Upgraded suspension bushings-Radial stress or Seeger rings?

[APPLEworms]

Looking for some opinions on suspension bushings mount best practice. Both press fit(bushing slightly wider than arm bore) and snap rings (bushing and arm bore dead nuts) are used on stock setups. For an aftermarket upgrade, is it better to use one or the other? I see +|- with both, but mechanical isn't my expertise. Thanks for your input.

 

[BrianPetersen]

What car and which control arm, and what are you trying to accomplish by changing it?

All the OEM control arm bushings that I see (at a couple of different OEMs, current mass production vehicles) are press fit.

These bushings do not have any sliding surfaces. The pivoting action of the arm is due to controlled shear (twisting deflection) of the bushing material. Nothing slides and therefore nothing needs to be lubricated. It also means that the press fit on the outside of the bushing, and the bolt clamping load on the inside sleeve, are critical design features.

Aftermarket stuff isn't always like that. Often it's designed to have sliding surfaces. That means it's going to need to be lubricated, or it will squeak, and it will eventually wear out.

 

[GregLocock]

Bushings are a bit more complex than that. The real answer would take pages.

One advantage of a press fit bush is that typically the outer compresses as it is pressed in. That's why you'll often see plastic outers. This places the rubber under compression, which is vital for durability. With metal outers the final manufacturing stage is to crush the outer shell in to provide the same effect.

If you think you'll be changing bushes often (and you might well be with aftermarket parts) then a mechanical retention is probably easier, but that is the sole advantage I can think of.





Cheers

Greg Locock


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