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Poly vs. rubber sway bar links revisited (good info)...
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Posted by Kyle [Email] (more from Kyle) on Sun, 1 Sep 2002 00:01:28 Share Post by Email
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So I did a little experiment today with my front sway bar bushings that y'all might find interesting -

I've been into bargain suspension mods recently for my '91 9000T. I bought a used set of front struts, springs and strut bearings from a '94 Aero for $70. The major improvement that these offered has of course made me want to make other improvements - so...

I wanted to see how much I could improve the functioning of the front sway bar without spending any money. Hmmmmm...

The first thing I did was tighten the large inner bushings that hold the bar to the subframe. I took a piece if silicone hose, cut it lengthwise, and wrapped it around the bar to sit in between the bar and the existing rubber bushing. This was easy to do and there's no doubt that the bar is clamped much more tightly now. I also used this technique to tighten the rear sway bar bushings.

Next -

I fabricated a new sway bar end-link that is much more substantial (thicker, stronger etc.) then the stock one, and also has a poly bushing instead of rubber to fit over the end of the bar.

The new end link connects to the control arm the same as the old one - a bolt through the conrol arm that clamps two bushings, one above and one below the arm.

Here's the interesting part -

I started with rubber end-link bushings above and below the arm, and clamped them reasonably tight. The test drive was dissaponting - lots of roll. I was worried that my new end links were a failure -

I came back and tightened the through bolt so that the rubber bushings were really crunched against the arm. There was an immediate and obvious improvement, probably bringing it to the same level as when I started the project. More control, less tire squeal on tight turns, and a genuine increase in grip.

The last phase was to add a poly bushing above the arm, and a rubber one on the bottom, which is what I had before this project with the stock end- link. I clamped the through bolt REALLY TIGHT so that the rubber bushing on the bottom was squashed to less than half of it's original thickness, and the poly one on top was also noticeably crunched.

I have to say - this made a big differnce! I went out and absolutely tossed the car around, I could hardly get the tires to squeal at all. It's really hard to quantify these improvements - but anyone who claims that switching from rubber to poly sway bar bushings is not similar in effect to increasing the size of the bar is wrong. The stiffness and tightness of the bushings has a very significant effect on the functioning of the sway bar.

I tried to be as objective as possible with each test drive, overall I drove the same roads and made the same turns. Each subsequent test allowed me to take the turns with more confidence at higher speeds.

Anyone considering the SAS bars should try polyurethane bushings first, because it seems like a decent compromise on the ride quality issue. The ride is certainly stiffer, but not so stiff that there's a drastic adjustment period where you wonder if you made a mistake.

The best thing about poly end-link bushings is that they are really easy to install and are also REALLY CHEAP - I got "Energy Suspension" poly bushings at "Auto Zone" for $10 (8 bushings per pack).

I just wanted to share this with everyone and I hope some people can find it useful.

Take Care.

-Kyle





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