M3 control arms

[Jchayward90]

Hey, about to replace the control arms and was wondering if it would be worth it to pay the extra 400 to get the alluminum m3 arms. I can't find wieght difference any one know off the top of your head? Thx

[Quailane]

If you're on the fence about it I would say no way in hell is it worth it.

[E30_fiend]

yeah you will have weight savings but its totally not worth the extra money. Also I have heard that e30 M3 ball joints aren't serviceable so, if true, that's a downside too.

just my .2 cents




Taylor

[blocke]

In my opinion, $400 isn't worth the extra 10 -20 pounds you will save. You wont even notice that driving down the road. But if you spent $400 on a new exhaust, or chip and intake, or something like that..you will notice it. I'd buy the stock lemforder non-m arms, and spend the extra $400 on something else your car needs.

[MR 325]

I laugh at the people who drop hundreds extra for aluminum arms. Hell even if I had an M3 that originally came with then I would not put another set on. What a big waste of money.

[Wh33lhop]

Well less unsprung weight is always a good thing, much better than less sprung weight. But as I recall you save about 4lbs per side with the aluminum arms (remember they do not have a sway bar mounting point so you'll need to use M3 swaybar endlinks too). If I was made of money, I'd do it.

[george graves]

They are weaker then the non-M arms....I don't think people understand that.

[drumad]

They are weaker then the non-M arms....I don't think people understand that.

BUT THEYRE MADE FOR M3'S!

[reelizmpro]

They actually have stronger ball joints and no you don't have to use the M3 links with them. They have a hole in the arm for the standard E30 links.

[FredK]

If I was made of money, I'd do it.

Yeah. These are a wear item that many people replace pre-emptively every year on vehicles that see a lot of track time. I'd rather not suck up $850 on a pair of control arms every year.

[Quailane]

They actually have stronger ball joints and no you don't have to use the M3 links with them. They have a hole in the arm for the standard E30 links.

I've heard that's a real bad idea because unlike the steel ones it will eventually tear out. The arms also are supposed to be replaced every so often because over time stressed aluminum can weaken and give way, which steel doesn't do.

[reelizmpro]

I don't know what you heard but in 20 years I never heard of an E30 control arm (the arm itself) breaking. Never heard of anyone ripping a 325 mount out of an Al arm either. It's typically the ball joints that are the weakest link and the Aluminum arms have stronger joints. Aluminum is being used on a lot of suspension parts these days without any issues.

Here's a link with some scientific data:

http://www.bayareamotorsport.com/contr_arms.html

[erik325i]

I don't know what you heard but in 20 years I never heard of an E30 control arm (the arm itself) breaking. Never heard of anyone ripping a 325 mount out of an Al arm either. It's typically the ball joints that are the weakest link and the Aluminum arms have stronger joints. Aluminum is being used on a lot of suspension parts these days without any issues.

I'm with Barry on this one. Most all new BMWs come with aluminum control arms. Saying that they will fail just because they are aluminum is foolish. Yes, it sucks that the ball joint is not serviceable, but the ball joint itself is larger, so it will last longer than a non-M ball joint.

Hey, about to replace the control arms and was wondering if it would be worth it to pay the extra 400 to get the alluminum m3 arms.

Nobody can tell you if the arms are worth it without knowing the purpose. If you are building a competitive race car, than yes, I'd say it is worth it to save that amount of unsprung weight. I'd guess that if you were building race car, then you would not be asking this question here though.

On a street car, save your money.

Erik

[Swede-E30]

I bought my aluminum arms six years ago for $165 a piece. Yes they do have the hole from factory for the sway bar and they have around 60k on them with no issues. That is street use and autocross every now and then.

[reelizmpro]

The only issue I can possibly see with Aluminum arms is something seriously impacting it. The steel arm will bend (i have seen this) and the Al arm will crack but keep in mind they are solid without all the holes that the steel version has.

Swede is right, the Al arms didn't use to be THAT expensive. They were about $150-175 a piece back in the day and a very common upgrade. Now that prices have skyrocketed on these, I would go with the E36 M3 control arms. They have the stronger joints but in a steel arm.