jwbert

Does the installation of poly bushings greatly affect the
harshness of the suspension when driven on the street?? Thanks

John Shiels

it will be a bit rougher on bumpy roads

383

I used Delrin in my camaro and the ride was OK but I'm the kind of guy that doesn't mind the squeak of hp+ pads because of the performance. It depends on what you want the car to do and what your willing to sacrifice. Theres no free lunch. My guess, in these cars, you'll never notice as long as it doesn't squeak. Ill be installing a set this winter and then Ill be able to tell you for sure.

Jason

It's a compromise.

jlutherva

I had the Pfadt poly kit installed this summer. I don't drive the Z very much on the highway, but so far, I have not really noticed it being significantly worst. The poly kit sure does tighten the handling on the track!
Jim

rocsvette

They do stiffen the ride noticeable but I didn't find it annoying at all. This was on a Z51 2002 coupe. I prefer the stiffer handling.

travisnd

Yes the ride is worse. The quality of the roads in your area will determine how much. On smooth roads you barely feel any difference. On the horrible freeways we have around Hampton Roads, VA it'll knock your teeth out.

VetteDrmr

Depends on what you mean by "greatly". Noticeable? Yes. To the point you can't stand it? That's a judgement call.

One thing I do with all my poly bushing suspension bits is put zerk fittings in each fitting so you can lube them. If you don't, within a year the poly bushings will start binding and need disassembly and relubing. If you ignore that three things will happen:

1. The suspension is now not working as well due to the binding
2. The bushings will start squeaking/groaning etc.
3. The bushings will actually start wearing and getting sloppy At this point your option is to replace them.

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

jwbert

Mike, Those are great suggestions, do you need to use a
silicone based lube when you re-grease the bushings?

argonaut

First I installed the LG G2 coilovers - that made for a harsher ride. Then I did the Pfadt poly bushings and that made it worse. The only street miles I do in the car is to/from events so its not a big deal but personally I find the suspension kind of beats me up. I really wouldn't be able to deal with it on a day-to-day ride, far to harsh for me.

Regarding the proper lube - Hotchkiss and I think Energy Suspension both market a special poly bushing lube. You can get it from Summit. It's thick and very sticky, you have to use a solvent to get it off your hands (or anything else).

travisnd

^ Yeah that's what comes with the Pfadts. Stuff is crazy sticky.

RX-Ben

There is a better lube, which I researched when I had polys, available through McMaster. From what I remember, there is sulphide of some sort in it. Better than the marine stuff (in terms of longengevity) and like $10/tube.

froggy47

You will notice the change.

Greatly? That's subjective.

Even a z06 has a lot of "comfort" compromises built into it.

Every "performance" change has a NVH price to pay.

VetteDrmr

Honestly all I've used to date is the ES lube by hand. My experience has been on the other side, namely I *didn't* put in zerk fittings with my first set, and right at 1 year I had to take everything back apart, clean everything up, and relube it all. Ugh!

I think any good lube would work just fine. The suspension parts don't see high temps but do see high shearing loads, so I'm planning on using a good moly lube whenever I service them, probably twice a year. The moly shouldn't wash off in wet conditions, but I'm going to keep a close eye on it until I get some history.

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

SoDiezl350

Is there a good writeup anywhere on how to install Zerks? It seems straight forward enough but always nice to have some guidance.

VetteDrmr

1. Mark where you want to put your zerks with the tires off. Make sure you leave enough room so the zerks don't impact anything throughout the suspension's movement
2. Make sure the zerk is either lined up with the split (for 2 piece poly bushings) or that you drill through the bushing to the center sleeve so you can get lube to the parts that need it.
3. I used 1/4-20 zerks. Bought a bag of 50 from Fastenal

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

SoDiezl350

Thank you! For the 2 piece bushings do they have to be retained to prevent movement and thus shifting of the grease port?

Pfadt Racing

The Energy Suspension Formula Number 5 that we provide with all of our Poly kits has proven it's self as being the best poly lubricant we've ever tested. Keep in mind that when you're switching to Poly or a Spherical Bearing that there is some routine maintenance required... just how much depends on your driving habits as well as road and weather conditions. The Formula #5 is super tacky and resists breaking down due to water and road salt. That being said, polyurethane suspension bits do require periodic relubrication, we recommend most users who are daily driving their cars check the condition of their bushings once every couple oil changes, or at least every year. Properly functioning polyurethane is quiet, if you do start to hear unusual suspension noises it's time for some maintenance.

As far as the ride quality goes, as mentioned above it's pretty subjective. Some folks don't notice much change at all, and others notice it over rough roads. That's the trade off for a performance control arm solution. We designed our Poly kits with durability and longevity as goal number one, but every poly kit will eventually need some servicing. Thankfully the process is pretty easy and doesn't need to be performed very often.