Sway bar end link bushings front vs. rear

[Stevehose]

Are they the same? They have different part numbers but look the same.

Front is listed as rubber ring 31351125712 and requires 8.

Back is listed as rubber ring 33551103719 and requires 4 for the top half and I am assuming bump stop 33551103718 requiring 4 is for the bottom half.

Can't find the rears listed except at the BMW sites, the fronts are readilly available from RM European and AZ Autohaus, is there a definitive difference? It looks like the fronts and backs are interchangeable on 2002's. Thanks.


PS the rear ones I took off are identical top and bottom....

 

[Sven]

Steve - I believe the bushings are all the same.

 

[Stefan]

FYI - Walloth & Nesch have them as "weekly offer"

http://www.wallothnesch.com/angebote/wochenangebote/aktuelle/bmw-2-5-cs-3-0-csl-e9.html

 

[deQuincey]

IMHO, those kits from walloth or even the original from BMW are sh**

buy and install a PU kit from "superflex" or equivalent, and drive !:razz:

 

[DerSchwede]

Why shouldn't the BMW or WN kits give high enough quality? I've used them and everything seems fine this far

 

[deQuincey]

Why shouldn't the BMW or WN kits give high enough quality? I've used them and everything seems fine this far

it is only my experience, but i bougth first the bmw kits, and the bushings are not such a thing, they are sponge !
then the walloth ones were so soft that when you give the right torque to the nut, you deform them

IMHO the problem lays in the design of the sway bar conections, if you see the e24 design you will know why i say this

i am using PU now, and i like it !

 

[HB Chris]

I recently bought these from BMW, definitely not soft but very hard. I don't care for Poly bushings, they can squeak and I don't want Red.

 

[DerSchwede]

I recently bought these from BMW, definitely not soft but very hard. I don't care for Poly bushings, they can squeak and I don't want Red.

Nor any other colour than black rubber ;-) +1

 

[bavbob]

I found the OEM ones to not hold up well, they flattened and split. I bought ones from Ireland Engineering because the bolt diameter is larger and when the dust settled, were not much more than OEM. IE has poly and only red but I know I saw black somewhere.

 

[deQuincey]

mines are blue

 

[AceAndrew]

I'd forgotten how important it is that the bushings on the underside of the car need to match in color. If poly swaybar endlinks are squeaking then you're doing something wrong.

That being said BMW/OEM rubber can vary quite a bit from batch to batch. For example the new OEM rubber subframe mounts on the 2002's are about %30 softer than before.

 

[HB Chris]

I'd forgotten how important it is that the bushings on the underside of the car need to match in color. If poly swaybar endlinks are squeaking then you're doing something wrong.

Andrew, I said they can squeak not that they will, and if one prefers originality over flash then they probably would want black. What technique do you recommend if they do indeed squeak? Solutions are appreciated here.

Chris