Control Arm Bushing Upgrade for XI?

Julian2485 · 10-20-2017, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NiNeTyOne

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greyfox

How do the red powerflex bushings ride and handle potholes and such?

I know normal bushings are fairly brutal when you hit the occasional hole to hell.

That's bad shocks, not bushings. Not sure why people are so enamored with the red Strongflex, I have replaced everything with yellow and there's no difference in noise or vibration and the handling is dramatically better.

The only thing I'm not doing with the stiffer poly is the rear subframe, which I'm doing with billet aluminum. All the new M cars have solid bushings and I have not noticed any NVH change in cars with solid rear subframe bushings, and the handling is night and day better.

The only bushing that I can tell has any contribution to NVH is the rear diff carrier bushing, and the yellow is fine there too.

When do you plan on putting the solid mounts in

NiNeTyOne · 10-20-2017, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julian2485

When do you plan on putting the solid mounts in

Not sure, Tetsuo has had them, they were awesome.

Julian2485 · 10-20-2017, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NiNeTyOne

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julian2485

When do you plan on putting the solid mounts in

Not sure, Tetsuo has had them, they were awesome.

Ok I wanted to know how they ride when you install them right now I have a m3 bushings in and they did make a difference. Doesn't tetsuo have that special xi front control arm bushing made from some company which their name eludes me at the moment

JETmn · 10-21-2017, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julian2485

Ok I wanted to know how they ride when you install them right now I have a m3 bushings in and they did make a difference. Doesn't tetsuo have that special xi front control arm bushing made from some company which their name eludes me at the moment

How do you have M3 front bushings in an AWD?

Julian2485 · 10-21-2017, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JETmn

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julian2485

Ok I wanted to know how they ride when you install them right now I have a m3 bushings in and they did make a difference. Doesn't tetsuo have that special xi front control arm bushing made from some company which their name eludes me at the moment

How do you have M3 front bushings in an AWD?

No I have rear m3 subframe bushings. In the front I have the strongflex poly bushings

NiNeTyOne · 10-21-2017, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julian2485

Ok I wanted to know how they ride when you install them right now I have a m3 bushings in and they did make a difference. Doesn't tetsuo have that special xi front control arm bushing made from some company which their name eludes me at the moment

Not on the new car.

The best rear subframe bushings I have seen are the MRF Enginering ones. They are not cheap, but they are beautiful, as are the Turner ones.

http://www.mrfengineering.com/mrf-en...e-bushing-set/

JETmn · 10-23-2017, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NiNeTyOne

Not on the new car.

The best rear subframe bushings I have seen are the MRF Enginering ones. They are not cheap, but they are beautiful, as are the Turner ones.

http://www.mrfengineering.com/mrf-en...e-bushing-set/

Whiteline makes one for a fraction of the cost. Anyways we are getting off topic. RSFB have been discussed to death since they are the same as RWD cars.

tetsuo111 · 10-23-2017, 09:15 PM

IMO solid AL RSBs add no / zero / nein NVH, while improving the ride and handling. Tip: do it once so that you don't need to drop the subframe again. If you plan to install a LSD and larger sway bar, it is in your interest to do all at once. I had solid RSBs from MRF, but I'm confident that Turner's product is satisfactory as well.

The spherical bushings on my old car are sourced from Synchro Designworks in GA. They are on FB. Those were a significant upgrade, too. They're especially noteworthy because xDrive has so few suspension options in front.

Julian2485 · 10-23-2017, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tetsuo111

IMO solid AL RSBs add no / zero / nein NVH, while improving the ride and handling. Tip: do it once so that you don't need to drop the subframe again. If you plan to install a LSD and larger sway bar, it is in your interest to do all at once. I had solid RSBs from MRF, but I'm confident that Turner's product is satisfactory as well.

The spherical bushings on my old car are sourced from Synchro Designworks in GA. They are on FB. Those were a significant upgrade, too. They're especially noteworthy because xDrive has so few suspension options in front.

Do you plan on getting the spherical bearings on the new car ?

NiNeTyOne · 10-24-2017, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julian2485

Do you plan on getting the spherical bearings on the new car ?

