Upgrading Bushings and Mounts

[D1ESEL]

Hey Guys,

I wanted to check in to see what everyone's experience was with different bushings ect.

I am installing my coilovers in the up coming weeks and I wanted to refresh all of the suspension while I am at it. So far I have already ordered Rogue Engineering rear shock mounts and OEM trailing arm bushings.

What I am looking to accomplish is a daily drive-able car that is a bit more firm and connected so before I order a bunch of stuff from Powerflex I would appreciate any advice.

I am looking to do all of my subframe, control arm, sway bar and diff bushings as well as my motor and tranny mounts. I have seen the M3 upgraded ones for the motor mounts but are those a noticeable improvement?

Any recommendations would be great and thank you in advance!:ronald

[Vas]

Yes to the M3 engine mounts and Trans mounts. Great upgrade over the stock items.

For the fcab, go with the Z4M and if not too late, the Z4M trailing arm bushings. Both are upgrades over the stock items.

No idea about the sway bar or subframe stuff since I have not done that yet. However I did replace the diff bushings and just went with the factory rubber.

While poly is nice, sometimes it is not forgiving depending the location.

[BMWCurves]

+1 to what Vas said. I have the Z4M bushings and have been enjoying them very much. I want to do the M3 engine and transmission mounts down the road as well.

Slater will roll in here and wax poetic about the Bimmerworld spherical RTABs.

[Vas]

+1 to what Vas said. I have the Z4M bushings and have been enjoying them very much. I want to do the M3 engine and transmission mounts down the road as well.

Slater will roll in here and wax poetic about the Bimmerworld spherical RTABs.

lol

[D1ESEL]

+1 to what Vas said. I have the Z4M bushings and have been enjoying them very much. I want to do the M3 engine and transmission mounts down the road as well.

Slater will roll in here and wax poetic about the Bimmerworld spherical RTABs.

Do you guys have the PN's handy for the Z4M bushings?

Thank you!

[BMWCurves]

These are the part numbers I have from when I refreshed my suspension about 6 months ago:

Z4M Front Control Arm Bushing (FCAB) (Left: 31107836862, Right: 31107836863)
Z4M Rear Trailing Arm Bushing (RTAB) (2x) (33326770817)

[Vas]

Boom

[ELCID86]

+1 to what Vas said. I have the Z4M bushings and have been enjoying them very much. I want to do the M3 engine and transmission mounts down the road as well.

Slater will roll in here and wax poetic about the Bimmerworld spherical RTABs.

Ha!

Definitely go with z4m fcabs.


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - anonymous

[slater]

Slater will roll in here and wax poetic about the Bimmerworld spherical RTABs.


lol


Ha!

LOL! you guys...:rofl


RTABs: OK... might as well get this out of the way right off the bat - the BW spherical RTABs are amazing. they make the rear end of the car feel intuitive. they allow the spring and shock to do their job without flexing like the rubber RTABs. and they do not introduce any additional NVH. they are $195 shipped. if you have a hyper-sensitive butt like i do, you'll like these, and you'll see they are easily and without hesitation worth the extra $115 over Z4M RTABs w/ limiters. i've run stock, poly and the BW units - these win hands-down.

FCABs: i haven't tried the Z4M units but lots of folks like them. they're affordable and they add positive caster, which is a win-win. i run AKG and i like them, but i would like to try the Z4M units just to see how they feel (and get that extra positive caster!).

swaybar bushings: poly bushings help here and if you lube them they operate correctly without noise. no downsides.

rear control arm bushings: i just had my entire rear end apart and i did a lot of inspection; the inner control arm bushings on my 140K-mile car were in surprisingly good condition - and looking at how they operate, they don't really rotate/twist much at all. i replaced my lower inner bushings (i had them on hand), but did not replace the upper inners. i think the lower inners would have been fine if left original. for the outers, replace both upper and lower with the OEM upper sealed spherical units (this is how the M3 is setup).

engine mounts: OEM M3 are great.

trans mounts: i run UUC blacks, which took a few weeks to settle down. they introduce more noise and a tiny bit of vibration (i actually think they are amplifying my dying DMF), but i like their response (and i do like the additional engine noise transmitted), and to me that outweighs the cons. but i would say run the OEM M3 units if you are concerned.

