Is the Dinan front strut tower brace worth the money? It's $500 + labor! I'm planning on getting the stage 3 suspension upgrade + rear shock tower brace for my M5. Dinan doesn't have the front brace listed on their M5 price list; is the part the same as for the regular 5 series? What advantages will it give? Can anyone who has had this upgrade done give me their impressions? Thanks!
Front bar does make a difference. I had been putting off this upgrade, but ended up getting it for my birthday. Very distinct change in the way the front end of the car feels while taking corners. Much tighter.
Don't pay anyone to install it though. It only took me 10 minutes to put it on. Not worth to pay someone else to do it. You'll want them to install the rear though. That one was a PITA. Ended up costing me $140 to have the rear one installed and I had done all the break down of the trunk prior! 2 1/2 hours to drill 4 holes. The service guy was cussing the whole time. Oh well, better him than me!
------------------ Mark 2000 Dinan M5 2001 X5 4.4 Sport
And a related question: Do folding rear seats make the car less rigid (under torsion)? I'm guessing that getting the rear shock tower brace on a car with folding seats would be silly!
Actually, it's reccomended for those with the folding seats. It's also (supposedly) easier to install on them. I do not have folding seats hence the difficulty with the install. I can also say I did not notice much difference with the rear installed as I did with the front. Will probably only make a real difference at the track.
------------------ Mark 2000 Dinan M5 2001 X5 4.4 Sport
I just checked out the Dinan website again. They seemed to have recently updated the product list for the E39 M5. However, I noticed that the Front Strut Tower brace is no longer on the list.
Anyone know off hand if this an error on their part?
Ok, I've talked to Dinan, and the front strut tower brace for the M5 is the same one as for the other e39 5ers. Dunno why it's not on their price list. I decided to go ahead and get it, and install it myself. I must admit that 50% of why I want it is to have a cool looking aftermarket Dinan mod when I pop the hood
Looks like it will tighten up the front end 'twist' I sometimes notice when I dive into a corner aggressively, too.
I believe the strut for the e39 540 and the e39 M5 are the same. I believe the six cylinder models are different though. I would buy one for my M5 if you could get it without the Dinan logo stamped all over it.
'Dinan' is pronounced 'Die' + 'nin' -- the 'i' is a long vowel sound. I was uncertain, too, until I called up Dinan and heard how they said it on their annoying-telephone-menu-system.
I have the dinan front and rear strut for a while, and I haven't found that much of a difference in handling. However, I did find that the ride is much better now. No idea why, but that is the case. =P
Wolf359,
I live in San Diego too and I own Stallion Auto Concepts in Poway. If you need anything from Dinan please let me know. I can also demonstrate some of them since I have already installed them in my own M5.
Please e-mail me at stallionconcepts@aol.com.
Are you going to participate in our Temecula Drive this coming Sunday?
------------------
Adrian
01 M5 LeMans Blue/Silverstone - Titanium Trim
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