Is there any kind of consensus which brand is best? I need suspension bushings and motor-mount inserts. (for a B18 and integra suspension going into an EG hatch, if that matters).

My guess is there's not a noticable difference.

Secondly, where's a good (cheap) place to pick these up.

FINALLY, anyone in the Raleigh area know a good place to get them pressed out/in?

 

I just did the complete ES suspension set. Go to http://www.nipponpower.com and see what they have for your car. Call Richard or Robert if you have questions since you have non-stock suspension bits.

 

Don't use the inner control arm bushings. They'll bind and crack on the track.

Warren

 

Which ones do you mean?

--Karl, who has urethane bushings everywhere, and is worried now...

 

motor mounts and shifter bushings

suspension bushings

just buy the R version from honda

try me.

 

The inside lower control arm bushings. Colletti tried them, and they would always, without fail, bind and crack on him, so he gave up and just stuck with stockers. So it's either stock or Mugen, and I'm not ponying up for the Mugen.

I think he had problems in the rear too. Call him up and ask. He's a great guy and is always willing to give out advice.

Warren

 

Any body know about the prothane bushings. I have a full set in the mail and am set to curse at all the control arms.

 

-I have prothane bushings and since they are the only urethane bushings I have ever seen I will not compare them to any other urethane bushings, but in terms of design I think they are nice. Every bushing comes with a sheath and the sheath can easily slide in and out for easy relubrication when necessary. Cut into the inside of the bushing are splines to hold grease to extend periods between relubrication. The materials look high quality, with very small insignificant manufacturing defects/scars.

-They do make a difference. I have installed the shifter bushings, the front controll arm bushings, the radius arm bushings, and the shock bushings. The car now responds to steering input quicker, is more stable during turning, and provides more immediate and intimate feedback. The shifter feels tighter and more accurate.

-I got mine from http://www.prothanesuspension.com . They were shipped out in only three days with no hassels whatsoever.

-I of course don't know of anywhere in your area that can push them in/out, but in terms of pushing them in you can do this with a normal (even small) table clamp, some pieces of wood, and some good old human ingenuity. Getting them out is another matter all together, but can be done using a blow-torch (stinky) and other various impements of destruction, and again human ingenuity. HTH.

 

~Thinking out loud....
I was talking with a friend about this thread since I just did my bushings, and he mentioned pre-loading the suspension bits. I torqued everything down with the front suspension un-loaded (car in the air). I wonder how much a pre-load before torquing would really help, or prevent this failure.
Thoughts?

 

Pre-load makes a huge difference. Working on MG's, the only way I know to make sure suspension bushings operate the way they should is to torque them after the weight of the car is on the joint. Suspension bushings aren't just pivot points, some [if not most] are torsional joints as well, if you torque them with no weight on them, then the joint is stressed when the car shoudl be at rest and then subject the bushing to a lot of internal twist BEYOND the resting point [standard suspension up-travel], then, of course the joint will tear. I have a full ES poly set on my car [although with the beam axle rear suspension], and did all the final torques with the weight of the car on the suspension. It was a pain, but boy does it ride well

 

Hrm. This talk of getting out bushings, after reading krshultz's thread about gutting his car... Makes me wonder if you could use dry-ice to freeze the bushing and then just shatter it.

-Mike