Lemforder suspension kit. How much to DIY?

[crystalworks]

Those look interesting. Would prefer they were silver or black... but that's a personal thing.

How much were they? They weren't listed as available on their site... just had a wish list option.

[semcoinc]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

Those look interesting. Would prefer they were silver or black... but that's a personal thing.

How much were they? They weren't listed as available on their site... just had a wish list option.

They had to special order them

$200 shipped for the pair

Mike

[semcoinc]

Hardrace Camber Arms installed. I used the arm bolt to line up the new one and set the general length sizing. Adding a smudge extra length because I wanted less camber than the eccentric bolt could give me





I snipped the plastic pivot tab off the hose holder and strapped it on the new arms



While working on the passenger side arm the driver side airbag blew its top ring seal :bang head: an aftermarket part that I would have expected a little more life than less than a year.......GRRRR



Mike

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by semcoinc

Hardrace Camber Arms installed. I used the arm bolt to line up the new one and set the general length sizing. Adding a smudge extra length because I wanted less camber than the eccentric bolt could give me





I snipped the plastic pivot tab off the hose holder and strapped it on the new arms


While working on the passenger side arm the driver side airbag blew its top ring seal :bang head: an aftermarket part that I would have expected a little more life than less than a year.......GRRRR


Mike

Oooh Nice stainless steel brake lines mike. I've got a set to install on the X5 on the next brake service/upgrade.

[semcoinc]

Thanks Jay!

I put them on at the same time as I did the DOT 5.1 brake fluid flush.

The combination yielded a firmer pedal feel and more responsive braking for a given pedal pressure.

Love it.

Mike

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by semcoinc

The camber arms appear to be very robust and the rod end ball joint also appears very stout.

The finishing is also very good, in my humble opinion and they are proud enough of them to put a quality nameplate on them.

Mike

Mike i think I am going to have to order a set of these for rear suspension refresh of the X5 4.6is. That blue looks very close to the blue of my brake calipers so this will set nicely underneath the X5.

[semcoinc]

Hi Jay,

The only reason I bought them was to bring my rear camber into spec. New camber arms, toe arms, ball joints and new lower control arm poly bushings left me with -3.0* on the left and -3.8* on the right.

But they do look good and I'm looking forward to in spec rear camber as soon as I get my replacement air bag ARGHHHHH.

IMHO, they'll make anyone's X5 look great

Mike

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by semcoinc

Hi Jay,

The only reason I bought them was to bring my rear camber into spec. New camber arms, toe arms, ball joints and new lower control arm poly bushings left me with -3.0* on the left and -3.8* on the right.

But they do look good and I'm looking forward to in spec rear camber as soon as I get my replacement air bag ARGHHHHH.

IMHO, they'll make anyone's X5 look great

Mike

Why was it necessary to go to aftermarket parts to bring camber into spec?

[semcoinc]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

Why was it necessary to go to aftermarket parts to bring camber into spec?

Hi bcredliner,

This remains an unresolved mystery. To my knowledge (and CarFax's), there were no "reported" accidents.

The camber eccentric bolt at max adjustment would not bring camber into spec. Could it be the poly bushings that were used in the lower control arms????? Could it be the aftermarket camber arms??? Maybe, one or both contributed to the issue

At this point, I'm content to add the adjustable camber arm and get it back to the alignment shop to achieve the proper specs.

Not coincidentally, I have camber arms on my E46 and E90 (stock tire sizes). My empirical experience with three different BMW platforms suggests to my head that rear camber adjustments on the BMW suspensions are very touchy.

Having an adjustable aftermarket arm to compensate for variances in market parts and bushing wear is OK by me and alignment guys that have aligned my vehicles comment on how much easier it is for them to get things done in the rear with these turnbuckle style arms.

Other opinions may vary and that's cool by me.



Mike

[bcredliner]

Not challenging your decision, just wondering. I certainly agree, especially since it is very difficult to find a good alignment tech. Turnbuckle style would make it easier. I go to the same tech every time and worry he won't be there each time. He always complains about how difficult it is to get it right. I could tip him less if I had them.

Poly bushing shouldn't cause alignment problems It wouldn't take much deviation of camber arm specs to be the cause but have never heard that to be a problem with any supplier. Have heard that suspension parts from some suppliers fail quickly but not parts from brand name options.