So, I'm on the Bimmerworld site preparing to order their front suspension overhaul kit, it's about that time because the steering is not as precise as it used to be 9 months and 15,900 miles ago (the car currently has 75,500 miles) The kit includes control arms, tie rod assemblies, and swaybar links. i also have an option of of bushings Heavy Duty Rubber Centered Heavy Duty Rubber Offset* Powerflex Polyurethane Centered Powerflex Polyurethane Offset BWSport TrackCAB Solid Offset Mounts i have cut it down to two , and they are the BWSport mounts and powerflex bushings , my question is which should i go with ? pro's and cons for both. another thing , i'm thinking about going with the E36 M3/MZ3 strut-mount links on my non-M car instead of the standard ones . the site says "The overhaul kit has the option of including Meyle tie rod assemblies (both inner and outer) and Meyle HD swaybar links. Please use application chart below to confirm your link style before ordering. If you are planning to incorporate E36 M3/MZ3 strut-mount links on your non-M car, you will need to use the appropriate strut housing." what do they mean by using the appropriate strut housing ? Thanks in advance .
You might want to skip the solid ones if the car's street-driven. Taking all flex out of a component means the forces applied that normally flex that component are passed through elsewhere, and sometimes elsewhere ends up not being beefy enough to handle the stress. There's a risk of stress cracks and so on.
Have you considered Lemforder bushings and arms? They are the highest quality stock parts that you can get. A little more than Meyle HD stuff, but true OE quality. Is this is daily driver?
Axe all that polyurethane stuff. Go with M3 lower control arm mounts. Stick to stock. Pro, it works. Con, car is less compliant. I have polyurethane trailing arm bushings, subframe bushings. Next time, I'm returning to stock.
That's true . thanks for your input never heard of Lemforder , yes this car is a daily driver. hmm i've heard nothing but good words about the poly bushings . any site recommendations for M3 lower arms ? _______________________ my main goal is to have the steering feel really crisp , i do not track my car or auto X (yet) but i do like spirited driving on back-roads here in Austin. I read a review on Bimmerworld | http://store.bimmerworld.com/bwspor...rm-mounts-p1301.aspx?ShowReviews=True#Reviews | and he seemed to be very satisfied with it on his 98 328is
Yea. I heard nothing but good things about polyurethane subframe bushings too. My car is more twitchy now than before. Call Bimmerworld and tell them what you are looking for in your ride.
I'm pretty much w/ Steven on this one, although I thought the ti's used essentially the older E30 rear suspension design for packaging purposes (thus not too surprising stiffening the rear in that fashion would make handling more twitchy), and E36's moved to a more forgiving multi-link setup (same bushings on an E36 might not seem quite as bad as on an E30 or ti). If you don't track your car, for every rubber bit you replace w/ polyurethane &/or solid, you're giving up some ride quality and adding nvh (noise, vibration, & harshness). Poly rear-subframe bushings transmit substantially more differential noise into the cabin (at least they did in my E30); ok for a track car, annoying for street use. Plus, I don't know that rear subframe bushings would affect steering feel so much as transitional response feel. The heavy duty rubber front control-arm mounts might be more appropo, and good idea to talk w/ Bimmerworld (or Turner) as suggested.
True, The ti uses E30 rear suspension. I only mentioned the rear because that is where I used polyurethane. Places sell all kind of stuff because that is what people want. Nothing wrong with that. You just need to know why you are buying it and know the end results.
The links they are referring too are for the sway bars. Im assuming the option is for those who are upgrading to M3 suspension. If you dont know what you want to do go OEM stock. Otherwise itll become a mix of performance parts with no meaning. Like most forum cars with an endless mod list where the parts aren't lined up well to work with each other.
Listen to this guy! Polyurethane is crap and should only be used if your racing. They need to be replaced all the time and will only be a money drain where the $$$ could be spent elsewhere. You want a front suspension refreshment, consider this (given you have an M3). Steel M3 Control Arms (Stock) Offset FCAB Bushings (OEM, where used on LTW) Tie Rods (steering links are always neglected) Sway bar Bushings/Mounts Shocks Strut Mounts Thats a pretty good start.
