OE bushings or Energy poly bushings??

[dkim1985]

So I was looking into changing my old bushings because they're pretty old.
Was interested in the Polyurethane bushings by Energy Suspension but have been getting mixed responses about polyurethane bushings.

I'm hearing they squeak a lot(?)
Can someone confirm this?

[The Dude]

Depends on which bushings you want to replace. I have some for the diff and subframe, but I wouldn't use them on suspension arms as they will cause binding.

[modulation]

If you get poly bushings be aware you'll have to re-grease certain ones every 6 months to a year or even less if it rains alot in your area.

I love my ES bushings though, one of my favorite mods on the car.

[dkim1985]

so for suspension arms, go with OE rubber bushings?
I live in the LA area and do mostly highway and street driving.
I currently have multi-link suspension arms on my car but it feels like crap when I drive and is completely unnecessary on the street.

I still have my OE arms and just plan to refinish them(paint and bushings).
I have KYB shocks and Tanabe lowering springs and just want to do something that can handle being lowered and still have a semi-comfortable ride.
Meaning, I dont want my car to sound like something fell off just from hitting a small bump in the road.
..always scares passengers. LOL

[The Dude]

I'm not sure if you can still find new OEM rubber bushings for most things now. There may be some Nismo ones you can find somewhere. I would keep the busted rubber bushings on the arms before I'd put polyurethane bushings in. A couple different options would be good spherical bearings such as the ones in SPL's arms or trying to track down stock arms with decent rubber left.

Edit-After looking around some I found that Megan Racing makes rubber bushings for the suspension arms that have gotten pretty good reviews. I may look into getting some for the knuckles on my car.

[Mikester]

I have a full RS-R urethane master bushing kit & Energy urethane subframe bushings on my S13- with the exception that my RUCA/rear toe/tension rods are pillow ball. What I noticed is that the ride is very tight and responsive compared to stock rubber,and the drivetrain makes a bit more noise between the stiffer bushings and switching to a single piece aluminum driveshaft. I can't speak to any squeaking; but I don't drive the car on an everyday basis and it will never see rain, ice etc... and I greased the ever-loving piss out of the bushings when I put them in. The way the front/rear knuckle bushings go in; once you grease them then press them in, that's it. The grease is pretty well sealed in at that point- so use plenty when you do it ;) Same goes for the subframe bushings. However don't discount what these guys are saying about squeaking... Grease just like any other chemical evaporates, wears out etc so if you operate the car on a regular in all weather extremes, you may very well find yourself having to do some periodic maintenance on them. That's just fine with me- I am very happy to have done it and wouldn't trade my setup for all the rice in China~

P.S. whenever you do your bushings... regardless of whether you decide on rubber or urethane, it's the best time to go ahead and change the front/rear ball joints while you have everything apart. Hope this helps!

[om3ga]

I have been running the RSR bushing kit for over 5 years and only greased them the first time they were installed. They feel amazing. I did hear something about the black polyurethane having better lubricative properties or something like that. It could be possible.

[dkim1985]

Edit-After looking around some I found that Megan Racing makes rubber bushings for the suspension arms that have gotten pretty good reviews. I may look into getting some for the knuckles on my car.
Yeah i'm looking into these too. I still have my OEM arms and was thinking about refinishing them and adding these. Where do you see reviews for them? has anyone here had experience with these?