tension strut or lower control arm?

[ake53]

hey everyone,

heres the problem. when vehicle is coming to a complete stop.... the steering wheel makes a bumping activity...

during stopping.... nothing is felt. ONLY when vehicle is coming to a complete stop. feels like all the weight is still going forward (bushings worn) and steering wheel jitters...

brought it to my indy and they took it in the garage and they moved the tires to one side meanwhile one guy looked into wheel well and other guy pushed car back and fourth...

manager comes out with an alldata diagram with part circled. saying its both sides worn out, the bushing.. and that he would replace the whole arm and not just the bushing in it...

the part i looked up is called the tension strut.. number 6
http://realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/f/b/193.png

who ever had this problem was it the tension strut or the lower control arm?
thanks

[Ricky Bobby]

very common wear item and is cause for shaking while under braking, if they are original then be assured they are worn and needing replacement. I recommend Meyle HD as they are solid rubber and not fluid filled like stock, you can buy just the bushing and press in, or the entire arm for about 110 each. Also, spend the extra 50 bucks on 2 fresh ball joints that press into the knuckle (part 15) as you will destroy them on removal most likely.

Make sure to torque the bushing bolt at the frame with the wheels loaded, if you torque with wheels in the air it causes extra preload and the bushing on the tension strut will fail prematurely.

[ake53]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

very common wear item and is cause for shaking while under braking, if they are original then be assured they are worn and needing replacement. I recommend Meyle HD as they are solid rubber and not fluid filled like stock, you can buy just the bushing and press in, or the entire arm for about 110 each. Also, spend the extra 50 bucks on 2 fresh ball joints that press into the knuckle (part 15) as you will destroy them on removal most likely.

Make sure to torque the bushing bolt at the frame with the wheels loaded, if you torque with wheels in the air it causes extra preload and the bushing on the tension strut will fail prematurely.

Thank You.

I could not find any on ebay of the Meyle HD...

where did you buy yours? Link?

thanks

[Ricky Bobby]

ECS tuning, under the suspension section you'll find them. let me know if you need anything I recently replaced the entire front end suspension (tie rods I am doing next week)

[ake53]

ah I'm becoming confused are lower control arms front and tension strut the same thing??

are these good? same part number 2000 2006 BMW x5 Front Lower Left Right Tension Strut Control Arms | eBay

thanks

[Ricky Bobby]

Alex I wont comment on the unbranded control arms you posted from ebay on the above. There are control arms in a forward position and in a rear position.

The thrust arms (what you are looking to replace) are also called tension struts, or the front control arm.

The wishbones (part 10 in your diagram on post 1) are also called lower, or rear control arms. Those have a ball joint built in and are a "straight" arm as opposed to the unique shape of the thrust arm.


Those control arms and especially the bushings take a lot of abuse from our heavy trucks, I would advise not going cheap with them.

If you have access to a press, I would recommend buying the Meyle HD bushings (35 apiece or so), getting 2 fresh ball joints, and having the bushing pressed in and use fresh ball joints on the reinstall, whether done by yourself or done by a shop you save about 150 in parts that way.

[ake53]

Thank You, I just asked the guy selling if they're oem.
Ok, looks like I will go myele if the other side of tension strut is not to worn.

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

Alex I wont comment on the unbranded control arms you posted from ebay on the above. There are control arms in a forward position and in a rear position.

The thrust arms (what you are looking to replace) are also called tension struts, or the front control arm.

The wishbones (part 10 in your diagram on post 1) are also called lower, or rear control arms. Those have a ball joint built in and are a "straight" arm as opposed to the unique shape of the thrust arm.


Those control arms and especially the bushings take a lot of abuse from our heavy trucks, I would advise not going cheap with them.

If you have access to a press, I would recommend buying the Meyle HD bushings (35 apiece or so), getting 2 fresh ball joints, and having the bushing pressed in and use fresh ball joints on the reinstall, whether done by yourself or done by a shop you save about 150 in parts that way.

[bcredliner]

How many miles on your X5 and do you know if there has been any of the front suspension replaced before you purchased?

[ake53]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

How many miles on your X5 and do you know if there has been any of the front suspension replaced before you purchased?

97,000 right now. And I dont have any records on suspension parts. Looks like original tension struts by the rust on them...

[bcredliner]

at 97k and not knowing if other usual front suspension wear parts have been replaced it is likely you need to do so. If you intend on putting another 100k on your X5 I suggest OEM or OEM supplier parts. Pelican parts will list more than one option on most parts so you can see the price difference. If you are doing the work yourself it makes even more sense to rebuild the front suspension so you don't have to tear most of the same stuff down again and you don't need to do an alignment each time. I think Davintosh rents a ball joint tool. I have dealt with him in the past and recommend him.