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Suspension Bushings



Why Replace or Upgrade Your Bushings?

Rubber bushings are essentially a type of cushion for suspension movement and vibrations from the road. Without any bushings, your suspension components would be metal on metal and every small vibration would be transferred into the cab of the vehicle which would basically results in terrible ride quality. Simply put, bushings help absorb the movements and vibrations from your suspension system to stop those vibrations from being transferred to the cab. Typically, you’ll find bushing in your dampers, control arms, sway bar brackets, and many other locations.

The problem with many OEM bushings is that they’re too soft. Soft bushings are great for reducing road noise and improving ride quality, but they allow for excessive movement, which ultimately leads to poor steering response and strange handling characteristics. Replacing OEM bushings with polyurethane or delrin is a great way to reduce excessive suspension movement and massively improve steering response.

In many cases, OEM bushings wear out very fast because of how soft they are. Once your car’s bushings are worn out, they will create very sloppy movement. This results in a wobbly feeling in the front of the car. You will also hear clunking or rattling noises once you drive on uneven surfaces, turn the wheel or even during strong braking. You may also feel poor handling or steering response as well. A failing rear suspension bushing can be difficult to notice since they do not cover the steering system and may not be as impacted by cornering.

Bushings are built to support a car’s control arm, sway bar, ball joints, tie rods, shock absorber and strut mount, and other suspension and steering components. They are also found in the vehicle’s engine and transmission mount. They get damaged and worn out by friction, time, heat, contact with road salts and oils, and the strain of repeated movement and loads.

Vivid Racing offers Performance Suspension Bushings for the majority of high-performance cars. These include Mitsubishi EVO 8, Subaru WRX STI and Dodge SRT, to name just a few. We also carry a wide array of parts related to bushings such as strut bars, sway bars, coilovers, chassis bracing, mounts, and more!