Thread: poly or rubber??

Some poly s last almost for ever, the downside being that they can wear the metal that they contact.

Andrew ,Ride on poly's are rough , I had them on my disco and replaced them with Rubber ones.

There's poly and there's poly! The original ones are generally red and are stiffer than rubber, good if you want tighter handling, less so if you want a better ride and articulation. But you can also get ones claimed to be the same as rubber, generally blue.

The advantage of poly bushes over rubber is that they are easier to install. The disadvantage is that since there is the possibility of the bush moving relative to the suspension components, they can cause wear on bits that are not supposed to wear, and can be expensive to replace. Rubber bushes have steel sleeves that are a tight fit into the hole, and are clamped by the bolt. Both types of bushes are intended to absorb all movement within the rubber or polyurethane, and there should be no movement between the bush and the suspension components. To ensure this happens, the final tightening should take place only after the weight is back on the wheels, and preferably after s short drive with everything slightly loose. Failure to do this is to invite early failure, regardless of which type of bush you use.

I would use rubber, but note that the material will not determine the longevity - this is determined by the quality and how carefully they are installed.

John

I've been useing Super pro of late and find them good, they are dear, but trade price makes them reasonable

depends, which poly?

used to be there was only 2 choices poly or rubber.

now you have a plethora of polys, natural rubber and synthetic rubbers of various grades to choose from.

they all have their advantages and disadvantages.

rubber tends to absorb the bumps better and not wear the metal but dont last long.

traditional poly's tend to be harder and last longer but they can wear the metals, they are also usually easier to install.

the softer new polys are in about the same boat as the synthetic rubbers but cost more and are subject to "setting" and dont like heat very much so the ones on the exhaust side of the vehicle tend to harden and crack.


Personally I prefer rubber but I dont try to disuade people from poly if it suits their requirements.

Originally Posted by rovercare

I've been useing Super pro of late and find them good, they are dear, but trade price makes them reasonable

ive been using them for years, started off using nolethane in cars then moving to superpro in 4x4's.
i would not use anything else.
as for the price(i get them trade too) they can be expensive (full kit for a D1 is around 350) i think that the ease of fittment and their longevity negates the inital price outlay.

as for flex limiting....that statement is crap....

cheers phil

I have a full set on my disco....I was in too minds whether to fit them as I new they were the harder ones which I didn't want but I was a bit between a rock and a hard place as i wanted to eliminate a clunk under the car which I did.

these ones are hard and I can feel a tiny bit of road through the car...so I will be replacing them as soon as I have spare cash for a complete superpro kit. but they will do for the moment.

we have used poly for years on the 90....I think people are still thinking sometimes in the dark ages when it comes to these. poly has come a long way....everyone I know in the uk fits them if they can afford them.

Who can you buy these superpro bushes through?