[widetyres]

Found the alloy brace on ebay for only £40 delivered! Bargain!

[M Fifty]

Originally Posted by widetyres

Found the alloy brace on ebay for only £40 delivered! Bargain!

[3t3p]

Originally Posted by widetyres

Found the alloy brace on ebay for only £40 delivered! Bargain!

Lol N1.

Got mine plus CF brace, reinforcement rings and screws £360.

[SM2]

Nice mod. I think the aluminum brace made the biggest difference.

Anyone install the corner braces https://bimmercat.com/bmw/en/search/...ng/ECE/51_9764

3 and 5
2 and 4.

Looks like a pain. I'm not sure if another rivnut has to be installed on the fender mount #8?

[David.m]

Originally Posted by SM2

Nice mod. I think the aluminum brace made the biggest difference.

Anyone install the corner braces https://bimmercat.com/bmw/en/search/...ng/ECE/51_9764

3 and 5
2 and 4.

Looks like a pain. I'm not sure if another rivnut has to be installed on the fender mount #8?

I had the steel tube extensions but didn't install them. To fit parts 2 & 3 would have required modification/part removal of plastics under the windscreen (that capture & manage entering water under the cowl covers) and I think the bonnet hinge assemblies hindered parts 4 & 5 plus there didn't seem to be an existing ready-made spot on the firewall where they would bolt to (unlike the rivnut holes under the side guards). For a road car I don't think the benefits would justify the work required.

[Bee Pee]

Originally Posted by SM2

Nice mod. I think the aluminum brace made the biggest difference.

Anyone install the corner braces https://bimmercat.com/bmw/en/search/...ng/ECE/51_9764

3 and 5
2 and 4.

Looks like a pain. I'm not sure if another rivnut has to be installed on the fender mount #8?

Agree 💯alloy brace probably does bring the most benefit.

I ran alloy brace only on my ogm2 for ~6 months whilst waiting for a good used CF brace.

Corner extensions aren't standard on the m2comp and require a lot of remedial work to retrofit.

[SM2]

Originally Posted by David.m

I had the steel tube extensions but didn't install them. To fit parts 2 & 3 would have required modification/part removal of plastics under the windscreen (that capture & manage entering water under the cowl covers) and I think the bonnet hinge assemblies hindered parts 4 & 5 plus there didn't seem to be an existing ready-made spot on the firewall where they would bolt to (unlike the rivnut holes under the side guards). For a road car I don't think the benefits would justify the work required.

Looks like it just requires a rivnut to be put into the hole. For a 8 asa screw

[widetyres]

These make great antlers!

I hope that you have all been having a good Christmas!

[David.m]

Originally Posted by SM2

Looks like it just requires a rivnut to be put into the hole. For a 8 asa screw

Trouble is there isn't a pre-existing hole and to drill one would almost certainly involve removing the front guards (maybe a very long drill bit could get in there at the right angle but then the open bonnet would be a problem). Also part of the plastic water tray in the foreground would have to be removed.
I cut the ends off my extension rods to use a 3rd bolt on the carbon to alloy brace junction.

[David.m]

For anyone interested I've found a solution to torquing the fender riv-nut bolt (E14 torx). Get a 3/8 drive E14 torx socket, cut 5mm off the torx end and now fitted to my Kincrome 3/8 drive torque wrench I can get it under the guard lip, into the cup & onto the bolt.

I had considered cutting out a section out of the guard rail like the M2C has stock (as it's hidden by the plastic hood seal) but a panel beater mate warned that removing the rail's raised edge will increase risk of the panel buckling even from very minor impact.

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by David.m

For anyone interested I've found a solution to torquing the fender riv-nut bolt (E14 torx). Get a 3/8 drive E14 torx socket, cut 5mm off the torx end and now fitted to my Kincrome 3/8 drive torque wrench I can get it under the guard lip, into the cup & onto the bolt.

I had considered cutting out a section out of the guard rail like the M2C has stock (as it's hidden by the plastic hood seal) but a panel beater mate warned that removing the rail's raised edge will increase risk of the panel buckling even from very minor impact.

I notched mine. Not only for install purposes, but for every time you need to take the brace out. Makes it OEM easy.

[SIE_M2]

Originally Posted by NISFAN

I notched mine. Not only for install purposes, but for every time you need to take the brace out. Makes it OEM easy.

What did you use to notch the panel?

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by SIE_M2

What did you use to notch the panel?

Step drill for the corners, then a hacksaw blade to join them up. Finally filed the profile to make it smooth and uniform. Make sure you paint it for protection.

The above sounds daunting, but realistically, the steel if very thin and easy to work.

WIP pic

[NolaM2]

Originally Posted by Anthony1s

I did this a few weeks ago, added TC Kline camber plates at the same time. If you add the camber plates too, you do not need to purchase the bmw strut top bolts or the shock tower/reinforcement ring/top hat bolts. The camber plates come with their own bolts.

