Rubber or poly bushings..

[5150.4.67]

Was in the process of ordering polyurethane front end bushings (73 front crossmember) when my father said "Your crazy to put those hard things up their. If you like squeaks, go ahead." Anybody having any failures, etc?
Jay

[Jtrux]

Just got finished swapping body mounts on my blazer and more than anything I love the way they look. I also helped a friend swap his mounts for the poly's and not a creak or squeak to be heard. I say go poly, they last forever and look great!

[eightbanger]

Poly!!

While we are on the subject, can anyone tell me if there is a company who sells complete poly bushing sets for our Trucks?
Is that what you have in your pic Jtrux?.

[special-K]

I`ve had poly spring eye bushing crak up to the point that my whole front axles would rack when turning the wheels.The truck wondered and I went through everything in my steering before realizing the bushings were shot.
Alot of people will give the same advise your father did.It makes for a more rigid mount which can be good or bad.Depends on which application and use.I never had a problem with factory other than too many decades of good service.Poly came out for offroad application and has spread into all types of uses.The word "harsh" comes up when talking poly vs oem.

[70cst]

Curt who is doing my restoration said he will only use rubber bushings...Some but not all poly bushings have a tendency to "squeak" and I am not willing to gamble and have this issue pop up after the cab and bed are back on the truck. The idea of a little squeak here and a little squeak there just doesn't appeal to me. But others have used poly bushongs w/o any squeak issues. It comes down to if you want to roll the bdice. JMHO Good Luck!

[eightbanger]

Thanks for the flip side on that Tim, I would advicate Poly only on the basis that it is the latest material for this app and therefore is supposedly an advancement, not on any greater personal knowleadge. So you have given me something to think about.
Thanks mate.

[68gmsee]

I'm also planning on doing mine so I have heard and read about the differences over the last year. The above posts are all true, but, from what I have found out, no one has had ploly for 10 years or longer--that I'm aware of.

I do like the idea of newer materials since they are the latest in technology. However, there's no way they can replicate 20 or more years of normal use.

Personally, I'm leaning to the tried and true rubber ones. I've had mine for 40 years and probably lasted for 20 good years before showing signs of wear.

[N2TRUX]

Look for Poly-graphite" bushings if you want the best of both worlds. They have improved pure polyurethane bushing by impregnating graphite in the blend. This allow the durability of polyurethane without the well know squeaking. The graphite acts as a lubricant as the bushing wear, and prevents them from become hard.

New technology is amazing...

[5150.4.67]

Thanks for all the posts. After considering that this will be a DD, I went with rubber, mostly because the parts house had them all in stock and that after 38 years of dealing with my dad, somewhere I finally learned he's usually right. That being said, I would like to try them on my next project. "Polygraphite" sounds like a win win.
Jay
P.S. Just had a baby boy tonight, Jackson Dale. 9lbs, 10ozs. Maybe It will only take him 37 years!

[special-K]

Speaking of new technology...do new vehicles now use poly bushings?I`m not totally against poly bushings,and I`d only use Poly graphite,BTW.But think of what a bushing`s purpose is.They are designed to give flex where it is needed.So,if you use motor/trans poly bushings you will be putting more stress on the frame and mounts than designed for.Not saying you`ll crack your frame.Just adding a stiffer link in the chain,If it`s a race vehicle where every edge to improve handling is essential,they`re the way to go.You don`t mind giving up comfort to gain handling.Race tracks are keep pretty dang smooth,too.You need to ask yourself what you want to trade off on your street vehicle.I wouldn`t use the "lasts longer" school of thought,unless you`ve seen poly last as long as original rubber.It`s like when I went for a vent stack boot for my roof and the guy plops a plactic one on the counter.I said,"Don`t you have the galvanized ones?"The guy says,"These will last forever".My answer?"Well,we don`t know that,yet."

[LockDoc]

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Maybe this was mentioned and I read over it but someone posted in another thread about more road vibrations transferring through the poly bushings to the passenger compartment. Stands to reason since the poly's are more firm.

LockDoc

[69TowRig]

The only crap that squeaks on my Nissan that I offroad are the upper control arms w/poly bushings and the rear springs w/poly bushings. I grease the crap out of them and the squeaks always come back.

I look at it this way. If the rubber bushings held up this long, why not use rubber again? Poly has a tendency to crack instead of wearing, especially when really cold, this is another point to mention.

[WyoRoadDog]

A thing to note in particular with Energy Suspension stuff is that the black are graphite impregnated, and the red are not. I'm using them on my 4x build, and was going black any way, but it's a consideration if deciding between the colors.

[msgross]

Originally Posted by WyoRoadDog

A thing to note in particular with Energy Suspension stuff is that the black are graphite impregnated, and the red are not. I'm using them on my 4x build, and was going black any way, but it's a consideration if deciding between the colors.

I was going to mention that.. I talked to Energy Suspension when I had issues with mine. They also sent me a tub of their grease as well...