Urethane Upgrades

[Aptyp]

I ran IE TABs for over 2 years and not a squeak. All urethane TABs have to be lubed, and none of the IE ones I got ever came with any. Neither do they come with any instruction or anything there. It's just a box with stuff. But for the money, it's the best box of stuff.

[gearheadE30]

How do you put on a zerk fitting that forces grease inside the bushing? I thought everyone put zerk fitting on the lollipop which which just lube the outside between the bushing and lollipop and not between the bushing and control arm?

I just got back in town about an hour ago and have tomorrow off. The grease was here waiting for me so I'm going to try to get it done tomorrow and see what happens. I'll report back.

I bought fittings that had a long needle tip on them. I drilled a slightly undersized hole in the carrier to allow the thick part of the fitting to press in and then drilled a narrow hole all the way to the center of the poly bushing. I then used a dremel to mill out a very small channel that would allow the grease to flow evenly all the way around the small home of the bushing. I cut the long needle part off to make it sit slightly less than flush with the inner hole, which keeps the grease from flowing out around the outside of the fitting.

[Aptyp]

going through so much trouble after paying a lot of money to begin with? This is why I have problem with AKG. You came up with an absolutely awesome solution for squeak problem, but you shouldn't have had that problem to begin with.

[guibo09]

going through so much trouble after paying a lot of money to begin with? This is why I have problem with AKG. You came up with an absolutely awesome solution for squeak problem, but you shouldn't have had that problem to begin with.

enlighten me on how a AKG front CAB is different in shape to another brand? do other brands have lubrification channels or cross hatching that the AKG doesnt?

[gearheadE30]

going through so much trouble after paying a lot of money to begin with?

I happen to agree with you, but all of the other poly CAB-equipped e30s I've ridden in squeaked similarly. I don't have an issue so much with the squeaking, because I can fix that. I will be checking my TABs periodically this summer to see if they have bending or wear issues, though. There is no excuse for that to happen. The car will see a lot of autocross and track day use this summer, and the part with any logic should be designed and easily able to handle that stress.

[Aptyp]

enlighten me on how a AKG front CAB is different in shape to another brand? do other brands have lubrification channels or cross hatching that the AKG doesnt?

nope, others don't have those provisions... But what other CABs do provide is tighter grip on control arm so it twists against entire urethane bushings, and not against urethane bushing surface (squeaky). PowerFlex are possibly the best CABs in this category, unless people are spending money on Tree House Racing CABs.

CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS
ADDED 3.20.09
So in this edition of my Urethane Upgrade thread, lets discuss CABs. We'll rate in smileys out of 5.

To start, let's list all contenders: AKG, IE Derlin, THR, PowerFlex, Korman/BMP, stock M3.

Now let's pick them apart for what they are and what they're worth.
__________________________________________________ ___________
1. AKG: I've scrutinized this brand, but when it comes to their cabs at their price, it's not a bad deal... One problem with them is that they're made to fit over control arm just a bit loosely, and cause squeaking. Most people fix that with heavy lubing and/or continuous maintenance. These are 75D polyurethane, basically a very durable ABS plastic. They are plenty stiff, for road and track. Quality to price, I rate them right down the middle.
Quality: :):)
Price: :):):):)

$60.00 :D:D:D
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2. IE Derlin: I enjoyed these on my last e30, but they are just about exact same quality as AKG with exception for derlin material and being less squeaky, but not squeakless. Something to remember here, is that these are made out of "delrin". Very hard, lightweight, wear-resistant, and low friction. These are quite possibly the stiffest bushings next to THR.
Quality: :):):):)
Price: :):):)
-----------
$85 :D:D:D+
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3. THR: Superior quality, and in their competition with ebay, price has become a lot friendlier. They still are the most expensive ones, but it all depends what you expect out of your car. For 99.9% of people, these are unnecessary, but it's a "cool" factor, and they're lime-green fuh race or rice. Look at the picture, these are as stiff as CABs can get, without welding control arms to chassis. If you're spending money on these, then noise is definitely not a priority.
Quality: :):):):):)
Price: :):):):)

$189.00 :D:D:D:D+
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4. PowerFlex: another superior quality product and it's priced really well. As I was mumbling before, PowerFlex are leaders in what they do, so you really get an amazing product for a decent price. It's a two piece urethane bushing, and it's contact surface area with control arm is doubled. It is ridged and lubed like a condom, and allows inner bushing to rotate, if needed, inside of outer bushing, these don't squeak. However, Powerflex makes them out of urethane, and makes them flexible enough to put them into a daily driver, and stiff enough for performance/spirited driving. These are proven to be successful on the track.
Quality: :):):):)
Price: :):):):):)

$74.99 Offset, $64.99 Centered :D:D:D:D+
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5. Korman/BMP: I forgot the name of the actual company that makes these CABs, but here two places, where you can easily get them from... These are actually really well designed CABs and also come with special goop-lube. They are quiet, easy to install, but cost a bit more than should. What makes them quiet is their design: they do not rotate inside of the lollipop, and do not allow control arm to rotate inside of the bushing. They are made of urethane, and that allows them to twist against itself, and not let control arm slip inside causing squeaks.
Quality: :):):):)
Price: :):):)

