New Meyle HD bushings installed.

[kablammo]

Originally Posted by AZX54.4

I just replaced all the front end bushings on my X last week. I used the meyle HD thrust arm bushings. The driving characteristics are great. The X feels tight and precise. But not to tightly sprung. I replaced control arms and all other bushings using lemfoerder and febi parts.

All my braking shimmy is now gone. However, I still have a clunk some times when I am backing up and turning the steering wheel to the right. It is like a pop feeling in the steering wheel and a clunk noise at the same time. I am wondering if my tie rod ends needed to be replaced as well. I visually inspected them and they look fine and there is no movement in them when I tried to jiggle them around. Any thoughts???

Double check the 6 bolts that attach your Support Plate to the Front subframe. These can become loose over time and cause a clunk when steering. Bolts 4 and nuts 5 as shown here: RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 4.4i Frnt axle support,wishbone/tension strut

k

[AZX54.4]

Originally Posted by kablammo

Double check the 6 bolts that attach your Support Plate to the Front subframe. These can become loose over time and cause a clunk when steering. Bolts 4 and nuts 5 as shown here: RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 4.4i Frnt axle support,wishbone/tension strut

k

Thanks for the reminder. I checked those and they are all tight.

[AZX54.4]

I sprayed the knuckle down with penetrating fluid this evening. I do notice that the steering feels smoother and cleaner. The clunk is sporadic so I will be listening when I drive to see if it does it again.

[dpgx5]

what did you end up using? PB blaster?

[AZX54.4]

Originally Posted by dpgx5

what did you end up using? PB blaster?

I used liquid wrench. It was next to PB blaster at the auto parts store. It is the same thing as PB blaster, just a little bit cheaper. I let the engine cool before spraying and let it sit for 5 minutes before starting the car up and driving it. I thought it would be best to be on the safe side and let the engine cool and let the lube fully absorb and evaporate before driving because the stuff can be flammable.

Like I said, the steering now feels clean. No binding and just smooth.

[Skip110]

I went to the link Weasel provided, but there is not a link to click on to buy the bushings. Anyone know what's up?

[FSETH]

Originally Posted by Skip110

I went to the link Weasel provided, but there is not a link to click on to buy the bushings. Anyone know what's up?

I see what you mean. There is no add to cart button. You may need to call EAC and ask them.

[D ROCK]

Originally Posted by Weasel

So about a week or so ago the drivers side thrust arm bushing on my X5 blew out its fluid, thus causing the shake when braking etc. we all know about with the thrust arm bushings. Seeing everyone who went with polyurethane bushings almost immediately post a thread trying to isolate the new shimmy they have and say it feels kinda rough over bumps now comparatively, I decided to go with the Meyle heavy duty bushings which are the same design as OEM, but solid rubber vs the fluid filled. I can say these are stiffer and more sporty feeling than the OEM design, feel more connection to the road... but without the overly harsh feel of the solid polyurethane bushings.

So for a quick basic guide for those looking at thrust arm bushing options, here it is.

OEM bushings: Softer more comfortable feel, wear out from 20k miles to 40k miles on average depending on where and how you drive.

Meyle HD bushings: more solid and sporty feel than OEM while lasting longer, and won't cause you to feel every shake,bump and shimmy on the road. Good balance of performance and comfort. (like M3 control arm bushings vs series bushings with E36 and E46 platforms)

Solid polyurethane bushings: Track car performance but not the best for city driving. If you live somewhere where the roads are long, smooth and winding these would be great, but in city driving may be too rough for you.



And here's the link I bought mine from. (thanks FSETH!)

https://eactuning.com/hd-control-arm...-x5-p-446.html

If one of the forums great sponsors starts carrying them they should tell start a thread as this is a good product that I feel makes more sense than the polyurethane option, while less known of.

Looking into these for my wife's truck, how many do you need? I want to go ahead and replace all of the bushings, what's the type/amount that I would need to purchase? BTW, loving all the great advice on these forums

[Weasel]

That site sold them individually, so you would need two. Other sites may sell them as a pair. And for whatever reason the site linked doesn't seem to carry them currently....

[ArtMan]

Well, been reading some threads about the front vibration/shimmy. In Nov of 2010 i bought the shitty fake german branded kit of ebay and though ill take the bite and be a ginnea pig and see how it all works out. Well one advice stay the hell away from them. the seller sent me a set of lower control arms that had no stamps or anything and after installation i had what the jeep crowd calls the death wobble and it turned out that the bushings in the lower control arms were made of jelly literally. I bought oem bushings from ECS tuning and pressed them in myself into the oem arms i still had. Big change so much better. Now my concern is the ball joints on that oem arm. BC i have an annoying shimming at 65-80 and the higher you go etc I am thinking that the shitty parts like the thrust arm bushings could be the cause fo that? Now i feel some warped disk brakes also but when at 80 and if you lightly tap the brakes there is no shaking just slight vibration that is synced with the shimming thats taking place.

oh also i put new tires and had them balanced.

So 3 questions/thoughts?

1) how can i tell if the ball joints are bad? can they cause this shimming its like as if: if you have every came to a stop sign that has the warning strips or pavement thats been cut up so that you get that shudder to warn you of a upcoming stop sign...i have that shaking at 65-80...but has nothing to do with braking which is why i dont think i have warped rotors even tho there are wear marks on the rotors.

2) i know warped rotors can cause a vibration but they should be noticable when applying the brakes is that the right assumption?

3) I only spent 200 on these parts i dont feel cheated as i knew they wouldnt be of quality but i was unemployed thus i needed my car and though it was worth if it just lasted 4 months even...so question is what should i look for in possible cause for the shaking... other than the thrust arms...( remember the LCA have new oem bushings that cut out all death wobble) so ...ill check rotors on thursday and have the tires rotated to rule out a bent rim or just a bad tire.


worst case i was thinking of doing this:

BMW E53 X5 M54 3.0L > Suspension > OEM > ES#261078 ECS X5 Level 2 Suspension Rebuild Kit - E530521