Very vigorous use of formatting!

I use Lemforder and have replaced control arms and bushings 4 times on my cars.

Given the lifetime warranty from FCP, I think the removable ball joint is at best a modest convenience, and at worst an irritating job.

But the bigger issue is that the Meyle arms transmit more noise and vibration due to their more solid joint. This means that and wheel issues are going to be magnified, and often folks "find" wheel and steering issues unrelated to their control arms that appear after replacing with Meyle.

 

Very vigorous use of formatting!

I use Lemforder and have replaced control arms and bushings 4 times on my cars.

Given the lifetime warranty from FCP, I think the removable ball joint is at best a modest convenience, and worst in irritating job.

But the bigger issue is that the Meyle arms transmit
More due to their more solid joint. This means that and wheel issues are going to be magnified, and often folks "find" whee and steering issues unrelated to their control arms that appear after replacing with Meyle.

Interesting stuff!

I came close to ordering Meyle HD FCA's but maybe it's for the better I didn't, as I have a lot of shimmy-issues.

That being said: Lemförder = OEM for FCA's. Just replaced my right FCA with a spare OEM one I had, which had the Lemförder logo on it.

Just stay away from TRW!!! Worst FCA's in history. But that might be off-topic

 

Have you made each of those replacements each time with fcp euro's lifetime guarantee policy?

In what timespan/interval of time did you have to change these parts 4 times ? How often?

Did you use your car as a daily driver?

 

4 different e46s!

All are daily drivers, only two are mine

Control arms last at least 150k. Look for looseness, torn boots, or squeaks. Bushings last 80k-ish and look for tears or small fractures.

 

As a point of reference, my OE BMW control arms lasted 200K+ miles and 3 different suspension configurations. Control arm bushings were replaced with Meyle HD by a PO (~95K miles) and those lasted over 100K mikes.

I'm rebuilding the front suspension (@210K miles) and went with the following combination: Lemforder Z4M Control Arms w/ Meyle HD Control Arm Bushings.

Regarding your current control arms:

1. How many miles on them?
2. Any play in them?

 

really depends on how you like your car to feel?

if you like the BMW feel of sporty yet comfortable stick with the Lemforder, they make the stock parts here.
if you want a firmer feel the Meyle HD are the ones.

stock uses an oil filled rubber control arm bushing for comfort.
while the Meyle HD used a solid rubber bushing (like the M3) for a firmer sportier feel. between the two the fluid filled bushing will wear out far before. But it***8217;s a more compliant feel.

Both are good at what they do.
Lemforder also makes the zhp arms. they are the upgrade to the stock arms.

 

Had the lemforder zhp arms and Meyle control arm bushings on my 325ci when I had it. Perfect setup I thought. And now with my 330ci convertible Zam package zhp equivalent in Canada I have the same stock arms with the m sticker with the Meyle bushings and love the feel. Firm but not crazy hard.

Sent from my CLT-L04 using Tapatalk

 

If either ball joint (inner and outer) is bad, the arm needs to be replaced. This is why I like the meyle arms. They have replaceable ball joints. The outer one (the one that usually fails) can be replaced with the arm on the car easily using a standard ball joint tool. As for bushings, I don't like the oe style fluid filled ones. They simply don't last long enough. They are also too soft for hard cornering/sporty driving. I really enjoy the sporty nature of these cars and wanted to enhance that aspect of mine. I installed powerflex (poly) bushings on my 330i sport and have no regrets. They are stiffer than the original and meyle hd bushings but not to the point of being harsh. If I wanted to be completely isolated from the road and didn't care about handling, there are plenty of Lexus models that require much less maintenance and equal or more "luxury" features. If performance is your priority, go poly. If comfort is your priority, you bought the wrong car. Lemforder is the best option for the smoothest ride but you have to replace them regularly. Meyle hd bushings offer a nice compromise between ride quality and performance. Most of the performance improvement with less harshness. Most important thing is that they will last many times longer than the oe style. If your ball joints are good, no reason to replace the arms you have. You can just replace the bushings. If you need to replace it all, the meyle hd stuff would be my recommendation. It will save you money if you keep the car for a while. A replacement ball joint is about $30 and the bushings will probably last for the rest of the cars life. The meyle hd package will reduce long term operating costs if that's a concern.

