I posted last week that Im having a shop replace all the bushings in my 94 with ES Poly Graphite. The car has 150k miles so the old bushings were probably on their way out.

The shop that did the work also works for a dealer around here that sells lots of Corvettes so they work on them all the time. The owner of that Corvette dealer stopped by and said Im going to wish I hadnt done this. He was saying the ride was going to be extremely rough. After the shop finished they put it up on a lift and showed me all the bushings they replaced.

Well I was expecting the worst when I took it home. However the ride is just like stock as far as how rough it is, its not bad at all. I couldnt tell a difference. The owner of the shop took it for a ride also and he couldnt tell a difference either. Handling is another story though, its much tighter...and no squeels (not yet anyways).

Just wanted to relay this to anyone thinking about going the poly route

 

I've got 104K on my 94 and I'm going to do the shocks and the bushings. Nice to hear that it made a difference. Where did you get them from? A supporting vendor on here?

 

I got the ES kit from summit, but had to order the swaybar and shock bushings from www.suspension.com.

 

Thanks.

 

I didn't notice the ride being any rougher with mine. It is firm, but certainly not uncomfortable. Being in touch with the road is a good thing in a sports car.

 

I'm happy for ya...didn't work out so good for me...I put in new poly bushings in the rear and new Bilstein shocks all the way around..just the standard OEM shock, by the way, nothing extra hard...

The ride on my car is awful...I only run 30 lbs in my tires and God forbid I hit a hole...take the teeth right out of your mouth...when I hit those reflectors between lanes it sounds like rifle shots and the jolt comes right through the steering wheel...any decent bump and my head hits the roof...oh well....

 

I have a 94 and went with the poly bushings and am very pleased.

 

I changed the backs end last week and the ride is alot firmer. How much did they charge to do the whole swap?

 

Mine weren't any rougher per se, but was alot firmer.

 

there is one problem you may experience when changing to poly bushings.

i had read that when you replace one component or one end on your car with poly, it puts greater stress on the remaining rubber bushings and accelerates wear on them. i found this to be true with my nova. i did a rear gear swap and decided to go all poly on the rear. after the change, the nova handled sweetly but after a couple of months, the front end became very sloppy.

i don't know if this would be as much of a factor on a vette since it is much closer to the ground, but i'm pretty sure it will be a factor.

frog.

 

I did ES poly bushings thruout about 3 or 4 years ago. At first I was very surprised at how much more firm the ride was, but now I don't even notice it. It took a buddy and I about a day and the better part of a case of froth and we even had the use of a lift. I'd never do that job again if I couldn't get the car in the air

 

Bought the ES kit from Summit , got the Bilstein Z51 shocks, ready to go! Thanks for the thread, I heard those rumors too, the key to keeping squeaks away is to lube the bushings before install, as for a stiff ride, thats good, its a sports car!

 

They charged 20 hours at about $1500 to replace every bushing. They were working on it for 3 days straight, I live down the street so I'd go drive by every once in a while and check up on things. I really would have liked to do it mysef but I dont see any free time coming up in a while.

 

I did mine and can't say it is all that much firmer ride. The handling feels better to me. I think the poly bushings keep the front end in better alignment under hard cornering, which is what I was after. This is where I saw the most benefit.

I even notice the front takes bumps and dips better. I think this is because the old rubber bushings actually resisted the motion of the suspension and with the poly bushing the suspension moves freely.

At least that is true in the front. The rear however is another story. The suspension in the rear travels in two arcs at 90 degrees to each other so the arms are in a bind at the top and bottom of travel. The rubber would give laterally and everything moved OK together. With the poly bushings there is little give and the suspension seems to move fine in the middle but very stiff at the top and bottom. Try this with the spring disconnected and the shock removed and you will see what I mean.

Also; get a can of silicone grease and grease the heck out of the bushings on the inside and out. Helps stop the squeaks and helps the suspension move freely.

 

I noticed the front end felt much less compliant when I replaced em there. But better handling? I can't tell any difference. I'm not a professional driver.

The main improvement is my stock bushings had fused to the steel sleeves and control arms and the suspension was binding. I put all my weight on the upper control arms and they wouldn't pivot. Only the flex and internal tearing of the old rubber was allowing movement. Hopefully that'll decrease my effective tire rate and make it more predictable.

 

Maybe you ought to be driving a cadillac!