idrvarocco

iTrader: (2)

V has 120k miles and front end clunks a bit. Has anyone replaced their upper and lower front control arm bushings with creative steel ones? If so, results?

Creative Steel

Quite a bit of people have, so hopefully they can tell you their experience.

You may want to look at sway bar bushings as well. They tend to wear out and give you a definitive clunk.

idrvarocco

iTrader: (2)

thx! is there a good technique/writeup/tutorial for removing the control arm bushings?

NIKDSC5

iTrader: (10)

The fronts are easy with a press. And do able with a hammer. Results are as expected. Improvement. How ever they will require more maintenance. I usually grease mine every 2k miles to keep them quiet.

idrvarocco

iTrader: (2)

every 2k miles, dang...you industrious sob. i am far too lazy for that.

how many miles did your car have when you did it? are there any other bushings that may be the clunking noisw culperate.

seems to be worst on rebound after going over bumps/potholes (have penske coilovers)

vroom_vroom

iTrader: (5)

Swaybar bushings. It's the first place to look. Cheapest and easiest to replace

NIKDSC5

iTrader: (10)

Industrious? Ha! They have grease zerks. Simple pump and dump.

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

Polyurethane bushings shouldn't require regreasing every 2k miles (with the exception of the < 1 week break-in period). I suggest you switch to a grease that has better water washout and evaporation loss performance.

I recommend Redline CV-2. It's the best I've found. Tried Prothane, Formula 5, Super Lube, M-77, and Mercury 2-4-C previously. Prothane and Formula 5 (which are the most commonly-recommended products) really suck because they wash out easily. People forget how frequently control arm bushings are subjected to water spray. In general, if the manufacturer doesn't publish water washout and evaporation test results, don't consider the product.

54inches

iTrader: (4)

lol, smh......

Doble

End links

idrvarocco

iTrader: (2)

yup, have some new end links sitting in a box...

NIKDSC5

iTrader: (10)

I didn't say the squeak every 2k. Only that i grease them so they don't. I use super lube with ptfe I believe. Which last I checked was the best possible grease for these.

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

That's internet wisdom for you. Super Lube was designed as light lubricant for rubber o-rings and plastic fittings in the food-processing industry. It's ill-suited to automotive applications.

I don't have ASTM D1264 test data to prove it to you, because Synco either never had it tested or won't publish the results. That said, most PTFE greases show 4.0-10.0% loss on the ASTM D1264 water washout test, whereas Redline CV-2 came in at 1.0%.

Ultimately, I'm not going to try to twist your arm, since frankly I don't care how much time you spend greasing. One is $11 and one is $13, so if you're inclined to experiment with greases later, the cost is essentially the same.

Anthony Toal

I just had mine replace not to long ago OP, car had about 90k on it. It does make a world of difference on how the car feels. Mine currently has a popping noise as well, reason why I changed out the control arm bushings and sway bar bushings, ordering adjustable end links today, the original owner had this car slammed without changing end links.

They are not to bad to grease, I do mine every oil change. Although I have issues getting grease between the flange of the lower control arm bushing and the washer, creates a distinct popping noise when I turn the wheel, I can replicate it by slowly jacking the control arm up. Ive dremeled a channel into the core that leads to flange/washer, but no luck really, unless i dump a load of grease into it and move the control arm up and down as I do. Have anyone else had this issue?

54inches

iTrader: (4)

What happens if you don't drive your car in water? =0% washout......

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

True but evaporation loss still needs to be considered. Don't forget that greases are packages containing lubricating particles (Li, Si, PTFE, MoS 2, etc) suspended in a carrier medium. Carrier formulation has a huge influence on the overall performance of the grease, including water resistance and evaporation rate.

ls1247

iTrader: (2)

Thanks Fuzzy...as I actually drive my car, I'm not afraid of getting it wet.

idrvarocco

iTrader: (2)

What end links did you get?

Anthony Toal

I am giving these a shot http://www.racingbeat.com/RX8/Sway-Bars/54203.html, Bio helped me find these, they just shipped out yesterday, so I will have them in asap

Fuzzy, the redline cv-2, do you use the 80402 or the 80401? My guess is the 80401 since i dont see why they need moly. I am thinking of giving this a shot to help keep the flange surface of the bushing greased better.

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

I was the one that did the research, forged the relationships, and provided the instructions on ordering those RacingBeat end links.

Did you remember to get the shortened central rod, or did Bio forget to tell you about that detail?

Redline 80401 and 80402 are the same. One comes in a jar, and one comes in a standard 14oz grease gun cylinder.

The flange surface of bushings don't need to be lubricated. They are stationary. If you have noise, it's either a) because there's insufficient lubrication between the OD of the metal sleeve (which rotates) and the ID of the polyurethane, or the flange height on your bushings are too tall and the metal core is not making contact with the mounting tabs.