Berk Technology Installs Velocity Motorcars Rear Control Arms!

BerkTechnology · 03-12-2010, 12:10 PM

Proper alignment is arguably one of the most important aspects in turning a fast lap at your favorite road course. Unfortunately, the adjustment range from the factory of such alignment settings leaves something to be desired. Some of you may recall our previous write up on our E92 M3 front suspension upgrade which addressed these issues on the front end. That thread can be found here…

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=340647

Well, today we are tackling the rear with none other than Velocity Motorcars rear upper control arms and toe arms for the current generation BMW 1 series and 3 series (excluding M3). These products are truly top notch when it comes to quality, functionality, and design and can be ordered directly from Velocity Motorcars. Replacing the stock arms with these aftermarket replacements, we will be able to dial in our camber and toe out back to our desired range for maximum grip and tire life.

The arms come with a set of very well written and detailed installation instructions so I won’t get too far into that, but the install is pretty straight forward with standard tools. Any novice mechanic should be able to perform this installation, however note that to set the alignment after installation requires special tools. The trick here is to pre-set the length of the Velocity Motorcars arms to the same length of the stock arms prior to installation. This will leave you with alignment settings that should be right around the same as before the install, so you can safely drive your car to an alignment shop if you do not have the tools to perform your own alignments. Leaving 3/16” of exposed thread on the Velocity Motorcars arms will set them at roughly stock length, but you should double check once you have the stock arm off to ensure they are the same length.

Installed Photos:

We give the Velocity Motorcars rear upper control arms and toe arms a 10 out of 10! We will be installing more parts from Velocity Motorcars soon including adjustable sway bar end links! The addition of these arms will allow us to run more negative camber in the rear, which is one of the problems we faced last season with the car. With plenty of adjustability now, we can’t wait to dial them in at Buttonwillow Raceway in a few weeks for the Redline Time Attack Season Opener to see if we can become the first 135i to break the 2:00.000 barrier on street tires!

mshahidz · 03-18-2010, 01:38 AM

why did u guys choose these over OEM m3 ones?

Mark M · 03-18-2010, 07:56 AM

Wow......Soooo Beefy!!! Very nice. Parts like that are like porn....awesome to look at and experience!

BerkTechnology · 03-18-2010, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mohammadz

why did u guys choose these over OEM m3 ones?

Well, aside from the reasons Mark posted above, the range of adjustability is far greater. If they made arms for the front we would have opted for those instead of the OEM M3 ones as well.

mshahidz · 03-23-2010, 01:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BerkTechnology

Well, aside from the reasons Mark posted above, the range of adjustability is far greater. If they made arms for the front we would have opted for those instead of the OEM M3 ones as well.

can i get a price pmed?

larryn · 03-23-2010, 08:17 AM

Nice to see the flared ends on the bushings. That is the main issue with their adjustable end-links. The mating surface is so much smaller than the stock mating surface, that they cannot be tightened down, without them loosening after a short drive...

These look like nice pieces.

03-12-2010, 12:10 PM	#1
BerkTechnology Lieutenant Colonel 223 Rep 1,565 Posts Drives: Fast Join Date: May 2008 Location: Irvine, CA iTrader: (1)	Berk Technology Installs Velocity Motorcars Rear Control Arms! Proper alignment is arguably one of the most important aspects in turning a fast lap at your favorite road course. Unfortunately, the adjustment range from the factory of such alignment settings leaves something to be desired. Some of you may recall our previous write up on our E92 M3 front suspension upgrade which addressed these issues on the front end. That thread can be found here… http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=340647 Well, today we are tackling the rear with none other than Velocity Motorcars rear upper control arms and toe arms for the current generation BMW 1 series and 3 series (excluding M3). These products are truly top notch when it comes to quality, functionality, and design and can be ordered directly from Velocity Motorcars. Replacing the stock arms with these aftermarket replacements, we will be able to dial in our camber and toe out back to our desired range for maximum grip and tire life. The arms come with a set of very well written and detailed installation instructions so I won’t get too far into that, but the install is pretty straight forward with standard tools. Any novice mechanic should be able to perform this installation, however note that to set the alignment after installation requires special tools. The trick here is to pre-set the length of the Velocity Motorcars arms to the same length of the stock arms prior to installation. This will leave you with alignment settings that should be right around the same as before the install, so you can safely drive your car to an alignment shop if you do not have the tools to perform your own alignments. Leaving 3/16” of exposed thread on the Velocity Motorcars arms will set them at roughly stock length, but you should double check once you have the stock arm off to ensure they are the same length. Installed Photos: We give the Velocity Motorcars rear upper control arms and toe arms a 10 out of 10! We will be installing more parts from Velocity Motorcars soon including adjustable sway bar end links! The addition of these arms will allow us to run more negative camber in the rear, which is one of the problems we faced last season with the car. With plenty of adjustability now, we can’t wait to dial them in at Buttonwillow Raceway in a few weeks for the Redline Time Attack Season Opener to see if we can become the first 135i to break the 2:00.000 barrier on street tires!
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03-18-2010, 01:38 AM	#2
mshahidz Major 129 Rep 1,347 Posts Drives: M4, 991 GT3 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Toronto iTrader: (7)	why did u guys choose these over OEM m3 ones? __________________ JRZ RS2 \| Capristo \| Eisenmann \| Volk Racing TE37SL \| Endless Brakes \|
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03-18-2010, 07:56 AM	#3
Mark M Major 240 Rep 1,288 Posts Drives: E30M3 E83X3 E90335D Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lancaster, PA iTrader: (0)	Wow......Soooo Beefy!!! Very nice. Parts like that are like porn....awesome to look at and experience!
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03-23-2010, 08:17 AM	#6
larryn Lieutenant General 2148 Rep 10,176 Posts Drives: '97 332ti, '21 X5 45e, '16 GT4 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Seattle iTrader: (2)	Nice to see the flared ends on the bushings. That is the main issue with their adjustable end-links. The mating surface is so much smaller than the stock mating surface, that they cannot be tightened down, without them loosening after a short drive... These look like nice pieces.
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