Introduced in 2013, we have produce to have sold so many pairs of these bushings. A unique combination of CNC'd 6061-T6 aluminum and high performance urethane, we can now offer a bushing that is performance oriented enough for the track junkie yet without significant increases in NVH when used on the street.
You Bad Bushing! You Bad, Bad Bushing!
Factory bushings are more than adequate for street driving. However, when the miles start to pile up, the bushings are meant to be replaced. Common side effects of worn factory FCABs include, but are not limited to the following:
- Steering wheel shutter when brakes are applied
- Wheel (and steering wheel) shimmy
- Mysterious and irregular tire wear
- "Overboosted" steering feel (very light steering)
- Replacing factory bushings, with new factory bushings will return the factory feel. However, we offer something that gives you MORE.
RE Performance FCABs
With the numerous delrin/urethane/hybrid replacement bushings in the market, we vowed to make something that was not only effective, but simple. No clips, no washers, no multiple sleeves, no "race parts in street cars".
Some of the feature benefits of our Performance FCABs include:
- New! Grease fitting for easy serviceability! (E46 M3 version only at this time)
- Serviceable/rebuildable (replacement of bushing insert)
- Urethane insert prevents unwanted control arm deflection while allowing NVH isolation
- Eliminates steering shimmy and wander, especially with the addition of big brake upgrades
- Unchanged steering geometry
- Direct "connected" feeling with front end of vehicle
- Easy to install (professional installation recommended)
STREET bushing insert (BLACK) and TRACK bushing insert (BLUE)
During our testing, we found that our Performance FCABs deflected much less than new OEM bushings.
In our development, we were able to limit the amount of bushing deflection while also controlling the amount of NVH being transmitted through the bushing itself by the durometer of the urethane insert. We discovered that increasing the durometer stiffness (to nearly the harness of plastic or Delrin), we were able to limit the movement of the bushing so that it didn't move at all. However, we got too much NVH to be used in a street driven car. When we reduced the durometer too much, we had a very comfortable bushing, with stock-like performance. Of course, with our goals, we were looking for performance one could live with everyday.
Performance and Longevity
Although our bushings are designed to improve performance over the stock components, they must be inspected on a regular basis to operate at peak performance. We recommend inspecting the bushings on a regular basis (every 6-12 months or ever oil change) as the bushing must have proper lubrication to function properly. Although they can last a long time, they are not designed to last forever and may require urethane bushing replacement (available as inserts only).
An easy way to check is to disconnect the front control arm bushing from the chassis of the vehicle and simply turn them back and forth to ensure that they move freely (and evenly, when compared to one another). If one feels like it is "binding", it is a good sign that they require re-lubrication.
Installation Notes
Access to the underside of the vehicle is required and professional installation is recommended.
The RE Performance FCABs reuse the factory "lollipops", as the aluminum sleeve of the FCAB is pressed into place (hydraulic press is required for removal of stock bushing and installation of RE FCABs).
Non-E46 M3s had both 66mm and 60mm ID housings. Most standard E46 vehicles produced before 2/01 used 60mm ID housings.
