Does anybody have a photo of their E39 M5 trunk with the Dinan rear shock tower brace in place? I am debating installing this component, but am worried about how difficult it would be to put luggage in the trunk (not to mention a spare tire) with that part sticking up in my trunk. Any advice on what that does to your trunk space? Is the improvement in handling worth the hassle?
BP- Off topic question here, did you re-upgrade your stereo after you sold the stuff that you bought the car with to another board member, or is it stripped out?
I had the rear strut brace on my 2001, but I didn't put it back on to the 2003. It took up too much space. I also have fold-down seats, so it kind of defeated the purpose of that option.
In the '80's, lateral rear shock tower braces gained a foot-hold with the hatchback crowd. Saleen, Roush, Ford and several race shops confirmed that the sleeker Mustang hatchback (preferred for track due to better cg rating) had severe rear chassis & shock tower flex problems. Most utilitarian hatchbacks share this problem. The conventional sedan/notchback did not have these issues, but it had poor cg and was not suitable for higher speeds. The bracing device they developed quickly moved to other hatchback car applications sharing a similar lack of structural rigidity above the shock towers. The purpose of the brace was to control lateral movement of the towers under severe cornering.
More recently, customers began demanding such a brace for "all applications" and mfrs stepped up to the plate. IMO, the rear deck, window and trunk frame on the 5 series provides tremendous strength and triangulation. The rear deck on the 5 series is an effective compression/tension member. A sedan's rear deck serves the same function as the brace. Realize that hatchback cars do not have a rear deck. My feeling is the brace will not provide measurable gains (bene's) on the track under professional race conditions. The gains on the street will be less, if that's even possible.
BP- Off topic question here, did you re-upgrade your stereo after you sold the stuff that you bought the car with to another board member, or is it stripped out?
Thanks in advance,
Travis
Travis - Not yet, the photo above is from the original stereo install. I have big plans for the new stereo system, and am looking for lightweight and low CG. I don't want my subwoofer rolling around in the trunk while taking corners on the track
BP- Thanks for the info, glad to hear that you are re-upgrading your stereo. How did your older setup sound, the one that you took out?
-Travis
It sounded great, and I didn't take it all out, just the 3 Nakamichi amps and the Alumapro sub. These were too heavy and mounted too high in the truck for my liking. I want a low CG and low weight. These items weighed close to 100 pounds. I would like a really cleanly integrated amp and a lightweight sub. I looked for a while, but put the project on the back-burner.
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