Looking to replace my rear lower control arms soon so I can have rear camber adjustment. Anybody have experience with these Megan racing ones?

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...c-and-mcs.html

Way Motor Works sells a number of them too:

http://www.waymotorworks.com/02-06-c...pension/links/

Any recommendations?

 

i was gonna post the same question. Its funny you happened to post the same day as i was going to ..


free bump

 

There are many different adjustable control arms on the market.
They all really do the same thing and they all cost about the same.
It is a matter of personal choice of the mfg.

 

For a few extra bucks go ahead and get the Hsport camber links. I've had customers running them for 8yrs and not had them wear out yet.

 

Good to know. Thanks!

 

Is installation of upper and lower control arms a diy affair or does it require a trip to the shop?

 

Very easy to do.
Only 4 bolts.

 

+1 on h-sport. Built to last. Never had a problem with them in 3 years and they do not make any funny noises.

 

You may want to check out the NAM Marketplace, as rear control arms often show up there at pretty reasonable prices.

 

Got my H sports from Way. Only way to go in my opinion.

 

Found this how-to on the Hotchkis site:

http://www.hotchkis.net/_uploaded_files/13800.pdf

 

Installed the megan racing rear control arms yesterday morning. Simple install.

 

Any trouble getting at the inside bolts around the exhaust?

BMW TIS says to remove the exhaust and heat shield to make room to get at the inside bolts. Haven't had a chance to jack the car up and take a look for myself whether that's really necessary.

 

I also have the Megan bars on my '05, they work fine.

Simple install yes, if you have the right sockets and wrenches. You'll need an 18mm of each as I recall which not everyone has...You can easily access the inner bolts without removing the exhaust, it's just tight.

 

a real nice feature of the H-sports is that they have a grease zerk on each end so that you can grease them.

 

Any pics of the Megan racing ones installed?

 

There are some significant design differences in adjustable control arms, the biggest being what kind of joints are used at the ends.

Some arms use heim joints at the ends, either with or without some kind of "pillowball" arrangement to keep dirt/grit out. Others use a cylindrical bushing similar to the factory arms, although the bushings may be poly rather than rubber. Also, some arms have provisions for lubricating the ends, while others do not.

If you're interested in autocrossing the car, keep in mind that the bars with heim-joint ends are not allowed in STX class under the SCCA rules - if you don't want to get bumped out of STX, stick with one of the brands that uses cylindrical bushings. I went with the H-Sport arms because they use cylindrical bushings and have the Zerk fittings for greasing the ends. No problems in the 60k miles or so that I've had them.

 

Lower H-sports installed. No problem getting around the exhaust shielding . There was a useless metal box-like bracket on the inner bolts that made removal annoying. Just left those off on the install.

 

Could that useless metal box-like bracket have been related to the headlight leveling system?

 

I don't have the leveling headlights, so it wasn't that. I looked it up though. Looks like it was for helping to support the spare tire. Haven't noticed any issues with the spare wobbling around, so I'm not going to worry about it. It also looks like they discontinued the part after 5/2003 (the same build month as mine). Maybe the engineers decided it wasn't necessary too...

It's #10 in this picture:




http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...81&hg=33&fg=30

 

Just think of the additional weight reduction!

 

 

I'll 3rd that one.5yrs and work like a charm,grease nipples on the ends for greasing the poly bushings when car is serviced are priceless,most other brands dont have that so i guess that's why they eventually squeak.

 

I had arms with spherical rod ends and hated them. I put on the H-Sport Hotchkis arms and never looked back. No clunks, squeaks, rattles. Its been over three years now with no complaints!