Control arm & bushing

[LicensedToM]

Hi all,

I recently put the car up on the lift and took a look underneath to see what maintenance I needed to do. I saw that the control arms had rusted and the bushings are in bad shape. I've also noticed that there is a clunking sound that comes from the front suspension, and I'm not certain if this could be resulting from the condition of the bushings.



So I have a couple of questions:

1. Should I need to replace the control arms too, or can I just replace the bushings?
2. I found the "Powerflex Control Arm Bushing with Offset Hole - Urethane" on bavauto, and I was wondering if anyone has experience with these. Are they substantially better than the factory OEM?
3. Being new to suspension work, I'm not sure what impact the offset holes have on the setup.

Thanks!

[Paradox]

Yes you can just do the bushings but you should do your ball joints too at the same time - and while you are there you might as well do the whole control arm because its only slightly more to buy the whole assembly.

urethane bushings in the lollipops have been known to be unreliable in race conditions
Factory offset bushings are the way to go. For some reason the e36 M3 version is cheaper and fits so go with that.

Offset hole in the bushing increases Caster which means more camber in turns and stability at high speeds

...I'm in the process of doing my complete front suspension and have been doing alot of reading and research on the subject lately

[amok]

Doing a suspension rebuild myself. i would replace the control arms as your ball joints are probably just as worn.

[cbouchez]

^+1 I have to refresh all my frotn suspension. Looking at OEM control arms w/ bushings and OEM bushings.

[LicensedToM]

Great, thanks guys! I realize I should have put some details on the current stance, etc. in my original post, but here's what's been done to it:
- GC coilover conversion kit with 650fr/750r spring rates
- GC camber plates
- Koni Single Adjustable Shocks and Struts





Given the camber I already have, with the M3 offset bushings be too much?