What are the benefits of polyurethane bushes?

“ Good tuners have long realised that the basis of a good fast road or track car is to start from the bottom up, good tyres and good suspension/chassis components, bushes are a vital part of the set up”

A lot of people have heard of Polyurethane or ‘Urethane’ bushes but never got round to buying them, its always on the “to do list”. These people are cheating themselves out of a trick. Polyurethane bushes make a massive difference to how a car accelerates, brakes and handles. Even those that aren’t into car modifying/tuning  should consider uprating to Polyurethane bushes for the simple reason that they last much longer (longer than you’ll own the car in 90% of cases) and are usually cheaper than OE equipment.

The stock rubber bushes used by OE manufacturers are chosen because they meet the ‘middle of the road’ requirements needed. They're far far cheaper to produce and meet their comfort and sound deadening needs, Polyurethane is an expensive material. However, the rubber bushes deteriorate in a relatively short time, reducing control, giving a ‘spongy ride’ and causing premature failure to other chassis components, and this happens a long time before you start to hear the very obvious signs of bush failure. Polyurethane technology has come on a long way in recent years and depending on the grade, can be as soft as an elastic band or as hard as plastic, modern Polyurethane bushes when produced from the best manufacturers is cut from a grade of Polyurethane that has been chosen because it gives the best compromise of both qualities.

FAQ

Will my car become ‘crashy’ and too harsh a ride?

No, your car’s handling, braking and acceleration will become tighter and firmer and more controlled, but you won’t have a crashy ride, this is more dictated by your suspension springs.

Don’t Polyurethane bushes squeak?

No, not if they’re installed correctly, using the supplied lubricant.

Do I need special tools to fit Polyurethane bushes?

No, fitting them requires no specialist tools, however, certain bushes on certain cars will need to be pressed or burnt out whether fitting stock rubber bushes or Polyurethane items. This can be done with an old-school technique of a nut bolt and some washers, winding the bush into the hole, and burning them out with a cheap hardware store blow torch.

All Silverstorm prices are at least 10% off retail prices. If you have any more questions please feel free to email.

We cater for hundreds of makes and models, please call or email for a quote.