Prothane, Energy Supension or Hyper Flex?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 199
Likes: 12
From: Carrollton TX
Prothane, Energy Supension or Hyper Flex?
Who has had good or bad experiences with these kits?
Do any of the kits provide grease fittings?
After reviewing some threads here, it seems the urethane squeaking is unavoidable.
But I must get good steering ability!
The back end moves upon acceleration and deceleration even after replacing the rear bearing assemblies and front ball joints.
Thanks in advance for any information.
Do any of the kits provide grease fittings?
After reviewing some threads here, it seems the urethane squeaking is unavoidable.
But I must get good steering ability!
The back end moves upon acceleration and deceleration even after replacing the rear bearing assemblies and front ball joints.
Thanks in advance for any information.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 650
Likes: 0
From: Flushing NY
Re: Prothane, Energy Supension or Hyper Flex? (Vette-in-the-Veins)
I have the prothane kit all around and I like it definetly stiffens up the ride haven't noticed any squeeks that I normally hear with poly bushings and this kit came with their own prothane grease whatever thats good for?
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 90,675
Likes: 304
From: SE NY
Cruise-In II Veteran
Re: Prothane, Energy Supension or Hyper Flex? (Vette-in-the-Veins)
ES polyurethane sway bar bushings have grease fittings. Had em on the IROC for over 3yrs and no squeaks yet.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 14,130
Likes: 7
Cruise-In II Veteran
Re: Prothane, Energy Supension or Hyper Flex? (65Z01)
I used Prothanes for the complete rear end job(didnt do the front yet) and they work great.No grease fittings though.Not sure if you want to drill through aluminum pieces anyways.
I didnt use the grease that came with it, I bought a tube of marine grease and used that instead.Lots more in the tube I bought then those small grease packages that come with the kit.I used ALOT of grease and what pushed out after install, just wiped it off.Its virtually waterproof so use latex gloves(buy a box of them) for the job.
Btw, if the back of the car steers back and forth on take off, the rear camber tie rods may be shot.
Also check the wheel bearings for looseness or play while inspecting the rear rods.
ES is also a good brand Ive used it on my 86 Firebird.That and prothane seem to be about the same to me.
:)
I didnt use the grease that came with it, I bought a tube of marine grease and used that instead.Lots more in the tube I bought then those small grease packages that come with the kit.I used ALOT of grease and what pushed out after install, just wiped it off.Its virtually waterproof so use latex gloves(buy a box of them) for the job.
Btw, if the back of the car steers back and forth on take off, the rear camber tie rods may be shot.
Also check the wheel bearings for looseness or play while inspecting the rear rods.
ES is also a good brand Ive used it on my 86 Firebird.That and prothane seem to be about the same to me.
:)
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 3,215
Likes: 6
From: Tampa Florida
Re: Prothane, Energy Supension or Hyper Flex? (Vette-in-the-Veins)
I used a ES kit for new sway bars. Installation was fine and I used the provided grease.
Very nice improvement in ride firmness, but after 15,000 miles I'm getting some funky noises from the bushings...I plan to relube them and I'm not surprised or disappointed just that it did happen for those that want factory convenience...
:)
Very nice improvement in ride firmness, but after 15,000 miles I'm getting some funky noises from the bushings...I plan to relube them and I'm not surprised or disappointed just that it did happen for those that want factory convenience...
:)
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 199
Likes: 12
From: Carrollton TX
Re: Prothane, Energy Supension or Hyper Flex? (Vette-in-the-Veins)
Great! Thanks for the info.
I probably will not drill the aluminum parts for fittings.
After replacing the rear bearing assemblies, it seemed to have as much wheel bearing play as before. I couldn't feel any slack in the tie rod ends but then again the supsension was not in a loaded position.
Is Ecklers the place to buy the ES bushings? It looks like they have a complete kit sans the sway bar bushings. It also appears Ecklers is the only place to get sway bay bushings to fit the original brackets.
I probably will not drill the aluminum parts for fittings.
After replacing the rear bearing assemblies, it seemed to have as much wheel bearing play as before. I couldn't feel any slack in the tie rod ends but then again the supsension was not in a loaded position.
Is Ecklers the place to buy the ES bushings? It looks like they have a complete kit sans the sway bar bushings. It also appears Ecklers is the only place to get sway bay bushings to fit the original brackets.
Pro
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 686
Likes: 0
From: Crystal Lake, IL USA
Re: Prothane, Energy Supension or Hyper Flex? (Vette-in-the-Veins)
Installed ES all around. Got them here:
http://www.suspension.com/corvette.htm
Good service, helpful knowledgable people available once you get past the front desk. Best pricing I found anywhere.
No noises yet - 5 monthes, 6k miles - very firm ride now, very tight handling compared to before (not a fair comparison since one camber arm bushing had worn completely through). The grease they supply is state of the art. You'll see that when you try to wash it off your fingers.
Re: back end movement - Is the C-beam loose?
http://www.suspension.com/corvette.htm
Good service, helpful knowledgable people available once you get past the front desk. Best pricing I found anywhere.
No noises yet - 5 monthes, 6k miles - very firm ride now, very tight handling compared to before (not a fair comparison since one camber arm bushing had worn completely through). The grease they supply is state of the art. You'll see that when you try to wash it off your fingers.
Re: back end movement - Is the C-beam loose?
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 14,130
Likes: 7
Cruise-In II Veteran
Re: Prothane, Energy Supension or Hyper Flex? (Hendej)
Just a suggestion since I dont know how old your car is.When you take the parts off to replace the bushings,be sure to CLEAN any corrosion off the aluminum where the bushings used to seat.
I had alot of corrosion and white powder in there.Some kind of oxided break down.
A dremel tool with a sanding roll will get that off,but dont use a very coarse sanding roll, dont want to oblong the holes.
Clean that crap off the bolts too if they get any.
Its like rust and will keep eating away at the metal over time if not properly cleaned up.
Also post later if you do the job at home, got a few tricks to get the old bushings out fairly easy.Dont ever use a torch either to burn em out.
:)
I had alot of corrosion and white powder in there.Some kind of oxided break down.
A dremel tool with a sanding roll will get that off,but dont use a very coarse sanding roll, dont want to oblong the holes.
Clean that crap off the bolts too if they get any.
Its like rust and will keep eating away at the metal over time if not properly cleaned up.
Also post later if you do the job at home, got a few tricks to get the old bushings out fairly easy.Dont ever use a torch either to burn em out.
:)
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 75
Likes: 0
Re: Prothane, Energy Supension or Hyper Flex? (Vette-in-the-Veins)
I used the ES and they were okay. Didnt squeek and tightened the car up quite a bit. Just dont use them on the bushings that hold the diff carrier to the frame. You will regret it...all the vibration is transferred to chassis and you can really feel it.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 3,215
Likes: 6
From: Tampa Florida
Re: Prothane, Energy Supension or Hyper Flex? (Vette-in-the-Veins)
I purchased ES bushings from http://www.jegs.com
They are really dirt cheap compared to OEM-most poly are similarly priced though.
:)
They are really dirt cheap compared to OEM-most poly are similarly priced though.
:)
