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.