Bmw carbon fiber strut bar for sale (not mine)

[az3579]

Not flawed. It's bling that also serves a purpose, easily justified. Nothing wrong with going for something else with similar perf and lower cost though.

I think a single car should try to maintain a single philosophy if possible though. Use lower cost non OEM consistently throughout where possible or go full OEM quality where possible. It would be a little off to me to have too much a mix of OEM bling with non OEM bling. Of course it depends on the parts, etc.

Regarding Genuine vs non-Genuine parts, it's a fine balance that has to be accomplished. For certain components, such as electrical parts, I learned that it's critical to use genuine parts. For other stuff, like getting poly bushings instead of genuine BMW bushings, it doesn't matter as much.

For something like a strut bar, it simply doesn't matter which one you get. On the street, they do nothing other than help prevent strut tower mushrooming, which any decent strut brace could do. So, in my opinion, the difference is the bling factor you desire.

If you want bling, none of them even compare to the BMW Carbon Fiber brace; it is hands down the best looking brace for our cars. If, however, you like the look of a much cheaper brace, go for that one. The BMW one is too much money, if you ask me. Yeah, I bought one... Dunno what I was thinking but I'm glad I already have it!

[mbeckel]

DW, unless you're truly tracking your ZHP and need the additional rigidity, the strut brace is purely bling. Most here don't track their babies, some do God bless ya. So IMHO, and some might disagree, if you're buying bling then buy the real bling. My dad used to tell me, "if you're going to play like a sport, be ready to pay like a sport", and where applicable I do.

It's all subject to everyone's own personal taste. If you're buying a strut bar for performance and haven't upgraded your suspension first, that's flawed thinking. The strut bar isn't going to give your fly off your ass performance. But I own the ECS bar and would still prefer the BMW Performance bar over, I just didn't want to spend the money at this time.

[NoVAphotog]

The BMW one is too much money

We have this every time one of these comes up for sale it seems like...but this is the main point. The going rate is $650-750+ at this point. If the seller knows what they have it will not be listed for less.

I've been looking at so many different things to do with my car, and as much as I would like to have one of those the only way I could do it now is happen to drive up to Rhode Island and "accidently" leave my ZHP in the carbon fiber whisperer's driveway and hope one appears beneath the hood...

Tires, wheels, cooling system refresh/CCV/sway bars, etc, etc all come in way ahead in the opportunity cost department. For those that can justify the bling to monetary expenditure ratio and want to get one, it's a very cool addition I'll give it that and one that is definitely on my wish list for when the time is right.

[ELCID86]

Didn't I see Turner has a CF bar for about $300?

I do have one BMW bar and love the look. Not sure I'd pay over $500 for one though.

[TomTomTuning]

I want one mainly for aesthetics, I think they look great. That being said, I cant justify spending $700 for an item just for aesthetics lol.

[Vas]

E46 Factory M3 strut bar. End of story.

[cakM3]

I've been looking at so many different things to do with my car, and as much as I would like to have one of those the only way I could do it now is happen to drive up to Rhode Island and "accidently" leave my ZHP in the carbon fiber whisperer's driveway and hope one appears beneath the hood...

I approve of this....never been called the carbon fiber whisperer before....I like it

E46 Factory M3 strut bar. End of story.

Had one on my ///M....it was okay but I prefer the BMW Performance carbon fiber strut bar, so I got one for my ///M...

[Vas]

Had one on my ///M....it was okay but I prefer the BMW Performance carbon fiber strut bar, so I got one for my ///M...

Does the same exact thing without the extra bling. So both bars are okay lol.

[kakashi169]

When it comes to the OEM BMW Performance CF Strut Brace, there is no comparison.

Sure, its bling but you gotta pay to play and thats what BMW is all about.

[Avetiso]

Love how this debate opens. Every. Single. Time.