$80.75 :D:D:D+
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6. Stock e30m3: last, but certainly not least. I love this CABs, besides being incredibly stiff, long lasting, and surprisingly affordable, the only downside is installation. The have to be pressed in just like stock ones, while most urethane ones can slide in a lot easier. I personally recommend these to everyone, regardless of what they'll be using their vehicle for.
Quality: :):):):)
Price: :):):):):)

$40.00 :D:D:D:D+
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In one of my next rants, I'll cover subframe mounts or TABs, if anyone's interested. Also, let me know, if you agree/disagree with my ratings, and whatever else you may know, that I don't.

[guibo09]

thats a nice write up. can you please add hardness for each one, as that is an important factor for me (and im sure others).

also, why do the BMPs not squeek, i dont see anything in their design that would remedy squeeks.

please do subframe and tabs too.

[Aptyp]

Hardness, yes... I wasn't forgetting, but adding it into quality aspect. I wasn't rating them on which ones were the most pleasing to look at, lol (THR would be dead last). What I will do is, I'll add stiffness into my summary.


I will do TABs and SFMs another day when I have enough time to get all pics and type all of it up. I have a ton of experience with TABs, but less with subframe mounts, as I only had 3 different options, and 2 of 3 were IE.

[JRKOUPE]

lcab

I have run Powerflex in my z3 and e 30 track rat for yrs......no noise at all...great feel.....bulletproof...cheap.

[Aptyp]

do you have the old style purple ones? I had those in my very first e30, car handled great.

[JRKOUPE]

do you have the old style purple ones? I had those in my very first e30, car handled great.

Ive had those yes..and the newer ones...

[Aptyp]

Trailing Arm Bushings
ADDED 3.21.09
As promised, let's cover next topic, trailing arm bushings.

Contenders: AKG, Ireland Engineering, BMP/Korman, and PowerFlex.
I will rate them in in 5-smiley standard.
__________________________________________________ ___________

1. AKG: I'll beat this dead horse one more time. Without reciting my problem again, I'll just say that inner races for these bushings are made from lightest aluminum possible, and are not up to par. Material is the same as CABs, which is polyurethane (AKA plastic). They are squeaky and they do cost more than they should. Adjustable ones come with stainless steel inner race.
Quality: :):)
Price: :):)

$100 standard and $200 adjustable :D:D
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2. Ireland Engineering: in recent years, IE changed design from single piece bushings to dual to resemble AKG. I haven't seen the new ones yet, but I really enjoyed the other ones I drove on for two years until my car got totaled. Inner race was was made of decent material, and bushing was urethane. I had them lubed with lithium caliper lube, and I never ever heard a squeak. Again, I haven't had the new design yet, but if they're anything like old ones, urethane with solid races, then these are the BEST bang for the money. (Someone please confirm that new design is still a good one, as I am rating what I had). These are reasonably stiff, and perfect for a track rat as well as a daily driver.
Quality: :):):)
Price: :):):):):)

$52.00 :D:D:D:D
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3. BMP/Korman: These are great quality and are the ones I currently run in my car. Again, these aren't made by neither BMP nor Korman, but those the places where you can find them at (cheaper from BMP than Korman). Urethane with zinc plated steel inner races. For the money, these are great and a great alternative to IE.
Quality: :):):):)
Price: :):):):):)

$61.15 :D:D:D:D+
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4. PowerFlex: are available in two types, street and race. Made of the same superior urethane as the rest of their components. I'd love to have these installed now, as my first e30 did, but I can't justify spending that much money on them. I don't know what got up PowerFlex marketing department, but they have outpriced themselves out. Unless you're buying entire PowerFlex line-up, buying TABs on their own is pretty much pointless, especially since these aren't any stiffer than competition, not even race ones.
Quality: :):):):):)
Price: :):)

$139.99 Standard and $159.99 Race :D:D:D+
__________________________________________________ ___________

Well that's that, choose wisely between PowerFlex, BMP/Korman, and Ireland Engineering.


Next I'll type up some info on shock mounts and subframe mounts. I'll do shock mounts first, because I know more about them. Enjoy and chime in.

[guibo09]

are the adjustable AKG made of aluminium also, looks like steel in the pics.

[Aptyp]

no idea actually, I don't know anyone personally that bought that set, most people prefer K-Macs (which is a brand I forgot to mention, and allows a lot more adjustment).

I would imagine those races with nut to be made of something other than aluminum, but I am not sure.

[guibo09]

no idea actually, I don't know anyone personally that bought that set, most people prefer K-Macs (which is a brand I forgot to mention, and allows a lot more adjustment).

I would imagine those races with nut to be made of something other than aluminum, but I am not sure.

can you explain how kmacs have more adjustment? from crappy pics, they both seem to have similar offset.

i currently have a set of standard AKG RTABS that im about to exchange for adjustable ones.