Suggestions for street only car suspension bushings. Material VS Usage?

What is the opinion of the forum for a street driven only car when choosing suspension bushings?

Are stock really that terrible of a choice?

Would the mazda comp bushings be a good compromise?

Do polyurethane bushings really supply that much more support as to feel tighter and perform longer than stock units?

Which poly bushings are considered to be the best choice for quality, stiffness/harshness/comfort, availability, cost?

Any first hand experience with the different brands that are out there?
Powerflex VS Superpro VS Energy Suspension

What is cost on OEM rubber VS a good set of Poly?

 

street car stick with stock bushings. they work well, fit well, reasonably priced.

 

Thank you for the input, I will take any info I can get for a street only car, as it seems some here are concerned with changing the materials and OEM equipment simply for the sake of doing so.


And I am not seeing a lot of suggestions to go with the OEM rubber VS the Polly variants.

I would love to see a good discussion of the merits of OEM over Poly in this application.

Could anyone elaborate on the pros/cons of the OEM rubber bushings used in this application VS the Polyurethane variants please?

I have a little over 100k on the chassis and there are a few bushings that seem to be literally blown out.

While this is a substantial amount of usage, I find it a little hard to swallow that they should be in such a horrid state rather than just wear.

How do the different bushings cope with usage?
I read the Poly must be greased (and some say a life time grease at install)
How are the OEM built to minimize play from usage?

And I know it is a long shot to get any real answer on this question, but is there any quantitative way to describe the difference when using a OEM bushing over a Poly?

I understand the materials have different stiffness, but can that really be transferred in to a perceived or measurable indication of comfort of ride?

Do the Poly bushings transfer vibration or noise more readily?

TIA

BTW, does anyone have a good breakdown and synopsis on the subject of OEM rubber VS Poly they could please link/forward this way.

 

it really depends on what you are replacing

such as on an FD, you want the differential mount bushings to be aftermarket and also your toelinks and tierods

all you really need to know is aftermarket bushings will make the ride firmer which translates to rougher

if you have an S2, I can't say how that would affect the ride quality to change the front bushings which is what I assume you are planning if you are asking about energy suspension

 

theres no reason to use anything other than stock bushings for a street car, i guess unless they cost too much or are discontinued. they'll last far longer than bearings, dont need greased like delrin, and are quieter and less harsh.

 

on an FD the best choice is the stock rubber bushings, except for the front of the trailing link in the rear, and on the diff.

rubber is actually nice for a bushing/pivot as it will move in its small range of motion without any friction. there IS a small spring effect, but its small. the rubber also will be quiet, and it can absorb some shock, like big pot holes etc.

poly is stiffer than rubber, so the axis the arm pivots through WOULD be more precise, but the poly also needs to run a clearance in order for it not to bind in its rotation. also poly can only move in one direction, and mazda has lots of bushings (on the pre FD Rx7's) that actually pivot in TWO axis, you cannot use poly here, but people do. if you look you'll see a lot of threads where the poly bushings squeak/clunk/wear out etc etc. poly has its uses, its perfect for the diff mount, where it doesn't move.

delrin, is in the same area as poly, single axis of rotation, needs clearance to pivot freely, etc.

spherical bearings. this is race car stuff. it does multi axis, no bind no slop. its a bad choice for a street car, impacts get transmitted right into the body/subframe. we've been running the race car on spherical bearings this year, and its better, but an impact bends things.

 

I have Super Pros on my FD, along with newish stock pillow *****, Rotary Extreme toe links and trailing arms, and RX-7.com rear diff mounts. Perfectly streetable, and performs well on the road race course. I've been running this setup for years now and have been very happy with it

 

Some of my customers run all Poly bushings on a stock car and have no complaints on the ride quality. I've had Poly bushings on my FD for some time now and havent had to maintain them. I have a mix of street and track miles on them and am happy with them. The difference in cost between Poly and OEM is one reason people get poly bushings.

 

Can anyone give a cost breakdown between oem vs. aftermarket bushings? My car has some miles on it and its time for me to go through my bushings as well. It would be nice to have a cost assessment.