100 miles on the car with no issues. I will probably sand down the brackets and repaint them all. Otherwise totally love that it is black which matches the OEM braces and comes with the ///M covers. It is a beautiful piece that totally finishes the look of the engine bay !

[Colemme]

I ordered my E46 M3 Strut Bar from getBMWparts.com. A OEM parts dealer out of Silver Springs, MD. They were great. I installed the bar this past weekend. It bolted right up (very surprised) with no forcing. However, as stated by others, I had to grind down the edge just a bit so that the hood doesn't rub. I'm very happy with the overall result.

Below are the part #'s


Part Number Part Name Price Quantity Total
51-71-7-895-414 Front Transverse Element 517162
51-71-7-895-249 Bracket, Left 1
51-71-7-895-250 Bracket, Right 1
51-71-7-895-251 Covering Left 1
51-71-7-895-252 Covering Right 1
31-31-6-769-731 Guide Support Nut 4
51-71-7-895-241 Hex Nut 519515 6
46-51-1-234-785 Protection Cap t99 6