Advice on bushing replacement

[m3f_M3_ATW]

I apologize in advance for being a noob, just want to do this right...



I would greatly appreciate if someone could point me in the direction of a thread (yes i searched) that could tell me all the parts I need for an entire suspension overhaul with oem part numbers and also aftermarket possibilities.



Rogue Engineering seems to make a lot of nice products, any other aftermarket companies besides UUC that I should know about?



Should I just go with OEM bushings?



I'm planning a coilover set sometime this winter (with adjustable camber plates) but I need to do the bushings now to keep driving the car (on the stock suspension that really isnt that bad yet)



Also, who makes that weld in pocket reinforcement for the rear??



Thanks Guys!

[m3f_BleedsBlue]

I've never thought poly urethane was really useful for anything other than track rats, especially for things like RTABs. Don't go poly because it's perceived as "an upgrade" and because they are easier to install than OEM.



So, what is the purpose of the car? How many driving events per year? (estimates)

[m3f_fiveightandten]

-4 Subframe to chassis bushings [subframe mounts] 33171134871 x 1 and 33319059301 x 1

-3 Diff to subframe mounts (OEM) 33171134871 x 1 + 33171134872 x 2

-2 RTABs of your choice ; OEM are 33326770817

-2 RSMs of your choice ; OEM are 33521137972

-2 Upper control arm to subframe bushings 33321092247

-2 Lower control arm to subframe bushings 33326770824

-2 Upper control arm outer ball joints 33326775551

-2 Lower control arm outer ball joints 33326775551


Additiional parts

11621744232 - Exhaust nuts - $0.68 X4

07119912524 - Exhaust bolts - $ 0.42 X4

07129900047 - Self locking nuts for drive shaft (transmission side) - $0.45 X6

07129964672 - Self locking nuts for drive shaft (diff side) - $0.28 X4

07129946401 - Self locking nuts for drive shaft center support - $.045 X2

18101405737 - Exhaust gaskets (Asbestos free) - $9.10 X2

33101214099 - Rear diff input shaft flange seal - $13.50

33176760337 - Rear diff front mounting bolt (the infamous diff bolt) - $1.41

23211490120 - Rear diff input shaft lock plate - $1.10

33121200284 - Rear diff input shaft dust cover - $1.84

33107505602 - Differential Output Flange Seal - @15.50 X2


Shift linkage parts

25111469397 - Shift handle ball cup bushing - $5.00

25117507695 - Shifter arm bushing attaches to transmission - $4.00

25111222015 - Shifter Arm Plastic Bushing attaches to chassis - $20.50

25111222451 - Pin retaining clip - $0.50

25111469397 - Shift handle ball cup bushing - $5.00

25117507695 - Shifter arm bushing attaches to transmission - $4.00

25111222015 - Shifter Arm Plastic Bushing attaches to chassis - $20.50

25111222451 - Pin retaining clip - $0.50


From the FAQ's,


RE RTAB's:

OEM replacements have the most compliant ride, and least amount of NVH. They allow the most suspension travel under cornering load, which is arguably how the car was designed, but it's this travel that winds up wearing the bushing over time, making the rear end feel loose under hard cornering or acceleration. OEM is much more difficult to install than poly. The bushings need to be pressed in to very specific tolerances, and also need to be preloaded. The pre-load is specific to the ride height of the car and therefore if anything other than small ride height changes are made, it needs to be repeated at the new ride height (a concern for those with coil overs).


Limiters aka RTAB shims will limit the amount of travel under cornering load. These are only used with OEM RTABs. They will make the rear end feel a bit more taut at the limits and will extend the life of the RTAB a bit. But they arguably limit the range of travel that the RTAB was designed to permit, slightly. The issue with this is that if you're riding on stock shocks and springs, the tire's contact patch on the road can be theoretically reduced under hard cornering. However, if the reduction is only slight, and they provide a more assuring feel at the limits, are you really loosing anything? Like most mods, you give some to get some. I'm running this setup on my car and i'm happy with it.


Poly RTABs are much easier to install than OEM. They require no preload procedure. Ride quality diminishes a bit, as you can definitely feel the more rigid material when you're driving around. The car takes bumps harder, but provides a more taut feel when cornering and provides more resistance to bushing flex under hard acceleration while cornering. The harder material provides less flex than rubber and therefore is a more extreme version of the situation we described above with respect to reduced suspension travel. Think of it as a few more steps in that direction. Poly will squeak if not lubricated liberally. Poly allows the ride height of the car to be changed without re-preloading the bushing again (requiring the RTAB carrier to be dropped, and thus requiring an alignment).

RE RSM's:

Replace the RSM's before they fail. The cost of a new pair of shock mounts runs anywhere from $40-$120 and installation can be done in under an hour with simple hand tools. When choosing mounts, understand that pretty much any aftermarket mounts out there will have a longer service life than the stock E36 mounts. Also understand that the longer service life is a consequence of a more robust design that usually transmits more force to the shock tower, and therefore you should have some sort of reinforcement on the tower to prevent stress cracks from forming...


In addition to replacing the mounts, there's a deficiency in the design that would behoove you to rectify. On the bottom of the tower the mount disperses the force of the shock pushing up into the tower. However, the top of the tower consists of the 2 mounting nuts for the mount. When the shock rebounds, this force is only dispersed over the area of these 2 small nuts. This isn't the best way to preserve the thin, weak sheet metal. There are reinforcement plates available that go on the top of the tower to disperse the force of the shock rebounding. There are no downsides to using these reinforcement plates, they should be on every E36 on the road. They are sold by every major vendor and are pretty cheap, at $25-50.


How common are problems with this? How long do the parts last?

