Urethane or Rubber bushings

[24OZ]

(more suspension dilemmas for me) Now to the question of bushings:

Which should I go for?

If I do not intend to street race the car that much, am I better off replacing my bushings with the rubber (stock) type rather then the harder urethane type. I have heard that urethane bushings will stiffen up the ride, which is not what I really want as my town's roads are riddled with holes and hence provide for a bumpy ride as it is.

The second part of my question is, I have heard that the urethane bushings need oiling now and again, whereas the stock rubber ones are maintenance free. Is this correct?

One last thing that concerns me, as the urethane is a different material then the original rubber bushings then does this mean that original torque settings, as listed in the FSM, will no longer apply when tightening bolts associated with the newly installed urethane bushings.

Please help me decide. Thanks.

[Marty Rogan]

George,

I am very much in the same situation. After a lot of debate back and forth, I am going with OEM rubber. I figure new OEM rubber will still stiffen it up more than 30 year old rubber, that and new springs.

It is just a matter of whic is most important to you, comfort or performance.

Cheers!

Marty

[24OZ]

Thanks Marty for your views.

I notice that there are various sources for bushing kits, however these seem to all be the Urethane type. I have yet to see a kit that offers OEM bushings... has anyone else? If a kit does not exist I can see OEM being dearer as all the bushes will have to be purchased separetly.

[Marty Rogan]

George,

I have never seen a rubber kit any where either. I ordered mine from Courtesy Nissan in Texas.

I know you can get them from Z Barn also, but I believe their prices were higher.

Your best bet is probably your local Nissan dealer.

I hope to start my suspension resto within the month. Just waiting for the parts to arrive.

Marty

[2ManyZs]

No matter which type of bushing you use, it would be a good idea to put some grease on the inside sleeves, just to make it easier if you ever have to take it apart for anything in the future. Especially important will be the spindle pins on the rear, grease them completely, or they will seize in the bottom of the strut housing...:cross-eye

As for torque settings, I'd use the same for either type of bushing.

[dozer171]

i replaced my suspension with the urethane bushings from motorsport, they are GREAT! they didn't make the ride overly stiff, but the handling difference was NIGHT AND DAY!! i had a nice big cheeZy grin on my face that entire first right flinging her into corners like no one else's business

with that said, be sure that you use the included lube between the bushing and the metal sleeve, or they will squeek. if you do it right the first time, you shouldn't have to do it again. and, all the torque specs are fine. most of the can be read as "tight" instead of an actual reading. also, be VERY carefuly with the spindle pins taking them out. the small locking wedge they use on mine caused a slight bur on the shaft, which took a day per side to get out, complete with grossly mushroomed heads, even after using an oxy-acetaline torch to get the assembly glowing. luckily, my father is a machinist, and simply took them to work, turned new threads, lapped the shaft for me, and voila! didn't have to pay 60 bucks a side! wow it went together easier than it came apart :stupid:

[JEFF]

I did the same as dozer171 - I love the handling of my car.

Ofcorse i have 30 year old rubber as the comparision.

- Jeff

[24OZ]

Thanks all for your valuable input.

I want to go stock but I think I will go the Urethane route, after what a few of you have said as well as because a kit exists. And after what 2ManyZ's says I will be using plenty of lube

Another question for you all:

I intend on taking the following safety precautions when removing the tension rods... Jack the car up and place 2 axle stands on the suspension member, then remove the wheels. By removing the tension rods shouldn't make the car move off the Axle stands should it?

Thanks ..

[24OZ]

Marty - good luck with your suspension resto.. Thats exactly what I intend to be doing shortly... let me know how you get on. I am goign to tackle the TC rod bushings myself but I am not too confident about the Transverse Link (lower control arm) bushing as I've heard it is a bugger to do and I dont really have the right tools.

[dozer171]

put your jackstands on the front crossmember (under the steering rack) as far apart as possible, and keep the back end on the ground to keep things stable. the T/C rod isn't under much tension with the suspension decompressed, it isn't a real safety issue. the real safety issue is the the springs if you are replacing those too (i used the motorsport springs, again, VERY COOL!). be careful taking them off, when you start compressing them, allot of energy is stored up. if the compressor lets go, we'll just say the human body won't stand up well to the abuse... but, if you do it right, ie. the compressors are 180* from eachother, and you compress them at an even rate, you'll be all set. just keep an eye on the little arms on them when you start compressing them to make sure that they are holding onto the spring nice and tight!

there's really no reason to not do the springs and struts while it's all apart.. it's an easy process. i did my entire suspension in just under a week, and that's including the 1 day each to take the rear spindle pins out... that sucked... i just used monroe struts for now, even with the motorsport springs. sometime (read when i get the money! college bites!) i'll upgrade to adjustable tokico's and maybe eibach springs along with some beefy swaybars. (*drool* )

[dozer171]

oops, just reread your post.. you odn't need any special tools to take care of the control arm, just a socket set and a breaker bar! heat helps too... a propane torch is all you need.

[24OZ]

Dozer,

Thanks for the safety tips.. I have just done exactly that.. Tonight was merely a night to jack the car, place axles under it, scrape sealer of bolts and spray bolts with loads of penetrating oil..

Now I'll leave it all to soak, ready for tomorrow.

Thanks all.