Strongflex Tension Strut/Control Arm Bushing Install

PrematureApex · 03-12-2016, 11:18 AM

I was buying Strongflex tension strut poly bushings (hydrobearing replacement) for our X1, and decided to spring for the same plus the control arm polys for the 135.

Installed using tools similar to these:

This was the install on my X1, but similar for the 1er (I removed the control arm entirely), left the TS in:

My god, just did these the other day. Can't believe I waited so long! Turn in, steering feel, etc. All moving back toward proper BMW.

Old bushings and new came out/in pretty easily...so in all, it was hardly more work than full arm replacements.

Very nice, cheap upgrade.

Sorry for the quick post, if anyone wants more info, will post more details later.

Dackelone · 03-12-2016, 01:08 PM

Cool, thanks for posting!

I wonder if you could use these for the M3/1M rear subframe bushings. ?

PrematureApex · 03-12-2016, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Cool, thanks for posting!

I wonder if you could use these for the M3/1M rear subframe bushings. ?

I believe they make them, yes. The only issue is wait time (2 weeks order to door in PA) and shipping costs. They're made and shipped from Poland.

So if you only pay for shipping once, it makes sense to order as many different applications as you'll use.

I paid less than $180 total shipped for the X1 TS polys, the 1er TS polys, and the poly control arm bushings.

The company gets good reviews, and from what I saw, the quality was there. Grease channels, both radially and axially on the outer arm to bushing surfaces. Knurling to hold grease on the bushing insert bore. Good fit, etc .

ShocknAwe · 03-12-2016, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrematureApex

I believe they make them, yes. The only issue is wait time (2 weeks order to door in PA) and shipping costs. They're made and shipped from Poland.

So if you only pay for shipping once, it makes sense to order as many different applications as you'll use.

I paid less than $200 total for the X1 TS polys, the 1er TS polys, and the poly control arm bushings. So $50, $50 and $50, plus $40 or 50 for shipping.

The company gets good reviews, and from what I saw, the quality was there. Grease channels, both radially and axially on the outer arm to bushing surfaces. Knurling to hold grease on the bushing insert bore. Good fit, etc .

Really. Did you rent the tool to do this?

Gonna look into their stuff vs white line. Thanks for the post!

PrematureApex · 03-12-2016, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Really. Did you rent the tool to do this?

Gonna look into their stuff vs white line. Thanks for the post!

No, I own the ball joint press kit and wheel bearing puller kit. It's just Harbor Freight stuff ($70 for the ball joint clamp and $100 for the bearing kit?), but I do all my wheel bearings, bushing, ball joint, other bearing install with them. Lasted almost 10 years now. Must-have tools for a shade-tree IMHO. Worth their weight in gold if you want to save money on installs. But yes, I believe you can rent similar things from autozone or advanced.

Just for kicks I even tried a 3-jaw puller to see if it would push one of the TS hydros out on a friend's car. It did, easy:

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece...-set-8832.html

All the talk that a 20 ton hydraulic press is needed for these installs is 100% wrong.

Just have a GOOD cordless impact to drive the threaded presses and you're all good.

ShocknAwe · 03-12-2016, 05:16 PM

Hm. Better put this on my to do list then. Are the strongflex bushes one or two piece?

PrematureApex · 03-12-2016, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Hm. Better put this on my to do list then. Are the strongflex bushes one or two piece?

One piece for the TS, two for the control arm. Some guys have cut the TS bushing in half making the install really easy.

andrey_gta · 03-13-2016, 07:55 PM

More pics of the install or the bushing you are referring to?

PrematureApex · 03-15-2016, 09:58 AM

Unfortunately, didn't take many pics.

The TS bushings look like this. Simple, one piece. $25ish per.

The control arm bushings are the two-piece ones in the middle bag.

The install is pretty self explanatory. Receiver on one side, pusher on the other. Or use a three-jaw puller. Tons of anti-seize lubricant. Like, an uncomfortable amount.