Also, as mentioned before, with the eventuri intake, you need to remove the intake shroud to get it to fit. Otherwise the intake sits too high to bolt down the carbon brace. You also cannot remove the intake housing to change air filter without removing the carbon brace now. However, you can get around this. If you remove the filter housing at the hose clamp, wiggle it off the intake pipe, then you can finagle it around to remove the filter allen bolts and filter, without removing the housing from the car. You do all the work in the engine bay... hope I described that well enough.

Also, the post above mine... my 2018 M2 was already cut in those spots from the factory.

Not sure what else to mention. Everything else is pretty well covered in this thread. Here's a list of part I purchased. Cost me $1775, but would've saved $35 if I hadn't purchased the unneeded bolts.

What do you mean when you say that it was already cut? Was the finder already notched? I also have a 18 LCI. Thanks!

[magha]

Just did the conversion and installed ohlins at the same time. Wow what a transformation! The front end is even more responsive and connected now!! Highly recommended esp if you're tracking. Hoping to test track effectiveness soon.

[widetyres]

Originally Posted by Bee Pee

2 main clearance issues were

- close proximity of alloy brace to positive terminal under RHS cowl cover so lots of ocd-esque insulation tape on both brace and cables and heat shrink on the cables.

- brake servo hose rerouted by disconnecting and spinning retaining clip by 180deg before re-connecting brake servo hose to give hose route more clearance from brace.

I finally got around to fitting this at the weekend! (only been sat in the garage for half a year!)

I fitted it complete with Vorshlag camber plates. Wow - what a difference - the setup feels absolutely fantastic (and I haven't even dialed in any additional camber yet). (this is with GTS coding and AST coilovers also)

Bee Pee Please can you expand a little on the brake hose re-routing - I also have this issue also. Does twisting the connector 180 degrees enable the hose to push down further into the servo unit? I guess that you had to bleed the brakes after this? Thanks.

[M Fifty]

No to bleeding the brakes - he's talking about the vacuum hose to the brake servo.

[widetyres]

Originally Posted by M Fifty

No to bleeding the brakes - he's talking about the vacuum hose to the brake servo.

Ah, I misunderstood - I don't think that was an issue for me.

What I am referring to is the brake pipe for the right front brake - the red one in the picture below. My brace is pressing down on this. It is not too bad at the moment, as I don't have the fillster bolts in, but if there were in, I think that there would be too much pressure on the pipe.

Did anyone else have this issue? I suspect it is just be a case of undoing the pipe attachment to the ABS unit, and then sliding the pipe down a bit more.

Also, I really struggled to get the rivnuts to bite - I wasn't using a tool, but googled how to do it, and had washer/bolt/nuts with a couple of spanners, but it just wouldn't expand enough to hold properly. Any tips on how people did it, or recommendations on a tool that will fit in that space?

Thanks.

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by widetyres

Ah, I misunderstood - I don't think that was an issue for me.

What I am referring to is the brake pipe for the right front brake - the red one in the picture below. My brace is pressing down on this. It is not too bad at the moment, as I don't have the fillster bolts in, but if there were in, I think that there would be too much pressure on the pipe.

Did anyone else have this issue?

Also, I really struggled to get the rivnuts to bite - I wasn't using a tool, but googled how to do it, and had washer/bolt/nuts with a couple of spanners, but it just wouldn't expand enough to hold properly. Any tips on how people did it, or recommendations on a tool that will fit in that space?

Thanks.

I had an N55 M2 come to me once with this same issue (the brace had begun to dig a notch into the line from the contact). I used washers in between the bottom of the brace and the body to give it more standoff to clear the brake line.

[M Fifty]

Originally Posted by FaRKle!

I had an N55 M2 come to me once with this same issue (the brace had begun to dig a notch into the line from the contact). I used washers in between the bottom of the brace and the body to give it more standoff to clear the brake line.

Did you not consider deploying Brute Force to "realign" the pipe?

[M Fifty]

Originally Posted by widetyres

Ah, I misunderstood - I don't think that was an issue for me.

What I am referring to is the brake pipe for the right front brake - the red one in the picture below. My brace is pressing down on this. It is not too bad at the moment, as I don't have the fillster bolts in, but if there were in, I think that there would be too much pressure on the pipe.

Did anyone else have this issue? I suspect it is just be a case of undoing the pipe attachment to the ABS unit, and then sliding the pipe down a bit more.

Also, I really struggled to get the rivnuts to bite - I wasn't using a tool, but googled how to do it, and had washer/bolt/nuts with a couple of spanners, but it just wouldn't expand enough to hold properly. Any tips on how people did it, or recommendations on a tool that will fit in that space?

Thanks.

Notice how the diagram shows a somewhat different shape to that pipe compared to the picture...

[widetyres]

Originally Posted by FaRKle!

I had an N55 M2 come to me once with this same issue (the brace had begun to dig a notch into the line from the contact). I used washers in between the bottom of the brace and the body to give it more standoff to clear the brake line.

Originally Posted by FaRKle!

I had an N55 M2 come to me once with this same issue (the brace had begun to dig a notch into the line from the contact). I used washers in between the bottom of the brace and the body to give it more standoff to clear the brake line.

Thanks - good tip!