Energy Suspension Master Bushing Kit

[Zguy91]

Anybody have any experience with the Energy Suspension Master Bushing kit? If so how do you like it and how difficult was the install? I know all the 41 year old bushings on my car need to be replaced Im just not sure how Ill like the poly. Ive heard mixed things about the harshness from them

[240260280z]

They are great.

Not too hard to change and you do not have to do it all at once. Start with easy ones first.

Get the 240z kit for a 240z and 280z kit for a 280z.

[Jeff G 78]

Some are easy, some are horrific to install. As for the ride, it will be way worse, but it all depends what your roads are like and what your tolerance level is. I would do it, but at a bare minimum, use 1/2 poly and 1/2 rubber on the T/C rods.

[Zguy91]

ok cool thanks for the input! I definitely will be starting with the easier ones . Also going to do new tokico shocks and springs.

[bluezcrazy]

Hey Zguy,

I have Energy suspension bushings, and tokico shocks and springs on my 73. I wouldn't think you would be disapointed with the poly bushings, unless you hoping it rides like a Cadillac afterwards. You might do some research on the tokico shocks and springs. I like mine alright for the price I paid, but I have seen some posts about people wishing they had gone another route. Good luck

Bryce

[Zguy91]

Definitely not looking for it to ride like a Cadillac. Im 20 years old so I can handle some jarring for now haha. My dads friend has a 73 with a LS1 and t56 and he got the tokico shocks and springs and he said they were too stiff, but I daily drive an M Coupe with H&R coilovers on it so Im used to that.

[LeonV]

Anybody have any experience with the Energy Suspension Master Bushing kit? If so how do you like it and how difficult was the install? I know all the 41 year old bushings on my car need to be replaced Im just not sure how Ill like the poly. Ive heard mixed things about the harshness from them

I changed all of the bushings on my 260Z to polyurethane. Install was not bad in retrospect, but a big PITA while you're in the moment. Blue's Tech Tips has a nice guide on bushing replacement.

As far as ride, I'm fine with it. The spring and damper choice has much more to do with harshness than putting in slightly stiffer bushings then stock. It's not like you're using metal bushings or heim joints. You'll probably get a bit more noise, but ride harshness shouldn't change much when compared to new rubber bushings.

Definitely not looking for it to ride like a Cadillac. Im 20 years old so I can handle some jarring for now haha. My dads friend has a 73 with a LS1 and t56 and he got the tokico shocks and springs and he said they were too stiff, but I daily drive an M Coupe with H&R coilovers on it so Im used to that.

You are a lucky guy! I was looking to buy an M Coupe for months before finally going with an S2000 (my other top choice) recently. Those Coupes are awesome cars, but don't expect that a Z will corner and ride like one. A Z that corners flat will feel harsher, louder and more raw than an Coupe, even if it has coilovers.

[siteunseen]

I'm putting the master set on my '77. And I'm taking my time as suggested, replacing a few a weekend, starting with the front while my motor's out. I can't speak of the ride yet but the old rubber was rotten so it'll have to be better. Best deal I found was $165 to my door from http://www.sparktecmotorsports.com/es-7-18102.html

[Jeff G 78]

IMHO (as an auto engineer), it's not so much how stiff the car is, but how bad your roads are. My '78 is a blast when I take it to the smoothish winding roads of Ohio, but here in SE Michigan, we have some of the worst roads in the country and frankly, it's brutal. It feels like the car is going to break whenever I hit a sharp frost heave or road repair patch.

The poly TC bushings are likely the main culprit since most of the bone-jarring ride is due to a lack of suspension recession. All cars are designed to "give" rearward when the tire hits a bump. Think of it as trying to catch a hard-thrown baseball barehanded. To keep from stinging your hand, you pull your hand back as the ball reaches you. If you do it right, you barely feel the ball, but keep your hand stiff and it hurts like crazy. The poly TC bushings keep the front suspension from giving rearward upon impact. The spring rates and dampers only control the vertical movement of the wheels, but the bushings contribute greatly to the impact harshness.

The other issue you might or might not have with the setup you mentioned is bump steer. My '78 has Tokico springs, Illumina struts, MSA bars and poly bushings throughout. The bumpsteer is terrible. We have a few concrete on ramps and on those where the slabs are no longer even, the steering wheel saws back and forth several inches. My 260 race car has a similar setup, but I relocated the LCA pivot points up 3/4" and out 1/4". The steering is rock solid with no discern-able bump steer even on very rough tracks. This spring, I hope to find the time to modify my '78 crossmember as well. I will also swap out the TC bushings for rubber to improve the impact harshness.

[240260280z]

A Z that corners flat will feel harsher, louder and more raw than an Coupe, even if it has coilovers.

That is the beauty!

[LeonV]

IMHO (as an auto engineer), it's not so much how stiff the car is, but how bad your roads are. My '78 is a blast when I take it to the smoothish winding roads of Ohio, but here in SE Michigan, we have some of the worst roads in the country and frankly, it's brutal. It feels like the car is going to break whenever I hit a sharp frost heave or road repair patch.

The poly TC bushings are likely the main culprit since most of the bone-jarring ride is due to a lack of suspension recession. All cars are designed to "give" rearward when the tire hits a bump. Think of it as trying to catch a hard-thrown baseball barehanded. To keep from stinging your hand, you pull your hand back as the ball reaches you. If you do it right, you barely feel the ball, but keep your hand stiff and it hurts like crazy. The poly TC bushings keep the front suspension from giving rearward upon impact. The spring rates and dampers only control the vertical movement of the wheels, but the bushings contribute greatly to the impact harshness.

The other issue you might or might not have with the setup you mentioned is bump steer. My '78 has Tokico springs, Illumina struts, MSA bars and poly bushings throughout. The bumpsteer is terrible. We have a few concrete on ramps and on those where the slabs are no longer even, the steering wheel saws back and forth several inches. My 260 race car has a similar setup, but I relocated the LCA pivot points up 3/4" and out 1/4". The steering is rock solid with no discern-able bump steer even on very rough tracks. This spring, I hope to find the time to modify my '78 crossmember as well. I will also swap out the TC bushings for rubber to improve the impact harshness.

I'll agree that stiff TC rod bushings add to ride harshness, but it's more to do with the fact that they limit vertical movement (adding to spring rate). This effect is exacerbated as TC bushings get stiffer. However, I disagree that all cars are designed to have the wheel move backwards much in bump. If this were true, all cars would have terrible bump-steer as rearward movement of a steered wheel leads to an effective change in tie-rod length.

It is true, and I agree that passenger cars have some "compliance" built into them and if that's the give you speak of then I'll alter your analogy a bit. It is akin to catching a baseball with a stiff arm, with a glove on. If the glove has "give" or "compliance", then it will deflect more when catching that ball. When using a stiffer glove, you will "feel" the ball more, since there is less deflection in the glove (less force absorbed at impact).

Maybe I'm just rephrasing what you meant, but I just wanted to be more clear on what I wanted to convey.

[LeonV]

That is the beauty!

Agreed!