urethane bushes - bad or good

[danielbeek]

Hey Guys,

Wanting to replace various bushes on my Terrano's suspension. Things are getting a bit vague, even after thorough alignment (two visits to tweak things) and new tyres at the same time.
Are urethane items all good, or do they wear out faster than factory rubber parts (limited offroad, though planning a bit more mild stuff)? Any brand preferences (reasons?)?
Are urethane bushes on the sway bar and links likely to improve on road manners if swerving? Or would my 2" sus lift springs (Kings + spacers) and cranked torsions be too soft to notice anyway?
Has anyone fitted extended sway bar links - are they worth it?
How about the panhard drop bracket - does correcting diff centring by a few mm affect on road handling/tracking?
Cheers!

[Dirtydog]

Ive got one thing to say,

the rubber bushes in my terrano had lasted for many years, probably the original ones from 1990

I then replaced most with nolathane, after about 6months to a year they were flogged from offroad stuff, it also stiffened it up considerably which wasnt good for offroad.

they are excellent in cars where you dont want bodyroll etc but in my opinion for offroad you want something softer so it can take the abuse of it.

in some cases the rubber ones are cheaper too, which is a bonus.

[tweake]

urethane can be to hard and get problems as above.
however when i replaced some bushes on the ute i noticed that now they make urethane in different grades ranging from factory soft to racing hard.
hopefully the soft ones are as good as original rubber ones.

[wax]

Im looking to put in spherical bearings, get rid of all the nasty rubber stuff

[quick6]

I have found the same as Dirtydog.....nothing more to add sorry.

[NJV6]

Bad.

[Ralfie]

It really comes back to what is termed the "Sure Hardness" of the polyurethane or urethane used to make the bush and then also the process on how it is made.

You might find this link interesting...
http://www.polybush.co.uk/assets/mailsh ... _no_15.pdf

If the sure hardness of the urethane is too hard then you get a rough ride and no flex. Too soft then you get flex but they tend to wear out too quickly off road.

If you want polyurethane bushes then shop around for some that have a sure hardness closet to genuine rubber to get the best of both worlds.

[Dirtydog]

forgot to mention there is one good place for urethane bushes in terrano's, and thats the control arms (wishbone part of suspension)

where there shouldnt be any movement sideways. good for panhard rod in the rear too, but thats about it.

[BogBoy]

forgot to mention there is one good place for urethane bushes in terrano's, and thats the control arms (wishbone part of suspension)

where there shouldnt be any movement sideways. good for panhard rod in the rear too, but thats about it.

Would you have a part number for them?

[Dirtydog]

that was far too long ago, ill have a look and see if i can find them.

Heres the listings on nalathane for the bushes,

http://www.nolathane.com.au/product_det ... mber=45071

[lax2wlg]

Im looking to put in spherical bearings, get rid of all the nasty rubber stuff

On the trailing arms/compression rods? Now that would be cool.

Danielbeek if the steering is vague, compression rod bushings are the first I'd replace as worn ones throw out toe settings.

Yes on the sway bar bushings, before I tore mine out I rebushed it and it made a big difference.

Upper control arm bushings are a decent job, worn bushings will throw out camber settings.

Lower Control arm bushings are hell to place but prevent fore and aft movement of the LCA rather than steering, as such.

Dirtydog I assume you've done all of these, I'm sure you will outline your methods in detail with photos.

The factory vulcanized rubber bushings are the best IMO for longevity.

But a lot of poly-plastic bushes work very well and are hugely popular in the aftermarket. Plus a lot of factors will affect the wear rate

"abuse" is bad driving style and won't just wear out bushes, but also the rest of the vehicle and the environment. "technical" seems more your style dbeek.

[Dirtydog]

The bushes were done 12 months before i brought the truck, whole front end minus swaybar links.

I was forever having trouble with steering alignment and the cause was the upper bushes were completely worn, and the lower control arm bushes were shagged.

The vehicle had only seen highway conditions, some towing and all terrain tyres.

I replaced the upper bushes and the lower bushes with nolathane, thats when suspension lift etc was done and when it came to pulling out the IFS the bushes were once again shagged, idler arm etc wasnt bent, broke 1 tierod, bent another, but im sure that they should have lasted longer than that.

Want to know what day i started school aswell?

[Smurf]

Want to know what day i started school aswell?

It was a Monday.

[Dirtydog]

lol, about 15 yrs ago.....

[lax2wlg]

I have a secret... I've never had my current truck aligned at a shop...despite redoing the entire front end... it goes round corners faster and tighter than it should, When I get 33s I will man up and get it done.

So theres no confusion this is the bushing that they say makes the biggest overall difference to handling 'goodness'

[danielbeek]

Thanks for all the insight guys.
Picked up those compression rod bushes the other day.
About $50+GST at BNT Albany - who were decent enough to give me trade price (otherwise 70ish). Whiteline brand, which for this vehicle are a discrete black.
I'll let you all know if they make any difference.
Will check the UCA/LCA and sway bar bushes when I get these in.

[BogBoy]

I have a secret... I've never had my current truck aligned at a shop...despite redoing the entire front end... it goes round corners faster and tighter than it should, When I get 33s I will man up and get it done.

So theres no confusion this is the bushing that they say makes the biggest overall difference to handling 'goodness'

what about upper control arm bushes?