[Z06] Solid bushings
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 10
Likes: 1
Solid bushings
I was thinking about making solid bronze bushings for my car. Looking at what is available ($$$) they all use bearings. Would solid bushings bind if designed and lubed correctly?
2001 C5
2013 GS shocks and bars
Z06 springs
2001 C5
2013 GS shocks and bars
Z06 springs
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 3,003
Likes: 89
From: Indy IN
The short answer is you can use bronze bushings on the upper control arms since they are on a common shaft and are therefore in line and would not bind (in theory). This assumes that the shaft is straight and provided there is some clearance in the bushings you could probably get away with it.
In the lower control arms you are doing the alignment with the eccentric adjusters and if you try to use solid bushings on the lower arms it will bind up and that is why they sell and use alinaball bearings to replace the rubber on the lower arms.
Obviously this is not cheap, and the bearings wear out and make noise on the street, aside from being seriously harsh.
Unless you are tracking the car you really don't need solid bushings, it's not going to make that much difference and the harshness on the street is so nasty that you'd probably regret making the change. Poly or delrin is nasty enough on the street I can't imagine how nasty bronze would be.
In the lower control arms you are doing the alignment with the eccentric adjusters and if you try to use solid bushings on the lower arms it will bind up and that is why they sell and use alinaball bearings to replace the rubber on the lower arms.
Obviously this is not cheap, and the bearings wear out and make noise on the street, aside from being seriously harsh.
Unless you are tracking the car you really don't need solid bushings, it's not going to make that much difference and the harshness on the street is so nasty that you'd probably regret making the change. Poly or delrin is nasty enough on the street I can't imagine how nasty bronze would be.
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 10
Likes: 1
solid bushings
thanks for the information
The short answer is you can use bronze bushings on the upper control arms since they are on a common shaft and are therefore in line and would not bind (in theory). This assumes that the shaft is straight and provided there is some clearance in the bushings you could probably get away with it.
In the lower control arms you are doing the alignment with the eccentric adjusters and if you try to use solid bushings on the lower arms it will bind up and that is why they sell and use alinaball bearings to replace the rubber on the lower arms.
Obviously this is not cheap, and the bearings wear out and make noise on the street, aside from being seriously harsh.
Unless you are tracking the car you really don't need solid bushings, it's not going to make that much difference and the harshness on the street is so nasty that you'd probably regret making the change. Poly or delrin is nasty enough on the street I can't imagine how nasty bronze would be.
In the lower control arms you are doing the alignment with the eccentric adjusters and if you try to use solid bushings on the lower arms it will bind up and that is why they sell and use alinaball bearings to replace the rubber on the lower arms.
Obviously this is not cheap, and the bearings wear out and make noise on the street, aside from being seriously harsh.
Unless you are tracking the car you really don't need solid bushings, it's not going to make that much difference and the harshness on the street is so nasty that you'd probably regret making the change. Poly or delrin is nasty enough on the street I can't imagine how nasty bronze would be.
