RLCA Help: Spherical Bearing vs. Poly Bushing

[GT 550]

You've come this far with plan A ie poly, don't stop now

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[Brian@BMVK]

Welp, funny enough, the *easiest* part of the RLCA was removing the bushing. It was a real PITA to remove the entire control arm from the car, having to drop the exhaust and remove all the shocks and springs.

I used the Astro Pneumatic Goliath C Frame with an impact wrench to press the bushing out in about 20 seconds

The problem I'm currently having is difficulty pressing in the bushing. I have a ball joint receiving tube with a diameter 0.1mm too small for the bushing, and is digging into the polyurethane part slightly. I'm currently trying to figure out how to get it in, but worst case I'll probably resort to finding a shop to press it in. Or maybe just going the BK055 bearing route for now, as the press adapter fits those just fine.

Ahh decisions

Check to make sure you're pressing it in the right way. They're usually very slightly tapered. New needs to go in the opposite way the old came out.

 

[SlowStangGT]

Check to make sure you're pressing it in the right way. They're usually very slightly tapered. New needs to go in the opposite way the old came out.

I'm giving up and scheduled for a shop to push the bushing in I'll report back once they're installed and aligned.

Currently, no shop near me has an adapter big enough to handle the SuperPro bushing for the tension link . I've decided to install the Steeda tension link with spherical bearing in for now. Unlike the RLCA, it should be a simple swap if I ever decide to switch it out. I'm hoping the NVH won't be too bad, but we'll see!

 

[DB83]

Have you tried putting the control arm in the oven for 15 minutes and the poly bush in the freezer? Usually helps a lot!

 

[KellTrac]

You guys going through all of this work to install poly/elastomer bushing in the fore mount of the RLCA are crazy.

Due to the offset plane/pivot in this location, the material has to be very soft. In this case, you are literally only gaining one benefit...which is a non-bonded bushing design for better articulation during vertical suspension movement.

The primary benefit to replacing this bushing with something better is simply the reduction of deflection which will eliminate the extreme geometry change under heavy loading. In this case, these poly bushings are not really going to show much of any performance improvement there.

If a spherical bearing in this location is "too much" for you, then you really should just keep your suspension more on the stock side. Sorry, I just like to call a spade a spade. I compare it to when people actually make Youtube videos about how their G-Trac Brace made their car handle so much different and caused them to need to adjust their sway bars....or people claiming a g trac brace reduced their tramlining.

Sincerely, someone who tested all of the poly/elastomer offerings many years ago

 

[NGOT8R]

I’m happy with my RLCA spherical bearings (all day everyday)!

 

[TeeLew]

If a spherical bearing in this location is "too much" for you, then you really should just keep your suspension more on the stock side.

Sincerely, someone who tested all of the poly/elastomer offerings many years ago

The hubris of those who choose to argue from authority is truly entertaining. All options have compromises. The question is whether a certain set of compromises work for your application. You are really the only one who can answer that question.

 

[Jaymar]

@KellTrac I respect your experience in this area and have valued your opinion on chassis setup over the years both as the proprietor of your new business and your former employment with another well respected business here on the forums. With that, please allow me to ask for some further clarification for myself and others on this thread.

First of all, it's safe to assume most people interested in going the bushing route over the bearing are primarily street driven cars. Moderate horsepower and most likely driven daily with the occasional trip to the strip or HPDE event but not primarily track cars. In this instance the bearing route comes with the possible drawbacks of NVH and replacement frequency that may concern people on a car that is used under the above circumstances. With the bushing, you may sacrifice most of the positive locating properties of the bearing but you still get some of that and you still get the free articulation that is not afforded to you with the factory bushing. In your opinion, is that not enough to justify the use of the bushing over the OEM unit? Or am I incorrect in any of my above assumptions?

 

[TeeLew]

Jesus, Jaymar, he's not the bloody Pope.

 

[Jaymar]

Jesus, Jaymar, he's not the bloody Pope.

Haha, no. You're right. But I am genuinely interested in his take given the circumstances I gave and I'm not going to get that by being a douche. Besides, he's a business owner known to many here and he deserves a chance to give further explanation after crapping on an otherwise civil thread in front of a bunch of potential clients.

 

[Norm Peterson]

You guys going through all of this work to install poly/elastomer bushing in the fore mount of the RLCA are crazy.

Due to the offset plane/pivot in this location, the material has to be very soft. In this case, you are literally only gaining one benefit...which is a non-bonded bushing design for better articulation during vertical suspension movement.

The primary benefit to replacing this bushing with something better is simply the reduction of deflection which will eliminate the extreme geometry change under heavy loading. In this case, these poly bushings are not really going to show much of any performance improvement there.

If a spherical bearing in this location is "too much" for you, then you really should just keep your suspension more on the stock side. Sorry, I just like to call a spade a spade. I compare it to when people actually make Youtube videos about how their G-Trac Brace made their car handle so much different and caused them to need to adjust their sway bars....or people claiming a g trac brace reduced their tramlining.

Sincerely, someone who tested all of the poly/elastomer offerings many years ago

I have a fair idea how cylindrical bushings behave. Based on estimates of material stiffness I suspect that poly hits much of the "low-hanging fruit" as far as compression against compressive loading is concerned.

Have you tested, or tried to develop poly bushings using either multi-piece poly or a "voided bushing" approach?


Norm

 

[NGOT8R]

Having first hand experience removing my RLCA factory rubber bushings, I’d definitely say that it’s a whole lot easier to install poly bushings over the spherical bearing, because you wouldn’t have to remove the bushing shell. Just press out center pin and rubber bushing with an arbor (almost all of the rubber presses out, except for a thin 2-3mm layer), then burn out the rest with a propane torch for a clean and smooth bushing sleeve that’s ready to accept a new bushing.

I would venture to say that the majority of people will either stay on factory rubber bushings or add polys. However, there are more than a few of us, who went for the high hanging fruit and installed spherical bearings. It sure would be nice to hear from people that are running them, how many miles they‘ve put on them and whether they‘ve countered any problems.

 

[K4fxd]

Just press out center pin and rubber bushing with an arbor (almost all of the rubber presses out, except for a thin 2-3mm layer), then burn out the rest with a propane torch for a clean and smooth bushing sleeve that’s ready to accept a new bushing.

I'm pretty sure the SuperPro bushing comes with a metal sleeve.

 

[NGOT8R]

I'm pretty sure the SuperPro bushing comes with a metal sleeve.

Oh, I don’t doubt it. I just wanted to share what I discovered during my spherical bearing install. If the SuperPro bushing and sleeve are the same diameter as the factory sleeve, it will alleviate the need to remove the factory sleeve and save a lot of time and aggravation.

 

[Jaymar]

Oh, I don’t doubt it. I just wanted to share what I discovered during my spherical bearing install. If the SuperPro bushing and sleeve are the same diameter as the factory sleeve, it will alleviate the need to remove the factory sleeve and save a lot of time and aggravation.

I never thought of that, because I'm rarely lucky enough for things to work out that well for me. But I like where you're head's at!

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