Garagistic BMW E46 M3 LTW Front Strut Brace

Overview

The Garagistic E46 LTW front strut brace also referred to as the front strut bar or the front stress brace, is designed to be a simple, elegant, and bespoke piece in your engine bay to increase structural rigidity and enhance handling. Drawing design inspirations from the E36 LTW strut bar, we came up with the LTW strut bar the E46 never got from the factory. This simple but superior design was thought out in order to maximize reinforcement to the strut towers by linking them in unison without any "hinged" features to get the most chassis rigidity. Doing so in order to give the driver the ultimate steering feel and handling capabilities in order to offer better turn-in and more accurate steering input.

We have carefully crafted the strut brace through countless revisions to ensure that it works for all E46 models with factory engine setups, from a stock suspension street cruiser build all the way to a purpose-built track car with coilover. We 3D machine the billet ends for a smooth shape and finish to match the timeless design of the E46 while adding strength and reinforcement to the strut towers. Once installed, the bar can be removed without removing the ends, which is an important feature when doing maintenance or working on the engine. Due to the slotted holes on the strut tower, E46s with aftermarket camber plates, removing the strut brace ends can cause the front-end camber alignment to deviate as it allows the strut mount studs to move within the slot. With our strut brace, you can easily remove the bar to do engine maintenance without the worry of throwing off your camber settings.

How does a strut bar work in an E46 anyway?

Well, it does so by not allowing chassis flex at the front strut towers and ensuring suspension energy is contained within the springs and shocks. This ensures that your suspension performs as intended and allows for noticeable improvements in cornering for your E46, especially under hard use. Just like the E30 and E36, the use of an E46 strut bar in the front is much more dramatic of an impact than if used in the rear. If both are used, chassis longevity will be noticed along with increased handling under track or hard use conditions.

Features

Material

• Billet 6061 aluminum 3D machined strut brace ends
  
• Carbon fiber bar
  

Weight

• Carbon bar weighs less than 2 lbs

Hardware

• Stainless steel hardware

Design

• Adjustable bar length
  
• Removable middle bar for quick engine maintenance and servicing
  
• Completely reversible, no modification is needed to fit the brace
  
• Does not require relocation of the E46 positive terminal on the right side strut tower

OEM and Aftermarket Compatibility

• Works with aftermarket camber plates and coilovers
• Works with OEM strut mounts
• Fits both E46 models with smooth and bumpy strut towers

Fitment

• Fits: 2001-2004 BMW E46 M3 (Does not fit M3s produced after 09/2004)
  
• Does Not Fit: later model M3s equipped with crankcase breather hose PN# 13417834068 
• Please Note: Fitment with engine swaps not confirmed