question about Treehouse Racing control arm bushings.

[maclogos]

Hey all,

So i have a M50B25TU swap in my e30 325i 4 door and was wondering if these control are bushings are really worth the money. They claim it helps with running the exhaust for M50 swaps. This is the most intriguing part to me because when i bought my car the exhaust had been hammered flat to clear the control arms but i wasnt diggin that so i had my buddy custom build that section of the exhaust to fit without rubbing anything. There lies the issue that i had to use a slightly smaller pipe to clear the space i was givin to work with. Do these control arm bushings really make a huge difference in space for the exhaust or is it very minor and not really too noticeable? Im looking at eventually doing some headers so i would love to have as much room as possible. Thanks in advance.

[ttrousdell]

they made a big difference with my s38 swap. I would have had to cut and modify the headers if i wasnt running them. They are a good amount smaller then the large stock CABs.

[maclogos]

Thanks for the quick response. How hard are they to install? Do i need to press them in or is that fairly easy to do without special tools? I assume i would need alignment done after install as well?

[klodkrawler05]

For me I couldn't even get my headers to clear with stock bushings, without these it wouldn't have worked.

its relatively easy to take the old ones off, undo 2 bolts per side and use a hammer to help persuade them off.

to make putting the new ones on easier lube the inside of the bushing with dish/hand soap, the soap makes it slide on easy but then dries and isn't sticky/gunky to attract dirt like a normal grease would be.

These pictures might help also:


The stock bushing was touching the exhaust tube, now it clears by about an inch:

[maclogos]

Thank you for the reference pics. Im ordering these today!!! Thanks to everyone for the feedback.

[maclogos]

So while i have this thread up what kind of headers would you guys recommend for my M50 swapped car? The car is already bar legal so i plan to keep the stock exhaust manifolds for smog if i end up needing them again. Just gonna toss them in a box for the mean while lol.

[dude8383]

M52/S52 headers flow really well and they're stock. I've never been a fan of the ebay headers.

[maclogos]

So would you say that just keeping my stock M50 exhaust manifold is just as good?

[Mistawall]

speaking of which i have stock e36 m3 exhaust from 98 m3 its been chopped up can i use this exhaust on my e30? i might look into geting these treeehouse things as well

[Bmwdayz]

The Tree house lollipops are way over priced in my opinion. I payed $40 to have the exhaust Tube closest to the control arm bushing moved. It was done properly and didn't break the bank.

[dude8383]

So would you say that just keeping my stock M50 exhaust manifold is just as good?

I would swap to the obd2 manifolds because they flow better than the obd1 Mani's.

[Wanganstyle]

Unless the aftermarket headers are for cool factor or noize or ricing points I wouldn't bother purchasing and installing.

If one reallllly wants headers that are equal length and compatible with the original bmw headers then SCHIMEDMANN makes some;

They are compact twisty and made very well.

Our 24v swapped full race e30 uses m52 stock headers and stock lollypops with race akg bushes fitted. Inexpensive and gets the job done on the race track as its full race only

Local exhaust shop had no problems clearing the bushing; no reason to spend money on the full race treehouse parts- it's honestly pretty silly to run them on the street- too rough for the body. Id consider the treehouse parts on a full race caged trailered e30 only; the car will be faster on streets with stock type bushing.

[justin_l_]

the car will be faster on streets with stock type bushing.

Who goes fast on the streets? :-)

[Wanganstyle]

Who goes fast on the streets? :-)

How much time does the average 24v e30 spend on the track?

100% of the time I drive a 24v e30 is while racing wheel to wheel.

[ParsedOut]

Top Speed sells a Treehouse knock off. They are eBay and are really good quality.

Here's mine with M52 headers and M50 stock downpipe.