Granny gets bushwhacked...
 Nov 11th, 2003 (Nov 12th, 2003)
Advantages:
Vast improvements in performance and durability, inexpensive too .
Disadvantages:
Quite an involved job to fit . May not be what you're after .
Recommendable:
Yes
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Member since:05.11.2002
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For many motorists not well versed in the structure of contemporary automotive suspension systems, getting an MoT failure sheet adorned with a big red cross with "suspension bushes" scrawled illegibly next it could quite percievably cause a little confusion. Allow me to explain. Bushes are little black rubber fittings inserted within the various joints and mounting points of your car's suspension and steering systems. So no matter how caked in mud and soil the underneath of your motor is, the MoT man is unlikely to have to fail your car for shrubs and other greenery peeping out at you from under your rear axle. So as you drive along in your car and inevitably travel over bumps, ruts in the road, speed humps, etc, at the points where the moving parts of your suspenion connect with each other its important that any harsh knocks transmitted from the road are absorbed before they reach the driver. This is where rubber bushes do the trick perfectly well. They keep the ride of your car nice and soft and supple and your granny in the back seat doesnt get vibration fractures appearing in her dentures.
Grannies
eh? Sitting about in their cardigans and slippers, doing their knitting, generally stinking the place out... And us wee kids have to endure a great slobbery kiss from them at Christmas! Disgusting. But thankfully, I have a new ally, in the yellow, round plasticky form of Deflex polyurethane suspension bushes... The advantages of using polyurethane bushes are numerous, the most obvious being that they maintain most of the positive attributes of the original equipment rubber ones, while adding a few tricks of their own. Rubber, while flexible and waterproof, is also in time, perishable. When this happens, the smooth, well supported road holding of your car deteriorates, the rubber bush cracks allowing water in to rust up the joints between components and they end up seized. This is where poly bushes start to seem like a good plan. Although not nearly as soft and pliable as rubber, they keep moisture and road filth out just as well. Not only this, but they do it for longer than a standard bush too. Polyflex, another company who make polybushes, actually offer a lifetime guarantee that once fitted, their bushes will never need to be changed.
Another economical advantage is that due to the smaller amount of flexing going on, there is less unwanted suspension movement occuring. And due to the reduction in these torsional force, more of the tyre stays on the ground as designed, instead of the wheel cambering and scrubbing across the road due to the smaller contact patch. The benefit of this to you and me is that the amount of grip the tyre keeps with the road is far greater, giving far better cornering and preventing premature tyre wear. Deflex claim in their adverts that a set of their bushes, typically about 35 quid or so will pay for themselves within a year in saved tyre tread. But all this economy and longevity talk's starting to sound a bit middle aged, yes? The reason that most people, myself included, fit these bushes is that they make your car much much stiffer, making it stick to the road like a limpet to a rock. Moisture repelling quality? Don't care. I've an E reg Fiesta with more rust than the Titanic already. Less tyre wear? Half the mileage on the clock is probably down to wheelspin.
I personally doubted these would have that great an effect on the way my car cornered, I'd just shelled out a not inconsiderable amount of cash on a Koni suspension kit and to be honest I was rather miffed when something costing a mere 35 notes made almost as much of a difference. The steering was now pin-sharp, with all the input at the steering wheel going straight to the tarmac, making it flick from side to side so easily. Round corners, there was virually no body roll any more and the car just felt much much tighter and stiffer than I thought a 13 year old car ever could. Even on the brakes all the bounce and sloppyness from the suspension had been eliminated, with the springs and dampers really being able to do their job properly. Superb. Big smiles all round. However, with the saggy rubber replaced and the handling much improved, the ride quality from an everyday driving point of view had suffered a little. Every little bump and ripple in the road, instead of being absorbed in the suspension now seems to get dissipated along your vertebrae. Due to vibrations interior bulbs can blow and fittings can come loose. Its all very well having a car that goes round a track beautifully, but going up your pot holed driveway you may well be cursing your decision to fit these bushes. But at least your granny will have to bail out after 200 yards, her teeth shattered to bits and her internal organs liquefied... Ok I'm exaggerating here but you get my point.
So I guess it's a question of what your car gets used for most that will determine whether or not you want these things on your car. If its the daily driver Mondeo used for the school run, shopping trips and towing the caravan, I'd have to say think about it, but definitely upgrade the lower wishbone bushes as these are a problem come the MoT. But if its your RS, XR, GTi, Turbo or whatever that you use to cruise to your local race track at weekends, I'd say go for it. There are a few companies, Superflex, Polyflex etc that make these, but I went for Deflex because they promised the same performance at a far lower price. Their range is expansive, catering for 1950's classics to modern cars, with prices going from £28 up to about £50 per set, with individual bushes being available seperately. My set had about ten bushes to replace, and this will take a day or two to do, with your car up on jacks and immobile, so best leave it to the weekend if you need to use the car.
Overall though, well worth doing from my point of view. My Fiesta autocross/autotest car now sticks to the road like a go-kart, handles like a dream and makes me grin like a bloody idiot while behind the wheel. They save you cash, keep the MoT man at bay, and they're an invaluable defence against granny's moustache as well...
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11.11.2003 17:58
An informative review. kim <}:o)
11.11.2003 17:28
Hi nice op, not my thing though. x sarah