General Recommendations for Rear Subframe and Differential Bushings: OE and Poly

[ZHPizza]

Yep, one of the guys I know just put his car back together with these and he had to epoxy one in. He also noted how since the bushings are solid they're insanely heavy - he ended up drilling a bunch of holes akin to what CMP and other manufacturers have already implemented in their designs

Yeah he's an ounce chaser to the extreme. He also drilled holes in his hood latch lol

Fwiw I used the Partshopmax bushings on my car and they all fit fine. No looseness in any of the bores.

[AussieE46M3]

You are correct, in the end after completely settling it was a minimal amount and I should have updated my post to reflect that.

That's fine. I'm just glad to hear it didn't mess with your ride height too much.

He also noted how since the bushings are solid they're insanely heavy - he ended up drilling a bunch of holes akin to what CMP and other manufacturers have already implemented in their designs

I could only imagine. I'm guessing they'd be pretty close to 5lb's. My latest design (and the latest batch) is 15% lighter than my previous for a set total of 1.47kg (~3.2lb).

Do you feel any need to engineer in the “collapse in event of failure” nature of the OE arms? I’ve always been curious about losing that with going to solid, aftermarket arms.

Also, any plans for a US distributor?

It's something I've been asked a lot lately when I released the adjustable toe/camber/guide arms for the more modern beemers.

Some things I'd insist on keeping with a collapsible element such as the lower guide arm on the newer cars as without it, the arm would puncture the fuel tank instead.

The remaining arms I am not worried about. My understanding is that the collapsible arms are for minor incidents to minimise repair cost and keep damage localised however, they also run the risk of collapsing under cornering force if you're making enough grip.

if you're opting for adjustable race spec arms they're probably not for your grocery getter so if you do have a crash it's most likely to be at a speed that will result in more damage than a collapsible camber arm can save.

No one has reached out to me to enquire about it. ECS did years ago but wanted to pick out only products they didn't already have so I turned them down.

I'd certainly be open to having US distributors if you're in the industry?

AussieE46M3 Cayn, might be worth fixing and making more prominent whether numbers are Australin or US dollars, so that folks don't get scared and abandon the cart...

You are not the first person to mention this. My only thinking is that my current trading is 50:50 local to international so it might shock some local buyers when they see the dollars jump up at checkout.

I'll definitely keep this in mind and may make the switch to trading in USD in future.

Otherwise, I could start adding Australian flags all over the site 🤔

Yeah, E9X front tension arm bushings shipped to WA is AUD$400, which comes out to $308.84. SDW's version shipped for free from FCP (but with WA's 10.1% tax) is $291.50. So within ballpark.

Thanks for the feedback. The Aussie dollar also seems to be stronger than usual against the US so that should get a bit better as time passes.

[BubbaTree]

Yes.

no.

That's pretty distressing news about buying a whole diff cover just to get fresh rear bushings! Lots of vendors out there selling replacement bushings, and I just spoke to one of them today. He advised removing the entire diff and then R&R the rear bushings using a bench press. My plan was to remove the diff cover and use my Schwaben center bolt bushing tool for the job. Seems like conventional wisdom rejects that idea? Where would a guy source a replacement cover that already has fresh bushings?
Thanks!

[mrgizmo04]

That's pretty distressing news about buying a whole diff cover just to get fresh rear bushings! Lots of vendors out there selling replacement bushings, and I just spoke to one of them today. He advised removing the entire diff and then R&R the rear bushings using a bench press. My plan was to remove the diff cover and use my Schwaben center bolt bushing tool for the job. Seems like conventional wisdom rejects that idea? Where would a guy source a replacement cover that already has fresh bushings?
Thanks!

I've swapped bushings in the cover before by taking just the cover off the car (leaving the diff in the car). I've swapped e36 bushings and other poly bushings. You need to be careful as those ears are aluminum and sometimes snap (somewhat equivalent to inner upper control arm). Every bushing job requires patience.

For a whole cover itself with fresh bushings, FCP is a good source https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...m3-33112282482

I've used the Schwaben tool, but to be honest the only thing I found really useful from that tool was the rod with the bearing/nut. In terms of various cups for pressing/receiving, I had to raid autozone/oreillys with parts in hand measuring various brands of sockets (not every socket is made the same, not every socket will take the rod through its center, wall thicknesses are different, etc.)

Example of what worked for me for the inner upper control arm (picture below) - 1' pressing, 36mm receiving, different brands.

Side note for the inner lower control arm, 1 1/16' socket worked, as the bushing sizes are just so slightly different.

IIRC, for pressing out the rear diff bushing, for pressing I used the 36mm socket pictured (after just barely sanding down the outside to make it a smidge smaller so it didn't get stuck in the cover loop/ear), for receiving I ended up using one of the cups from the ball joint tool I rented from Autozone (the one with a giant c clamp).


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[0-60motorsports]

Ive been using E36 M3 bushings instead of replacing the rear cover completely. I think they are fine. Anyone else use those?

[Obioban]

Ive been using E36 M3 bushings instead of replacing the rear cover completely. I think they are fine. Anyone else use those?

They’re softer, so lower performance than stock. But, they do fit and are cheaper.

[0-60motorsports]

They’re softer, so lower performance than stock. But, they do fit and are cheaper.

Got it, Next time i'll get a new cover. Still think its stupid they dont sell them separately as its a dam waste

[Tbonem3]

Got it, Next time i'll get a new cover. Still think its stupid they dont sell them separately as its a dam waste

It's just a safety reg like with our alloy front control arms.

[Arith2]

I installed some Bimmerworld solid bushing and I'm super happy with them. The subframe casting is pretty low quality and there are a bunch of splatter from the original welding. I found myself grinding a few imperfections off so I could continue pressing the bushing in.

A long time ago I bought some ECS poly diff bushings so that's what went in. I'm not upset they're in there. Something is grinding in the rear and it probably doubled in loudness. There's a 99% chance it's the diff for those curious.