upper front control arm. m3 vs. regular.

sunny · 11-21-2015, 03:01 PM

I have a very important question.
Between the m3 and regular upper front control arm,
Besides the difference in bushing material, is there anything else
different about the two especially dimension wise?

11-21-2015, 03:54 PM

lol @ "very important"

VTECaddict · 11-21-2015, 04:12 PM

I didn't measure anything but they looked nearly identical in terms of size and shape. I think the bushings is the important part that makes them different.

The lower control arm is the one that makes the biggest difference though due to the increase in negative camber it induces.

sunny · 11-24-2015, 10:59 PM

I just wanted m3 lower control arm for the fact that it has little more negative camber but was told it was bad idea because of alignment issue.

anyway, ended up getting upper and lower M3 control arm with an M3 spec. alignment. so far so good.

after fixing oil leak, ill be looking for track time!

Cloud9blue · 11-25-2015, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunny

I just wanted m3 lower control arm for the fact that it has little more negative camber but was told it was bad idea because of alignment issue.

anyway, ended up getting upper and lower M3 control arm with an M3 spec. alignment. so far so good.

after fixing oil leak, ill be looking for track time!

Why the hell would it cause an alignment issue? Tons of people have these on non-M cars without an issue.

Your shop is full of BS.

chris82 · 11-25-2015, 09:03 AM

The bushing is much stiffer, the arms are longer and therefore increase your negative camber. In terms of construction and strength, they are no better. Both made of the same material.

11-25-2015, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris82

The bushing is much stiffer, the arms are longer and therefore increase your negative camber. In terms of construction and strength, they are no better. Both made of the same material.

ONE arm is longer; the lower. Not both.

chris82 · 11-25-2015, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FCobra94

ONE arm is stronger; the lower. Not both.

is it? They're made of the same thing, only way to tell would be through some scientific tests which I don't know of any

11-25-2015, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris82

is it? They're made of the same thing, only way to tell would be through some scientific tests which I don't know of any

dam it...I meant longer not stronger lol edit in progress

VTECaddict · 11-25-2015, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cloud9blue

Why the hell would it cause an alignment issue? Tons of people have these on non-M cars without an issue.

Your shop is full of BS.

In terms of OEM non-M alignment specs, then yes it will cause an "issue" because it will be out of spec. But you can just tell the alignment shop to ignore it and align the rest of the settings to factory spec, or use M3 specs which allows for more camber.

11-21-2015, 03:01 PM	#1
sunny Lieutenant 45 Rep 472 Posts Drives: E92 M3, e90 330i Join Date: May 2008 Location: central CA iTrader: (1)	upper front control arm. m3 vs. regular. I have a very important question. Between the m3 and regular upper front control arm, Besides the difference in bushing material, is there anything else different about the two especially dimension wise?
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11-21-2015, 03:54 PM	#2
FCobra94 Guest 0 Rep n/a Posts Drives:	lol @ "very important"
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11-21-2015, 04:12 PM	#3
VTECaddict Where'd my VTEC go? 481 Rep 6,067 Posts Drives: 06 330i 6MT Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Seattle, WA iTrader: (4)	I didn't measure anything but they looked nearly identical in terms of size and shape. I think the bushings is the important part that makes them different. The lower control arm is the one that makes the biggest difference though due to the increase in negative camber it induces. __________________ AW/Terra \| ZSP \| ZPP \| ZCW \| iDrive \| CA Mods: BC BR coilovers \| Blacklines \| M-tech rear \| dual exhaust \| M3 steering wheel \| BMW SSK \| ZHP shift knob \| High-kick CF spoiler \| NBT Retrofit M3 front control arms \| M3 rear guide rods \| Manzo rear toe and camber links \| Monroe rear shock mounts \| Varrstoen ES1 19x9.5+20 Front, 19x11+25 rear
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11-24-2015, 10:59 PM	#4
sunny Lieutenant 45 Rep 472 Posts Drives: E92 M3, e90 330i Join Date: May 2008 Location: central CA iTrader: (1)	control arm. I just wanted m3 lower control arm for the fact that it has little more negative camber but was told it was bad idea because of alignment issue. anyway, ended up getting upper and lower M3 control arm with an M3 spec. alignment. so far so good. after fixing oil leak, ill be looking for track time!
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11-25-2015, 09:03 AM	#6
chris82 Brigadier General 827 Rep 3,856 Posts Drives: 128i Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: NY NY iTrader: (8) Garage List 2009 BMW 128i [9.80]	The bushing is much stiffer, the arms are longer and therefore increase your negative camber. In terms of construction and strength, they are no better. Both made of the same material.
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