Rubber vs polyurethane bushes?

[Kramer]

Been searching here and the net but have not come up with a definitive answer, will I get more flex from rubber trailing arm bushes than polyurethane bushes? Rubber bushes are twice the price of polyurethane are they really worth it? The rubber bushes I am assuming are originals and have lasted over 200k kms and are 10 years old and have are only just starting to break now.

I have a 105 series cruiser with only a 3 inch lift I don't want to limit flex too much. There are lots of sites saying polyurethane helps handling but my car is not a race car as I don't have sway bars in.

[shakes]

rubber is mostly softer and you can get various compounds and even slotted versions sometimes to aid flex.

poly will help on road manners, and probably last longer.

[jrh86]

Rubber is the way to go I tried all types of aftermarket bushes and they were to hard and supenstion did nothing than the others smashes up in to little bits using it offroad didnt even get 2000 kms out of 1 set .wont do that again just spend the $ now and you wont have a problem 4 another 10 years depending on the size of the lift and what you drive it like

[chunks]

poly will help on road manners, and probably last longer.

I would have to disagree with poly lasting longer. They normally start to wear and elongate the inner bore of the bush where the crush tube pivots and then can cause wobbles and vibration. The factory rubber bushes in Landcruisers and Patrols last a pretty long time and give much better articulation.

[Kramer]

I agree with Chunks in the four 60 series cruisers I have owned over the years poly just seems to not last, I was wondering if it was the same for the coil suspension?

I was quoted through my local guy $100 for poly bushes in the lower arms and $220 for rubber bushes that aren't genuine, I haven't priced genuine yet. Found these on ebay but they seem very cheap http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Trailing-Arm-Low ... 35a9b21389" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Has anyone used a set?

[Yom]

Leave your factory rubber bush in one end of the control and fit a Currie johnny joint to the other end?

[bru21]

rubber.

Urathane is easy to mould and thats why they sell them.

[oldmate]

poly bushes aren't too bad in the hunjy 5 link rear end.

I'd price compromise and put poly in the rear, and rubber in the front

Rubber in the front gives more noticeable flex and bump absorbability

The other downside to poly is unless you keep them real greasy, they dry out after the initial install and squeak alot.

There are some aftermarket rubber bushes that might be worth a look in.

[6.5 rangie]

super pro poly bushes, much different to normal poly bushes.

[chunks]

Not really.

[4wheelinls1]

I agree that Superpro bushes are better than most of the other poly bushes out there, thery are softer and have voilds made into them to help with flex and life. Many Poly bushes are too hard and as a result will split, wear or loose their shape prematurely. Genuine rubber is hard to beat but some aftermarket rubber bushes are nowhere near as good as Genuine.

Joel

[6.5 rangie]

Not really.

why not?

[v840]

I agree that Superpro bushes are better than most of the other poly bushes out there, thery are softer and have voilds made into them to help with flex and life. Many Poly bushes are too hard and as a result will split, wear or loose their shape prematurely. Genuine rubber is hard to beat but some aftermarket rubber bushes are nowhere near as good as Genuine.

Rubber generally has a duro rating of 70 or so. Poly bush hardness varies depending on manufacturer. The ideal poly bush is around 75 duro but most are around the 80-90 mark. Ask your bush supplier. If they can't tell you the duro of the bushes you're looking at, go elsewhere.

Apparently there are a couple of companies looking into making poly bushes with a duro of 70 (the same as rubber) at the moment. Will be interesting to see the real world results when they come out

[ISUZUROVER]

super pro poly bushes, much different to normal poly bushes.

x2. Super pro are the only poly bushes I will run.

Many rubber bush manufacturers have had serious QC issues lately. I had some (OEM) rubber bushes fail after ~2000km in the middle of the canning stock route. Have since gone all super-pro and very happy.

On a leafer you can often get better flex from poly bushes, as you replace one of the metal shells with poly, so your bush has more squishy stuff and less metal.

Also - oil leaks won't harm the poly.

[oldmate]

Also - oil leaks won't harm the poly.

Trust a land rover owner to say that. You aren't helping the stereotype

[chunks]

I agree that Superpro make probably the best out of all the poly bushes, but they are still far stiffer then rubber and will still wear out and become loose around the crush tube or split. I have had plenty of experience with various brands of bushes, and for a fourby rubber is the go 95% of the time. I only really use poly bushes with greasable shackles on leaf sprung vehicles, but never in radius arms, control arms etc.

[kickingshadey]

superpro bushes come in a range of duro from 70 - 90 and yes they do need to be greased properly (really well) on install but they have released a new type of grease with their bushes and it seems to be alot better, i've never had a problem with their bushes failing unless it was incorrect installation