I Go To Costco

iTrader: (1)

I've been told these can make a huge difference in handling and ride, but I haven't seen many F-Body owners change them. Which bushings exactly do you replace and what difference does it make? I know some parts come with their own bushings, but what are the important ones?

A guy on another forum said he replaced a bunch of bushings on his GTO but he didn't say which ones.

ae13291

iTrader: (8)

im guessing the front control arms, upper and lower bushings

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

there's many different bushings that can be replaced....

upper A-arm bushings
lower A-arm bushings
front sway bar endlinks
front sway bar mounts
rear sway bar endlinks
rear sway bar mounts
torque arm bushing
transmission mount
motor mounts
rear control arm bushings
panhard rod bushings

Foxxtron

iTrader: (1)

At the minimum, the age of 4th Gen F-bodies are at least 6 years (if the model year is 2002). With that stated, there's a lot of activity occuring with these suspension bushings and mounts. It is NORMAL for them to get worn slowly over a period of time due to the physics of how they work. And yes, they make a significant difference in ride and handling (of course not as much as changing shocks, sway bars, and springs).

With that mentioned however, the biggest of the culprits are the rear "fluted" LCA bushings. It's been discussed many times how much they can contribute to wheel hop, brake hop and other NVH issues. With that stated, it's somewhat cheap and usually doesn't involve much labour to do so, so those should definitely be replaced. As a matter of fact, I think it was foolish for GM to install them from the factory (but that's really water under the bridge). These should be replaced with Moog "solid" replacement rubber bushings, or some other like brand. Polyurethane is NOT recommended in these areas.

Another big area where where bushings tend to get really worn are the front A-arms (especially the caster bushing). There are significant loads applied to these areas during driving and they are the places where the front alignment is adjusted (AFA stock control arms are concerned). When they get worn, they can cause significant problems in handling, "comfort", and maintaining alignment. Unfortunately this area is more labour intensive than the rear arms, however if the camber and caster bushings are worn, it's definitely worth replacing. Again, replacement rubber bushings should be used. Polyurethane is also NOT recommended in this area as well.

These are good places to start on almost any of the 4th Gen f-bodies.

Luder[PAK9]

Good info, foxxtron.

leadfoot4

iTrader: (1)

I agree....well said.

Foxxtron

iTrader: (1)

Thanks guys, hopefully this thread can stay open to benefit some others who may have tried replacing what I've mentioned above and still have those annoying NVH problems that almost ALL cars will develop as they get older and/or more miles.

If I may add, one big culprit of "over the speed berm" problems I've encountered would be the exhaust mount. If there is like a "hanging rattle" when slowly traversing speed berms, then you might want to check the exhaust mount.

Now, some other areas that I can suggest if you'd really like to get your hands dirty would be:

Engine mounts
Torque-arm mount/bushing
front and rear sway bar endlinks
front and rear sway bar-to-body bushings

These areas are OKAY to use polyurethane. These are areas where minimal material deflection are essential to ride comfort and performance, whether it's a daily driver and/or an occasional track vehicle. As a reminder, it's important to keep the torque-arm and sway bar-to-body bushings well lubricated with some sort of non-water soluable grease. The grease in these areas are mostly for the purpose to minimise bind, and less with extending the bushing material life. Again, polyurethane is a proven performance upgrade only when used in the proper application.

AFA transmission mounts, that's an area that one should take caution with. Even though the rubber tends to get worn in this area, some replacement poly mounts can create a whole lot of noise. If in doubt, stick with the rubber version.

Foxxtron

iTrader: (1)

BTW, It's also memorable to note how the original poster above mentions how it's rare to see many members post anything concerning replacing these components, yet they are some of the most critical components to the cars comfort, performance, and safety.

If I can also add, another area to check with concerns to age can be ball joints, tie rod, and tie rod ends. These are areas to keep an eye on as well. If they need replacement, then Moog problem solver versions are usually fair-priced and practically readily available to purchase at most auto supply stores.

leadfoot4

iTrader: (1)

I agree again, and I'm going out on a limb here, but anyway here goes....


The Internet has become a terrific way to discuss all sorts of things, in this case, cars. One effect of the 'net, however, is that you never know who you're talking to. This means that you could be discussing ball joint replacement with a 13 year old person that who can't even legally own or drive a car, OR a 60 year old "gear head" who's changed more ball joints than some people have bought loaves of bread. You just don't know, yet people sometimes take the words they hear here as "Gospel", without further research.

One thing I seem to observe, however, is that many people here are very young car enthusiasts who didn't have the need to learn a lot of basic car maintenance, because of technological advancements in today's cars. A lot of today's enthusiasts don't know what "ignition points" are, or what it is to set "point dwell" or "ignition timing"... The computer does it today. Wheel bearings used to be "repacked" every couple of years, in the past. Today they're "sealed units"...They get noisy, replace them. There are also a lot more choices for upgraded parts today, polyurethane, rod end, solid, gas charged shocks, adjustable PHBs and LCAs...Stuff that was strictly "hand fabbed, race stuff" when I was a young car crafter.

In other words, a lot of people seem to have missed out on "the basics", and want to jump right into the "fast lane".

Just my "old fart" $0.02 worth.....

z28bryan

iTrader: (7)

Good thread. I agree with Leadfoot. You can get some priceless information from certain people around here, as long as you can identify who knows thier ****. Foxxtron is one of them.

5301113

iTrader: (18)

Great thread, saving this