I'm about to do a complete suspension rebuild on my 99 vette cause it has 150k miles on it and I don't think the bushings have ever been replaced. I've also decided that I'm going to put on a set of coil overs while doing it (decided I'm going with LG GT2s). I have a set of Energy Suspension Poly bushings for all around, but after reading about the harshness and squeakiness of these a lot of people are posting about, I'm a little worried about actually installing them. Also worried with that I see a lot of people saying it's really hard to get the dog bone and metal inner sleeves out without damaging them in order to reuse them.

So, I've been looking to see what other options there are. Without going to Delrin I don't really see another bushing option. Seems it's impossible to get OEM rubber without them being pre-installed in a control arm. And I'm honestly considering going that route even though it does seem like a huge waste to replace the entire control arm. If I do go that route though, anyone have any recommended control arms? I see Mevotech as a cheap "OEM style" but I've heard bad things about the durability of Mevotech stuff. What other control arms might there be? Or are there any bushings that would be better that are quiet and have a more OEM ride quality?

I wish I could ride in a car with the Poly bushings and see how harsh it really is. I've had an 86 camaro before that I put poly bushings in and don't remember it being particularly harsh. And I do want the car to handle like a performance car most of the time. This isn't a daily driver. But I don't want to get beat to death if I do go on a long drive with some bumps hehe

Thanks

 

Where are you located?

Do you plan on track time or is this a street car?

A friend is on Pfadt ply bushings and we have been pleased. Wee for the most part maintain our cars together. It is mostly a track car with T1 sways, and DRM (Doug Rippie) Bilsteins.. The car is still on 150k mile Z51 springs with no plans for coil overs. I like the way Pfadt captures the bushing with their dog bones in the a arm. We haven't experienced much squeakiness. However, if it is a street car, I'd leave the stock bushings in and try to replace any which are worn with lower mileage arms with good bushings. Aftermarket bushings are like manual shifters, everyonee has their ideal version.

 

I live in central South Carolina.

I do plan to track the car some when I get everything squared away. But that will not be it's primary purpose nor do I plan to be competitive, it'll just be for fun occasionally. I know the coil overs are kind of overkill for my purpose, but I want the aesthetics of them too. I think right now the car is lowered past what the stock leafs can handle.

 

I have a '99 FRC with C5 Z06 sway bars (poly mount bushing & later metal link ends) with DRM Bilstein B8 shocks with poly mount bushings and a somewhat lower than stock ride height. In 2020 I replaced all the suspension bushings using the aFe/PFADT poly bushing kit #470-401001-B. They sharpened up the handling without adding too much harshness to the ride. I used plently of the supplied marine grade silicone grease and have no squeaking issues. The poly bushings are Highly recommended. I used my Harbor Freight 12-ton shop press and the Global West #TS-56 tool kit to press out the old factory rubber bushings and to install the new poly ones.

I friend of mine also with a very similar setup on his '99 FRC but went with Delrin bushings. He autocrosses his C5 but has said that the ride can be a bit harsh on the street with those Delrin bushings.