suspension bushings - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

jfmcclung · 6th March 2009, 23:21

I'm looking to replace my front suspension bushings. I would like to upgrade from stock if possible. I have heard of Powerflex but don't have much info about them. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

timmay77 · 6th March 2009, 23:24

There is some info here on the board, try doing a search on Power Flex. TMcNasty has them on his car, he posted a thread about it that I just read this week.....

TMcNasty · 7th March 2009, 08:05

jf I have them on my car for the last couple k miles. No complaints at all. I actually think they are excellent so far. Will do a sprintime inspection when it's a bit warmer and I'm draining tranny fluid.

All 4 front control arms and the front swaybar are poly. I run TCD (search to find out what they are) rear swaybar brackets but could not get the PF bushings to fit using them...went with OEM rubber instead back there.

There was another recent thread here where someone wanted to install PF also. In it I described the drill-out procedure for the OEM rubbers. I suggest you read that. It is a PITA just for the record. The OEMs can also be pressed out, but I tried that and couldn't get anywhere w/ the control arms on the car.

Allegedly there used to be threads regarding PF's here, but if you search you won't find much. If you wanna go for it you kinda need to do a leap of faith like I did and just order them and install them. There's a bit more info. on PF's on other BMWs in various locations including other BMW sites, but getting M5 info. on this kit is like trying to get Yoda to teach you to use the Force.

For various reasons people here mostly don't run 'em. Most notably is the fact that the BMW X5 thrust arm bushing can be pressed into an M5 control arm and solve the issue of the weak OEM M5 thrust arm bushings. Most peeps seem to just go that route. The other lower control arm bushings up front don't seem to be nearly as problematic as the thrust arms.

everycredit · 7th March 2009, 14:32

I need my FCAB replaced myself.

jfmcclung · 8th March 2009, 21:07

TMcNasty,

Thanks for the help. You right, there's not much info on this site about them. I checked before posting as is the etiquette. I'll give the PF ones a try. They're pretty cheap it looks like. Labor is going to be the expensive part. Damn pot holes here in the Midwest are rough on the Beast.

xotickiller · 8th March 2009, 21:27

Like I said before, got them in mine and love them

ortontom · 8th March 2009, 21:35

next monday i'll have my powerflex bushes installed - i'll let you know the difference

wxl1988 · 8th March 2009, 21:38

You can also go with the BMW X5 bushings. It is a good upgrade from the stock ones.

Lscman · 8th March 2009, 23:31

Urethane suspension bushing surely do not belong on a premium street car. They will provide absolutely no performance gains while introducing many issues relating to niose and lifecycle. If you have a $2K weekend warrior, they are a reasonable option.

A modified premium street car deserves the same sort of bushings you find on a new $100K sports car with optional track suspension and....they are all comprised of....rubber. The rubber OE thrust arm bushings are indeed short-lived, but this can be fixed by substituting the bushings from the beastly & durable X5. They are much stronger and massive overkill.

TMcNasty · 9th March 2009, 00:10

jfmcclung if you're going to have someone else do the work you'd be wise to strongly consider just doing the X5 thrust arms bushings as Lscman suggests. The thrust arm bushings are the real weakspot up front. The control arm ones are apparently much more durable. Lscman and I went over this (to *****) months ago in a thread I created.
I took a chance on the PF's because I wanted to DIY this repair. #1 labor cost #2 I trust myself more than anybody when it comes to working on my cars #3 was that I was perfectly willing to throw all the PFs in the trash if I didn't like the result. Are you?

If I'd decided to have the work done by someone else I would have went X5 rubber.

Bear in mind the PF's are not an "upgrade" so to speak. They are a solution to the weak OEM M5 bushings. But the X5 ones are arguably a better solution. The main advantage of PF over OEM X5 is the ability to do all the work w/o needed a makeshift press device...or removing the arms and having them pressed out/in elsewhere. The one big plus is that once you go poly they can be removed/regreased/replaced at will w/ standard tools. And if they fail they're cake to replace. So you're good until your ball joints crap out!

FWIW my M5 is not my daily driver so I was able to take my time drilling and installing.