Reply With QuoteAluminum arms reduce the amount of unsprung weight in the suspension. Makes the car more handleable in rougher cornering situations.
I just changed out my 540 Controls for Aluminum arms. - JT
Major Contributor
steel vs. alum. control arms...............
we lifted the car to confirm that the thrust arm bushing arm cracked already & they are not even 1 year or 10k miles old.
so i am going to start pricing all the parts i would like to replace.
what are the pro's & con's of alum. control arms?
thanks
tim s.
Major Contributor
Aluminum arms reduce the amount of unsprung weight in the suspension. Makes the car more handleable in rougher cornering situations.
I just changed out my 540 Controls for Aluminum arms. - JT
Green Beret Special Ops
other than in all out performance applications the steel ones are just fine. There is NO noticable ride or handeling differences, just the unsprung weight of less than 1 lbs (a guess not measured as of yet).
95 E34 530I V2.37
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Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
John F. Kennedy
Major Contributor
Alum bends easier.Originally Posted by tim s
Wait savings is quite minimal.
-Trevor Ely
'88 535is
'95 M Sport 540i (1 of 200)
'91 M5
Green Beret Special Ops
hmm...
the aluminum ones are an alloy and also quite a bit beefier than the steel ones. in comparison of the steel vs aluminum ones the car would usually be totaled to see which one is better under that circumstance.
95 E34 530I V2.37
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Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
John F. Kennedy
Grand Master
[QUOTE=MTechnik540i]Alum bends easier.
the last time this topic was discussed, I thought the theory was that the alu ones could not be bent.
^°^ ><((({º>°°
Major Contributor
Under high stress aluminum tends to break rather than bend.
Sometimes it's harder to diagnose a slightly bent steel control arm than a broken aluminum one
BMW E34 528i, M52B28 + M50 manifold, Remus exhaust, ///M Parallel Spoke 18" rims
5-10 Grand Master
Under high stress aluminum tends to break rather than bend.
Sometimes it's harder to diagnose a slightly bent steel control arm than a broken aluminum one
Aluminum bends just as well as steel. It will crack BEFORE steel, but will bend every bit as much. Ever hit a pothole?
Major Contributor
I never had a case of bent/cracked control arm
BMW E34 528i, M52B28 + M50 manifold, Remus exhaust, ///M Parallel Spoke 18" rims
Major Contributor
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