A couple of weeks ago, I brought my cars to Mike at Figs Engineering to have the full catalog of Superpro Bushings installed on my ISF and do an alignment. I've now put a couple hundred miles on this setup and wanted to share my thoughts, since I have not seen an official review thread of this here on CL.

For reference, here's the link to the aforementioned bushings: https://shopfigs.com/v5/2008-2014-LE...14?search=3491

Alignment Specs:

- Front Camber (Left, Right): -2.0, -1.9
- Front Caster (Left, Right): 8.2, 7.4
- Front Toe (Left, Right): .06, .09
- Rear Camber (Left, Right): -2.4, -2.2
- Rear Toe (Left, Right): .04, .03

Suspension Setup:

- Figs Ohlins Coilovers with Superpro bushings. These were just rebuilt this year.
- Figs LCA
- Figs Mega Arms
- Figs Toe Links
- Figs Front and Rear Sway Bar End Links

First off, just a shout out to Mike and Figs Engineering for always taking great care of me and for the great products they design and sell!

Feel: With the bushings and alignment, the car rides beautifully! The chassis feels more planted and responsive than before. I don't drive my car on track, but I built my car for the canyons, and before the chassis was responsive, but the response felt a bit more delayed/lazy. Now, as you initiate the turn, the rear of the car just responds and rotates much more willingly and predictably. It's also much easier to judge the moment that the rear tires are about to lose grip. Overall, the chassis feels more athletic, willing, and communicative, which is exactly what I was looking for.

NVH: My big fear in doing this upgrade (which is NOT cheap lol), was that it would drastically increase NVH in the cabin. For the most part, I don't notice any additional NVH. I have the Sikky CF driveshaft, so I do hear a bit more of the diff whine, from time to time, but not to the point where it really bothers me. I just put my foot back on the accelerator and add a bit more throttle and the noise goes away. There's a bit more resonance at idle (only in Drive, not in Park or Neutral), but I also have the Figs engine mounts, so that contributes a bit. Really, the vibration is not unpleasant to the point that I don't want to drive the car and lessens a bit as the car warms up.

Conclusion: This is a great modification to refresh the bushings on our cars which are getting old and to improve the enjoyment of this great chassis. It's not a cheap modification by any means, but if you are planning to keep this car long term, like myself, I think it's a worthwhile one for sure.

 

Thanks for the review. How many miles does your car have? Been thinking about doing this more and more now considering my car is at 170k miles and I'm considering doing a full refresh on the car.

Any comments on the coils too for daily driving and vs stock?

 

I have about 92k miles on my car. However, my understanding is that bushing condition is less related to mileage and more age related. Mine were decently worn, even given my lower mileage.

With regards to the Ohlins R&T Figs coilovers, they are probably one of the best modifications you can do to the ISF. While power mods are exciting, a good suspension/wheel/tire package you can appreciate on the road at any speed. Even when you're in traffic lol. That being said, the damping quality and body control on the Ohlins is superb. Gone is the "jumpy" nature of the stock suspension and the harsh rebound (I have a 2011). While the ride is not LS plush, it is better damped and more comfortable.

 

Fully support and recommend the Superpro bushings - I have a 2012 with 49K miles, could not get rid of front inner tire wear even with the FIGS LCA bushings. Bought the full Superpro kit from FIGS. Replaced all front suspension bushings on UCA and LCA. Nonadjustable version.Also new lower ball joints. Left the rear stock for now. Inner tire wear is gone, have about 2K miles on the setup, no squeaks. Bonus was that it brought my right side caster back into spec. Car feels much more planted when going over highway road humps. Before I would get bump steer. Did all the work myself - invested in the $800 bushing replacement tool kit that FIGS sells - could not have done it without those tools. Job was a chore, but result was very rewarding. Rear bushings will be done when it’s time for rear axles and/or coilovers.

 

How hard is to replace lower control arm bushing #1?

Superpro SPF4358K

 

It was a chore, below are install instructions from Figs website.
I added grease fittings to the bushing housing accessible from below so I could relube without removing the control arm.
Well worth the effort - After the Figs rear LCa bushing, I think this made the biggest improvement in suspension feel.

Install:

The bushing sits at the direct inboard side of the front LCA which is inward of the wheel to the front. The factory bushing is a 3 piece design with 2 caps and a center ferrule. The 2 caps are pressed into the center ferule with makes everything fairly integrated. Because of the integration, the center must be drilled out to release the 2 halves. Remove the two bolts holding the bushing bracket (one with nut) and 2 side rail bracket
Remove the rear nut that holds the bracket to the LCA. Remove rear bushing bracket and the lateral arm bolt. You may need to remove the entire arm, sway bar and shock absorber to allow easier access but if supported the arm can be worked on in place.

THIS WAS THE FUN PART: Drill out center of bushing and then hammer each end cap out of the arm with an air chisel. If still stubborn step up one size in drill bit and pass through the center again to be sure the factory bushing is separated.

Install new bushings with the leading edge greased. Do not apply too much grease or it will drive the second half of the bushing out when the center tube installed.

Install center tube and watch for bushing ejection. You may need to pull out one half and clear some grease if this occurs. The outer cavities in the bushing are intended to accept the excess grease, so be sure they are mostly clear relative to the volume of grease that was used.

Wipe excess grease off-center tube and install everything in reverse. Put a light coating of grease on the outside thrust surfaces of the bushing where the tangent grooves are. This will help lube the bushing as it is moving against the front cross member.

The install is complete. Typical grease intervals are 1 year or as needed if any noise should develop.

 

I had FIGS press in their spherical bushing at the #1 bushing since I had spherical bushings on the back side of the LCAs. I understand that poly at the #1 spot isn't recommended if you have sphericals on the back side due to bushing binding. Highly recommended the spherical #1.

 

Those instructions are accurate. Getting the front bushing out is not easy at all.

I ran the poly bushings front and rear first, then went full solid a while ago when I put on the Ohlins DFVs. Now everything up front is solid except for the shock lower bushings. NVH with solid is definitely more pronounced over sharp bumps, but the steering feel and adjustability are unmatched.

 

Getting that front bushing out is a royal pain. Basically, do not even attempt it without an air hammer. I need to finish off the rear still but I have the full front setup and agree with everything said here. It is just so much better. Instead of replacing the front upper control arm bushings though, I went with the Figs adjustable arms.

 

Front LCA no. 1 wasn’t fun at all. But once you get that done, the rest is easy!

 

My shop removed the control arms and lit the old bushings on fire to remove them.

 

I thought front was difficult, the rears were a PITA.

Especially putting it back into the rear subframe.

 

which locations / bushings are you referring to?

 

I had Mike at Figs make me custom SuperPro bushings to go in to the lower part of the Ohlins DFVs. Loved it for the last 3 years and the service life is much longer .

 

how much did that cost??