Bav Auto Anti Shimmy Kit - WOW!

[virafp]

Best 20 bucks I ever spent - I had a severe shimmy between 45 mph - 55 mph. I just installed the anti shimmy kit from Bav Auto this morning, and it is gone - that too with two tires worn on the inside, up front (waiting for my 205/60/13's to arrive next week).

What a great product...and worth every penny.

Viraf

[EricDJ]

Tire wear on the inside has nothing really to do with the shimmy kit at all. inside wear is caused by wheel toe issues. Get an alignment when you get them installed or its coming back.

[unicorn]

I would like to source the "Richard Bayston" Anti-Shimmy kit for a BMW e21 chassis. I bought the kit once before for another car I owned. Now, I have a second generation 320i. I called my good friend, Al, at Bav Auto today and they no longer carry the kit.
I would like to make up this kit for my car or source from somebody who might have a kit.
It looked like a doughnut. I recalled a pair of (2) off-white disks; about 2+1/2"- 3" in diameter and 5/8" thick. There was a hole drilled in the center, maybe 1/2" in diameter on each one.
Anyone know of this part and spercifications and the install?
I would like to source this part for my ride. Thank you.

[jeff323]

I have it on my car, I bought it in '95 or '96. I have 10k or so miles probably on it. It did seem to help out quite a bit. The front end is still in on my car at the moment, but I could take a look at it for you if you want...

[DEZIAC]

bumping this, I curious to know what this kit was...

[MrGumby]

A quick google search came up with this:
http://www.bavauto.com/Assets/inst_p...nti-shimmy.pdf

Appears to be a urethane or rubber spacer to take up the gap between teh control arm bushing & the swaybar nut. If you're crafty (which owning an E21 virtually requires) you could very easily fab one up. It's an interesting concept, I think I'll search around the shop for some material & post findings.

[pommeree]

What about the "Richard Bayston" anti-shimmy kit?
What's that composed of?

[bflan2001]

if someone could get dimensions i'm sure we could very easily make these

[jeff323]

if someone could get dimensions i'm sure we could very easily make these

I'll see what I can do. I may not have time until the weekend, but I should be able to let you know.

[Tom D]

http://www.bavauto.com/Assets/inst_p...nti-shimmy.pdf

Appears to be a urethane or rubber spacer to take up the gap between teh control arm bushing & the swaybar nut.

just a note for all pre 10/78 e21s. the sway connects to the lower control arms with a tapered cone bushing on both sides of the arm. not the same as the 79<.

bavauto says the kit is for 77-83. if your pre 10/78 sway is loose, you need new bushings, not a kit. see #12 here.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...09&hg=31&fg=05

[MrGumby]

just a note for all pre 10/78 e21s. the sway connects to the lower control arms with a tapered cone bushing on both sides of the arm. not the same as the 79<.

bavauto says the kit is for 77-83. if your pre 10/78 sway is loose, you need new bushings, not a kit. see #12 here.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...09&hg=31&fg=05

I keep thinking in 83 mode. Just selfish, I guess!

[bflan2001]

good to know, thanks tom! pre-10/79 E21s are the forgotten version of the forgotten 3-series.

[Tom D]

good to know, thanks tom! pre-10/79 E21s are the forgotten version of the forgotten 3-series.

that's what makes us "extra special"

[wally509]

These are NLA from Bavauto and have been for several years now. Is there anyone currently making these? Or have the dimensions, material/durometers so I can make or have some made? This was the most current thread about them so I am reviving it.

[82eye]

get a set of jester's eurometric urethane bushings. if you can couple with an alpina frame bar from the guy who bought ken's jigs, or fab one up. makes for a super solid shimmy-free front end.

[Tom D]

....couple with an alpina frame bar from the guy who bought ken's jigs.....

the guy who bought ken's jigs was bruce and unfortunately he died earlier this year.

[Hagbard]

This is great info. Commenting so I have a reference for this thread.

[tinkwithanr]

I'm going to be fabricating a frame bar for my '82 in the near future. If there is interest I could easily make up a few more for other members while I'm at it.

[charter21p5]

Isn't the issue with the 55mph shimmy resolved by replacing all of the front end rubber and balancing the wheel to the hub? I currently have this issue however I haven't replaced the struts yet so I haven't dealt with it.

I read this article awhile back which may be of help: http://blog.bavauto.com/14140/bmw-e2...323i-3206-etc/

I might be interested in this fabricated bar as well depending on the responses from the forum members.

[onedroppr]

Anti shimmy receipe:

Jester's Eurometric Stage 1 bushings: Outer control arm / steering rack bushings.
Good shock inserts, good upper strut bearings.
Good ball joints, tie rod ends.
Straight wheels and brake rotors.
Very important: Excellent tires. (Chased a shimmy problem for over a year to end in a 4 worn tire set problem).
Balancing and Alignment.

Trust me, shimmy will be gone. As tightest is the front end, less shimmy you will notice. I hit from 0-100mph with out any shake at any speed.

[Tom D]

........I haven't replaced the struts yet ......

don't get me started...... a strut is a rigid structural member designed to resist compression. I really don't really think that's what you meant.

- - - Updated - - -

see #1 here, http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=31_0051

[amarino]

I don't remember these being that expensive, but then again I bought it a few years ago now.

http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/E21-...1alpnabar.html

[wally509]

I had a suspicion this was going to turn into a hornets nest of "oh man, you need to load the car up with polyurethane bushings, and all this other trick racing stuff". I would prefer to have the least amount of polyurethane as possible for a variety of reasons, all of which are based on having other cars with them in the past. I would never do that again in a million years in a street car.

I was hoping to avoid those by posting under a thread that was specifically about the bavauto kit. No offense intended to anyone who replied.

I have heard mixed things about basic anti-shimmy kits, some say they just move the shimmy to a different speed and some say they fix it. I am not trying to imply it is the end all-be all to stop shimmying but I am pretty close to the end of my tether with this thing. I want to try it as a potential simple solution or at least see if it makes ANY difference, as nothing else has on the extensive list of what has been done.

I would assume the polyurethane or other plastic or rubber washer in the bavauto kit was thicker than the gap between the washer and the back of the boss on the control arm to pre-load it slightly?

[onedroppr]

I simply mentioned the Eurometric bushings, because they are redesigned like having an anti shimmy kit included. They fill the missing gap entirely.

Rack poly bushings, got nothing to do with comfort or ride, they just don't melt or rot with oil like the rubber ones.

The rest of the poly bushings are other part of the story.

Shimmy is produced by a combination of factors, not only resolved by an anti-shimmy kit nor poly bushings. All of them need to be addressed to eliminate shimmy. Fortunately I got nothing of it.

[HipMF]

In my (limited) personal experience, replacing the outer control arm, sway bay, and rack bushing with polyuerethane moved my shimmy up about 20mph.

I didn't have an alignment done before or after the bushings were swapped, but I'd bet that is the source of the problem. In my mind, the question is whether the source of the shimmy is bad alignment, failing parts, or bad alignment caused by failing parts? Regardless of the source of the problem, I'd say the best solution is to replace any suspect parts (oem or poly, your choice), and then have an alignment done.

If you have more time and patience than money, you can go through the whole process one bushing at a time, but chances are they're all chronolicly challenged, so you might as well bite the bullet and get the job done right the first time.