[sleeeper90]

Hey guys, I’m due for new lower control arms up front on my 11 335i. I’ve been looking at the 11 piece m3 upgrade set from fcp euro. Just curious if anyone has had good experience with this? I’d hate to buy the set and then end up having to upgrade it again in the near future.

[Brandoch]

Originally Posted by sleeeper90

Hey guys, I’m due for new lower control arms up front on my 11 335i. I’ve been looking at the 11 piece m3 upgrade set from fcp euro. Just curious if anyone has had good experience with this? I’d hate to buy the set and then end up having to upgrade it again in the near future.

As long as they are not TRW. They moved to Mexico and have been crap since.

[whyzee125]

^ Maylasia but yes, TRW aftermarket is now not a viable solution. Lemforder or Meyle kits from FCP are still good quality. IMO Lemforder is probably better but Meyle is the only one making the M3 upgrade kit now unless you go Genuine BMW.

[ironduke2010]

Originally Posted by whyzee125

^ Maylasia but yes, TRW aftermarket is now not a viable solution. Lemforder or Meyle kits from FCP are still good quality. IMO Lemforder is probably better but Meyle is the only one making the M3 upgrade kit now unless you go Genuine BMW.

well that sucks. when did this happen?

what is crappy about TRW now?

[whyzee125]

Originally Posted by ironduke2010

well that sucks. when did this happen?

what is crappy about TRW now?

Probably about a year ago now.

Their castings now look like crap too but the real issue is that the rubber bushings and ball joints are failing left and right with less than 10k miles. It's so bad FCP completely dropped them within a few months.

That prompted Meyle to develop a copycat kit that's supposed to be good qualit and FCP now stocks that exclusively as the go-to M3 upgrade unless you want to go Genuine BMW which is still the German TRW arms.

[mattanderson]

Originally Posted by whyzee125

Probably about a year ago now.

Their castings now look like crap too but the real issue is that the rubber bushings and ball joints are failing left and right with less than 10k miles. It's so bad FCP completely dropped them within a few months.

That prompted Meyle to develop a copycat kit that's supposed to be good qualit and FCP now stocks that exclusively as the go-to M3 upgrade unless you want to go Genuine BMW which is still the German TRW arms.

Interesting, thanks for the info!

I bought the TRW kit from them in Jan 2023 and haven't had any issues. I wonder if I got the older ones.

On the bright side for those buying now, the new Meyle kit is about a hundred bucks cheaper.

[scotthilly]

I bought the trw control arms and a couple genuine ones when trw was out of stock.

Not sure if you have any modifications but just be aware that the m3 control arms add a firmer ride and a bit of harshness. It’s not terrible, but it exists.

I went from 18’ OEM wheels to 17’s Apex arc-8’s and with the 10lb lighter wheels, the car rode noticeable better. Then, when I put the m3 control arms on, it went to riding like the 18’ wheels with slightly more impact noise.

It’s livable and not super firm, but be aware that while it adds maybe 20% more steering feel it also adds about 20% more NVH.

[Yngvejos]

Originally Posted by whyzee125

^ Maylasia but yes, TRW aftermarket is now not a viable solution. Lemforder or Meyle kits from FCP are still good quality. IMO Lemforder is probably better but Meyle is the only one making the M3 upgrade kit now unless you go Genuine BMW.

I recently bought a set of TRW arms. Inside the sealed plastic bag there was a piece of paper with Lemforder, TRW and some other logos on it.

Zf group owns ZF, LEMFÖRDER, SACHS, TRW, and BOGE, so it doesn't make sense that there should be different arms from Lemförder and TRW.