You may want to ask him to make that call after he drives mine. It would be good for Tetsuo to compare my car to his old car in terms of turn in crispness and feel at the wheel, as I have 90A poly, where he had sphericals. He can then comment on the difference.

HydroStream6 · 01-05-2018, 10:53 AM

FYI...

I installed the yellow tension strut (control arm) XI bushings this summer. They were fine for a couple months, but beginning in November, my car developed an odd clunk on the driver's side at times, usually when touching the brakes. As the weeks went on, the passenger side began to do this too, and both sides did it more often and louder. It seemed to get worse when it was colder outside and better when it was warmer out, going away entirely if it was 40 degrees or better.

I ended up chasing the issue down to these bushings. Since the bushing is not molded around the center rod, the bushing is allowed to move forward and backwards. I think this was made worse when it was colder out, seeing as how polyurethane has a very high CTE.

Over the weeks, I made sure to check the tightness of the bolts, ball joints, etc. Everything was good. Last night I finally replaced the tension struts with OEM replacements (back to the oil filled bushing) and all my problems are gone.

I cannot find anyone else with this issue, but that was my experience. I ended up wasting a lot of time and money chasing this issue down. Just my experience.

Raptor04 · 01-05-2018, 11:02 AM

I had the same issue with the red bushings. Ended up going back to stock.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HydroStream6

FYI...

I installed the yellow tension strut (control arm) XI bushings this summer. They were fine for a couple months, but beginning in November, my car developed an odd clunk on the driver's side at times, usually when touching the brakes. As the weeks went on, the passenger side began to do this too, and both sides did it more often and louder. It seemed to get worse when it was colder outside and better when it was warmer out, going away entirely if it was 40 degrees or better.

I ended up chasing the issue down to these bushings. Since the bushing is not molded around the center rod, the bushing is allowed to move forward and backwards. I think this was made worse when it was colder out, seeing as how polyurethane has a very high CTE.

Over the weeks, I made sure to check the tightness of the bolts, ball joints, etc. Everything was good. Last night I finally replaced the tension struts with OEM replacements (back to the oil filled bushing) and all my problems are gone.

I cannot find anyone else with this issue, but that was my experience. I ended up wasting a lot of time and money chasing this issue down. Just my experience.

Julian2485 · 01-05-2018, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raptor001

I had the same issue with the red bushings. Ended up going back to stock.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HydroStream6

FYI...

I installed the yellow tension strut (control arm) XI bushings this summer. They were fine for a couple months, but beginning in November, my car developed an odd clunk on the driver's side at times, usually when touching the brakes. As the weeks went on, the passenger side began to do this too, and both sides did it more often and louder. It seemed to get worse when it was colder outside and better when it was warmer out, going away entirely if it was 40 degrees or better.

I ended up chasing the issue down to these bushings. Since the bushing is not molded around the center rod, the bushing is allowed to move forward and backwards. I think this was made worse when it was colder out, seeing as how polyurethane has a very high CTE.

Over the weeks, I made sure to check the tightness of the bolts, ball joints, etc. Everything was good. Last night I finally replaced the tension struts with OEM replacements (back to the oil filled bushing) and all my problems are gone.

I cannot find anyone else with this issue, but that was my experience. I ended up wasting a lot of time and money chasing this issue down. Just my experience.

Did you guys have the 90A bushings ?

HydroStream6 · 01-05-2018, 01:54 PM

He had the red, I had the yellow (which I believe are the 90 durometer).

Interesting that I'm not the only one! Any others out there?

Julian2485 · 01-05-2018, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HydroStream6

He had the red, I had the yellow (which I believe are the 90 durometer).

Interesting that I'm not the only one! Any others out there?

I have the 90 but they made mine in Black for me for a little fee. I can't say that i had the same issue as you though. I had mine on my car for at least almost 2 years now

HydroStream6 · 01-08-2018, 05:42 AM

I'm wondering if the bushings were molded undersized for some of us, allowing the bushing to slide back and forth on the shaft? It's really a poor design. It should have the rod molded in and be one piece like the stock setup.

