PDA

View Full Version : M5 control arm bushings



Super90
03-05-2004, 04:17 PM
Winfred was mentioning using M5 upper control arm bushings the other day. Since it seems my 750 bushing are already acting up, I am considering this option.

Would like to know more. How much more durable are these versus the 750 bushings? Any noticable ride difference? Already have the Bilstein HD's on so will this tighten things up noticably?

Can I get new steel arms with these already pressed in, or is that a DIY item?

Do the M5 lower control arms have different bushings too?

Who else has done this mod?

TIA

FYI, I pulled the trigger and ordered the AC Hydraulics floor jack. As Dieter says, "I am as happy as a little girl".

winfred
03-05-2004, 11:05 PM
the m5s are for some reason not that popular yet, the 750s are oil filled and as far as i am conserned not much better then the blue or white bushings, we've probably installed 40 or more sets in the last couple years and i can only remember replacing one set, not because they were bad, the customer didn't wanna hear he needed brake rotors and tierods, "the bushings fixed it last time it shimmeyed" and was too hard headed to listen. i don't thing they are any stiffer then the other bushings, it will feel stiffer because the old bushings are, well, old and squishey, i think the lower arm bushings are the same. if you want assembled arms and m5 bushings i could press some together and ship em if you want, id need to check the $$, the bushings are $50-60 something if i remember right, call us at 1-866-bmw-guys if you want 8-5:30 m-f 9-1 sat cdt we get a daily order so during the week it's a next day thing if we don't have em in stock, we keep atleast one set of bushings in stock at all times, we'd need to order the arms

Super90
03-06-2004, 09:21 AM
Thanks, we'll keep working on this to try and be sure the bushings are problem. If so, I am going to give the M5's a run. In the quest for more info, I called Patrick at BMA. Their pricing on new arms with the M5 bushings is $130, and with the 750 bushings about $80-90, I don't remember. He felt that cost difference was the main reason people didn't go with the M5 bushings. Reportedly, they sell about 2-3 M5's for every 50 750 bushings, so about a 5% ratio. BTW, in his opinion, upper control arm bushings are one of the weakest items on the E34s. He said BMW has had to replace lots and lots of these things to fix the shimmy.

I think next time around we do as you suggest and upgrade again.

Much appreciated.