Kind of a review/cautionary tale for anyone looking at poly bushings

I bought these Super Pro bushings to stuff in my OEM arms when they started falling apart. The website made them seem like something with more of a premium design, but I found that not to be the case.

Seemed ok at first...

After 500 miles I got a lot of rumbling . It wasn't too loud, so I thought it might be all the plastic bs on the underside. Kinda ignored it cause I didn't feel like dicking with it I also noticed mild drifting in ruts. Not too bad and I thought it may just be in my head.

2000 miles and I'm hearing loud popping and banging. I did the 9&3 and 6&12 check on the wheel, and I noticed a ton of movement. Definitely tracking ruts badly. Diving to one side at stop lights occasionally. The whole spindle would move. Looking closer, I realized the bushings had gone oblong and the inserts had a bit of play. Didn't seem like enough to be the noise I was hearing, but I popped in a new cheap rubber bushings and POOF no more noise .

So I am gonna be another voice in the "no" column for poly bushings in the LS460. This car just eats them.

I've attached a photo where you can see how out of round the center became, and a video of the small movement that causes large problems. It looks like a little but it's huge by the time it transfers through the steering. Not good.

 

I hate poly bushings. They never work, and they increase NVH without actually being more durable. They also squeak after 3 months, and the grease has all been washed out.

I think your issue was you tightened the bushings when the wheels were in the air. Thats your mistake or the mechanic that did the job.

 

The 2pc poly bushings don't set that way. They rotate on the insert/sleeve. You can tighten them on the ground or the air. You can't tighten the poly part. The poly swivels around the metal sleeve no matter how you set them. They almost flop around.

Besides, The failure caused by preloading a upper bushing is a rotational tear, which this was not. This is a design/material issue.

And these didn't squeak at all. Dead quiet. Squeak was the only sound they didn't make.

Anyway, im posting this for others that may be on the fence due to conflicting info found on forum posts.

 

Appreciate the heads up, polys never seem to last.

 

I agree with the original poster. Since I put these bushings in my car had definitely felt a bit more unstable and even though it's slight you can feel the wobble effect even when in a straight line. I can't even describe the feeling but it's so unnatural. I've been driving an LS for so long that I KNOW what the car should feel like.

​​​​​​These bushings have been squeaking like crazy for the past 2 weeks too. I removed the passenger side arms and added more grease which helped some but I was not able to get to the driver's side bushings yet. When I did the passenger side the grease was all but gone inside the sleeve and I felt I was generous with the grease when I first applied it.

I have not noticed any wear like the OP though. I already have new bushings waiting to be installed but I might just get new arms since there was some play in the passenger side rear ball joint. I don't feel like having to add grease to these bushings every couple of months which is something I read ppl doing with the poly bushings.

I'll know definitively when I change then out though.

 

They don’t last...they get distorted quickly and they are done. But in all honesty, nothing really does all that well with these cars - the suspension geometry just chews up control arm bushings.

 

Have you contacted SuperPro? According to their website, they have a lifetime warranty. Most poly bushing will have different ride characteristics than rubber, as for the most part they're harder which will often translate through to the steering and suspension. If one does not have experience with poly bushings, it can be a huge difference and almost a shock to them in the ride and handling. They definitely aren't for everyone!