NiNeTyOne · 01-19-2018, 09:46 AM

I've done poly bushings on a number of cars and have never heard of or seen such a thing. Mine have been in for 20k miles now and not a single issue.

Are you sure you installed and torqued properly, i.e. at ride height, not with the suspension at full droop?

.RJ · 01-21-2018, 09:21 AM

Has anyone used these yet?

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-4...nstalled-arms/

rothwem · 01-24-2018, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by .RJ

Has anyone used these yet?

Dang, those look nice. Its a shame I'm getting rid of my wagon soon, those look like they'd be a nice upgrade.

tetsuo111 · 01-26-2018, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julian2485

Do you plan on getting the spherical bearings on the new car ?

Regrets, Julian. It's been a long while since checking in here!

Yes, on spherical bearings in the new car.

I loved them in the old car, they were street friendly because sealed, and the impact on the car's handling was about equivalent to the impact of solid AL RSBs. These are the bearings I installed on the old car:

Solid bearings for xDrive

He's close to releasing a new, larger bearing. I'm buying those for my new car.

I also drove NiNeTyOne's E91 with full poly bushing-enhanced suspension.

I also loved his ride. So how can I like both? Like women, both are different but both fetching in their own ways.

The solid bearings feel, well, a bit more solid. Meanwhile the poly bushings felt a bit more "silky". Very very controlled but just a bit silkier feeling.

Gosh, it sounds like a wine review.... The ideal way is to drive both, and decide for yourself. They really are both effective, with a little different personalities.

Bty, here's a video from FCP Euro actually showing the deflection of stock bushings compared with less compliant analogs:

Good luck!

ECSTuning · 01-29-2018, 12:47 PM

.RJ - for those looking for a performance-oriented driving experience, I'm a big fan of the new Turner monoball upgrades. They give very very crisp feedback and plenty of road feel, and in this application, they are actually using one of BMWs own bushings which is always a bonus in my book.

Turner did a video a little while back talking about "what bushing style is right for me", it's nice and informative on stock/rubber upgrades/poly/monoball/solid/etc mounts.

2011335xi6MTMsportE90 · 05-29-2018, 05:38 AM

What happened to the turner monoball upgrade? Says no longer available. Btw powerflex does make a bushing for this. Comes in 2 pieces, so hopefully easier install since no need to press in. Its sold at ecstuning but strangely is not found when the part number is searched in powerflexes website. If I can ever get the old one out I'll review it.

Tried the 3 jaw puller method and nothing budged. Bent a 3/8 inch plate of steel in the process. Done messing around and looking for a shop with a press or will try the c clamp style press or just try to press out the rubber and use the sawzall method described earlier but not quite sure how that works...

