Are poly bushes worth it?

[Jacob]

Hi there guys

I am going to be coming towards the stage in my resto were I will be needing to replace the bushes. So the question is⬇️

Poly bushes or Normal rubber ones? 

 

[RobPearce]

I've got normal rubber on all of mine and find them to be OK. However, if you're fitting new, the quality of the rubber may be questionable. That said, if you buy poly bushes from eBay then the quality of the poly is highly dubious!

Will you be doing a lot of mileage? Will it be driven hard? If no to both then save your money and go rubber. If yes to both get poly from someone reputable like Chris Witor.

[ferny]

Superflex are the best and most expensive.

Polybush are next.

I'd not trust rubber.

 

I used to have blue Polybush and when they wore out I replaced with red. I've a few Superflex scattered around and you can see they're better when side-by-side. Any rubber ones I've used have failed quickly. Keep in mind that no bushes last forever and don't get fooled into think polyurethane ones will last forever as some will say.

Edited November 12, 2021 by ferny

[Clive]

I foolishly bought some new rubber bushes. 18months later they were falling apart.

Either genuine NoS bushes (they do turn up) or off to Mr Witors emporium. 

[Topic63]

I’ve just fitted Floflex poly bushes to the front of mine and I must say the difference was noticeable straight away.

The original rubber bushes removed were in pretty good shape but I doubt I could have said the same if they were the newer rubber bushes available these days?

Personally, doing the job now you are better off with poly bushes, it will save on costs longer term - PS. Opt for the stainless steel crush tubes if given the option 👍

Edited November 12, 2021 by Topic63

[thescrapman]

As the original wishbone bushes on the Spitfire are still in perfect condition after 53 years,I wonder if I need the promise of 3-4 times their life from a set of polyurethane bushes in that position. May not be about to see them out. 🙂

I do have poly steering rack bushes on a few cars, immersion on oil hasn't been great for the rubber ones, and quite a few on the big saloon as the originals were very poor.

Change as required is my view, not by default.

[yorkshire_spam]

I've found the performance of polyurethane bushes excellent in most applications.

In my experience cheap bushes off ebay lasted less than a year though. Since then I've used SuperPro and SuperFlex - both superb in terms of performance and durability.

If I could get OE quality rubber bushes I'd consider using them, but since I can't I stick to (expensive) quality polyurethane.

I have no direct experience of "Polybush" the brand though.

[mikeyb]

Poly advantages are that they are usually firmer than rubber and are unaffected by oil contamination and if you get a good brand should last a lot longer. 

As others have said, beware of cheap versions though.

[Jacob]

Hi All,

Thanks for all your replies!

Cheers Jacob 

[Roger Keys]

Do NOT buy the cheap orange crap that seems to be everywhere. 

Superflex (witor) superpro or whiteline if you want stuff that works and lasts.

Personally, there are situations where i prefer rubber. I.e. stag/saloon rear subframe/crossmemer mounts. Being a bit sad, i spend my time looking for NOS bushes. They are out there.

[Topic63]

1 hour ago, roger keys said:

Do NOT buy the cheap orange crap that seems to be everywhere. 

Superflex (witor) superpro or whiteline if you want stuff that works and lasts.

Personally, there are situations where i prefer rubber. I.e. stag/saloon rear subframe/crossmemer mounts. Being a bit sad, i spend my time looking for NOS bushes. They are out there.

Hi Roger,

I’ve fitted Floflex bushes to previous cars and never had any issues, I don’t think the colour has anything to do with the quality as they can be any colour the manufacturer chooses. I can only assume you may have bought ‘orange’ ones in the past that were not up to the task?

Floflex are a UK manufacturer based in Wrexham (I think) and as many other suppliers they do sell on eBay but you can deal directly if you so choose.

Many different suppliers will choose a particular colour, such as red, blue or black to identify their product, Floflex choose orange but that does not in itself point to a poor product.

[Ed H]

For poly bushes, neither color nor cost is necessarily a good indicator of quality.  A much more important parameter is the type and durometer of the material, which is often not mentioned at all in the marketing copy.  "Poly" could mean polyurethane, but maybe not.

Ed

[yorkshire_spam]

Sorry to report... the FloFlex bushes I bought (for a Land Rover) lasted less than a year. That was over 10 years ago though, so maybe they've improved since. These days I just play it safe with SuperPro/SuperFlex

[Topic63]

1 hour ago, yorkshire_spam said:

Sorry to report... the FloFlex bushes I bought (for a Land Rover) lasted less than a year. That was over 10 years ago though, so maybe they've improved since. These days I just play it safe with SuperPro/SuperFlex

Over the last 5 years I’ve bought Floflex for both my Alfa’s and now the GT......No issue 🤷‍♂️

Hopefully things have changed, did you question it with Floflex by any chance?

