Poly bushes

Soldato
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Right, following on from my other thread I've decided to spend a little bit of money and get something that has been bugging me for a while sorted out on my car now that I'm definitely 100% keeping it for the foreseeable future and won't change my mind at all (Yeah, right! ;))

The car is 18 year old, it creaks a bit more than it should over speed bumps and it weighs the best part of 1700KG. It could more than likely do with a little bit of a suspension refresh.

Obviously the "right" thing to do is head down to Toyota and order replacement bushes from them, but it's so damn expensive! It wasn't too long before I found a cheaper solution

Which leads me to my question really is are Poly Bushes really that bad ride quality wise?

I can deal with "firm" no issue (the car is already running firmer springs and dampers), but back breaking, teeth shattering stiff is going to wind me up fast, regardless how much money I've saved over the proper stuff.

I know people who are into track days and the like absolutely swear by poly bushing, but the older guys on the Soarer forums absolutely despise them and claim that they categorically ruin the car. Not too sure who to believe? I don't NEED a car that floats like a cloud, but I don't want to be winching every time I have to go over a speed bump!

Would it perhaps worth doing certain bushes in poly and other in the standard stuff?

And is it true that poly bushes are a little bit easier to press in than standard bushes?

I'll be doing things in "stages" so could deal with a spending a bit more, but I like saving money where I can get away with it :p
 
I have Powerflex purple bushes in mine which are 30% stiffer than standard IIRC. In terms of negative effects, the car feels a bit firmer over bumps. On the plus side, the steering feels nice and precise. You'd be hard pressed to tell the difference with these purples and a car with standard bushes tbh. Powerflex also do stiffer 'black' bushes, and Polyrace etc. do equivalents at a cheaper price.

Don't expect them to cure creaks though - they may for a while, but mine have started creaking over bumps now that the copper ease has been washed away.
 
I have had poly bushes on two of my old Fords and I have spherical bearing top mounts on the struts with rock hard springs on one of them. It's not harsh by any stretch of the imagination, despite the circumstances. They don't bang and crash or anything.
 
Been looking to replace the wheels (Nothing blinging, just a standard set of Supra 17s) but can't seem to find a front to complete the set I've already got, or even a complete set. Not much of an excuse, but I don't want to be buying tyres for wheels that I'm going to bin at the earliest opportunity, especially given I'm not sure of the width of my current wheels and I want to run 275/40s out back. Stretched tyres make me sad.

It'll be sorted soon, I promise. Think I'm going to get some of your favourite tyres, Kumhos! :D.
 
I'll let you know next week when she is fianlly back on the road, fully superflexed up bar rear trailing arm bushes which are OEM. But then again my rubber bushings were seriously worn so it won't exactly be a like for like comparison!
 
what car you got anyway?

i think if your bushes are shot, the poly's will make your car comfy anyway, as you will compare the ride against the shot bushes
 
Toyota Soarer.

If I go the OEM bushing route I'll be fitting Supra bushes which are a tad stiffer anyway :).
 
Check the durometer (stiffness) of the bushes, any decent supplier should be able to tell you.

Generally companies have soft, medium and hard sets.

Check the durometer of the stock bushes (fronts and rears may be different) and double check what you are getting.

There is also the two types of "polybushes" 1 and 2 peice, the latter are easier to fit, but have more problems (apparantly).

Poly bushes are no easier to fit but there is no risk of pre load so you can just jam them in, the hard part is getting the old ones out. Budget £200-300 for fitting unless DIY takes your fancy.

Some squeak, some self lube etc, my advice do some reading.

Superpro seem to get good write ups if it is any use.
 
I have fitted the polyflex bushed to my camper.
Stopped the auto lane change, and improved the steering.
Ride quality is harsher, but not that bad on a 2 ton brick.
 
I wouldn't use them for road use.

Too stiff, wear too quickly and can wear other suspension components out quicker too.

The Powerflex purples are perfectly fine for road use imo. Can't say I've tried Polyrace or stiffer equivalents, but comfort/ ride quality is subjective - I've driven other people's cars which are (imo) far too stiff for British roads, although they quite happily use them as a daily driver.

Stiffening any part of the suspension is always going to have drawbacks. If you really dislike rattles or increased road noise on poor surfaces, I wouldn't bother with poly bushes. If you're willing to compromise in those areas, go for it.

Never heard of anyone wearing polybushes out though? Surely they should last longer than OEM bushes given the material they're made from?

My S2000 is horrible on broken road surfaces now with Poly bushes.

What was that? Couldn't hear you over the noise. :p
 
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The Powerflex purples are perfectly fine for road use imo. Can't say I've tried Polyrace or stiffer equivalents, but comfort/ ride quality is subjective - I've driven other people's cars which are (imo) far too stiff for British roads, although they quite happily use them as a daily driver.

Stiffening any part of the suspension is always going to have drawbacks. If you really dislike rattles or increased road noise on poor surfaces, I wouldn't bother with poly bushes. If you're willing to compromise in those areas, go for it.

Never heard of anyone wearing polybushes out though? Surely they should last longer than OEM bushes given the material they're made from?

I have a long time ago. ARB bushes that was iirc. It depends on which bushes, which car and what its used on the majority of the time. I still don't like them, I'm stiff enough as it is. That's me. A friend also managed to badly crack suspension turrets on an evo with them, but its debatable of course which of the various 'issues' actually caused it.

You will just transfer the impact elsewhere, and I don't like that.

Bushes are cheaper than the other components. And unless your driving a seriously **** car, your OE setup should be fine. In fact, its normally best for handling dynamics like body roll etc.
 
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They wear out as the bush assembly now becomes a moving part rather than the OEM metalastic bushes. Grit etc soon gets between bush and the centre sleeve and they move.
 
My 900 now has mostly poly bushes, and the ride is a lot better for it. I chose powerflex purples mainly because they cost roughly the same as OE and they are easier to fit as they don't require a press. These bushes are combined with eibach springs and new Bilstein dampers. The handling is certainly good enough for some fun on track and comfortable enough that passengers haven't mentioned anything yet.
 
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