How do you know it's a genuine Hartge Strut brace?

General E30 related discussions -
Please put technical questions in E30 Tech Help forum below

Moderator: martauto

User avatar
Malky320cab
E30 Zone Newbie
E30 Zone Newbie
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:00 pm
Location: Aberuthven

Post Tue May 12, 2015 8:39 pm

Have the chance of a so called genuine Hartge strut brace but the seller asked me how does he know if it is? He is advertising it as a Hartge item! so what is the way as a lot of them have lost the centre badge or the badge has been replaced.

Any suggestions or has someone got one that they can advise me on.

Cheers in advance.
Topblag
Old Skooler
Old Skooler
Posts: 7095
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:00 pm
Location: Fife - You got a problem with that ?

Post Tue May 12, 2015 9:06 pm

Interesting question, I have 2 and they are very similar to sparco ones. I also have a hartge rear strutbrace, which also has no hartge markings.
1990 325i Cab auto in Alpine White II
1988 Alpina C2.5 moredoor in Black, 71k
1990 325ix, moredoor auto in Laser Blue. 51k
1984 Hartge H35 in Black
2004 996 C4S in Silver 43k manual
2006 Audi S6 V10 in Black 58k
Topblag
Old Skooler
Old Skooler
Posts: 7095
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:00 pm
Location: Fife - You got a problem with that ?

Post Tue May 12, 2015 9:25 pm

Didn't spot it was you sir, apologies.
1990 325i Cab auto in Alpine White II
1988 Alpina C2.5 moredoor in Black, 71k
1990 325ix, moredoor auto in Laser Blue. 51k
1984 Hartge H35 in Black
2004 996 C4S in Silver 43k manual
2006 Audi S6 V10 in Black 58k
User avatar
Malky320cab
E30 Zone Newbie
E30 Zone Newbie
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:00 pm
Location: Aberuthven

Post Tue May 12, 2015 9:31 pm

Things have changed but my handle on here hasn't
Topblag
Old Skooler
Old Skooler
Posts: 7095
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:00 pm
Location: Fife - You got a problem with that ?

Post Tue May 12, 2015 10:05 pm

Malky320cab wrote:Things have changed but my handle on here hasn't
Things are changing, I'll be paying to get into Glamis this year.....
1990 325i Cab auto in Alpine White II
1988 Alpina C2.5 moredoor in Black, 71k
1990 325ix, moredoor auto in Laser Blue. 51k
1984 Hartge H35 in Black
2004 996 C4S in Silver 43k manual
2006 Audi S6 V10 in Black 58k
User avatar
ajay
E30 Zone Camper
E30 Zone Camper
Posts: 1041
Joined: Fri Nov 24, 2006 11:00 pm

Post Tue May 12, 2015 11:49 pm

Malky320cab wrote:Have the chance of a so called genuine Hartge strut brace but the seller asked me how does he know if it is? He is advertising it as a Hartge item! so what is the way as a lot of them have lost the centre badge or the badge has been replaced.

Any suggestions or has someone got one that they can advise me on.

Cheers in advance.
Here is a sparco
Image
Here is a Hartge
Image
Notice the tubes are in different points on the strut plate, thats how you can tell!
Kedge
Old Skooler
Old Skooler
Posts: 7702
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:00 pm
Location: Leicestershire

Post Tue May 12, 2015 11:58 pm

Hartge certainly put more thought into the tube positioning on the plates, the Sparco one is a right sod to fit.
Image
'86 Polaris 316 M20B28 Rebuild
Instagram - Kedge85
Sanchez
Married to the E30 Zone
Married to the E30 Zone
Posts: 7578
Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2005 11:00 pm
Location: Sunny Scotland

Post Wed May 13, 2015 1:18 am

Topblag wrote:
Malky320cab wrote:Things have changed but my handle on here hasn't
Things are changing, I'll be paying to get into Glamis this year.....
And I'll have to get the polish out for the Buffy boys.
Image
minesapint
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 510
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2012 11:00 pm
Location: Lancashire/Yorkshire border.

Post Wed May 13, 2015 8:07 pm

minesapint
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 510
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2012 11:00 pm
Location: Lancashire/Yorkshire border.

Post Wed May 13, 2015 8:29 pm

HartgeH27
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 21737
Joined: Mon Dec 20, 2004 11:00 pm
Location: Chichester

Post Wed May 13, 2015 8:29 pm

That's the later badge with the American 'G' as well, unlikely to be original.
hennabm
Old Skooler
Old Skooler
Posts: 1392
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 11:00 pm
Location: Edinburgh

Post Wed May 13, 2015 8:54 pm

@ajay

Thank you for posting the two - I have never known what make mine was - now I know - it's a Sparco.

Image

cheers :thumb:
'82 323i henna
'90 320iSE sterling silver No more!
'10 116d Sport Red - MkI
'12 1.4 Punto Easy Exotica Red
'11 X3 3.0d SE
'89 240 DL Estate
minesapint
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 510
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2012 11:00 pm
Location: Lancashire/Yorkshire border.

Post Wed May 13, 2015 9:21 pm

Here's another very similar, it's beginning to look as though there are a couple of manufacturers & outlets are putting their own badging onto them.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bavarian-Autosp ... 1483384505
User avatar
Malky320cab
E30 Zone Newbie
E30 Zone Newbie
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:00 pm
Location: Aberuthven

Post Thu May 14, 2015 6:03 pm

Getting thin on the ground and the 2 on eBay are the ones I was questioning, had a feeling by the look of them that they were the sparco ones or similar.
Fortunately I have friends in the know
polsta
Married to the E30 Zone
Married to the E30 Zone
Posts: 10322
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2009 11:00 pm
Location: portsmouth

Post Fri May 15, 2015 9:17 pm

recently just fitted a brand new one to my car, it didnt have any sparco badge on it just plain and looks good ,easy/straight forward to fit , the boot tool kit 13cm spanner was perfect for the nut that's under the tube , which is the only thing that could of been better designed, maybe a patent/copyright issue with hartge ?
e30topless
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 13598
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:00 pm
Location: surrounded by scrap

Post Fri May 15, 2015 9:40 pm

ajay wrote:
Here is a sparco
Image
Here is a Hartge
Image
Notice the tubes are in different points on the strut plate, thats how you can tell!
The tube layout is for different Models and there are 3 types of Hartge brace, there's an early one with no cut out for the strut earth, then later with a cutout, and the one for the m3 has a different tube layout because of inlet clearance !

That bottom one is for early/pre-face turds (note the cut-out for the earth point on the right side)

the best way to recognise the sparko is the plate for the badge is wider but shorter than hartge version
magpie
Old Skooler
Old Skooler
Posts: 28035
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 11:00 pm
Location: Consett,Durham.

Post Fri May 15, 2015 10:48 pm

e30topless wrote:
ajay wrote:
Here is a sparco
Image
Here is a Hartge
Image
Notice the tubes are in different points on the strut plate, thats how you can tell!
The tube layout is for different Models and there are 3 types of Hartge brace, there's an early one with no cut out for the strut earth, then later with a cutout, and the one for the m3 has a different tube layout because of inlet clearance !

That bottom one is for early/pre-face turds (note the cut-out for the earth point on the right side)

the best way to recognise the sparko is the plate for the badge is wider but shorter than hartge version

Image
Image
m52 b30 stroker 6-speed 318is Galvanizer
m42 touring
+ a yard full of scrap turds :)