Control arm bushing q's

[rocco16 at sbcglobal.net (Larry)]

Urethane suspension bushings will transmit more road harshness to the car
and its occupants.
Everyone has their own individual tolerance levels for this type of
stuff....only YOU can tell if it's worth it or not.

Larry


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Brett VanSprewenburg" <brett@netacc.net>
To: "The Scirocco List" <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2004 11:32 AM
Subject: Re: Control arm bushing q's


>
> It is true that poly is less forgiving and harder then the rubber
> components they are
> designed to replace, but the bushings get a bit of a bad rap due
> primarily to the
> poly motor mount replacements.  My observations have been that harder
> motormounts
> will most definitely transmit more vibration to the cabin, and most
> folks draw a
> similar conclusion about hard poly replacements elsewhere on the car.
> IMO, and
> some experience, I'd have to say that using the poly bushings on the
a-arms
> contribute only a small addition to noise or harshness to the cabin
through the
> suspension.  Upper poly type suspension bushings are going to have a
> far greater
> effect here, for instance.  The poly bushings in the a-arms are far more
likely
> to have a positive impact combating unwanted lower a-arm deflection.  This
> reduces odd / unpredictable toe, caster and even camber changes under
> specific loads.  This is especially true if the rubber bushings are tired.
>
> In summary, I think poly's got a bad rap due to the motormount vibration.
Poly
> upper strut bearings are likely to have a more adverse impact on ride
quality,
> and I've never been bothered by them after riding on them for years.
> Poly lower a-arm bushings are more likely to have a positive impact on
> unwanted alignment changes under load, and have less impact on ride
quality
> (but will probably have some, IMO, worth the benefits).  Again, just
another
> datapoint and another persons opinion to consider.  It is your car
afterall,
> and it's nothing you cannot change again if you don't like it.
>
> ==Brett
>