Control arm and steering rack bushings….
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 26
Likes: 22
Control arm and steering rack bushings….
Hey guys just wondering what kind of typical age/mileage every one has gotten out if their original parts? I have a 99’ with 52k miles and am wanting to make the handling feel tighter at highway speeds. Car currently has that “70 feels 100mph” feel going on and am wondering how much if any the rubber suspension parts may be playing a role. Could they be “tired” and contributing to the issue? They do appear to be dry and gray colored but not splits/cracks or shifting. (Car rides on OEM magnesium wheels with new Continental tires. Tie rods are brand new and ball joints seem fine.)
Thanks in advance!
Last edited by molardog; Sep 5, 2022 at 02:26 PM.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 324
Likes: 157
From: Maine
I had the same sort of feeling so I changed my shocks form tired FE1 to new Sachs shocks when they showed up they also had a TRW sticker on them.
Long story short the ride is much better and over 100 feels stable with no loss in ride quality.
If I did it again I would get C6 ZO6 shocks and may do so in the spring.
Long story short the ride is much better and over 100 feels stable with no loss in ride quality.
If I did it again I would get C6 ZO6 shocks and may do so in the spring.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 324
Likes: 157
From: Maine
The bushing all look good, it won't hurt to change them out they have to be a bit tired, I was thinking maybe the spring rate or bigger sway bars.
How are the sway bar bushings.
I need to find someone with the Z51 package so I can compare how it feels compared to the FE1 setup.
How are the sway bar bushings.
I need to find someone with the Z51 package so I can compare how it feels compared to the FE1 setup.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 5,456
Likes: 4,016
From: Cincinnati, OH
Some of those bushings are pushing out and now 20+ years old. AFAIK, there are no OEM rubber replacement bushings. You may be able to buy control arms with rubber in them but they may be $$$ and hard to find. Otherwise people go poly as a cheaper alternative to delrin bushings.
If your goal is factory OEM ride...adding poly or delrin bushings will firm up the feel going over sharp bumps so you may not like it.
I'd also suggest evaluating all of your ball joints as well.
If your goal is factory OEM ride...adding poly or delrin bushings will firm up the feel going over sharp bumps so you may not like it.
I'd also suggest evaluating all of your ball joints as well.
Last edited by smitty2919; Sep 8, 2022 at 08:36 AM.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,776
Likes: 500
From: West Seneca NY
Can get Delrin or Aluminum steering rack bushings, maybe also change out your front shock bushings for Poly, I did both when I installed my coilovers, can't really say if the steering rack bushing made any difference, but the shock bushings are nice because they don't compress like the stock rubber does.
https://www.dougrippie.com/c5-suspension
https://www.dougrippie.com/c5-suspension
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,776
Likes: 500
From: West Seneca NY
Complete control arms are available from Dorman, Mevotech, 3 options listed on the Dorman site.
https://www.dormanproducts.com/gsear...ontrol%2520Arm
https://www.dormanproducts.com/gsear...ontrol%2520Arm
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 5,630
Likes: 3,333
From: Virginia
2021 C5 of the Year Finalist - Modified
St. Jude Donor '21-'22
The bushings are old, but they don't look bad enough that they would be causing your issue. I would have guessed shocks as well, but it seems like you switched those out already. What do the end links on your sway bars look like? Since you have a '99, you would have the crappy plastic ones. I would look at replacing your end links with metal end links. You could swap out for better sway bars while you're at it. You might also want to make sure that you have a good alignment along with road force balanced tires. Can you go into more detail about your issues with the ride at high speed? My car is rock solid at 100mph+ so I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "70 feels 100mph".
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 5,456
Likes: 4,016
From: Cincinnati, OH
Complete control arms are available from Dorman, Mevotech, 3 options listed on the Dorman site.
https://www.dormanproducts.com/gsear...ontrol%2520Arm
https://www.dormanproducts.com/gsear...ontrol%2520Arm
OP you could buy all new arms/bushings then sell your old ones to someone doing a poly/delrin bushing swap.