Rear track control arm bushes.

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07 February 2011, 09:54 PM

Mrchips

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Rear track control arm bushes.

As title.

Are these worth changing? Just the bushes? or is it better to change the arm altogether?
And will it improve handling?

Thanks

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08 February 2011, 10:05 AM

budd

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrchips

As title.

Are these worth changing? Just the bushes? or is it better to change the arm altogether?
And will it improve handling?

Thanks

changing to what and for what reason?

OE rubber bushes for the most part do a great job, they’re cheap, provide low NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) levels require no maintenance and can last the life of the car that’s quite an achievement for a simple rubber bush..

As for improving handling if the std bushes are old/worn then simply replacing them with new ones will greatly benefit handling, if ultimate handling is the goal then adjustable arms with spherical joints (rose joints) are the way to go, OE rubber bushes deform under load causing slight changes in the rear suspension geometry, which leads to inconsistent performance often described as feeling loose or woolly, rose joints eliminate any changes in geometry and give a more accurate consistent performance, also only the rear toe is adjustable with std arms, fitting adjustable ones allows fine tuning of the suspension settings.

However for road use particularly a daily driver rose joints create as many problems as they solve, NVH will increase dramatically, they also require regular maintenance (cleaning, greasing, checking for wear) their service life is also much less than a OM bush and depending on use can often require replacing frequently.

A good compromise is a poly bush, harder than OE rubber more compliant than rose joints, they will give a noticeable improvement in control over OE with only a slight increase in NVH, if fitted correctly will require minimal maintenance and last well.

But as with any mod you should decide what you want to accomplish, what are your expectations, the best option for the racer isn’t the best for running to the shops, also consider how changing the bushes fit into your overall paln for the car, fitting bushes in isolation will provide very little benefit if the OE ones are still servicable.

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