JLSmith

My new (to me) 48-year old car is in need of new bushings. The question is: rubber or urethane? I live in sunny Arizona and have heard that urethane will last longer in our hot and dry climate. True? Lastly, what about squeaks and ride? Your thoughts and opinions are welcomed!
- Jeff

corvettekent

I would use rubber. If the old ones lasted 48 years then the next set should last 48 year. How long do you plan on keeping the car?

ifitgoesfast

I replaced the rear suspension strut rod end bushings with urethane and after storage for 25 years in hot and dry Texas they broke apart by merely touching them. Funny enough, the rubber ones I didn't get around to changing throughout the rear and front were in better shape.

6T7L71CPE

One thing on my to-do list, Un-Do my prior "Improvements" such as "Urethane Bushings". All my rear bushings, trailing arms, strut rods, spring cushions have cracked and are falling apart. Stored indoors, low miles. Others have had the same problem and others had better luck.

JLSmith

Until my daughter takes the keys from my cold dead hands!

JLSmith

OK, I'm convinced. Rubber it is!
- Jeff

Vet65te

Jeff - You can add my name to those preferring rubber suspension parts as opposed to urethane. The only place I do use the urethane is for the front sway bar end links.
Mike T - Prescott AZ

Dicecal

I had rubber trailing arm bushings, and they lasted 8 years in the AZ climate- completely fell apart & disintegrated.. Just replaced them with poly. The rest of my rubber bushings don't look very good either, they just don't make things like they used too...

Mike Ward

People believed that poly bushings would last longer because they were told they would last longer, not from any field evidence.

Frankie the Fink

I ran all poly on my Shelby-ized '66 Mustang back when I used to autocross. I would not run poly on a fiberglass bodied-car - not unless you like a stiff ride and stress cracks..

leif.anderson93

Bingo, Frankie!! Took the response right out of my mouth...the ride with poly will not be pleasant on the street.

65air_coupe

Same here, have replaced all the urethane in the rear and still have to do the front. I will say the only place urethane is really useful for spirited street driving are the end link bushings for anti-sway bars. Otherwise it's a bad idea all around.

59BlueSilver

Some of the vendors do not specify material in their bushings and some only offer poly. Where do you get real rubber?

wombvette

Local parts stores. Moog

66RBS

Randy

Godholio

A wise choice. I went through this with my old Jeep. Poly will last basically forever...the set I installed in my 20s will probably outlive me, but the ride on rubber bushings is MUCH more comfortable. Rubber will last 20+ years anyway, so the difference in lifespan doesn't matter much in my opinion. I'll never make that mistake again.

OldKarz

I put poly on my 67 Chevelle, and if to do over I would go rubber.

65air_coupe

I respectfully have to disagree, the poly bushings on my rear leaf spring simply disintergrated after about 10 years. When I checked other parts, I could see they were also badly degraded. I'm sure there's probably different grades or compositions of polyurethane employed in these applications but you have no way of knowing. All my stuff came from a reputable source.

ifitgoesfast

...just not intact

rfn026

Here's poly after a few years.





The worst part was I emailed these pictures to Vette Brakes and Products and they never got back to me. They just didn't seem to care.

Richard Newton