BuickMike

I see several threads where people shy away from the ES poly bushings because they are worried that they will squeak over time, but nobody that's actually experienced this issue. I personally have used poly bushings in the past with no issues, so.....

Who here has actually installed ES bushings? How long have they been installed and did they cause issues with noise or binding? I'm looking for first hand experiences here, not "I've heard" stories. Thanks.

LUDEcidDream

the guy that owned my car before me put some in. im not sure which ones were swappped out but im assuming all or most since the car is 15 yrs old. i had some squeak in the front when my suspension compresses but its not a lot nor all the time.

91crix

i have mine installed for 3 years in my crx and its a daily driver with no problems

91zchatch

well the only problem i have ever had is that when its cold you will hear it squeak i bit besides that its really the way to go

TJChad

The problems with Poly bushings "squeak" is because when people initially install them they do not use the supplied lubricants or simply don't apply it properly. If they do start to squeak on you easy fix. Take out the peices and lube them. You can buy the correct lube direct in tube from ES. Do not just take oil or some wheel bearing grease to slap on there, you need to use the appropriate stuff. Aside from that they will last and hold up much longer than rubber.

BuickMike

Thanks for all the replies. In the past I've used PST PolyGraphite or greasable poly bushings with no issues. The ES master bushing set is pretty cheap, so I'll probably pick one up in a few months when I'm ready to do other suspension work to the car.

swhangin

See this is better then here say. Actually someone who did it that knew what he was doing. Thanks TJ. Good thread and its not 3000 pages of bull.

TJChad

Somewhere in my build thread is the pictures of the last materkit I installed. I didnt take pictures of all of it but some of it is in there. Also, the kit is relatively cheap yes.....however if you do not have access to a hydraulic press the cost will shoot up immensley. Cause the labor rate for a legit shop to press in and out all of the bushings for you will be very high. It's not at all a difficult job just very time consuming.

BuickMike

I have a buddy with a press, so I just need to buy him some beer for the use of the press.

CivicxTree754

My buddy had them on his engine mounts. Only bad thing was the car vibrated more as a result. ( i was in the car alot) Harder bushings transfer the vibrations somewhere else so yea.

edit: I've had machince shops press out and install wheel bearings for 40$. Dont thinnk they'll be too crazy wit prices.

TJChad

There are ALOT more than 2 bushings however, not to mention some/ most of them might require heat to safely pop them out after 20+ years on road grime.

AZGS00

i managed to do my bushings (az car) with my 20ton home press

Ive had em in for a couple months and no complaints. You can definitely feel the road more as far as small surface imperfections.

I used as much lube as i could without excess to attract dirt. after everything was assembled i just wiped all the ecxess i could find and i still have zero sqeaks. Ive seen energy bushings after years of dry abuse and they were pretty worn, but they do not crack like rubber. My last car had some poly bushings as well and i just lubed em every year or so and never had any signs of wear or noise or anything

solorex

I find Energy bushings to be great, however just realize that if you daily drive your car expect about 2 years worth of life out of them before they need replacement. Generally speaking, once they start to squeak (if properly lubed during install) they are pretty much done. Bushings are a wear item and should be checked and replaced. If you want increased longevity then go with OEM.

I used to daily drive me CRX and Autocross on weekends. 2 seasons of use and the Energy Bushings were toast (and they started to make noise). The nice thing is once you convert to poly you can replace everthing with a bench vice.

michael O

I've been running them on my car, daily driver, for 7 years now. I only put about 35k miles on it during that time though. They did start making noise after about 2-3 years and the rear trailing arm bushings are definitely done but most of the front suspension is still fine last I checked. I used to not drive that often seeing as how I lived close to work/school during that time and I never really did any spirited driving so that may be why they lasted so long.

CivicxTree754

Im well aware of that. Just that my buddy only had the engine mounts done, as i specified.

TJChad

Yea I get that part but you were implying that the cost wouldnt be to crazy cause of the $40 wheel bearings you sighted. However, just call a shop and ask. Most of them will simply tell you that you don't want to pay them what it will cost in labor cost. To be honest if you're paying a shop to do the install they absolutely arent worth the cost.

solorex

Have you taken your suspension apart and had a close look at them? I bet you anything they are all ovalized and worn out. You can't just visually inspect with the suspension in place. Use a pry bar and check for play.

alex14

Previous owner put poly bushings in my car and in the winter they squeak like hell. I need to get off my *** and lube them but i'm not totally sure which bushings he swapped.

BuickMike

This is all really good information. I was considering this since I found bad RF UCA bushings (cheap camber kit) were shot, front LCA bushings are getting old, and sway bar endlinks were all worn. But then I found out that the LF UCA bushings and balljoint are new, I replaced the RF UCA, replaced endlinks, strut rod bushings are new, and I just found paperwork showing that all the rear bushings were replaced last year. Looks like I can just replace the front LCA bushings, lower balljoints, and outer tie rod ends sometime in the next year and have everything in new shape. I might as well finish it all off with Moog parts.

racebum

update on this old thread.

energy front lower control arm bushings in a 97 integra

made it 40k miles and 3 years before they had enough slop to warrant replacement

they did not ever squeak, the only reason they were found out was from a front end clunk. you could manually move the control arm about 1/4" at the main pivot. it's just wear from the metal shim rubbing against the poly over the course of years

jlk16188

I opted not to use ES bushings but rather PIC hard rubber bushings in my CRX. I replaced every suspension bushing with the PIC bushings in the complete kit. 3 years and 60,000 miles later the bushing feel like they did on day one with no need for lube