control arm bushings

Often, it’s easy to misdiagnose this and mechanics will overlook the idea of replacing a worn or damaged control arm bushing in favor of replacing a more major (and costly) component of the car.

In order to make sure that this doesn’t happen, you need to ensure that careful inspection of the entire suspension system in both the loaded and unloaded positions takes place.

Here’s one caution that’s very important –When inspecting the stabilizer bar links, both sides of the vehicle must be equally supported with the weight on the wheels. Otherwise, the torsion of the bar will load both links, hiding any play. Most control arm bushings can be checked only with the wheels hanging or otherwise unloaded.

control arm bushings pic 1

Most importantly, here are a list of symptoms for you to look for that can indicate that your control arm bushings needs replacing:

1)      When going slow, if you hit the brakes you feel a ‘clunk’ around the wheel areas.

2)      The car dives left/right on heavy braking

3)      When driving over bumps the steering wheel moves to one side

4)      A slight shimmy in the car when driving between 45-65 mph.

5)      Uneven tire wear
If you are experiencing any or all of the above symptoms, make sure to get your control arm bushings checked out as it’s likely that they need replacement.

And when you’re buying new parts to replace them, make sure that you visit our main site to purchase all the bushings you need at the lowest prices you’ll find anywhere!

You can visit the site by clicking here: Control Arm Bushings.

car suspension bushings

Today, we’d like to give you a little more information about the different types of car suspension bushings out there – namely, the different materials that they can be made from.

Since this a little technical, we will just provide you with a direct explanation from a great online article that explains it all in simple terms. Here it is:

Materials Selection

Many different elastomer formulations are used in OE and after-market bushings. A durometer is used to measure the rigidity of the bushing material. Materials with a higher durometer index are more rigid than those with a lower durometer index. But rigidity is not the only factor that’s considered by the manufacturer when selecting bushing materials for a given application.

Bill Beard works on the Dana Tech Line, where he dispenses information and counsel on steering and suspension service issues. Bill stresses the importance of considering the surrounding environment when choosing the correct bushing replacement materials.

“For example, many Ford radius rod bushings are exposed to high temperatures from nearby exhaust and to oil spillage due to being located more or less beneath the engine oil filter,” he says. “For an application such as this, a synthetic material, such as Advanced Elastomers Systems’ Santoprene, will outlast more conventional materials.”

Yet in other instances, a material can be too rigid. Lyle Burgess of Rare Parts, a suspension parts supplier, believes that some of the earliest polyurethane radius rod bushings developed for the performance aftermarket in the ’70s were so stiff they caused the threads of the radius rod to fatigue and break off!

Many manufacturers of replacement urethane bushings require installers to reuse the original pins and sleeves. This can present problems if the pin surface is not smooth enough. Chromed surfaces work best where rotation is desired or required, as in these applications. Some older urethane compounds may also present noise problems at or below 4O[degrees]F ambient temperature. Creaking, groaning or snapping noises may accompany rotation.

Energy Suspension, another bushing manufacturer, selects from a half-dozen proprietary polyurethane compounds tailored to overcome these difficulties. Among these are graphite-impregnated materials as well as bushings featuring grease grooves and a Teflon-based waterproof grease where the elastomer meets the metal.

Clevite Elastomers’ Clevebloc design is another example of a urethane bushing that has overcome these potential disadvantages in control arm and idler arm applications. It consists of a waffle-pattern series of greased pockets molded into the urethane surface rotating inside a chromed steel housing. These are expensive to make, but hold up well.

(Source: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3828/is_200306/ai_n9257837/)

Well there you have it. A great overview of the different compounds and elements that can be used to make car suspension bushings.

car suspension bushings

And if you are looking to purchase some polyurethane car suspension bushings for your vehicle, please head on over to our main site by clicking this link: car suspension bushings.

I think you’ll find that we have the best selection and lowest prices on the web.

We’ll see you soon with more informative bushings-related articles.

car bushings

Bushings come in a wide array of applications and materials. They range from small sway bar cushions to large control arm bushings and from materials such as soft, rubbery compounds to rigid, highly engineered synthetics.

When they get worn down or otherwise damaged they can produce a number of symptoms of poor driving performance, which will be discussed in future articles.

However, for this article, let’s focus on the purpose that bushings serve within the design of a car.

There are 3 main purposes that car bushings serve:

1) They absorb and cushion the vibrations and shaking that the car endures through every day use. Without the bushings, these tremors would be transmitted directly to the interior of the car, making for a much rougher ride for its inhabitants. The bushings cushion this effect and make a more comfortable, enjoyable ride for the passengers.

2) They do this while also allowing a small, necessary amount of motion. Since the car is constantly enduring vibrations and movement, a completely rigid part would not be viable at the control arm joint. By having a small, controllable amount of mobility, car bushings allow these forces to be absorbed while still giving room for natural movement at the car’s joints.

3) They act as a buffer to prevent wear and tear to the more expensive or less easily replaced parts on the car. Since cars naturally undergo damage over time, it is important to have parts like car bushings to absorb this effect, so that when the time comes to change or repair the car, it’s simply a matter of changing the easily replaceable car bushings, as opposed to a much more complex or high-cost auto part.

car bushings picture

To put it into an easily understandable perspective, think of it like this:

If the control arm and the frame only had a very rigid connection, there would nothing to absorb force and so any bumps or rough patches on the road surface would cause the car to jump around and bump to a very large degree.

And virtually the same problem would also occur if the connection between these two points had too much ‘give’, such as if a spring were used. In that case as well, every little bump would cause so much give at the car’s joints that it would virtually bounce from point to point on the road instead of driving along smoothly.

We hope this article gave you a brief but in-depth understanding of the need for car bushings.

To order new car bushings for your vehicle at the very lowest prices you will find anywhere on the web, please visit our main site by clicking here: Car Bushings.

Please don’t forget to register so that you are eligible for 10% off your first order!

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Sometimes, if you’re not a mechanic, it can be a little confusing to understand exactly how bushings work and what goes on in the autoshop when you take your car in to get them replaced.

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about how to replace bushings, so we found a great video to share with you all about the exact process.

Check out the video below to see a couple of pros in action replacing these BMW ER46 bushings;

Summary notes:

Replacing control arm bushings on BMW ER46

Pull off the inner sleeve of the old control arm bushing that is worn out.

Use an impact gun to pull off the component.

Press the inner component onto the control arm.

Urethane bushings have outer housing that pushes into the bracket and the inner pivot sleeve which eventually pushes onto the control arm. That presses inside the bushing.

The original factory unit only has a few contact pieces and once they rip out you get tons of movement in your wheels.

Replacement bushings are usually an upgrade to the factory ones.

Usually a little firmer drive but not noticeable to the average driver.

Slip it right over the end of the bracket, it seats itself and then mount it onto the frame.

Put the bolts back in and you’re ready to go.

So that’s how to replace BMW ER46 control arm bushings. And if you’re looking to replace the Bushings on your BMW (or most other vehicle brands) then make sure to head over to our main site where you can get polyurethane suspension bushings at the best prices on the internet – guaranteed!