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OEM Bimmer Parts

Subject: Duh ! scroll to the right ! - And - Adjustable dog bones?
Author: erwin : member since November, 2007 : 880 posts
Posted on: 2008-03-27 10:16:12      
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Ok, my bad. I didn't notice the picture was that big, and didn't scroll to the right.

So these are Meyle? They are completely different design than mine. I guess it's the difference between the 735 and 750 bushings. On my bushings, the inner part can slide right out, and there are rubber boots that seal against it, like on a tie rod end. The grease is inside the boots. From the pic, it doesn't look like your bushings slide at all.

I can post a pic of my bushings if you like.

The old bushings in my car are of the same design as my new ones, except the rubber boot on one end is longer than the other. But, now that I think about it, that could be the result of being in this position for 18 years.

The implication of the different designs is interesting. With your bushings, the left-to-right placement of the trailing arm is set in part by the bushing, and in part by the dog bones. It seems they would fight each other as the suspension goes through its travel (the end of the dogbone travels in an arc, so any position other than horizontal moves the trailing arm slightly outwards).

With the 750 bushings, the bog bones are entirely responsible for trailing arm placement, putting greater stress on them, but allowing the trailing arm to move freely.

I realized this this past weekend, when I was trying to decide why my new bushings didn't have a 'long' end. It occurred to me that if the dogbones place the trailing arm, then the length of the dogbone determines rear wheel camber. So, couldn't someone make different length arms to adjust the camber? Or going further, couldn't the dogbones be made adjustable in length? Changing the length would not affect rear toe, and since the rears don't steer, we don't have to worry about caster changes, and the wheelbase change would be minimal. It seems an ideal adjustment.

I'm sure I'm not the first to think of this, so the fact no one offers adjustable dog bones must mean there is something wrong with my thinking. Maybe there's not enough side-to-side travel potential in the bushings, to make a significant change in camber.

Does anyone know about this?

Erwin
89 750iL
Lowered (a little)
Engine
Wolf chips
19 lb, 4-hole (Design 3) fuel injectors
PowerFlow Intake Air Filters
Royal Purple 20W-50
In process: Custom Cold Air Boxes
Interior
Phone removed, replaced with cut-to-length dash wood trim on hinge
E38 Shifter Knob, Console Plate, and Boot
M-Tech 2 M-technic Steering Wheel - air bag deleted
E38 Self-Dimming Mirror
Audio
BMW Business CD Player "CD43" Head Unit
Refurbished factory amp w/equalizer
Bass blockers (300hz/4ohm) on stock front kick panel speakers
Rear deck speakers: Alpine SPS-13C2 5.25" 2 way 175 Watt with bass blockers
Subwoofers: 2 JBL GTO804 8" 4-ohm subs
Subwoofer install: custom sealed enclosure mounted behind ski bag opening
Subwoofer amp: Alpine MRP-M450 400w MONO
CD changer relocated to driver's door bottom pocket actuated by bio-
mechanical arm controlled by semi-intelligent nut behind the wheel
Suspension
H&R Lowering Springs (1/2 coil removed from fronts)
Koni adjustable front shocks
Stock rear shocks (self leveling)
Racing Dynamics Stress Bar
Stock front sway bar
Dinan rear sway bar - 21mm
M5 aluminum lower control arms

Front tires: 245-40-18 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 on 8.5" EuroTech rims
Rear tires: 275-40-18 Michelin Pilot Sport PS1 on 9.5" EuroTech rims
Exterior
25% Side tint
5% Rear tint
BMW Mud flaps - rears trimmed to tire width
Rear fender lips rolled
Smoked side markers
Zymol wax
Way too many paint chips touched up
Brakes
Front Rotors: 850CSi, 324 X 30 mm, cross-drilled and slotted
Rear Rotors: stock size, cross-drilled and slotted
Pads: Hawk Performance Ceramic (may switch to HPS)
Stainless steel lines
Racing Blue brake fluid


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