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Energy Suspension Poly FTMFL

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Old 07-27-2012, 06:38 AM
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djamps
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Default Energy Suspension Poly FTMFL

2 months and 2000 street miles we have this wonderful compression rod bushing which apparently decided to split:




To add to that, only two weeks of normal street use and one track day, my ES rear diff bushing tore down the middle and ejected itself out the rear onto the track. It also damaged the bolt on my diff cover.



So I'm 0/2 for ES poly bushings + collateral damage... not a happy camper.

Last edited by djamps; 07-27-2012 at 07:04 AM.
Old 07-27-2012, 06:41 AM
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Diesel350
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Wow that really sucks, guess it's time to go with something solid.
Old 07-27-2012, 06:45 AM
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Voboy
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that's pretty crappy... i wouldn't want to use poly where there is high stress loads..
Old 07-27-2012, 06:50 AM
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terrasmak
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Spl ftmfw
Old 07-27-2012, 06:52 AM
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djamps
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I already got solids on the diff along with a new bolt.

I guess solids are gonna be needed on the compression rods too.
Old 07-27-2012, 09:10 AM
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jv350z
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That sucks. I gotta go check mine out. Had them installed about 2 months ago.
Old 07-27-2012, 09:14 AM
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lgear080
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Moons
Old 07-27-2012, 09:16 AM
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350z006
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I'm wondering if this is a general indictment on poly products in general (ie energy, whiteline) or just Energy products themselves...
Old 07-27-2012, 09:16 AM
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Kwame
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I wonder if the Whiteline version suffers from the same fate.

Last edited by Kwame; 07-27-2012 at 09:18 AM.
Old 07-27-2012, 09:17 AM
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PlainWhite350z
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Ouch. The ES Master kit had made it's way onto my "things to get" list. Looks like it's back to the drawing board.
Old 07-27-2012, 09:21 AM
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djamps
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Just by looking at this picture you can see that simply jacking the car up could be enough to split the bushing. They just don't fit right, period.

The whitelines don't seem to be as thick on the base where these ones split.

http://www.z1motorsports.com/350_g35...797&imageNum=1

I'd give them a try if anyone could confirm they work alright... unfortunately these whiteline bushings seem to be 'unicorn' parts and nobody has them in stock.
Old 07-27-2012, 10:43 AM
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djamps
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The ES vendor seems to think I'm 'doing it wrong' LOL do you see anything wrong with that compression rod pic except for the bushing clearly having a hard time doing it's job? It was installed by a nissan master tech so I am pretty sure there's no bonehead errors going on.

As for the diff bushing, it slid it's way out about 1 mm on each hard launch -- you can see a ring for each launch on the inside. Once it got far enough out, the diff stud ripped thru what little was holding onto it. There's literally NOTHING except grease and friction holding that diff bushing in. It's only a matter of time with enough HP and hard launches for it to start moving.

Last edited by djamps; 07-27-2012 at 10:48 AM.
Old 07-27-2012, 01:48 PM
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b18ccivics
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i do not know about the diff, but your compression rod bushings are wrong. They do not look like mine or the ones in this thread.

https://my350z.com/forum/brakes-and-...installed.html
Old 07-28-2012, 02:16 PM
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djamps
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They are the right parts, trust me. They looked just like yours laying on the bench and when the car is sitting flat on the ground. snap a pic on a lift with the suspension fully articulated and it'll look like mine and probably break if you do it enough.

Just got some good news today -- it looks like you CAN buy just the bushing from nissan without the whole arm. List price is $49 ea but you should be able to get it much cheaper if you look around (let's just say I'm paying about half that). They are sold under a TSB for a sedan. If I can get another 50k miles out of OEM ones I'm happy. 2k miles on aftermarket bushings that cost twice as much and eventually squeek no thanks.

Last edited by djamps; 07-28-2012 at 02:20 PM.
Old 07-28-2012, 02:20 PM
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eman39
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I think you do have them wrong as well.
yours...
Name:  bushing.jpg
Views: 528
Size:  115.2 KB

I have no clue what you got right there..look as if they never even pushed out your old bushing. Did your Master Tech even use the right bushing? I know Energy makes both red and black colored bushings but yours just looks different man.

Last edited by eman39; 07-28-2012 at 02:22 PM.
Old 07-28-2012, 02:23 PM
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That black part is the red bushing with the ES grease that turns black over time on the friction points. I have double confirmed the bushings are the correct ones and they are installed properly (including removing the OEM bushings).

Last edited by djamps; 07-31-2012 at 08:20 AM.
Old 07-28-2012, 02:51 PM
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eman39
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I bought a set off a vendor on here that were powder coated black...the next time i lift my car I see how it looks. The angle at which i took the picture is weird. I just put my phone under the car and snaped a pic.
Old 07-28-2012, 02:54 PM
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eman39
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I'm glad you got it all squared away now though. This is the first time I have heard of this happening. Got me a little sketched out now but I will just periodically check to make sure all is good. Thanks for sharing man.
Old 07-28-2012, 05:43 PM
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ian99rt
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ES makes awesome products but their compression arm bushings are simply not a thought out product. The SPL spherical bearings are the only solution for lowered Zs, any rubber bushing will eventually fail.

The rear diff mount is the same story, I saw the install instructions about reusing the oem steel sleeve and said no way.

ES answers for the remainder of the car's rubber mounts are great, I've replaced 3 different cars entire bushing sets, including my Z, and have had zero issues.
Old 07-28-2012, 07:59 PM
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steidz
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Originally Posted by djamps
As for the diff bushing, it slid it's way out about 1 mm on each hard launch -- you can see a ring for each launch on the inside. Once it got far enough out, the diff stud ripped thru what little was holding onto it. There's literally NOTHING except grease and friction holding that diff bushing in. It's only a matter of time with enough HP and hard launches for it to start moving.
Did you use the stock inner steel sleeve and bolt it back in?
I dont see how mine could slide out.

I have the ES on the diff and all through the front. 6000 miles with track and auto cross event with no issues.


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