OME vs POLYBUSH

[Nigelw]

I read the thread about the radius arm bushes and now I am at a loss.

I will have my new second hand disco home next week to begin its resurection, but new springs and bushings all round were part of the rebuild, I had originally planned orange polybush all round but after reading that thread I am now having second thoughts!! I polybushed a Range Rover with the Blue bushes 5yrs ago and 70,000miles and a lot of bumpy farm tracks has done it no harm at all, but what in the wider audiences opinion should I go for?

I intend to use it for trail driving and off roading mostly but it has got to last!!!!

[jai_landrover]

I fitted some cheap poly type bushes lasted 3 months before they wore out I will now only fit metallistic bushes these last a year before they start to show signs of needing to be changed.

[simonr]

For some types of bushings, Polueurathane is ideal. However, for most types of Automotive bushings, it is less than ideal!

This is the only reason that OE Manufacturers do not use PU bushings. It's cheaper to produce than rubber elastomer - so if it were a better solution, they would jump at it!

The forums contain many rave reviews of PU bushes saying how much they improve the handling, but they are of course comparing them to worn out Elastomer bushes - not like for like against new elastomer.

In my humble opinion, the best bushes to fit are genuine Land Rover wherever possible. They will out last any PU or patterned bushes and give just as good handling, but for significantly longer.

The best PU bushes however are made by SuperPro from Australia. Fortunately, they have a UK agent.

The big advantage they have is PU bushes are easy to fit without a press - but that's about it!

Genuine or SuperPro if you don't have a press!

Si

[UdderlyOffroad]

Genuine or SuperPro if you don't have a press!

Put you'll probably need a press to get the old ones out You could burn them out - but if you don't have press you're unlikely to have a suitably hot flame either...

Superpro set is around £150+VAT - Genuine Bushes should come in for less than £100...do yourself a favour, order new bolts too. Paddocks do a 'bolt kit' for less than a tenner.

[FridgeFreezer]

Split bushes can allow water in and then you get corrosion in between, so the part they're pressed into ends up scrap as the hole gradually gets bigger...

[v8bertha]

I've been running blue polybushes in the camel for a few years, but for laugh decided to fit gen rubber bushes even though the polys didn't show any signs of being past their best. I've only changed the rear end bushes so far but this has really stiffened up my back end .

Agreed with Si tho, its rare that we ever compare new with new, so a proper comparison is difficult.

As for the ingress of dirt and water, I've heard this about the cheaper bushes, deflex (???) and the like, but after close inspection of the holes after removing my Polys, I couldn't really see any evidence.

[Bowie69]

but if you don't have press you're unlikely to have a suitably hot flame either...

A simple, run of the mill blowtorch is plenty hot enough to heat the rubber so it slips away from the metal, then reassemble a hacksaw around it and cut and chisel the outer metal piece, and job done.

A mate has a press though, so you know where I will get doing mine from now on

[V8 Freak]

I had Poly in most places under the 110.

Recently replaced all but A-Frame bushes back to Geuine. (Didn't get round to those..)

Although the polybushes didn't show signs of wear nor was there an issue of deposits enlarging the original hole, the centres of the bushes all rusted to the point where it was near impossible to remove some of the retaining bolts and the bushes would not come away from the centre tubes etc.

Had the tube rusted through completely (Only a few more years by the looks of them) who knows what would have been the resulting effect.

Generally the SuperPro bushes worked well and gave a safe predictable ride even when the V8 was let out to play.

But as I now have a suitable press, I'm sticking to the genuine article as they do perform well.

Neil

[Nigelw]

I have a 25T press, will this be suitable? If not my local demolition contractor Baldwins seem to love me and they have a 200T press in their work shop so don't know if the whole issue will be so "pressing"?

Like I said, did a classic with polys and it's seen 70k and all seems ok, but times and circumstances have changed for me and I really don't want to waste money on components that will fail catastrophically or that end up costing me more in the long term with a shorter service life, the ability and time to change them is not an issue but long term running costs are.

