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here is a neat upgrade I did over the weekend. for those that don't know our LCA bushings are made of soft material for that compliant lexus-like ride however as they age they wear out.
plus due to their soft material even out of the box, they tend to shift under hard braking or cornering, skewing the suspension geometry.
the result is poor tire wear and sloppy steering feel.
most folks upgrade them to Figs bushings or RR-Racing USRS solutions however they usually result in a harsher ride but with better tire wear and steering feel.
I wanted a compromise of both and found that the ISF LCA bushing are slightly stiffer over non-ISF units.
they are also much cheaper as most ISF owners did the upgrade already! I was able to find a set here on CL for $50 shipped with only 67k miles.
this will be replacing my tired and worn out set at 167k, and gave me a chance to preload the bushings after I lowered the car a year or so ago (something everyone should do to maximize all bushing life).
for reference (all are OFFSET:0,REFER R/M):
ISF LCA bushing OEM P/N 48075-30020 48076-30020
I did this last year with RC-F lower control arm bushings -- read about it in the big thread on Figs bushings, and Jeff Lange posted he used RC-F bushings and was pleased with the outcome. I don't know if the IS-F and RC-F use the same bushings -- can't find the RC-F part numbers right now.
The RC-F bushing is a good bit stiffer than the stock IS bushing, and it felt like it tightened up the handling a bit, without any squeaking. I don't think it stiffened up the ride much. The front inner tire wear is improved too, though not 100% gone.
Hey. So how dumb would it be for me to go with the RR Racing setup if I never track my car?
I am looking for "more fun to drive", but not sure if this will transform my IS into an unforgiving rattle-box
They increase about 10-15% NVH initially. After about a few 1000k miles it's like stock. The car will handle so much better, trust the ISF guys lol. This was the first mod I did to my car on stock suspension. The best best thing that I did besides the sway bars, and chassis brace. The 08-10 ISF steering ECU did wonders too for me.
I tossed in some low mile IS-F bushings a few weeks back. Set the toe at zero and called it done for now.
No increase in NVH and negligible change in steering input. Of course mine just hit 61k mi.
People be Wise when installing these. If the suspension is hanging down AND YOU TIGHTEN the nut, you will damage that bushing!!!
Tighten the nut ONLY when the cars suspension is at normal ride height! Otherwise you twist the bushing apart!
It won't fail in 500 mi but it will not survive 25k mi.
This applies to all bushings which have rubber bonded to inner and outer metal sleeves. Not ball joints, heim joints, bearings, or poly urethane.
Ya, it should be common sense but not everyone is gifted with that! lol. There is the 'I got it done and made money' camp and the 'I did it right' camp.
I lowered mine onto ramps and tightened them with the full weight of the car on them.
Do note that shock ends are bonded rubber and they should only be tightened when the vehicle is at ride height too!
Does it come with the necessary lubrication, or did they intend for people to purchase that separately? I suppose the shop I install with could probably just find some generic slop laying around their garage and throw that on...
It's supplied with grease. Have them add some extra synthetic grease as the packs are rather small. The bushings come with a detailed printout. If your mechanic cant understand them he can call Raffi. These guys are top notch customer service. I had a small question about mine when installing. It was Sunday evening, and he was responding to my emails within minutes. It includes his cell phone on the instructions too.
Ya, it should be common sense but not everyone is gifted with that! lol. There is the 'I got it done and made money' camp and the 'I did it right' camp.
I lowered mine onto ramps and tightened them with the full weight of the car on them.
Do note that shock ends are bonded rubber and they should only be tightened when the vehicle is at ride height too!
I raise the lower control arm with the jack until the car leaves the jack stand then I tighten everything. this is my "ride height" or how I simulate a loaded car on the ground.
I do everything on the driveway so getting my torque wrench in there is hard with the wheels on!
Last edited by timmy0tool; Feb 22, 2018 at 04:28 PM.
I get that. My observation is that unless you jack the car at the wheels mounting point (hub flange) you do not apply the same leverage by placing the jack 10 to 12" inbound of hub flange. Although it gets it close, it doesn't apply the same leverage and/or settle the suspension to actual ride height.
That said it is way better than doing nothing and a 1000 times better than leaving it hanging down and tightening it up.
I'm trying to get the word out to pay attention to these details and watch and/or ask those who work on your car so you know they are doing right by you.
ISF LCA bushing in a non-ISF
