Polyurethane Bushings worth the investment?

stockfox91 · Jun 17, 2011

Hi guys,

I am pulling my rearend out soon and I'm curious if poly bushings would be worth the investment? Any noticeable performance gain?

I've heard they have issues squeaking.. is there a solution for this? Is any excessive vibration transferred through the bushings?

wythors · Jun 17, 2011

A friend of mine has a Cobra with a full poly bushing kit in it. Very harsh ride and, yes, they squeak.

stockfox91 · Jun 17, 2011

wythors said:
A friend of mine has a Cobra with a full poly bushing kit in it. Very harsh ride and, yes, they squeak.

Thank you for the heads up. I appreciate it.

Edit: Are you going to the picnic tomorrow?

reldla1996 · Jun 24, 2011

They can squeak, but mine don't. A liberal coating of thick grease cures the squeaking. They make a big difference in handling, and in taming the tendency of the rear end to spin out when pushed beyond the limit of the tires. Taming the rear end is a big plus. They do make the ride somewhat harsher (particularly poly in the front), and also increase the binding of the rear upper control arms. I've had full poly for 12 years, and would not go back.

clintjackson · Jun 24, 2011

Just rebuild front and back on my 92. Used Prothane thruout. Stiffer ride (but I've dropped mine 2 inches and it was already a little harsh from that) I like how everything feels tighter now.

Mustang5L5 · Jun 24, 2011

Depends what you consider worth it.

Is this a daily driver/weekend cruiser? If so...stick woth rubber.

spiderweb1967 · Jun 25, 2011

Urethane Bushings definately squeak. If you do decide to use them don't use Petroleum based grease, use grease designed for Poly like the Teflon grease that comes with the Bushings. I would recommend Energy Suspension Black cause they are Graphite impregnated, helps the squeek but does not eliminate. Yes it will handle noticably better but also transfer more noise and vibration. There is a reason they are not used O.E.M. I would highly recommend using Urethane Swaybar Bushings as they do not squeek and will make the Swaybar work sooner as the factory rubber flexes too much. The bottom line is if you are looking for better handling then go with Urethane Bushings. If a squeak will bother you, use the O.E.M.

03HELO · Jul 3, 2011

i wouldnt do it...i completed a poly upgrade and totally hate it. its not meant for the everyday driver...im in the process of removing them...the materials that are produce today are better than the orginal rubbers..stick with that and save yourself the money and headaches of buying, installing and uninstalling...trust me on this one!!!

2000xp8 · Jul 4, 2011

If you are putting urethane bushings in stock parts, No it's not worth it.
Just buy new lower control arms, (mm, steeda and other quality brands) and some new motorsport uppers.

If you use the right grease as suggested above, they will never squeak.
Standard grease washes off in the rain, that's what causes the noise.

5LugFoxFanatic · Jul 4, 2011

I replaced all of the bushings in my 86 with Poly bushings. It is a bad idea to do them in the rear upper and lower control arms due to axle wind up. With the stock bushings you can have an idea of how far you can push it before your ass end breaks loose and you have a mess on your hands.

With poly, there is grip, grip, grip, and then without warning BOOM! The back lets loose and kills you. I tried to find a common ground to have an idea, but could never find that point on the track.

I replaced the control arms in the rear with MM lowers that have a 3 piece delrin and a bushing that swivels, I forget the name of it, but it helps with axle wind up.

I would not recommend you replace all of the rubber with poly. Not only is it a pain in the ass to do as you will more likely than not have to torch them out....but the ride sucks. You will feel every single bump in the road and I mean every bump. Only on a car that rarely sees the street and is meant for the track.

stockfox91 · Jul 5, 2011

5LugFoxFanatic said:
I replaced all of the bushings in my 86 with Poly bushings. It is a bad idea to do them in the rear upper and lower control arms due to axle wind up. With the stock bushings you can have an idea of how far you can push it before your ass end breaks loose and you have a mess on your hands.

With poly, there is grip, grip, grip, and then without warning BOOM! The back lets loose and kills you. I tried to find a common ground to have an idea, but could never find that point on the track.

I replaced the control arms in the rear with MM lowers that have a 3 piece delrin and a bushing that swivels, I forget the name of it, but it helps with axle wind up.

I would not recommend you replace all of the rubber with poly. Not only is it a pain in the ass to do as you will more likely than not have to torch them out....but the ride sucks. You will feel every single bump in the road and I mean every bump. Only on a car that rarely sees the street and is meant for the track.

Thank you for the advice. I really appreciate it. Essentially, be selective in what you replace with poly. I think I'll be doing the control arm bushings with rubber as well as the isolators, but the end links I will do with poly. I have poly sway bar bushings and shock bushings and they seem to work well.

On a side note, how did you like the MM lowers?

90mustangGT · Jul 5, 2011

2000xp8 said:
If you are putting urethane bushings in stock parts, No it's not worth it.
Just buy new lower control arms, (mm, steeda and other quality brands) and some new motorsport uppers.

If you use the right grease as suggested above, they will never squeak.
Standard grease washes off in the rain, that's what causes the noise.

Exactly.

Just do an aftermarket UCA/LCA and be done with it.

Going poly with the stock parts will most likely only result in a harsher ride. The stock parts are rather flimsy, and when you stiffen the bushings, the flex will be even worse in the actual control arms, and will result in just the same control issues with a harsher ride, and more unpredictability as 5lugfanatic described. It's kind of like installing firm springs on worn out struts/shocks.

I bet just new rubber bushings would make a real difference on both the ride and handling. It will handle better due to less play, and ride better because everything isn't rattling around in there.

Firm doesn't always mean harsh.

Polyurethane Bushings worth the investment?

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