10-23-2017, 09:15 PM	#206
tetsuo111 Save the Manuals! 1227 Rep 1,239 Posts Drives: E91 RWD 6MT, X3, Ducati S4R Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: PNW iTrader: (0) Garage List 2011 E91 6MT RWD &q ... [0.00] 2005 Ducati S4R 996 [0.00] 2000 Ducati M750 [0.00] RIP - 2011 E91 328i ... [10.00]	IMO solid AL RSBs add no / zero / nein NVH, while improving the ride and handling. Tip: do it once so that you don't need to drop the subframe again. If you plan to install a LSD and larger sway bar, it is in your interest to do all at once. I had solid RSBs from MRF, but I'm confident that Turner's product is satisfactory as well. The spherical bushings on my old car are sourced from Synchro Designworks in GA. They are on FB. Those were a significant upgrade, too. They're especially noteworthy because xDrive has so few suspension options in front. __________________ 2011 6MT RWD ClubSport Wagon \| 3,185lbs \| 1 of 149 ZSPs delivered in North America Outside: BMW M-Aero, Euro region lighting, Seibon \| Inside: M3 cockpit, Recaro SPG, Prototipo, AutoSolutions SSK, UCP \| Stop: M3 ST-40R, PFC \| Grip: Solid-mounted subframes, rear coilover conversion, M3 Nitron R3, Hyperco, SPL, AKG, ARC8 \| Go: StageFP, CF snorkel, 3IM, MILVs, SuperSprint headers, Dundon Motorsports Inconel exhaust, VoltPhreaks \| Cool: CSF \| PCA #2018100384 \| BMW CCA #505794
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01-05-2018, 10:53 AM	#209
HydroStream6 Second Lieutenant 88 Rep 276 Posts Drives: F15 X5 50i M-Sport Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Upstate New York iTrader: (0)	FYI... I installed the yellow tension strut (control arm) XI bushings this summer. They were fine for a couple months, but beginning in November, my car developed an odd clunk on the driver's side at times, usually when touching the brakes. As the weeks went on, the passenger side began to do this too, and both sides did it more often and louder. It seemed to get worse when it was colder outside and better when it was warmer out, going away entirely if it was 40 degrees or better. I ended up chasing the issue down to these bushings. Since the bushing is not molded around the center rod, the bushing is allowed to move forward and backwards. I think this was made worse when it was colder out, seeing as how polyurethane has a very high CTE. Over the weeks, I made sure to check the tightness of the bolts, ball joints, etc. Everything was good. Last night I finally replaced the tension struts with OEM replacements (back to the oil filled bushing) and all my problems are gone. I cannot find anyone else with this issue, but that was my experience. I ended up wasting a lot of time and money chasing this issue down. Just my experience.
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01-05-2018, 01:54 PM	#212
HydroStream6 Second Lieutenant 88 Rep 276 Posts Drives: F15 X5 50i M-Sport Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Upstate New York iTrader: (0)	He had the red, I had the yellow (which I believe are the 90 durometer). Interesting that I'm not the only one! Any others out there?
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01-08-2018, 05:42 AM	#214
HydroStream6 Second Lieutenant 88 Rep 276 Posts Drives: F15 X5 50i M-Sport Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Upstate New York iTrader: (0)	I'm wondering if the bushings were molded undersized for some of us, allowing the bushing to slide back and forth on the shaft? It's really a poor design. It should have the rod molded in and be one piece like the stock setup.
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01-19-2018, 09:46 AM	#215
NiNeTyOne Touring cars rock 351 Rep 907 Posts Drives: e91 330xi / 997 GT3 Cup Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: SEA iTrader: (0)	I've done poly bushings on a number of cars and have never heard of or seen such a thing. Mine have been in for 20k miles now and not a single issue. Are you sure you installed and torqued properly, i.e. at ride height, not with the suspension at full droop? __________________ Sportwagon Daily: I've done some stuff.
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01-21-2018, 09:21 AM	#216
.RJ Second Lieutenant 62 Rep 208 Posts Drives: Space Grey E91 Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Washington, DC iTrader: (1)	Has anyone used these yet? https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-4...nstalled-arms/
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01-29-2018, 12:47 PM	#219
ECSTuning New Lifetime Replacement Policy 811 Rep 11,738 Posts Drives: Independent Tuning Specialists Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Ohio iTrader: (18)	.RJ - for those looking for a performance-oriented driving experience, I'm a big fan of the new Turner monoball upgrades. They give very very crisp feedback and plenty of road feel, and in this application, they are actually using one of BMWs own bushings which is always a bonus in my book. Turner did a video a little while back talking about "what bushing style is right for me", it's nice and informative on stock/rubber upgrades/poly/monoball/solid/etc mounts.
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05-29-2018, 05:38 AM	#220
2011335xi6MTMsportE90 New Member 9 Rep 24 Posts Drives: 2011 335iXdrive 6MT MSport E90 Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Seattle iTrader: (0)	What happened to the turner monoball upgrade? Says no longer available. Btw powerflex does make a bushing for this. Comes in 2 pieces, so hopefully easier install since no need to press in. Its sold at ecstuning but strangely is not found when the part number is searched in powerflexes website. If I can ever get the old one out I'll review it. Tried the 3 jaw puller method and nothing budged. Bent a 3/8 inch plate of steel in the process. Done messing around and looking for a shop with a press or will try the c clamp style press or just try to press out the rubber and use the sawzall method described earlier but not quite sure how that works...
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