curtisad

iTrader: (4)

will energy suspension bushings for the sway bars be any benefit at all?


Curtis

jyeager

Yes, they'll tighten things up. When you transfer weight from side to side, the rubber bushings must deflect fully before they put the bind on the sway bar and transfer the weight. So bushings that deflect less with transfer quicker and hold the car a little more level.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Eh.... Bushings do nothing to limit the amount of roll the car has. They can't make the swaybars any stiffer. But they do make the bars come into play or react more quickly.

jyeager

I was only referring to the small amount of deflection in the rubber. If it deflects 1/8" on both sides, it would allow an additional 1/4" of roll before the bar goes in to torsion.

Let me know if I misunderstand the dynamics.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

To begin with, our cars do not have rubber bushings on the endlinks, but a delrin. The stock endlink bushings actually deflect very, very little.

And my point before was only that the bushings (if they are actually there and the links aren't really loose) will not make the car corner any flatter. They will make the bars react faster and quicken response a bit. Nowhere near what more shock damping can do, or what more bar can do, but they will quicken the response none the less.

Here's the deal. If you are at all planning on getting aftermarket bars, don't buy bushings. Most bars come with new bushings and endlinks included. Save the $40 you'll spend on new bushings and put it toward a bigger front bar (or bar set, whatever). That's not to say the $40 bushings won't "help", they will. But it's a $40 help, not a $400 help. If the stock stuff is trashed then by all means replace them. But if the OEM stuff is in decent shape I'd look elsewhere. MHO