ShocknAwe · 03-15-2016, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrematureApex

Tons of anti-seize lubricant. Like, an uncomfortable amount.

You killed me... haha

pj.rodriguez · 03-15-2016, 11:57 AM

Awesome.

I'm getting a clunk on my right front suspension somewhere. It's pretty annoying and even has a feel to it. You can feel the clunk. I replaced the endlinks and sway bar bushings thinking that it might be them. Those parts were cheap but did not fix the clunk. I checked my top mounts and strut nut and those were tight.

Does anyone think it could be my control arm bushings, or tie rods? I might look into just replacing the bushings if it was that easy with a puller. What I'm worried about is the ball joint being the culprit, so swapping bushings on the inside won't do anything.

Could it be the strut itself? I recently installed a Sachs coilover kit. Rebuild time?

ShocknAwe · 03-15-2016, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pj.rodriguez

Awesome.

I'm getting a clunk on my right front suspension somewhere. It's pretty annoying and even has a feel to it. You can feel the clunk.

Does anyone think it could be my control arm bushings, or tie rods? I might look into just replacing the bushings if it was that easy with a puller. What I'm worried about is the ball joint being the culprit, so swapping bushings on the inside won't do anything.

Can you replicate the clunk under the car with a pry bar on the arms? Try to isolate the exact scenario that causes the noise.

squidge · 03-15-2016, 04:36 PM

Yeah, re: the clunk there was a thread in this section last week about failed TRW control arms clunking.

drunkenup · 03-18-2017, 11:52 AM

Relevant bump for the observant- I ordered the TS bushings from strongflex in January, polish tracking says they got to Warsaw Feb 4. No update since

Update, they sent out a new set immediately and came in two weeks. Hoping the first set shows up in the months ahead LOL

