BMWEATR

is this what i think it is???? please tell me its the real deal!!!

vader

Sure looks like it ! Does our cars use the eccentric bushings front and rear or would it take a strut plate adjuster in front ? I have no idea what this suspension looks like. I don't care for the way it handles lowered. Too skittish on rutted blacktop.

BenzoBoi

Interesting...I would love to hear other member's opinions on this!!!

BMWEATR

looks like we need our aussie bro's to check it out the company k-mac is in australia!?

Finny

Done!

I need a set for the rear. Will order them soon, may as well do the front too.

Let you know how they go.

jangy

SWEET!!! Finny is on it!!

BMWEATR

Got a email back from them they said YES! these are for lowered cars!!
holy **** no more renn tech bend over $1200 priceing for the rears

CynCarvin32

I did not find the data on that link about the parts but if it k-mac I have some warnings before plunking down money for those upgrades.

First, k-mac bushings are made from polyurethane and they are extremely firm. The ride on the car will go down to a point where many people will not want to drive the car daily. Bump impact will be extremely harsh and your car will start to fatigue in other places due to the lack of impact absorption. The car will drive better, it will have better steering response and it will likely have better tire wear but it might not be worth that reduction in ride quality.

They are good items but they can be VERY prone to failure. I had them on my C32 (front and rear) and SMGC32 had them on his C32 (his were a second and third generation parts while mine were the first generation). Mine failed in a day and SMG's first set failed in one track event. I worked with Keven on revising his parts and getting some solutions made but I am still not sold on the parts for long lasting bushing replacement.

In K-mac's defense Keven (their design specialist in Australia) is very polite and quick to revise parts when they fail but the failure is a large pain as labor on these can be astronomical. He even hand delivered me a set of replacement parts while he was vacationing here in the states so I could get the car ready for a track event 2 days later.

For the most part, a car like the E55 does not need drastic changes in alignment specs and I would rather fight quick tire wear than make the car prone to failure and very very rough riding.

SMG loved his car but with in 6 months of installing the bushings he sold the car. The ride was so terrible that he said forget it I am buying a new car that doe not require these parts to have an adjustable alignment (front and rear). To put things in perspective, before buying his C32, SMG drove around an E36 325is with no interior, 575 lb springs, no ac, no heater, loud exhaust etc and he loved that car and its ride was just fine. The C32 was a bit softer in the spring department but those bushings pushed him over the edge and he normally LOVES a stiff and extremely sporty car. His E90 BMW already has camber plates and coilovers with 500lb springs installed and he loves it.

stevebez

Can you not get stock bushing wth a cam - I thought there were OEM kits available ?

CynCarvin32

You can adjust front camber a bit with a bold but not in the rear.

The K-mac kit allows for adjustment of camber, caster, and toe with the bushings.

BMWEATR

Soooooo could they use a different bushing? if someone requested? man thank god for the internet know one can hide!

ok cyncarvin, since I have air matic do you think this would take out the bump bump bump, from bottoming out on the bushings?

CynCarvin32

I am not sure about the bump bump you are talking about. Bushings do not really bottom out unless you are talking about the rubber bump stop at the top of the sturt tube and air shock.

These bushings replace the bushings in the front lower control arms and the rear lower control arms and then these bushings allow for adjustments through the eccentric adjustment bolts.

If you are getting a bump bump bump from bottoming out that is a ride height issue and the car needs to be raised up.

Can you explain that bump so I can better understand the issue?

jangy

I think the bump he is talking about happens at normal ride level as well and comes mainly from the rear. My '05 did it pretty bad.

jangy

Hey Eric: you really think that polyU bushings will be too much for me? I was planning on replacing all the bushings with PolyU ones as I swap out control arms, etc. You think it'll just be too much? Do you think the weight of the car and airmatic may make it different in the E vs the C?

BMWEATR

ok so never mind the bump part, basicaly your saying w/ those bushings the car a arms etc will be so stiff it screws up the ride? We need Finny to go over there and find out, i'd call the guy but hell he's in australia!

spinsonic

got a question. are camber kits required for all lowered cars, regardless of height?

jangy

Nothing is required. It is all about your preference and driving style. I am actually looking for MORE camber. Others want less to minimize tire wear. The way that a arms work, you will definitely be adding negative camber as you lower. There is no real level where the lean gets too much.

BMWEATR

NO. but once you lower if you can get everything back to spec, it will steer and drive alot better and YES the tire wear is a lot better considering the tires for our cars are not cheap.

BMWEATR

heres a response from them.

CynCarvin32

I have called them many times and spoken with Kevin their tech director in Australia. Great guy but the ride will be VERY firm. Honestly it makes the car far less enjoyable as bump impact will be much firmer than when stock. The OEM front bushings are liquid filled so they absorb the vibrations very well but these polly bushings are very firm in comparison.

Talk to them but I have had bad luck with them and I think that for a car of this nature its just nto worth it as you can adjust camber in other ways. Up front you can get over 2.5 degrees negative or nearly zero degrees even depending on which way you want to go. The back is not adjustable but you can have a camber link made fairly easily to make it adjustable without messing up the ride.

If you want to race the car sure they are good but its a questionable trade off for a car like this.

CynCarvin32

Well Jangy you always say you purchased the E55 due to its comfort and performance as well. So take that comfort and decrease it quite a bit and what would you think?

I am a race minded guy but I stopped before I ever started using the E55 for fast driving because I just did not want to go down that road. Clearly you are open do going down that road so who knows!

But if SMG and my self both thought they were to firm and we both dont mind a firm ride really that means they were very firm indeed.

For the W023 it was the ONLY way to dial in more negative camber and even then we only had 2 degrees negative. Adding washers in between the strut and the spindle allowed for nearly 3 degrees. Had the W203 had camber plates on the market I would never have gone down the road of using the K-mac kit. Its just to firm. But that C32 is sold mainly because it just became to firm for daily use and it was time for a new project car for SMG.

jangy

You are right. This ain't a sports car to me. It has to remain "comfy" and still be fun, so I see your point.
A buddy of ours in the SDCrew is working on making adjustable arms for easy tuning, so maybe I'll just see how that goes.

Eric: is there another compromise that you recommend while I am taking the suspension apart? Maybe something that isn't quite so tight, but also not as sloppy as the E is now?

Finny

The kit turned up today, here are some pics....

I'll post more after I install them.

Jrocket

Whats the billet pulley for Finny?Idler on the E55 motor?

Finny

Yep... Part of.