E30 control arms?

[97318ti]

I've read that the e30 control arms can be used to upgrade the e36 because of the solid mounting of the outer ball joints. Does anybody know if I can also use the e30 M3 control arm bushings.
thanks.

[cali-ti]

yes you can. i have them in my car (lowered with bav auto springs and bilstein sport shocks/struts). i went with solid metal ball joints (bav auto i believe sells them), stock control arms, and e30 control arm bushings (they are offset, not centered). the shop i use (rauch performance, lake bluff, IL) recommended the e30 control arm bushings. they said they've seen polyurethane bushings actually come out under extreme loads (racing, etc) but they've never seen that behavior from the e30 bushings. depending on what you were looking to spend, you may want to just go with the solid metal ball joints (they even sell steel control arms with the new ball joint installed for like $90) instead of spending the cash for e30 m3 control arms. just a thought.

[cali-ti]

btw, the solid metal ball joints make a nice difference in drive feel. tight and responsive. besides the fact that i was tired of having to replace the "built for comfort" ball joints we have stock!