Poly bushes

funkey_monkey

Does anyone on here use poly bushes on their front arms? I've got an old car which seems to being going through numerous bushes on the lower wishbones - probably due to the poor condition of the roads.

The poly wishbone bushes seem quite expensive:
Front: £20
Rear: £45

That's €150 for both sides. You can get a full control arm for about £25.

Are they worth the money? I suppose you'd have to figure out the rate you are going through the arms and check it against how long you plan to own the vehicle.
However, in general are they a wise purchase for the normal motorist or should I just be sticking to the OEM stuff?

Also, my understanding is that OEM rubber bushes for the anti roll bar are better as poly does not work well with torsional forces.

Thanks.

CJhaughey

Depends on the quality and intended use of the Polyurethane bushes.
Some are designed for higher performance and are much stiffer than oem rubber, others are designed to replace the standard rubber ones and are softer.
I fitted Poly bushes made by PSB on my Accord lower front bushes and they made a big difference to tyre wear and handling as the oem Honda were so soft that while not actually a fail item were moving so much that the tyres wore on the shoulders prematurely.
These were designed as an OEM replacement not as a performance part so comfort levels are more or less the same as the originals
The bushes were also very slightly cheaper than OEM, not that it was much of a factor but fitting was also much easier than the original ones.

funkey_monkey

I've got a citroen so PSB don't supply bushes for it.
Any other recommendations for suppliers? Should I expect to pay that level for these bushes?

George Dalton

What kind of car is it?

funkey_monkey

Xsara

listermint

Don't! Just get OEM bushes.

Poly bushes in a xsara will give you awful road feedback and make the car less comfortable to drive. They have no place in that car

Jimmy Dags

Poly bushes are the devil.

funkey_monkey

listermint wrote: »

Don't! Just get OEM bushes.

Poly bushes in a xsara will give you awful road feedback and make the car less comfortable to drive. They have no place in that car

Thanks - what is the reason for that in the Xsara as opposed to other cars where it is suitable?

listermint

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Thanks - what is the reason for that in the Xsara as opposed to other cars where it is suitable?

Polybushes would be orientated towards performance cars, to get good road feedback - generally meant for the track.

I put a 'street' poly set on my M3 they were supposed to be less harsh but had to remove them because they were a pain in the arse. Went back to OEM.

If you have to drive on normal roads just get OEM all the time.

Neilw

I had poly bushes on two different cars, JCW mini which was fine but on my mk2 golf they were far too harsh. I swapped them out for OE rubber.

johnayo

Ten Pin wrote: »

"Thanks for coming to see us"

Thanks RTE for spending our licence fee money like you stole it

Am I missing something here?

funkey_monkey

Was someone irate at the late late show tonight?!

rex-x

That era of Peugeot / Citroën go through bushes for 2 reasons: crap parts and fitted wrong

If you get trw bushes and make sure that are fitted so not stressed at cars normal ride height they will last year's (alternative to normal bushes are Peugeot partner / berlingo bushes which are beefier and fit with only very minimal mods)
This style but don't buy firstline https://www.micksgarage.com/g/wishbone-bushes/products/07c255597/firstline-wishbone-bushing

funkey_monkey

I just replace the entire control arm now. If one bush is on its way out, the other won't be far behind. Plus it is a simpler job for me to switch the arm out. Costwise, is not much difference for the given hassle.

rex-x

funkey_monkey wrote: »

I just replace the entire control arm now. If one bush is on its way out, the other won't be far behind. Plus it is a simpler job for me to switch the arm out. Costwise, is not much difference for the given hassle.

But with what brand? thats the critical thing here for longevity

funkey_monkey

Last set were Febi.

rex-x

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Last set were Febi.

They won't last long

funkey_monkey

Should all suspension parts be tightened on the ground when loaded instead of in the air in when suspended?