[V8 Freak]

Mine is 20T and done everything I've put in there so far...

[jbs]

I've got Super pro in my 90 and they'e been really good

HTH

John

[Mo Murphy]

I've been really happy with the superpro that I fitted 2 1/2 years ago and they're still going strong

Mo

[andylandy]

Genuine bushes are the best solution

After market rubber bushes are not worth bothering with

PU bushes the only use is they can be changed in the Field but if you fit genuine you wont be needing to do that!!!

[rick]

For some types of bushings, Polueurathane is ideal. However, for most types of Automotive bushings, it is less than ideal!

This is the only reason that OE Manufacturers do not use PU bushings. It's cheaper to produce than rubber elastomer - so if it were a better solution, they would jump at it!

The forums contain many rave reviews of PU bushes saying how much they improve the handling, but they are of course comparing them to worn out Elastomer bushes - not like for like against new elastomer.

In my humble opinion, the best bushes to fit are genuine Land Rover wherever possible. They will out last any PU or patterned bushes and give just as good handling, but for significantly longer.

The best PU bushes however are made by SuperPro from Australia. Fortunately, they have a UK agent.

The big advantage they have is PU bushes are easy to fit without a press - but that's about it!

Genuine or SuperPro if you don't have a press!

Si

I disagree Si,

IMO, and many here in Oz, Super Pro beat OEM rubber hands down in performance/flex and totally outlive them in our conditions.

PU definitely beats rubber anywhere a bush is in compression, like you I didn't believe PU was a good choice in rotation, but I've been converted.

Super Pro deliver better flex (far better design than an OE bush) and they use the right durometer material for each bush. No one durometer fits all areas with their bushes.

They don't just copy the OE design bush, they look at it, then decide how it can be made better.

If you look at the design of the SP chassis to lower rear trailing arm bush, and the radius arm to chassis bush (the high performance option) they are a much smarter design and you will get better flex with superior life compared to the OE ones.

I had to replace the OE rear trailing arm bushes somewhere around the 90-100,000km mark, they had flogged out and the rear steer was terrible.

Installed the Super Pro ones and they are still fine at 300,000km and the design allows easier flex than the OE type bush with long travel dampers.

My 130 cops a flogging on rough dirt roads, farm tracks, rough secondary roads and what is laughingly called a highway here. It's a work truck and it's loaded to the hilt, (usually gross @ 3000kg sans driver) with the occasional off road foray thrown in for good measure. I used to race too, so apparently I carry a bit of speed in the old girl and don't spare her in the rough stuff, so I've been told

The only place I still run original bushes are the axle end of the rear trailing arms.

Oh, and i have a 60 ton press to hand

[simonr]

I disagree Si,

it still remains true that no OEM used PU bushings - but they are cheaper to make! There has to be a logic to their decision?

I would guess that the number of failures within the warranty period is higher with PU. That does not mean that there will not me some users or some environments where PU won't last a long time, but I think it must be the case on average, across all users.

I agree that SuperPro are pretty good, and I have used them when I think they are appropriate. But on my daily drive 110, they are all genuine and all original factory fit. I have an off road vehicle (non Land Rover) that uses all SuperPro - but that was as much because I have an account with them and SuperPro Toyota/Suzuki bushes are easier to get than genuine. On the whole I've been delighted with them.

I don't think we really disagree that much!

Si

[rick]

True, the only point I suppose I disagreed with was the life of the OE vs Super Pro.

Most all of us over here have found the SP's to comprehensively outlast the OE rubber bushes in most spots on a coiler Landy, particularly the OE ones that have been supplied recently.

[Nigelw]

I got a little lost with the durometer thing but think I worked it out as the compound mixture?

But funnily elbekko pointed out that oe bushings aren't lasting as long as they used to either!!!

Maybe I will just fit oe to be on the safe side but will keep in mind the super pro, see which prices im"press" me the most when I come to buy them in a few weeks time.