Sent from my S61 using Tapatalk

 

I installed powerflex (poly) bushings on my 330i sport and have no regrets. They are stiffer than the original and meyle hd bushings but not to the point of being harsh.

I have also used powerflex 80A for the FCAB, and I really liked them. Steering felt a lot tighter, and I felt NO increase in NVH, and lost no comfort. Can't speak for the 90A version.

 

what i did, no complaints , use spece30 code at checkout and compare price

http://www.bmaparts.com/catalog-2/itemdetail/wd-express/371-06098-502

 

I have an xi, I know, different set up, Anyway, I've replaced the OE outer ball joint with Meyle HDs and didn't notice any difference in NVH, bushings are Lemforder solid rubber centered from a later model e36 M3, the ball joints are e36 non M.

 

Yeah I really like increased steering response ect. They definitely tighten up the steering. The slight increase in NVH is well worth it. Of course this is an opinion on something subjective. Some people don't like it. The poly bushings do require more maintenance than meyle because they have to be lubricated periodically.

Sent from my S61 using Tapatalk

 

Yeah I really like increased steering response ect. They definitely tighten up the steering. The slight increase in NVH is well worth it. Of course this is an opinion on something subjective. Some people don't like it. The poly bushings do require more maintenance than meyle because they have to be lubricated periodically.

Sent from my S61 using Tapatalk

If it's a perfect fit (meaning that the inner piece of the bushing does not come out a little, which I had with the newer version of powerflex), this is neglectable. No squeaks after 2 years.

 

I think it’s interesting that no one is outright recommending poly bushings like everyone used to.

I’ve had Powerflex FCABs for over 100k miles and think they’re great. Never had to grease them either.


Sent from my iPhone using E46Fanatics

 

I think it’s interesting that no one is outright recommending poly bushings like everyone used to.

I’ve had Powerflex FCABs for over 100k miles and think they’re great. Never had to grease them either.

Meyle HD CABs with their tighter feel and increased longevity (100K+ miles in some cases) changed things up.

Doesn't mean poly (in the right application) is bad, but that an attractive middle ground between OE and poly CABs came into the picture.

 

It all depends on the road condition of your area and your personal preference. Roads and freeways are repaved unnecessarily frequent in my area. Meyle was a good choice for me. I get tight handling and the ability to read road fingerprints.

 

I'm still on the Meyle HD train, there's no real reason not to do them unless, you have a mildly bent wheel. All a meyle HD arm is really going to do is find out what is still worn out on a worn out suspension.

 

I will toss up yet another option that no one has mentioned yet: Z4m FCABs. They are solid rubber and also have some offset to them which adds some caster angle for more self-centering steering action.

https://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1119519



.

 

he's promoting his buisness again

imo: if your caster is not on the low side, I wouldn't go for Z4M's. Not necessary + you would need a new alignment. Although it is possible you might need to do an alignment when you replace the FCA's, depending on the brand you use. I think Meyle HD's are a tiny bit different compared to OEM/Lemforder.

 

I have Meyle HD FCABs on mine. I will use these again. They are just about as harsh as I can handle and won't have me replacing ruptured oil filled parts every 2 or 3 years. I would not use poly unless it were a track car. I could feel the harshness increase when I first installed these Meyle HD and was worried it was too much, but they seem to have softened with a little use. Based on my experience with poly on a previous car, I would have to think the poly would be more harsh than the Meyle HD.

The actual control arm doesn't matter as much. I guess I would use Lemforder as I have had excellent luck with their quality and durability, but wouldn't turn away from Meyle here either. I can't remember the last ball joint I have replaced. More tie rods than ball joints for my E46s and even those don't go bad too often.

 

Here is a solid guide: https://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=932561

FCABs last about 80k
Control arms about 100-125k
Shocks, struts, and RTABs about 125-150k
Rear differential bushing by 175k

They really should just be replaced at these intervals. The rest if they show wear or symptoms

 

i think age has alot to do with rubber aside from mileage

my car is an 04 , 16 yrs old but only has 90k

did fca and b 5 or 6 years ago , doing rtabs and bj's in a few weeks and prob diff bushing next year


the ass end was all over the place when pushing it last year , had enough

rubber gets dry and brittle