subframe mounts: the AKG units are very high quality and have a flat face. i think the powerflex 'blacks' are supposed to be good, too. to me, this is a no-brainer.

diff mounts: i run ECS poly, as they are the softest poly option i've seen. they do indeed transmit whine from the diff, but it has settled down, and it doesn't impede a normal conversation volume inside the cabin - after 4 months of them being installed, i don't notice them much and i would use them again. but go OEM again if you're concerned about noise - you'll just be replacing that rear-most bushing again in a few years. :)

other misc items:
- refresh your shift linkage
- good choice on the RE RSMs
- get the OEM front strut tower reinforcement plates
- my FSMs were in surprisingly good condition, but i did clean out the bearings and repacked them with new grease.
- get a good alignment

what coilovers are you going to be installing?

:cheers

peter

[Sockethead]

my 2¢ on some of the stuff I have installed....
I have Poly sway bar mount bushings front and rear. They came with my UUC sway bars I didn't notice anything negative about them. I lubed the crap out of them...
I also have the UUC black trans mounts, they are rubber. Unlike Peter, I didn't notice any additional noise or vibration from them. They are a solid cylindrical mount where the stock ones have an hourglass shape to them... more rubber=less flex.
Anyone that pulls the front struts out should not put them back in without the reinforcement plates. They are cheap insurance against mushrooming and cracking.
I have Z4M RTAB and limiters. Didn't really notice difference but the ones I took out were still in excellent shape at 136k. Basically, the Z4M bushings are the same material as the ZHP but they compress more when installed making them stiffer.
My front shock mounts were shot, they seemed ok when on the car but when I got them off the bearings were pretty rough

[slater]

I also have the UUC black trans mounts, they are rubber. Unlike Peter, I didn't notice any additional noise or vibration from them.

as stated, i think most of the vibration i am getting is due to my DMF. it makes lots of noise at idle, and also vibrates on decel - classic dying-DMF symptoms.

i'm looking at replacing it with a 20lb steel SMF.

[Sockethead]

I know, I just wanted to concur that I wasn't getting any additional noise with a good drivetrain...

[slater]

I know, I just wanted to concur that I wasn't getting any additional noise with a good drivetrain...

good to know! :)

[D1ESEL]

The coilovers are FK Streetline X's (I am usually a KW guy but they were 519 from ECS.... so I figured what the hell. If I hate them I will change them)

I have ordered so far:

-Z4M Trailing Arm Bushings (should I get limiters too?)
-Z4M Front Control arm bushings
-BMW Performance Front BBK (SOOOO EXCITED)
-BMW "euro" SSK rod
-New ZHP knob (my old one is going to Coby wheel with my steering wheel to be redone)
-New shifter bushing
-M3 Motor and tranny mounts
-Rogue Engineering rear shock mounts

Still doing research on subframe bushings, diff, and sway bars/bushings as well. I will at front strut reinforcements to the list as well. I also am on the hunt for some used camber plates. If I fail to find some in the next week or so I will just get the Ground Control ones.

I also have ordered:
-Clears for all around
-New headlight lenses
-ECIS Intake

I am planning on running my 17x9 square ARC's this spring when everything is dialed in.

DEBATING
-Headers
-Power pullies

[fw_fw]

nice list.......tax check must have hit!!!

[D1ESEL]

nice list.......tax check must have hit!!!

I had the blessing of paying in this year. :eyetwitch

It's just that time of the year for me :)

[fw_fw]

I had the blessing of paying in this year. :eyetwitch

It's just that time of the year for me :)

....also just saw you sold the Technoviolet...congrats!!

[Sockethead]

That is quite the list! It's going to be fun. I love boxes of new car stuff ;)

I didn't see strut tower reinforcement plates on your list. Yer going to need them, especially with camber plates.

I would order limiters as long as your going in to do the bushings, you're not going to want to disassemble twice to put them in later...

[D1ESEL]

That is quite the list! It's going to be fun. I love boxes of new car stuff ;)

I didn't see strut tower reinforcement plates on your list. Yer going to need them, especially with camber plates.

I would order limiters as long as your going in to do the bushings, you're not going to want to disassemble twice to put them in later...

I will order the strut tower reinforcement plates before week end as well as limiters!

I really appreciate all of this feedback!

[D1ESEL]

Installed the FK's.... the springs in the rear are very creaky so now I just ordered a Ground Control Complete kit!