Rubber vs. Poly

So.

72 Swinger...73-76 Suspension...

Should Rubber or Poly be used? Or isMixing and Matching a good idea? If so, what bushings will benefit as rubber and what ones as poly?

Thanks all!

hi, lower control arm rubber, everything else poly. even the suspension companys in the mopar mags won't supply a poly bushing in the poly kits for the l.c.a for mopars anymore. they give the old rubber style to firmly attach control arm to shaft. i installed a just suspension kit in my 69 cuda a year or so ago and it came with a poly bushing for the l.c.a and i installed it with hand pressure! you need a press for the rubber ones! as i cycle the suspension thru its total ranges, the l.c.a moves "in and out" on the shaft for the l.c.a. that is the biggest problem with the polys. i personally love how the car feels now with the poly verses the old rubber, but am going to put rubber back on the l.c arms this fall/winter and leave poly everywhere else. ron

Here we go again. Of course, this is a matter of preference (whether or not you prefer popping and abnormal suspension wear), and opinions vary wildly on this one, but I disagree with 1969ron. I say stick with stock rubber all around, I used to say if you have to have some "poly" (squaaaaaaaawk, poly wanna cracker) in there to feel hip, put it in the lower control arm location only, this is based on my personal experience and observations (see previous posts going waaay back for ad nauseum review). What 1969ron is saying about the lower control arm solid polyurethane bushing makes some sense, so on second thought, definitely just stick with the rubber, all the "poly" stuff is garbage.

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

hi, make sure you use poly-graphite bushings , which never make a sound and not poly-urethane bushings which make all the noise. ron

I beg to differ. I have experieced popping with the "polygraphite" bushings before I wised up and realized they were garbage, and why. It's mostly just marketing and hype. That is not to say a well designed hard durometer polyurethane bushing (with provision for lubrication) could not be made to work well and handle good. It's just the crap that is offered is just that: Crap.

It looks like you picked up on a problem in using the hard bushing in the lower control arm that I missed... My observations and lessons learned mostly have to do with why the upper "poly" bushings do not last or work well.

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

I have had poly bushings all around in my Valiant for 4 or 5 years and 10s of thousands of miles...no noise, no problems,,,, They definitely make the car handle better and a recent inspection shows me they are wearing fine. They must be installled properly and mated with quality parts.
I think the LCA bushings are candidates for debate: rubber versus poly.
The UCA bushings are undoubtably better in poly.
I dont think the strut rod bushings matter.

In the rear I used poly for the shackles and rubber for the fronts. I just didn t want to bother to remove the new rubbers from the new springs.

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

I'm glad
I've installed them "properly" in the past, and seen other installations that were done so which resulted in problems. I removed my upper control arm "polygraphite" bushings and noted the abnormal wear.
This is in your opinion, just like what I assert is merely in my opinion, my opinion is based on my own experience, observations and evidence and anecdotal evidence from others.

You used polyurethane and like it, and you are right to endorse it for that reason. A lot of people are not happy with it, unfortunately there has always been a great deal of "hype" surrounding these bushings. I have to borrow my friend Frank's argument from another string which is that the factory designed it the way they did for a reason. Polyurethane definitely has it's advantages, but it has a lot of drawbacks, too.
I recommend the use of polyurethane emphatically for the rear springs in performance applications. That's a whole different story.

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

Jeesh! I will remember to limit my comments to areas where my mechanics ticket and experience dont conflict with your opinions.

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

Suit yourself.

Certainly didn't mean to offend you...

You assert "poly good", I assert "poly bad", can't we all just get along?

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

what about teflon?

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Juan Ignacio Caino

Please use e-mail button istead of PM'ing. I do log in sometimes but I'll be answering quicker thru e-mail.

That idea has been tried - it just didn't stick

Har, har...

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

just for the record, Dennis... you ain't like poly, am I right?

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Juan Ignacio Caino

Please use e-mail button istead of PM'ing. I do log in sometimes but I'll be answering quicker thru e-mail.

...rhymes with "holley", doesn't it??!



D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

Some people use Delrin, which is stiffer than poly, but don't know about longevity.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

So are rubber bushings cheaper? Are Poly bushings ALWAYS worthless? I've used poly on several other vehicles and though they eventually got to squeakin' they didn't wear abnormally fast. I've always liked rubber when it was available cheaper, since it doesn't make a sound. Basically I am curious as to which is better for race/hi-po. IE: Road-racing/SCCA goodness

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