Mason
Engineering
FAQ's
Mason Engineering
products are 100%
AMERICAN MADE and use DOMESTICALLY
PRODUCED ALLOY MATERIALS.
At
Mason Engineering
we DO NOT outsource our manufacturing and have
no plans to in the future. With the expansion of the
popularity of our products, companies in China have started copying
and mislabeling their cheap knockoffs as our bars. We want you
to be 100% satisfied and we do our very best to provide you with the
best product available.
Mason Engineering uses three types of
materials, but our preferred material is aluminum, here is why.
Aluminum is one third the
weight of carbon steel and stainless steel, and is twice as strong
in a compression load situation.
The advantage of aluminum is
it is light, and non-magnetic. This means that electrical
disturbances are reduced, and it resists corrosion. In its natural
state, aluminum has a clean appearance and absorbs impact loads
without permanently deforming as aluminum has a high modulus of
elasticity. Additionally Aluminum has a 45k
PSI tensile strength.
Carbon Steel on the other hand
is overall stronger in all directions of load but is three times as
heavy, is prone to oxidation (rust), and is magnetic. Carbon
Steel has a 55k PSI tensile.
Physical
Properties of our materials:
Carbon
Steel:
55k PSI tensile and 40k
yield strength
60601T6
Aluminum alloy: 45k PSI
tensile and 40k
yield strength
Stainless
Steel: 85k PSI
tensile and 35k yield strength
As you can see, stainless steel in the weakest
of the lot but is good when used in heat affected areas.

Commonly asked questions.
The BMW 3 Series cars are well known for their agility and superb
handling. However, because of the chassis design, there is a
weakness in the 3 Series cars. The front shock towers are not well
supported in the 3 Series chassis. In fact, they are somewhat
isolated and unsupported. As a result, the towers can bend and flex
under heavy cornering. This flexing can cause detrimental changes in
the handling of your car, because, in general, the stiffer the
chassis, the better the handling of the car. Camber strut braces are
designed to maintain the distance between the shocks under heavy
cornering. A bar linking the top of the shock towers ensures the
towers do not bend when the chassis is flexing.
A strut bar, strut brace, or strut tower brace
(STB) is a mostly aftermarket car suspension accessory usually
used in conjunction with MacPherson struts on monocoque or unibody
chassis to provide extra stiffness between the strut towers.
With a MacPherson strut suspension system where the spring and
shock absorber are combined in the one suspension unit, the entire
vertical suspension load is transmitted to the top of the
vehicle's strut tower, unlike a double wishbone suspension where
the spring and shock absorber may share the load separately. In
general terms, a strut tower in a monocoque chassis is a
reinforced portion of the inner wheel well and is not necessarily
directly connected to the main chassis rails. For this reason
there is inherent flex within the strut towers relative to the
chassis rails.
A strut bar is designed to reduce this strut tower flex by
tying two parallel strut towers together. This transmits the load
of each strut tower during cornering which ties the two towers
together and reduces chassis flex. To accomplish this effectively
(especially on MacPherson strut suspensions), the bar must be
rigid throughout its length, and also attached to the firewall.
-
Why you need a rear shock tower bar?
The purpose of a rear shock tower bar is to reduce the amount of
flex that the chassis experiences during cornering by bracing the
tops of the struts and the strut towers against each other.
A strut brace results in a more rigid chassis with less flexing and
twisting, which translates to a more confidence-inspiring driving
experience. A rigid chassis is more responsive, whereas excess
movement and flexing can make a vehicle feel loose.
The rear shock tower bar will
also help to remove the common unwanted front end under steer
associated with excessive body roll.
When you install the strut bar
you are doing so with the suspension fully loaded due to the car
being on the ground. No movement will occur on the suspension
during install, which means you will not affect your alignment.
Mason Engineering is not an endorsed manufacturer of BMW or MINI
parts and accessories. No warranty for our parts will be
provided by BMW or their affiliates. Installing Mason
Engineering parts on your BMW or MINI vehicles could possibly
violate or void the manufacturers warranty. All liability is
assumed by the customer.
BMW and MINI names and emblems are
copyrighted by the BMW corporation.
CustomerService@MasonEngineering.net
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