Strut Tower Brace Installation Instructions

These are general instructions applicable to all cars. Below, we have specific notes for each model, as applicable. We recommend you read the instructions fully before you start, and reach out to sales@strong-strut.com with any questions or trouble you encounter during the install, we are here to help.

Tools Required
13mm socket
5/16" hex drive socket
Torque wrench strongly recommended

NOTE: This procedure does not change suspension alignment and should always be performed on flat, level ground with the car fully sitting on the tires. No jacks, jack stands, lifts, etc should be used. The weight of the car on the suspension is what maintains the alignment while the shock hat bolts are removed!

1. Remove the 6 shock mounting nuts, 3 from each shock tower top using the 13mm socket. The factory nuts are eccentric, so they may require a socket wrench to remove fully and not spin freely. Discard these nuts (or keep if you wish), they will not be re-used. 
2. Place each mounting ring on top of the shock tower and over the studs, with the mounting blocks facing towards the front of the car. 
   
3. Using the new stainless flange nuts provided in the hardware kit, thread a nut onto each stud. Do not tighten, leave each nut a few turns off the surface of the mounting ring so it moves freely within its adjustment travel.
4. Standing in front of the car, place the cross bar onto the mounting blocks, using your finger tips to center the bar to the edges of the mounting blocks. Generally, the mounting holes in the blocks should be visibly in the center of the slots in the cross bar, but the slots are there for adjustment as needed. 
   
5. Using the 5/6" hex socket (works best not on the wrench yet), hand feed the 3/4" hex bolts into the mounting blocks, putting a stainless washer on each. The washers have a "flat" side and a "round" side, which you'll be able to see / feel. We recommend the flat side be toward the bar. 
   
6. Once you have all of the mounting hardware loosely installed, and are satisfied with the centering of the cross bar, torque the cross bar bolts to 25 ft-lbs. Note: do NOT over tighten these. It's not necessary and you may strip the mounting threads and ruin the part. If you do not have a torque wrench, thread the bolts until snug and then tighten no more than 1/4 turn. 
7. Using the 13mm socket (not on the wrench), snug the 6 mounting nuts on the shock tower. You may need use some of the adjustment play to ensure there is clearance for the socket on all 6 nuts. Then, torque all 6 nuts to 20 ft-lbs. 

We recommend checking and re-torquing the nuts after and initial 100 miles of driving. 

Model Specific Notes:

Z3:

• The Z3 strut brace is designed to fit all 6-cylinder Z3 models, including S54-powered cars. Due to the various clearances required, it is unavoidable that the strut brace will touch/indent into the sound deadening on the under side of the hood when it is closed. In a typical installation, this is less than 1/8", usually closer to 1/16" inch, but it will definitely touch.
  
  The effects of this are very dependent on the state of your car, and are affected by any accumulated sag in 20+ year old padding, the adjustment of the bump stops for your hood (how tightly it closes), and how well your hood latch release is functioning. It is possible with sagging / swollen sound padding, low adjustment of hood bumpers, and/or a weak hood release, that your hood may become difficult to open with the bar installed, requiring a second set of hands to provide down pressure to release the hood catch.
  This is not common but we have seen it on more than one car, and it is considered an adjustment point. 
  
  Generally this is resolved just by time. The bar will form it's own relief indent in the padding over time. Some customers have expedited this by wetting the sound padding, closing the hood, and allowing the car to sit and dry with the hood closed for a few days, which will cause the padding to dry and re-form around the bar. Depending on your car, a small adjustment in hood closure with the bump stops is also an option. This is a good adjustment point if your car has ever had the hood off or had body work done, as they may not longer be in the factory positions anyway. 
  
  We recommend that you gently close the hood the first time and feel for any interference in the closure before a solid close that catches the hood fully, and determine if any adjustments are required. Most cars will not require any. 

E85/E86/E89 Z4

• As pictured in step 1, there is a 4th hole in the top of the strut towers on each side. This hole may have nothing in it (in fact likely to be the case) or it may have a soft metal pin with a hex drive head. This is the alignment pin for factory assembly and is of no use once the car rolls off the assembly line. If your car has ever been aligned it's likely been removed by the alignment tech. If the pin remains, you'll need to remove it as there is no clearance hole for it. The pin can be discarded, it is of no use for aligning the suspension beyond the initial build of the car. Either use an allen key to remove it or a pair of pliers - it does not have traditional threads, and does not even require a full turn to remove.