Powerflex Bushing Install DIY

[Roadkill]

well after researching this subject a bit more, i've decided to go with the meyle hd bushings. the x has 43K miles and the bushings are the originals. i only drive about 7-8K miles a year so i should theoretically get at least 5 or more years out of the meyle bushings before replacement is required. my reasoning was that it seemed the powerflex application is for those that wanted to "tighten" up the front end a little and increase turn in and feel. my opinion is the the x feels plenty tight and has great turn in already. in addition, it doesn't appear that the powerflex bushings have an more reliability or longevity over stock. this install will happen within a week and i'll keep you posted as to my findings.

[m5james]

I'd imagine the PF's would have more longevity than the HD's since the rubber will still deteriorate faster over the years. Either way, both options should be better and hopefully last longer than stock.

[CharlieHustleX5]

Originally Posted by m5james

I'd imagine the PF's would have more longevity than the HD's since the rubber will still deteriorate faster over the years. Either way, either way should be better and hopefully last longer than stock.

I'm not entirely sure of that. Material wise, yes urethane wont deteriorate as fast as rubber would. But it wasn't the material that was the problem with the factory bushing. Its the amount of material used in the design. I believe that if more rubber was used to fill more of the bushing, it would last a bit longer. At the same time, the ride might be a tad stiffer, the front subframe might be under more stress, and may put more shock to the ball joint at the other end. I'm sure the engineers at BMW had come with that design with intentions of comfort and durability for a general period of time. Longevity wasn't the most important concern on their minds, as it really shouldn't be.

[ninekrpm]

dinan_e39, any updates?

looking at replacing the upper and lower bushings on my 4.8 that has 55K miles on it.

[Roadkill]

not just yet. should happen tomorrow. i'll let y'all know what the results are after a drive tomorrow night.

[ninekrpm]

Any updates?

[Roadkill]

the meyle bushings are certainly very nice. however, being that the originals were completely shot, i don't have a lot of previous experience to compare the two. i can say the front end wobble is gone and i don't feel the road feedback is any harsher than before. i think the best and most obvious way to deal with this issue is to replace the control arm bushings when needed. if they need to be done at 18K miles or at 80K miles, just do it. it makes so much difference and is relatively inexpensive.

[CharlieHustleX5]

I just swapped PowerFlex to Meyle HD earlier this month. Meyle feels no rougher than stock. I hope they outlast them, but even if they dont I cant be too disappointed since they weren't more expensive than OEM.

[jattdipasand]

Hi,

I have done this on my e46 M3 earlier but have no clue how different this is for an X5. Can anyone point me to any DIY or assembly pics for front lower & upper control arms for e53? Thanks in advance.

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03 X5 3.0 Sports Pkg
01 M3 Convert

[weaksauce]

well, i did both sets of control arm bushings and the shimmy problem i have has gotten a lot worse.
I noticed the bushings did not fit correctly AFTER I drilled and pushed the old bushings out.... so I put the new powerflex in the lower arm and it had spare room on the outside of the bushing to the arm housing. anything over 40 mph and the whole truck starts shaking violently.

I just checked and they shipped me a set of PFF5-602 bushings, which are for the e34 and e32, but not listed for the X5. i'm guessing they are too flexable for the x5 for some reason.