03-12-2016, 11:18 AM	#1
PrematureApex Colonel 840 Rep 2,402 Posts Drives: N55 X1, N54 135, s54 m3 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Philadelphia iTrader: (0)	Strongflex Tension Strut/Control Arm Bushing Install I was buying Strongflex tension strut poly bushings (hydrobearing replacement) for our X1, and decided to spring for the same plus the control arm polys for the 135. Installed using tools similar to these: This was the install on my X1, but similar for the 1er (I removed the control arm entirely), left the TS in: My god, just did these the other day. Can't believe I waited so long! Turn in, steering feel, etc. All moving back toward proper BMW. Old bushings and new came out/in pretty easily...so in all, it was hardly more work than full arm replacements. Very nice, cheap upgrade. Sorry for the quick post, if anyone wants more info, will post more details later. __________________ '02 S54 M3 (500/500 GC/Koni) '08 N54 135 (JB4, DCI, BMW PS/Bilstein B6s, H&R M3 FSB, Strongflex FCABs) '14 N55 X1 (JB4, BMS DP, BMS Intake, Alpina TCU reflash, H&R Sports, Bilstein B6s, E93 M3 RSB, Strongflex FCABs, baby seat) '08 N54 535xi touring (Bilstein B6s, Downpipes, MHD tune, baby seat)
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03-12-2016, 01:08 PM	#2
Dackelone European Editor 10589 Rep 22,992 Posts Drives: N54 e82 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bayern, Germany iTrader: (1)	Cool, thanks for posting! I wonder if you could use these for the M3/1M rear subframe bushings. ? __________________ Dackel's European Delivery Museum Guide
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03-12-2016, 05:16 PM	#6
ShocknAwe 1Addict 3234 Rep 7,894 Posts Drives: E82 Mutt, M57 Truck Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Charleston iTrader: (22)	Hm. Better put this on my to do list then. Are the strongflex bushes one or two piece? __________________ 2010 135i 6MT Jet Black N54/3 FE82 Mutt \| BUILD THREAD \| GARAGE SALE
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03-13-2016, 07:55 PM	#8
andrey_gta Brigadier General 298 Rep 4,040 Posts Drives: 130i coupé ;) Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Bimmerpost iTrader: (1) Garage List 2008 BMW 128i [10.00]	More pics of the install or the bushing you are referring to? __________________ 128i Sport 6MT converted to Euro 130i spec, 3.73 diff, tuned by evolve ~220 whp 207 wtq(ft-lb) SAE In-progress: //M front arm, M3 rack, e36M lip Wishlist: Coils, n55 mnts, headers, LSD, e60 finn diff "The 1-series is the last car that BMW engineered before the Germans, as a car-making culture, fell out of love with driving." - R&T 2013 135is
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03-15-2016, 09:58 AM	#9
PrematureApex Colonel 840 Rep 2,402 Posts Drives: N55 X1, N54 135, s54 m3 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Philadelphia iTrader: (0)	Unfortunately, didn't take many pics. The TS bushings look like this. Simple, one piece. $25ish per. The control arm bushings are the two-piece ones in the middle bag. The install is pretty self explanatory. Receiver on one side, pusher on the other. Or use a three-jaw puller. Tons of anti-seize lubricant. Like, an uncomfortable amount. __________________ '02 S54 M3 (500/500 GC/Koni) '08 N54 135 (JB4, DCI, BMW PS/Bilstein B6s, H&R M3 FSB, Strongflex FCABs) '14 N55 X1 (JB4, BMS DP, BMS Intake, Alpina TCU reflash, H&R Sports, Bilstein B6s, E93 M3 RSB, Strongflex FCABs, baby seat) '08 N54 535xi touring (Bilstein B6s, Downpipes, MHD tune, baby seat)
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03-15-2016, 11:57 AM	#11
pj.rodriguez Lieutenant Colonel 84 Rep 1,623 Posts Drives: Alpine White 128i Cabrio Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada iTrader: (9) Garage List 2008 BMW 128i E88 [9.00]	Awesome. I'm getting a clunk on my right front suspension somewhere. It's pretty annoying and even has a feel to it. You can feel the clunk. I replaced the endlinks and sway bar bushings thinking that it might be them. Those parts were cheap but did not fix the clunk. I checked my top mounts and strut nut and those were tight. Does anyone think it could be my control arm bushings, or tie rods? I might look into just replacing the bushings if it was that easy with a puller. What I'm worried about is the ball joint being the culprit, so swapping bushings on the inside won't do anything. Could it be the strut itself? I recently installed a Sachs coilover kit. Rebuild time? __________________ 2008 128i E88 / Alpine White / Boston Leather Sport / 6AT / M3 Paddle Shifters / Bilstein B8 / H&R Springs / Dinan Fixed Camber Plates / BMW 335i Front Brakes / PIAA Xtreme White 4150K Angel Eyes / Rear Fogs Enabled / Cyba Air Scoops / Euro Airbox / BMW Performance Exhaust / Stubby BMW Antenna
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03-15-2016, 04:36 PM	#13
squidge First Lieutenant 91 Rep 373 Posts Drives: 1997 Porsche 911 Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Sunnyvale, CA iTrader: (4)	Yeah, re: the clunk there was a thread in this section last week about failed TRW control arms clunking.
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03-18-2017, 11:52 AM	#14
drunkenup Captain 214 Rep 988 Posts Drives: 2009 135i, 2021 F150 Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: NJ iTrader: (1)	Relevant bump for the observant- I ordered the TS bushings from strongflex in January, polish tracking says they got to Warsaw Feb 4. No update since Update, they sent out a new set immediately and came in two weeks. Hoping the first set shows up in the months ahead LOL __________________ MHD \| BMS \| VRSF \| APEX \| RECARO \| TC Kline \| BERK \| Turner Motorsport \| Eibach \| BMW Performance Last edited by drunkenup; 04-03-2017 at 10:51 PM..
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