Rubber or poly?

Jeff B

Well-known member
Current state of affairs....

I just talked to a fellow Rover enthusiast today and he/his dad are going back to rubber. Poly cracked after just a few years.

I need to redo the whole front end...radius arms(both ends), pan hard.

2016= rubber or poly?


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mgreenspan

Founding Member
I think poly works if you get the right brand. I believe there a company called polybush(or poly bushing or something like that) which is not to be confused with the broad term polybush used to describe the product polyurethane bushings. If I had to guess, the most expensive ones are probably better.

That said, I don't use that shit and stick with regular bushings. If the automotive industry started making all cars and trucks from the factory with them, I might reconsider. But to me it's like running synthetic oil in an old diesel engine. No way, José.
 

chris snell

Administrator
Callsign: NW5W
Staff member
Rubber lasts longer but is a pain in the ass to change.

Poly is easy to change but more likely to fail on the trail.

I generally use rubber because I'm a purist but I am slowly switching to poly on things like shock bushings and eventually, the axle side of trailing arms. I've seen a rubber bushing hand-pressed on the trail and it's not fun.

IMG_2014.jpg by Chris, on Flickr
 

pmatusov

Technical Excellence Contributor
Callsign: AK6PM
Oh come on Chris.. It was only hard because I wasted half an hour trying to pound it out with a sledge.
I am staying with rubber - but parts quality went off the cliff.
 

Uncle Douglas

Well-known member
Callsign: delete
I think poly works if you get the right brand. I believe there a company called polybush(or poly bushing or something like that) which is not to be confused with the broad term polybush used to describe the product polyurethane bushings. If I had to guess, the most expensive ones are probably better.

That said, I don't use that shit and stick with regular bushings. If the automotive industry started making all cars and trucks from the factory with them, I might reconsider. But to me it's like running synthetic oil in an old diesel engine. No way, José.

Yep- UK co that color coded their product red hard, orange med, blue soft.
Since then there have been a half dozen co's including Britpart hawking crap
And most see no difference and lump all of them into poly is crap statements.
Just like with rubber, you get what you pay for. Go oem or polybush brand
And do NOT go for the lowest price point on either product and you will be happier.
 
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Jeff B

Well-known member
I am staying with rubber - but parts quality went off the cliff.


That was my first thought, Peter.
Stay with the rubber.
But, several years ago the stories were rampant of OEM/genuine rubber failing prematurely.

I also despise the look of brightly colored bushings/shocks/suspension links.
(I paint my Old Man Emu shocks satin black)



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Scottyoh

Well-known member
For longevity and comfort, stick with genuine rubber. Poly performs better in most applications but requires more maintenance as the trade off.
 

DefendersNW

Well-known member
Needs should dictate your choice - there are pros and cons to both solutions

PRO
Poly:
fast and easy to replace poly with poly (no press needed) making them simple to maintain, just plan inspection and replacement into your maintenance cycle
tunable - select from various firmness options to get the right responsiveness or stiffness

Rubber:
Long lasting due to the minimal amount of actual rubber in them (three steel rings in a radius arm bush for example) failure is usually not catastrophic - they devolve over time
Factory correct setting

CONS:
Poly:
Failure can be catastrophic to the bushing, splitting and separation is common if unchecked
Costly for the shorter lifecycle
Can be mis-matched to the truck and load making things too squishy or overly stiff

Rubber:
Labor intensive replacement - rusted in liners and seized hardware sucks
Too soft if running heavily laden expedition type truck all the time and can wear prematurely
Not adjustable (one firmness)
 

AdamSanta85

Well-known member
Needs should dictate your choice - there are pros and cons to both solutions

PRO
Poly:
fast and easy to replace poly with poly (no press needed) making them simple to maintain, just plan inspection and replacement into your maintenance cycle
tunable - select from various firmness options to get the right responsiveness or stiffness

Rubber:
Long lasting due to the minimal amount of actual rubber in them (three steel rings in a radius arm bush for example) failure is usually not catastrophic - they devolve over time
Factory correct setting

CONS:
Poly:
Failure can be catastrophic to the bushing, splitting and separation is common if unchecked
Costly for the shorter lifecycle
Can be mis-matched to the truck and load making things too squishy or overly stiff

Rubber:
Labor intensive replacement - rusted in liners and seized hardware sucks
Too soft if running heavily laden expedition type truck all the time and can wear prematurely
Not adjustable (one firmness)

Not to be nitpicky but the Super Pro, aside from the inner arm bolt in and 1 end of the rear arms, absolutely need a press to be installed. One piece bushing with a metal inner sleeve. I had a harder time getting the new bushing in, then pressing the old factory metal out, because the bushing has a tendency to flex and try to jump out of the press.

Like this
Gen1GS-LS400-fr-trailingarm3016k-1200x800.jpg
 
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