Magnum '82

I'm going to purchase the rear spring(outer)mounting kit for my '82. These will be the only bushings that I am changing. Should I go with poly or rubber? Please explain your choice. Thanks, in advance.

Smokehouse69

Personally I'd go with Poly-bushings, I have been replacing the bushings on my car with Poly and have not regretted the choice. If you adequately lube them when you assemble them with the water resistant marine grease, you'll never have a squeaking problem.
I haven't noticed any increased stiffness in the ride either, but come to think of it "any bushing" is an improvement over no bushings. After 20-30 years most rubber bushings are non existant and what's left of them isn't doing much "bushing."
Poly should last much longer than rubber.
Also Poly bushings are easier for the home mechanic to switch. Most of the time they don't have to be pressed in. Rubber bushings almost always have to be pressed in.

MIKER

If you think that you might want to go with polyurethane bushings throughout the rest of the suspension in the future, use the poly. If not, go with rubber. I'm willing to bet that you would not be able to tell any difference in ride or handling between poly or rubber bushings installed ONLY on the spring ends.

Cajun99

Poly here too. Another item I always change is the stock struts...don't like cam bolts, never did. I get the adjustables with poly, of course. :yesnod:

Vader953

I know this is unpopular, but I (and others I know) always go with the rubber bushings on all areas. I know several mechanics who have told me they have seen the polys squeek during drive, and crack in half on several occasions.

Just my 0.02

norvalwilhelm

I went to everything poly and I think the car is noiser, I changed the spring bushings back to rubber.
Norval

Gator81

Just finished doing this on my '81 - changed springs, sway bars, shocks, and bushings (all poly). I love the handling - absolutely tight and as flat as can be in corners. I know most of that comes from the springs and bars, but the poly bushings have to help.

However, Norval is right on - the car is definitely noisier. On flat roads (no holes or bumps) with a rough surface, there is much more noise in the cockpit. Clearly, rubber bushings do a much better job of isolating the suspension's high-frequency oscillations that the poly bushings simply transmit into the frame and body.

Alwyn678

U can get a graphite injected POLY Bushing that should eliminate that noise!! :smash:

Gator81

Alwyn678,
Nope. That's not what that's about. My poly bushings (and all of them currently on the market, that I know about) are graphite impregnated (not injected). That simply means there is graphite mixed into the polyurethane before it goes into the mold. The purpose of the graphite is to provide some lubrication of the surface of the polyurethane where it will rub against metal, as the bushing travels through its normal range of motion; this reduces wear and squeaking. The graphite works just fine for that in most cases - I have no problems with mine.

This "squeaking" is entirely different from the noise I described in the earlier post. That noise is road noise, transmitted from the tire to the body through the suspension. Poly bushings transmit more of this noise than rubber bushings because they are harder. It is this extra hardness that allows the poly bushings to improve handling, by having less deflection. So you have a trade-off situation: less deflection means more road noise transmitted to the body. Graphite can't help that.

zymurgist

What about rubber bushings on the control arms and trailing arms and poly everywhere else? Is anyone doing this?

Ken