[yorkshire_spam]

6 minutes ago, Topic63 said:

Over the last 5 years I’ve bought Floflex for both my Alfa’s and now the GT......No issue 🤷‍♂️

Hopefully things have changed, did you question it with Floflex by any chance?

I did question them about it, sad to say at the time they were not interested. 

[Topic63]

1 hour ago, yorkshire_spam said:

I did question them about it, sad to say at the time they were not interested. 

They were called Deflex allegedly but were taken over around 2010/12 and changed the name to Floflex, In the early days they were still selling poly bushings under the original name (old stock) and did have poor reviews, I’ll see how these last but hopeful that things have improved? Time will tell.......

[Nick Jones]

On 13/11/2021 at 08:05, thescrapman said:

I wonder if I need the promise of 3-4 times their life from a set of polyurethane bushes in that position

I’ve never found anything that outlasts the OE rubber…… 

My Vitesse “does” a set of Superflex lower wishbone bushes every 5 years or so, though the others seem to last ok.

Rubber bushes available today (unless you can find genuine NOS) seem to last less than a year.

Nick

[Dale]

As many others have already stated Jacob, new rubber really isn't rubber anymore and although NOS (i.e. OE) rubber bushes are often very good you should inspect them carefully before buying as they're going to be several decades old and if they have been subject to sunlight they will have degraded.

As many have also stated most cheap poly bushes aren't much better but if you stick with Superpro or Superflex these will be best for your car. They are of course more expensive, but you get what you pay for.

[Beans]

1 hour ago, Nick Jones said:

I’ve never found anything that outlasts the OE rubber…… 

You have clearly never owned a TR7 🤪
They are famous for shredding the rear lower link bushes 🥴
Good quality poly bushes has eliminated that problem!

[ferny]

8 hours ago, Topic63 said:

Over the last 5 years I’ve bought Floflex for both my Alfa’s and now the GT......No issue 🤷‍♂️

Hopefully things have changed, did you question it with Floflex by any chance?

One reason I like Superflex is that they use different compounds in a car set. Other companies don't. It's possible their compound is correct for your Alfa but not others. 

 

My Acclaim is still running original bushes all round. 

[Roger Keys]

On 14/11/2021 at 00:14, Ed H said:

For poly bushes, neither color nor cost is necessarily a good indicator of quality.  A much more important parameter is the type and durometer of the material, which is often not mentioned at all in the marketing copy.  "Poly" could mean polyurethane, but maybe not.

Ed

Absolutley. Hence my post and list of manufacturers.

The colour simply allows easy identification of who makes it (in some cases).

 

[Roger Keys]

16 hours ago, Beans said:

You have clearly never owned a TR7 🤪
They are famous for shredding the rear lower link bushes 🥴
Good quality poly bushes has eliminated that problem!

But the poly ones are not voided like the OE ones are they?

Am i correct in saying these are the same as dolomite? Rather than poly, which, depending on whose it is and duro, will limit movement a bit, the old trick was to use the OE rubber unvoided one from the other end of the arm. 

 

[Roger Keys]

On 14/11/2021 at 00:02, Topic63 said:

Hi Roger,

I’ve fitted Floflex bushes to previous cars and never had any issues, I don’t think the colour has anything to do with the quality as they can be any colour the manufacturer chooses. I can only assume you may have bought ‘orange’ ones in the past that were not up to the task?

Floflex are a UK manufacturer based in Wrexham (I think) and as many other suppliers they do sell on eBay but you can deal directly if you so choose.

Many different suppliers will choose a particular colour, such as red, blue or black to identify their product, Floflex choose orange but that does not in itself point to a poor product.

I wasnt suggesting the colour dictated the performance. Each manufacturer will use a compound(s) for their bushes. Not all compounds are created equal. Not by a long way.

Just that most use a specific colour from a marketing/identification angle.

Having seen some durability testing of multiple brands of poly bushes, that they are not equal was abundantly clear.

 

[Nick Jones]

On 14/11/2021 at 15:32, Beans said:

You have clearly never owned a TR7 🤪
They are famous for shredding the rear lower link bushes 🥴
Good quality poly bushes has eliminated that problem!

No TR7s owned so far. I have had Dolomites though (and contact with Mk3, 4 & 5 Cortinas), which suffer in the same way. Void bushes are the devils work.

Trouble is that quite often when you fit solid bushes, especially if also higher shore hardness, it exposes the imperfections in the geometry with harsh ride, increased noise transmission and occasionally breaks brackets due to extra twist forces on them.

Had all of those with my Sprint and ended up doing what Roger suggests.

Edited November 15, 2021 by Nick Jones