BMW 1 Series Coupe Forum / 1 Series Convertible Forum (1M / tii / 135i / 128i / Coupe / Cabrio / Hatchback) (BMW E82 E88 128i 130i 135i)
 





 

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      12-29-2014, 09:36 PM   #1
cpt97m3
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M3 Tension rods same as E82 except for the bushing?

I've got a set of M3 front control arms, tension arms and the wishbones. I know the wishbones are longer to increase the camber, but does anyone know if the tension arms are the same length or longer? Reason I ask is that I still have the stock 135i arms with the soft bushings, and I'm going to get the Rogue Engineering bushings. If the M3 arms are the same length as OE, I'll just have the new bushings pressed into the ones I have off the car and swap them in later.

Here is a link to the tension arm bushings:

http://www.hpashop.com/Rogue-Enginee...RE-E9x-TAB.htm
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      12-29-2014, 10:50 PM   #2
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i think the length is the same. The main reason for M3 arms is a fresh new ball joint (to go along with lower m3 arm's fresh ball joint) and the M3 Large bushing(the one rouge engineering replaces)

Changing the bushing requires special tools, the arms isnt that strong so there is a risk of deforming/stretch
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      12-30-2014, 03:36 AM   #3
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Weight, construction and stiffness are also considerations for the swap.
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      12-30-2014, 10:16 AM   #4
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I put whiteline bushings in my tension struts in my garage with a $100 Northern Tool press. It was simple to remove the old ones but took patients to smash the new ones in. Most shops remove and replace without taking the arm completely out of the car.
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      12-30-2014, 10:19 AM   #5
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Also do a search on the e90 forum, I remember seeing some one post side by side photos. I want to say that the tension strut is the longer one. As far as weight and strength I wouldn't spend any money for that reason I doubt it is any practical difference.

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      12-30-2014, 10:17 PM   #6
cpt97m3
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I take a look at the whiteline bushings. I have whiteline in the rear toe arms, but those still need to be installed also. When I installed the M3 arms, I put them next to the OE arms, and they seemed to be the same, but it was hard to tell because of all the curves. I'll check the E90 forums to see if there is any more info.
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      01-02-2015, 09:37 PM   #7
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For anyone who is considering doing m3 arms, I had bought a press from Northern Tool which I believe was $120. If you don't have an impact make sure you use the longer wrench on the nut and not the torx bit, I broke three torx bits trying to get one side off and my car only had 2k miles on it when I put the whiteline bushings in. But over all the job took about three hours, including torqueing at ride height. If these arms are the same besides the bushings I don't see why you should buy the whole arm, the bushing is going to make the difference.
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      01-21-2015, 08:05 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by andrey_gta View Post
i think the length is the same. The main reason for M3 arms is a fresh new ball joint (to go along with lower m3 arm's fresh ball joint) and the M3 Large bushing(the one rouge engineering replaces)

Changing the bushing requires special tools, the arms isnt that strong so there is a risk of deforming/stretch
It is a pain in the rear trying to press in M3 bushings, even with a special tool. Not to mention it is very time consuming.
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