L-Fab

iTrader: (6)

Im wanting to gather some "First-Hand" information on aftermarket bushings to help others figure out which bushings would be best suited for them.
The following data I have collected first-hand as a forum member, a consumer, a mechanic, and as a vendor.
It may not be complete to some people's standards, but pretty much sums it up

Energy Suspension:
*Economically priced - $113 Retail
*Stiff Durometer / Sporty
*Better handling than OEM
*Fairly easy to install / new bushings don't have to be pressed in
*Squeaks over time / has to be relubed
*Made of Polyurethane
*Black colored bushings = graphite impregnated [less squeak]
*Slight increase in road noise

Whiteline:
*Moderately priced - $240 Retail
*Relatively soft durometer
*Better handling than oem / but will soften up over time
*Moderate install difficulty / new bushings have to be pressed in
*No squeaks
*Made of Polyurethane
*No increase in road noise

SPL:
*Somewhat expensive - $433 Retail
*Stiff / Precise
*Best handling you can get
*Moderate install difficulty / new bushings have to be pressed in
*Over time will squeak / have to relube
*Cone spacers should be modified to alleviate "knock" sounds and to prevent scoring on race, due to lowering suspension creating too much articulation for the supplied cone spacers
*Increase in road noise

L-Fab

iTrader: (6)

If I missed anything, or there is something you would like me to add to the OP, please post below

ETZ

iTrader: (8)

I was just on Whitelines website yesterday looking at their sway bar links and trying to figure out if I should upgrade my oem upper/lower arms with the bushing or purchase the SPL arms and bushings my friend has car with the BC Racing BR coilovers and the car handles fantastic!

drivessidewayz

iTrader: (4)

I'd go for a "price for all parts" type of thing so it's far easier to compare. "Expensive" means different things to different people.

L-Fab

iTrader: (6)

updated with retail prices....sale prices are not relevant to the purpose of this thread

acke15

iTrader: (1)

What bushings are you talking about? Just the Inner and outer lower control arm bushings and compression rod bushing?

L-Fab

iTrader: (6)

*Compression rod bushing
*LCA inner and outer

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

With the 3 sets of Whiteline bushings installed on a front end, they actually have a much stiffer feel than OEM. Probably halfway between OEM and SPL, they are no where close to OEM feel.

I wish i have driven an energy suspension setup to compare.

L-Fab

iTrader: (6)

I have whiteline in my front end for more than a year now.
They were initially nice and stiff and responsive, but after a couple months they softened up.
*side note: I drive my Z daily, very little spirited driving, no track days yet

I have also driven customer cars with oem, whiteline, and energy bushings. I honestly can't really tell the difference between "broken-in" whiteline bushings and good oem bushings.

(Above is my opinion based on my experiences. Do not take it as fact)

L-Fab

iTrader: (6)

Will be changing out my front end WHITELINE bushings with black ENERGY SUSPENSION bushings this weekend.

Looking to get some more first hand data on these bushings, and see how they do with time, daily driving, weather, etc....More than anything I want to see how they do with time.

L-Fab

iTrader: (6)

Starting to see a trend
Ive been noticing that those who only replace the LCA bushings eventually have to get the compression rod bushing.
Typically the compression rod bushings are purchased shortly after installation of LCA bushings.
My hypothesis is that by only replacing the LCA bushings, there will be added stress to the oem compression rod bushing, there by deteriorating the oem compression rod bushings at a faster rate

jarrodh77

iTrader: (20)

So you don't need a "frankenstein socket" type tool to press the Energy bushings in? Do they just slide in once the OEM bushings are pressed out? The only DIYs I've seen are for the Whitelines, and I just assumed the ES bushings would be the same.

L-Fab

iTrader: (6)

Old bushings can be pressed out, burned out, or cut out

once the old bushings are removed, Energy suspension bushings can be slid in.

They are a 3 piece bushing without an outer metal race
[the bushing themselves are cut in half w a metal sleeve that slides down the center]
So you just push in each half of the bushing by hand, then slide the metal sleeve down the center.

There is a tight tolerance, so it makes it a little easier if you put them in the freezer for a while before install

ian99rt

iTrader: (12)

I did the energy LCA bushings and Spl compression last weekend.

Def stiffer up front and have a descent amount of noise from the Spl units (currently stock height )

Being aluminum I wouldn't suggest burning out bushings but getting a small chunk of aluminumbar made it very easy to press them out.

L-Fab

iTrader: (6)

nice...did your spl's come with a polyurethane washer?

ian99rt

iTrader: (12)

Yes they did. I'm sure I'm not bottoming out the coned sleeves, as I'm stock suspension and its just noisey when driving over things like paving stones.

bbs350z

iTrader: (85)

i've always used the cutting method. diff mount especially. cut the rubber, pound out the bolthole, and cut the outer race.

i like this real world experience, i wish more vendors did this and gave feedback from experience.

L-Fab

iTrader: (6)

well most vendors wouldn't want to sway customers away from potential sales by detailing all the pros and cons (particularly the cons) of a product. When it comes to bushings there's a lot of different options and set ups, each with its own benefits. So we feel it'd be best for people to know what the differences are as well as get actual feedback from the people running them.

Miggz

iTrader: (2)

sub'd.... Even though I already did a complete/total chassis update using all of EnergySuspension bushings; including the rear Diff bushings and steering rack bushings.

L-Fab

iTrader: (6)

Thought Id share with you guys parts of a PM I had with a member from this forum

Replacing the bushings on both the lower control and radius arms would be to your advantage.
If the compression rod bushing isn’t already blown, or vis versa, the increase in strength of the new bushings will add stress to the old bushings, which in turn will make the old bushings deteriorate faster.
Seeing how you already know it is going to blow, it doesn’t really make sense to pay twice for an install and alignment.
FYI: If your vehicle is or was lowered, I can almost guarantee at least 2 out of 3 of the above bushings are blown.
You will feel a difference either way.
Just that if you get them all done at the same time, there will be a greater amount of performance value.
Energy suspension, Whiteline, and SPL are your only options for bushings right now.

Whiteline and Energy both have their own pros and cons, so one is not better than the other.
But if squeak is your biggest concern, Id suggest going with whiteline. Energy Suspension bushings have been known to squeak for various vehicles, but there is very little data collected for these bushings on the 350z and G35. With that said, it is unknown at this time how often their bushings will need to be relubed, but the frequency between one car to the next will vary because of various factors [exp: weather, temperature, # of highway miles, #of street miles, suspension setup, tire pressure, driving style, etc.]

I am currently installing the Energy Suspension bushings on my 350z to test them out first-hand, so that I can be able to answer these types of questions about these bushings

Side note: I ran the whiteline bushings for more than a year with two different suspension setups and a couple different tire brands. No issues other than they started to get a little soft.