Obioban's 2005 IR/IR Coupe

[Obioban]

Obioban

When you say “The cabin air filter housing needs to be replaced to create the clearance for the brace to fit”, does that mean SLON provides a modified air cabin filter box with this kit?

This post made me realize my pictures weren't actually loading for people, in either thread.

Hopefully fixed now-- there should be 13 pics, total.

[Obioban]

The carbon looks to be flat finish. Do they offer gloss finish if it is in fact flat?

It is, they do. I opted for flat.

[BADCLOWN]

The carbon looks to be flat finish. Do they offer gloss finish if it is in fact flat?

[0-60motorsports]

Oops, read that too quickly.

Yes, this still uses the OE cabin filter element.

Oh That's great! Thanks.

Now if Sloan are going to make the cabin filter housing using the same technique for people who do not want to go for their full strutbar kit.....

[Obioban]

No I meant the actual FILTER element

Oops, read that too quickly.

Yes, this still uses the OE cabin filter element.

[0-60motorsports]

Ha. I'll probably be selling it after this is installed.

No I meant the actual FILTER element

[Obioban]

Still using the OE Cabin filter element?

Ha. I'll probably be selling it after this is installed.

[nyc951]

Correct.

…. Are the pics working?

Pics are working - just wanted to confirm

[0-60motorsports]

Correct.

…. Are the pics working?

Still using the OE Cabin filter element?

[Obioban]

Obioban

When you say “The cabin air filter housing needs to be replaced to create the clearance for the brace to fit”, does that mean SLON provides a modified air cabin filter box with this kit?

Correct.

…. Are the pics working?

[nyc951]

Obioban

When you say “The cabin air filter housing needs to be replaced to create the clearance for the brace to fit”, does that mean SLON provides a modified air cabin filter box with this kit?

[0-60motorsports]

Very Nice! Love it. I wonder if SLON can make the cabin air filter housing for those of us that do not want to use their strut bar.

[Surge709]

Looked like such a nice piece of work! So much want! Let us know how install goes this weekend.

[Obioban]

Back story:
SLON has made a front strut tower brace that triangulates loads to the firewall (as BMW has done on newer cars). The result of this is an 18-20% (depending on other mods and chassis condition) torsional rigidity increase (as actually measured on a chassis twister). More torsional rigidity is only better-- better handling, better ride quality, better grip, better NHV. In terms of making your car better, it's right up there with reducing weight. Speaking of reducing weight, this is also 5.5 lbs lighter than stock, on the front end of the car (where it's hard to remove weight).

This is how it assembles, so the part pictures make sense. The portion behind the cabin air filter housing is structural epoxied to the firewall. The cabin air filter housing needs to be replaced to create the clearance for the brace to fit:



These parts are like nothing I have seen in the aftermarket space, or professionally (I'm a product design engineer, in an automotive adjacent space). I hesitate to say it, because it sounds absurd, but they feel like I imagine F1 parts would feel. Super light, super stiff, super precise.

They're also some of the best packaged parts I've received. Every significant part has it's own custom cut foam hole, so they can't damage each other. They'd have to come by a truly inept shipping company for any hard to come to them.

Everything is absurdly rigid, all the alu parts are pocketed and ribbed, for weight and structure, and the CF looks perfect. Oh, and the cork filled carbon firewall plug is just next level (more on that)




Pics:



^accurate mold, can still see the BMW stamp





This last part may be the most interesting of them all. The original version was pure carbon. A Space-X engineer, that's also a member on here (who I don't want to out-- he can self identify if he chooses), bought one of these of that version, and suggested it would be a more effective thermal barrier if it was sandwiched cork, as they do rockets. SLON tested that out, and the results were as below:

^stock vs carbon vs carbon/cork/carbon

So, that got integrated into the design (and the member who suggested it received the updated version).

Amusingly for me, that probably means I'll get a comfort upgrade out of this-- I have been running the (NLA) CSL cabin air filter housing for a decade now, and it's lighter but same material as stock-- so presumably it's just thinner, and a worse thermal barrier as a result.

So, yeah. Consider this the most gushing post I have ever written. As I said back when we had the SLON rear wall group buy, they're making the parts that I have wanted for this chassis for a decade+, that nobody was willing to do.

Hoping to have time to install it this weekend, so more to follow...

Not my car, but this is how it should look when done:



No affiliation (though I've never heard anyone say anything bad about IND), but it appears IND has one in stock, if you want one and don't want to wait:
https://ind-distribution.com/product...5727c149&_ss=r

[Obioban]

Oh cool! That's a pretty great spec. Mine is a no option car except for auto and iDrive (both things that my GF insisted on ). If we weren't so far apart, it would be interesting to see how the two compare weight wise.

I tried looking for the valvetronic thing and can't find it for some reason. tlow98 was who originally told me about it

My brothers old 128i, speced the same as mine other than slick top, with non run flat tires was 3050 lbs.