What about the strength of that weld?

 

What weld ?

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

Randy -

I don't think you could REALLY prevent all possible damage to the strut tower without re-engineering the entire surrounding structure and beefing up the existing (weak) welds, but it sounds like this new bolt-on product gives buyers two great options to improve the situation:

1. Install a full 'CP/SRP Sandwich' if you intend to get serious with your suspension upgrades and/or track the car.
2. JUST install the SRP's alone to add as much strength to this vulnerable area as possible without disassembling the whole shebang.

I like having options! THANX for the info.
.

 

It's the weld running the circumference of the strut tower, right below the top of the strut tower.

I've seen that split open like a pop can when a car went off course, twice. By reinforcing the top of the strut tower, all that upward force will be transmitted somewhere - so, the question is, will that weld hold? Will the addition of the plates on top, sandwiching the top of the strut tower, transmit more force along that weld since the metal on top will no longer give as much?

I believe BMW designed the strut towers to give a bit, in order to avoid ripping those caps right off... mushrooming can be fixed a lot easier than if that seam rips or tears... In general, BMW has had many, many issues over the years with strut towers and strut mounts - especially in motorsports situations (e.g. e36 rear uppers tearing out, mushrooming on both e30 and e36 towers in the front, etc.).

 

"I don't think you could REALLY prevent all possible damage to the strut tower without re-engineering the entire surrounding structure and beefing up the existing (weak) welds, but it sounds like this new bolt-on product gives buyers two great options to improve the situation:"

These are designed to assist in preventing the mushroom effect from pot holes and other more normal road hazards. These will not stand up if you launch your car off a FIA curb and get air with all 4 wheels. We have seen several cars come into the shop with mushroomed tops and the owners had no idea how it happened. This is what we are trying to prevent happening with our SRP.


" It's the weld running the circumference of the strut tower, right below the top of the strut tower.

I've seen that split open like a pop can when a car went off course, twice. By reinforcing the top of the strut tower, all that upward force will be transmitted somewhere - so, the question is, will that weld hold? Will the addition of the plates on top, sandwiching the top of the strut tower, transmit more force along that weld since the metal on top will no longer give as much?

I believe BMW designed the strut towers to give a bit, in order to avoid ripping those caps right off... mushrooming can be fixed a lot easier than if that seam rips or tears... In general, BMW has had many, many issues over the years with strut towers and strut mounts - especially in motorsports situations (e.g. e36 rear uppers tearing out, mushrooming on both e30 and e36 towers in the front, etc.). "

Thanks for clarifying Scobib I really wasn't sure what weld you were referring to. As to your thoughts with regards to the " problem " moving elsewhere we do not feel that is a problem and here is why. Many cars have been running around now with what is effect a SRP. I am referring to any car with a substantial strut tower brace such as BMP, Forge Motor Sports and even ours . In my case I have had a strut tower brace on for over 50k miles and have to be in the upper 10% of hard driven cars with regards to canyon , auto cross and track abuse. My strut tower tops have remained flat and the weld you are referring to has no issues . Your question was a good one and I hope I have answered it to your satisfaction.

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

Yep Randy,

I suppose that 'Plowing the Back 40' just off-track at Summit Point Raceway is probably considered a bit beyond a "Normal Road Hazard"...

The SRP's may not help during those catastrophic events that Scobib refers to, but it should help reinforce that area of the car when you just can't avoid a bad pothole, slip off the road shoulder or forget where that really bad speed bump is (uh, forget I mentioned that last part... ).

 

Exactly ! Out here is is called " joining the Willow Springs Beach Club " or " Willow Springs Sand and Gravel " among other things . We are looking to help take care of some of the everyday hazards which judging from the cars I see personally or even the posts on sites such as this are certainly a problem.

Randy
m7 Tuning

 

The two popped seam welds did occur at the track, BUT I could see it happening on the street, too. It's not the venue, but the force applied. Forward speed and the severity of the impact from the depth, height, or sharpness (meaning not-rounded edges) of the encountered obstacle - anything that can cause the strut to bottom out could cause the issue. In both cases on the track, speeds were less than 70 - you smack a curb, messed up expansion joint or big pothole at 70, and some stuff's likely to get outta whack.

I mushroomed the passenger side strut tower in a nice pothole at highway speed. Fixed it by hammering it out. I dunno if that weld would have popped or not had that been reinforced, but it would have done something to the strut tower.

I guess whether or not that seam weld would pop from the reinforcement plates would be a function of speed, severity of impact, forged versus cast wheels (e.g. some wheels would give more in an impact than others), weight, etc., etc., etc.

I was just wondering... Thanks for answering...

 

Anyone installed theirs yet? I am assuming its just a simple process of unbolting the shock tower, throwing the plate on, and tightening down to 25 ft-lbs.

 

I ordered a set last week (although I have not received any form of order confirmation??).

The install should be a no brainer. If you have to ask... Anyway, I run, PSS9s, Ireland camber plates and 40 series tires (for street & track). Given the known weakness of the strut towers, my very poor local roads, it looks like cheap insurance.

Cheers,

 

Mine just got here today. They look great. I should install by this weekend (it snowed today here in boston, no playing outside now). The install looks very simple, and like you said, very cheap insurance. Our roads are awful here in Boston.

 

We have a set coming over here to the UK, will be going on a MINI Cooper that has "mushroomed" top mounts. Im suprised not to see more MINIs over here in the UK with this problem...as the roads over here are awful !

Will post here with what theyre like to fit, but im sure they will be a doddle!

 

Cooperchains

Snow! No place to put it Newport. belongs up in the hills where you can do somthing with it. One mile inland they got white stuff. Glad to hear the favorable impresions about the plates.

Cheers,

 

have you been to Detroit we have Potholes big enough to swallow a MINI I don't know about Tam/Wth but the only road that was real bad was the M1

 

That is the install process in a nut shell. SHould be about a 15 min or one beer job at most


Randy
M7 Tuning

 

Sorry about the e-mailing back process, we are still ironing out some kinks in
The web-site/customer interface...

If you have ordered plates you will most definitely receive them shortly.

If you are ordering them after this posting, you are out of luck, as we are
officially......Out of SRP's until the beginning of next week.

peter
Team M7
562-608-8123

 

I personally saw one pothole in a parking lot that was so deep someone put a shopping cart in it and only the very top of the cart (about six or eight inches) stood out. The bad part was that the pothole was filled with water due to heavy rains so it didn't look any different from the other potholes nearby.