Anyone running a full set of poly bushes in their Defender

Polybushes come in different stiffnesses and you can adjust the ride depending on the colour you fit... Which in turn will be based on the loading of your truck.

The thing you have to watch out for is that bushes are actually in the system to add some flexibility and to eventually fail... If you replace the OE bushes with something stiffer, you run the risk of breaking the components the bushes were originally designed to protect. Replacing a worn bush is cheaper and easier than replacing a knackered pair of radius arms, Panhard rod, etc!!!

IMO. By the time you've been doing the experimenting to work out your setup, you've probably spent enough for a couple of sets of OE bushes. Plenty of people like them but I personally think that they're a false economy.

M

dont be a hero johny :eek:

Poly bushes may be good for mostly on road use, but for serious of road and articulation stick with original bushes. Something has to give and wear out with suspension movement and articulation, better it be bushes than other components.

Regards Justin

Thanks for the input guys - looks like I might just stick with the original stuff - interestingly all the UK sites state that the red Polybush gear is the soft material - I want the truck to feel tight but not harsh...

just remember that colour means absolutely nothing regarding the bushes durometer (hardness)

and FWIW, Fulcrum/Super Pro make some excellent bushes, Their rear trailing arm to chassis bush is a superior design to OE using thicker steel plates and a bush design that enables more flex, less rear steer and lasts longer than the OE one. Oh yeah, and it's polyurethane.........

Had them on an '85 Range Rover. Then one of the rear trailing arms sheared at the chassis end. Had just come off the freeway at 120km/h & has slowed to 5km/h to negotiate some speed bumps set diagonally across the road when it broke. Talk about rear steer!

I was advised that my bushes were too hard & to go back to standard.

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Originally Posted by rick130

just remember that colour means absolutely nothing regarding the bushes durometer (hardness)

and FWIW, Fulcrum/Super Pro make some excellent bushes, Their rear trailing arm to chassis bush is a superior design to OE using thicker steel plates and a bush design that enables more flex, less rear steer and lasts longer than the OE one. Oh yeah, and it's polyurethane.........

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nah they do from Polybush and i only use theirs, go here to see what i mean
http://www.polybush.co.uk/polys.html

Polyurethane can be supplied in a wide range of hardness (durometer value). Manufactures use colour to distinguish, which hardness they have used, but there is no standard, which is why rick130 was correct in stating

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just remember that colour means absolutely nothing regarding the bushes durometer (hardness)

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I go along with most of the other opinions and would only use polyurethane for panhard bushes (unless used mostly on road).

I ran Polys in the Rally car years back and they were shagged in 5 events. Went back to Factory Volvo ones and were still ok after 6 years of constant use.
I would not rule them out in any application. But rubber does flex more than Poly, so id stick to OE on 4wd's.

My 20c.

I have Nolec Polys in my Rangie - so far so good.

If you read up about Polys and understand that in Aus the development stood still for years and hence the reason why the locals only have bad things to say about polys.

New Generation polys like Noltec and SuperPro are way better than even OE Rubbers - PLUS most of the time they are easier to replace!!!

LRH