[E92William]

Alright so I think this deserved a thread of it's own as it is a great upgrade for the awd cars which often get the short end of the stick when it comes to aftermarket support and mods overall. Good amount of brainstorming gone into this between Coloradoe9x and me, specially that hose clamp thing!

The xdrive suspension is basically a reversed rwd setup, we're taking the control arm bushings from the front arms on rwd and putting them in the front rearward control arms in xdrive. (Pic 1&2) These are solid rubber instead of fluid filled.

So the stock bushing on the xdrive thrust arm is just a round bushing that presses in and out very easily, not the same with the M3 (Pic 3). M3 has a split bushing that needs to be compressed into a circle and then pressed into the control arm as it is held closed (Pic 4). This requires a special BMW tool which can be replicated with a hose clamp or something of the like. (Pic 5&6)

That's one of the challenges with this mod. Once the bushing is pressed in, comes the next. The bushing itself is too wide for the xdrive subframe mount (Pic 7) In order to solve this you have to get the stock bushing you pressed out, measure the width of the metal the bolt goes through and then measure the same on the M3 bushing. The difference is what you will need to cut off the M3 bushing, obviously an even amount off each side to keep it even. The numbers I got were 10mm so 5mm off each side but Colorado did it with 8mm 4 off each side and was fine too. The most recent arms I did I took them to a machine shop to have them cut them to perfect width. After cutting it fits in perfectly. (Pic 8-9-10)

This is pretty much the whole job, few things to keep in mind is to try and keep the split area of the M3 bushing when it's being pressed in, facing towards the bottom of the car, that's how it comes stock in rwd. Also removing the arm from the ball joint doesn't have to be hard. One of these pitman arm pullers works wonderfully and keeps the ball joint safe. (Pic 11)

Finished product shown in last pic and noticeably more steering feedback when cornering and feel, however no increase at all in NVH, just a nicer handling car without needing a poly bushing or the soft stock ones, great in between.

If anyone has any tips for how to get the pictures between the text on the app that would be great

[E92William]

I don't think an alignment is necessary because of the mod but if you're changing your old bushings it's likely because they are bad or feel loose, meaning they're soft and these new ones will change whatever way the car was aligned with those old ones. Here is my car before and after, keep in mind the before was over a year ago, aligned with worn parts

[kenmar]

OEM M3 part # please?

Also, it appears that you actually slotted the rubber bushing a bit before squeezing with the worm clamp. Is that the case?

I am currently running the StrongFlex yellow with 0 current complaints after 3 years. However, it did have a muted squishy 'creak' for about 6 mos. initially which disappeared completely after the first winter.

My plan for my next replacement was going to be either another StrongFlex or the Turner monoballs (which are pricey). This seems like a care-free alternative along the lines of my M3 rear suspension R&R.

Thanks

[E92_William]

Originally Posted by kenmar

OEM M3 part # please?

Also, it appears that you actually slotted the rubber bushing a bit before squeezing with the worm clamp. Is that the case?

I am currently running the StrongFlex yellow with 0 current complaints after 3 years. However, it did have a muted squishy 'creak' for about 6 mos. initially which disappeared completely after the first winter.

My plan for my next replacement was going to be either another StrongFlex or the Turner monoballs (which are pricey). This seems like a care-free alternative along the lines of my M3 rear suspension R&R.

Thanks

Hey sorry very late reply as I don't have access to the account that posted this anymore..

Oem part number I used is 31102283579 and got them at FCP euro.

I didn't slot it, if what you mean is the opening in the bushing it comes that way so it can be compressed with the clamp and once released it stays well put inside the control arm opening. I don't know how these compare to the strongflex you're running but I have no complaints since running them and I got my car aligned a while ago and it tracks well. Idk how long they will last but I bet longer than the stock squishy fluid filled ones while driving better too.

[MikeP335i]

Very cool, I went with the Turner Monoballs and really love the way the car handles. I'm sure this is a huge improvement as well. Would not have minded trying this.

[matteblue3er]

I did the same thing with Whiteline poly bushings for RWD. I cut off 5mm per side (poly bushing in two piece) and just cut 10mm off one side of the metal insert