In the next week or so Im going to tear into the front end of my 81. Ive replaced every part on the brakes front to rear so Ive decided to do the front suspension before I put the motor back in. Its all original right now. Im looking into the kit that PST sells. When I did my 72 Nova the guy at PST said if its a street car I would be better off using the OEM rubber bushings instead of Poly because the ride would get a lot harder. I took his advice and the car handled fine. I recently spoke to a guy that owns 2 Malibus. Both street cars. He said his one car has all poly and it rides really hard compared to the other one. The one with rubber just has original rear arms that he had boxed. Ive got a Hotchkis setup in the rear. Im actually thinking about rubber bushings for the front and dropping the Hotchkis arms down and replacing the poly in them with rubber also. Has anyone done this ? Am I crazy for doing this ? With my screwed up neck the last thing I would want is to have a toy that rides like crap. My crewcab 2500 Chevy kills me every time I drive it because its such a stiff ride. Im sure folks will have different opinions about this but Im open for suggestions.
Suspension questions poly or OEM
- Thread starter Mike
- Start date
if comfortability is an issue, rubber bushings will give u that good ole fashioned sloppy handling caddilac ride. So with ur fd up neck. Maybe u should go that route. Poly bushings will give u a noticably firmer stiffer ride and the car will handle alot tighter but it could compromise ur well being. It's hard to tell what will exactly ur tolerance level of pain. I have one slip disk in my back and a crushed tailbone from a bad roll over coupla years ago. I went the route of poly bushings from energy suspension I don't know how the ride will handle once completed. But for my I tried to combat the stiffness of the ride with some really comfy seats out of a 08 lucerne. Maybe if u want a good handling car and not kill ur recovery, u should check into some plush seats. Or jus go with the rubber bushings.
I already have KYB gas shocks in the car all the way around. I really dont want to take apart the rear arms again but I just might so the bushings match all around. That guy with the 2 cars told me his one car has a really stiff ride, to the point he didnt like driving it.
mike
i got poly for both body and suspension and stock trailing arms.. in my wagon
i have a iron heab BBC in the front with 5608 front springs.. and stock in the rear. the 5608 are pretty stiff with a SBC in the front..
the ride is firm but not jaring.. ganted im running 235/60/14 tire/wheel
with the STS f/r sway bars 1 3/8 and 1" it can get little rough on cross cut ruts and put holes
and is comfortalbe to ride cross country in it.
hyd shock would be softer then the gas charged shocks
when i re-did my front bushing i notice the compression bump stop was 75% gone from the suspsion saging over time and riding the bump stop. when i put the 5608/sbc setup in the ride smoothed out.. due to the front rising up off the bump stop and allowed to oscilate more freely
i got poly for both body and suspension and stock trailing arms.. in my wagon
i have a iron heab BBC in the front with 5608 front springs.. and stock in the rear. the 5608 are pretty stiff with a SBC in the front..
the ride is firm but not jaring.. ganted im running 235/60/14 tire/wheel
with the STS f/r sway bars 1 3/8 and 1" it can get little rough on cross cut ruts and put holes
and is comfortalbe to ride cross country in it.
hyd shock would be softer then the gas charged shocks
when i re-did my front bushing i notice the compression bump stop was 75% gone from the suspsion saging over time and riding the bump stop. when i put the 5608/sbc setup in the ride smoothed out.. due to the front rising up off the bump stop and allowed to oscilate more freely
Hello
This is a subject no matter who you ask everyone is going to have their own opinion. I would suggest going with poly bushings. They will last longer than a rubber bushing and hold up a lot better under stress due to the firmer compound.
Take it easy.
Brad
This is a subject no matter who you ask everyone is going to have their own opinion. I would suggest going with poly bushings. They will last longer than a rubber bushing and hold up a lot better under stress due to the firmer compound.
Take it easy.
Brad
UMI Sales said:Hello
This is a subject no matter who you ask everyone is going to have their own opinion. I would suggest going with poly bushings. They will last longer than a rubber bushing and hold up a lot better under stress due to the firmer compound.
Take it easy.
Brad
Poly will most likely not outlast OEM rubber. Poly generally turns to mush after about 60k miles. Usually less. It also binds the heck out of the rear suspension.
Tommy
outside fo spherica bushings there is always going to be binding in a triangulated setup..LS6 Tommy said:UMI Sales said:Hello
This is a subject no matter who you ask everyone is going to have their own opinion. I would suggest going with poly bushings. They will last longer than a rubber bushing and hold up a lot better under stress due to the firmer compound.
Take it easy.
Brad
Poly will most likely not outlast OEM rubber. Poly generally turns to mush after about 60k miles. Usually less. It also binds the heck out of the rear suspension.
Tommy
i put energery suspenion body polys on my wagon in 03.. even with out a speedo.. easily i have but 80-100k on the car since.. i avg 3,000 mile a month for the last 6 years. the car has been driven from oh-nj 1400mile round trip over a dozen times, round trip to CA 2700 one way.. oh- dalas tx one 2600 round trip.. DD while in CA from 05-08 avg 2500-3000 mile a month...
i just put polys in the suspension in jan 08 roughly 15-20k ago with new 5608 spring then shortly later a BBC.
they are just firm as new...
dont know were your getting the 60k from tommy.... maybe im a lucky one?????
LS6 Tommy said:UMI Sales said:Hello
This is a subject no matter who you ask everyone is going to have their own opinion. I would suggest going with poly bushings. They will last longer than a rubber bushing and hold up a lot better under stress due to the firmer compound.
Take it easy.
Brad
Poly will most likely not outlast OEM rubber. Poly generally turns to mush after about 60k miles. Usually less. It also binds the heck out of the rear suspension.
Tommy
Hello Tommy
I completely agree with you when it comes to a racing application a rod end will be the best! It all depends on how the vehicle is being driven. As long as the bushings are properly greased you should not have a issue with them lasting longer than a rubber bushing.
Thanks
Brad
So many opinions on this. Theres also the question of which poly, polyurethane or polygraphite ? I called Hotchkis and their bushings are proprietary to their products. So I cant change the back to rubber without going to a stock system and just boxing the arms. So do what ?? Polyurethane in the back and rubber in front ? Decisions ! If I do all of this and the car rides like crap Im gonna be really frustrated.
