We attempt to fit H&R sway bars to our BMW 135i project car.

Since we were fortunate to have one of the first BMW 135i Coupes in the US before they were available in the dealerships, we wanted to embark on a series of modifications to help owners who would come along later to learn what works on this car, and possibly what to avoid.

Our first mod was to install a set of H&R Street Coilovers on the car, allowing us to lower the car considerably on the adjustable spring perches. You can read the details and follow the step-by-step guide at http://blogs.eurotuner.com/6235910/euro-project-cars/bmw-135i-project-car/index.html or http://www.eurotuner.com/techarticles/eurp_0803_bmw_135i_1_series_coilovers_installation/index.html

Having used the car for several weeks with the new suspension, we are delighted to confirm that despite the very low ride height and reduced suspension travel, the car remains very comfortable and supple. Inevitably, it’s firmer than stock but the trade off is surprisingly small. We had expected to really suffer with such a lowered suspension, but H&R’s expertise has shone through.
And while the handling is a little more planted than stock, and body roll has been reduced, we still felt there was room for improvement. So our friends at Turner Motorsport (www.turnermotorsport.com) again supplied us with a pair of H&R anti-roll (sway) bars for the front and rear of our BMW 135i Coupe – with the car being so new, very few companies actually offer aftermarket products for this car, so we were happy to again sample H&R’s goods.
Since Turner Motorsport (TMS) is located in New England, and we are in Los Angeles, the company recommended we visit Euro Sport Accessories (www.eurosportacc.com) in Anaheim, CA for the installation. Its well-equipped workshops and expert technicians would make the job a breeze.
On our arrival at Euro Sport (ESA), we compared the size of the new sway bars and were staggered at the size of the stock rear bar. At only 12mm in diameter, the 20mm replacement from H&R (part number 70187, retail price $299 – although TMS will discount this price) should make a significant difference to the car’s behavior. However, the front bars are identical at 27mm for both the stock and aftermarket bars (part number 71187, retail price $189 – although TMS will discount this price). In this instance, we have to assume that H&R has increased rigidity to offer an improvement over the BMW factory part.

Fitting the front bar would be relatively straightforward once the undertray was removed, so Vic Kazanjian (brother of Raffi who owns ESA) took a close look at the rear end because he suspected it could be more complicated. After several phone calls it became apparent that the only way to remove the stock rear sway bar was to drop the axle – a four or five hour job! This would represent considerable labor costs to install the bars and should be factored into your decision to fit them.

Unfortunately, we hadn’t allowed sufficient time to fit the bars on this occasion so booked a second appointment with ESA to complete the job next week. Hopefully then we can report whether the cost – estimated to be around $1000 for the bars and labor – justifies the improvement in handling. Stay tuned to www.eurotuner.com for and update.