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Originally Posted by sirdaft1
Below is the stock 335 lower control arm (bottom horizontal blackish/grayish piece). Because we need new suspension anyways, replacement M3 lower control arms on order to properly fix the stock crappy 335 design that uses a rubber bushing where the strut mounts to the lower control arm. The plan is to run 335 front suspension with M3 rear suspension since we're replacing the suspension with MCS's anyways. The m3 version uses a solid mount which translates to far less slop and better response/feedback
If planning to do this same upgrade that requires m3 rear struts, it's worth mentioning that brand new lower m3 control arms can either be bought new for $200+ per side ($400 total from Bimmerworld, ECS, etc.), or good condition used versions can be found ALL OVER eBay for a fraction of that. I found a good used pair for $150.
And for anyone wanting to upgrade from the crappy rubber bushing without going full M3 mode, AKG makes a rear lower shock mount which adapts the stock 335 rear dampener to a solid spherical bearing setup. That said, NVM will likely be increased.
I come from the e30 world prior to this and the 335 guibo is about twice the size of the e30's! It's YUUUGE.
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The m3 arms allow better shock articulation which makes the rear suspension to be more compliant. Uses different bolts which are longer too. There are adapters for non m arms to accommodate m rear shocks. Since you have experiences with e30 I assume you are aware of camber shims. The shop I'm associated with has them. Work great on race cars. Also for the rear, the diff, try to mount finned cover from e60/61 fro better cooling. My shop also has lockdown kits that work with the finned diff cover. This last weekend I installed aluminum guibo and aluminum engine mounts. Difference is very noticeable. Go for it.