The RSM's are a wear item. OEM RSM's have an approximate service life of 60K miles or so. Service life can be *drastically* reduced by environmental factors, modifications, or other factors. Shock tower failure is what i'd consider a moderate occurrence, high consequence issue.

[m3f_fiveightandten]

So, what is the purpose of the car? How many driving events per year? (estimates)

From his other thread...

I want fully adjustable because I plan on tracking and drifting the car.

[m3f_OahuMPower]

click on the rear suspension overhaul link in my sig

[m3f_WRXEATR]

-4 Subframe to chassis bushings [subframe mounts] 33171134871 x 1 and 33319059301 x 1

-3 Diff to subframe mounts (OEM) 33171134871 x 1 + 33171134872 x 2

-2 RTABs of your choice ; OEM are 33326770817

-2 RSMs of your choice ; OEM are 33521137972

-2 Upper control arm to subframe bushings 33321092247

-2 Lower control arm to subframe bushings 33326770824

-2 Upper control arm outer ball joints 33326775551

-2 Lower control arm outer ball joints 33326775551





Additiional parts

11621744232 - Exhaust nuts - $0.68 X4

07119912524 - Exhaust bolts - $ 0.42 X4

07129900047 - Self locking nuts for drive shaft (transmission side) - $0.45 X6

07129964672 - Self locking nuts for drive shaft (diff side) - $0.28 X4

07129946401 - Self locking nuts for drive shaft center support - $.045 X2

18101405737 - Exhaust gaskets (Asbestos free) - $9.10 X2

33101214099 - Rear diff input shaft flange seal - $13.50

33176760337 - Rear diff front mounting bolt (the infamous diff bolt) - $1.41

23211490120 - Rear diff input shaft lock plate - $1.10

33121200284 - Rear diff input shaft dust cover - $1.84

33107505602 - Differential Output Flange Seal - @15.50 X2



Shift linkage parts

25111469397 - Shift handle ball cup bushing - $5.00

25117507695 - Shifter arm bushing attaches to transmission - $4.00

25111222015 - Shifter Arm Plastic Bushing attaches to chassis - $20.50

25111222451 - Pin retaining clip - $0.50

25111469397 - Shift handle ball cup bushing - $5.00

25117507695 - Shifter arm bushing attaches to transmission - $4.00

25111222015 - Shifter Arm Plastic Bushing attaches to chassis - $20.50

25111222451 - Pin retaining clip - $0.50



From the FAQ's,



RE RTAB's:







RE RSM's:

:d rink:

[m3f_M3_ATW]

-4 Subframe to chassis bushings [subframe mounts] 33171134871 x 1 and 33319059301 x 1

-3 Diff to subframe mounts (OEM) 33171134871 x 1 + 33171134872 x 2

-2 RTABs of your choice ; OEM are 33326770817

-2 RSMs of your choice ; OEM are 33521137972

-2 Upper control arm to subframe bushings 33321092247

-2 Lower control arm to subframe bushings 33326770824

-2 Upper control arm outer ball joints 33326775551

-2 Lower control arm outer ball joints 33326775551





Additiional parts

11621744232 - Exhaust nuts - $0.68 X4

07119912524 - Exhaust bolts - $ 0.42 X4

07129900047 - Self locking nuts for drive shaft (transmission side) - $0.45 X6

07129964672 - Self locking nuts for drive shaft (diff side) - $0.28 X4

07129946401 - Self locking nuts for drive shaft center support - $.045 X2

18101405737 - Exhaust gaskets (Asbestos free) - $9.10 X2

33101214099 - Rear diff input shaft flange seal - $13.50

33176760337 - Rear diff front mounting bolt (the infamous diff bolt) - $1.41

23211490120 - Rear diff input shaft lock plate - $1.10

33121200284 - Rear diff input shaft dust cover - $1.84

33107505602 - Differential Output Flange Seal - @15.50 X2



Shift linkage parts

25111469397 - Shift handle ball cup bushing - $5.00

25117507695 - Shifter arm bushing attaches to transmission - $4.00

25111222015 - Shifter Arm Plastic Bushing attaches to chassis - $20.50

25111222451 - Pin retaining clip - $0.50

25111469397 - Shift handle ball cup bushing - $5.00

25117507695 - Shifter arm bushing attaches to transmission - $4.00

25111222015 - Shifter Arm Plastic Bushing attaches to chassis - $20.50

25111222451 - Pin retaining clip - $0.50



From the FAQ's,



RE RTAB's:







RE RSM's:

I <3 you



thank you so much for putting that together.. now to start the ordering!! this is gonna be the most $$ ive put into my car since i bought it...

[m3f_firedancer414]

rear suspension overhaul link in your sig is AWOL cal

[m3f_M3_ATW]

SUP BROS


Any recommendations on RSMs?


Here is what I have found to choose from:


ECS


UUC Meyle (which look very similar to the ECS, but are $10 cheaper)


Rogue Engineering


AKG #RSMP30 (they are at the bottom of the page, maybe overkill?)

[m3f_shaeff]

I followed Cal's thread for my subframe overhaul. There's a link to mine in my sig, but it's more of a "what I did" thread than a "do this" like Cal's.

[m3f_Eryan36]

Look into the poly ones that Bimmerworld sells. No worries about pre-loading like OEM bushings, and they have limiters built into the bushing.

[m3f_shaeff]

Look into the poly ones that Bimmerworld sells. No worries about pre-loading like OEM bushings, and they have limiters built into the bushing.

I would go with AKG's softest offering. The rear trailing arm has multi axis articulation so a bit of flex is good.

[m3f_Aavi]

AKG 80A would be a good choice, if you want to move away from stock. As far as RSM's are concerned, Rogue or AKG. Cant go wrong with either of them.