For an 1984 QV 308. (Yes, I did a search 1st) Planning my work over the winter, and I want to change the bushings on the sway bars, all arms, and shocks, as well as change the shocks themselves. The mileage is low. I put the car on a lift yesterday and saw most of the bushings were sort of squeezed out of there positions. The rear sway bar bushings are crushed. And over the last 2 years or so, the car has been handling bumps sort of like my old Ford Explorer, banging and bouncing. I don't track the car, I just want a comfortable and confident ride. My question is, if I go with a set of polyurethane bushings, will they squeak or be noisy? My buddy did this some years back on his Mustang and the car squeaked bad. Also, with the poly bushings, is the ride too hard (good for track, too hard for street)? Every post I found talks about how much better the car handles at speed with new bushings, but none I found addressed if the poly bushings squeak. Has anyone had their shocks rebuilt by Koni? Is it worth it, new ones are only around $150 each. I see a lot of guys go with new fully adjustable QA1s and others, but being able to adjust the shocks for changing conditions isn't a requirement. And I don't want to have to grind the a-arms as I read some of you had to. Any thoughts? Phil
Poly bushings will make noise over time (so will the rubber). And yes, the ride will be harsher, however, the handling will be improved. If you are not tracking the car, I would suggest staying with the stock setup.
Yes they squeak when cold. Once warmed up or if you live in a hot climate they will not squeak. Make sure you buy the black ones. They are graphite impregnated and squeak less. For a totally silent ride go OEM. Downside is that the OEM bushings do not last nearly as long as the Urethane ones and they are a LOT more money.
I realize this is subjective, but when you say the ride will be harsher, what does that men - more firm? Thanks, Phil
On my father's BelAir, the squeaked a lot! And, they were the PolyGraphite kind, ah well. He drilled them and added zerk fitting so he could grease them; no more squeaking! Shiny Side Up! Bill
By harsh, I mean you will feel bumps in the road that you didn't feel before. If your bushings are shot, then they are replaced, you will think you're driving a different car, regardless of the type of bushing you use. For at street car, I would go stock. If you're goal is to have a car you can drive on the edge, then go poly.
I have had poly-bushings on my last two Alfa Romeo's, and they have never squeaked. Usually the come with a special grease that should avoid any squeaking noises...
Aren't there "graphite impregnated" poly bushings . . . . that's what mine are supposedly . . . they've been in for 10 years and they don't squeak. I lubed them well when putting them in so maybe that has helped. Ride is subjective . .. 308 feels soft to me even with bushings. Sean
Whose opinion are you going to follow? Looks like all the angles are covered. I vote for low cost. The difference in ride harshness with polyurethane will be noticeable (if you had 2 identical cars, side by side) but it won't knock your fillings loose. A little grease on the moving surfaces as you assemble them should minimize any squeaks but I doubt if you'd find it much of a problem without. If you compare the prices between OEM and aftermarket it should be easy to decide.
Nuvolari you recommend the black poly bushings. I did a search and I see NicksForzaFerrari carries green. A couple others have green or red (special order). Anyone recommend a retailer/reseller? Who has the black ones? This is the sort of purchase where the sooner it is over with and the parts are ordered, the sooner I will stop contemplating the issue around squeaks and ride characteristic. Thanks, Phil
Black graphite-impregnated is the way to go. Lots of people sell them -- you're looking for the 13-3101G for all of the control arm bushings on the corners of your 308. Here's an example of a seller: www.suspension.com/ferrari.htm or http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=ens-13-3101g but here's the manufacturer: www.energysuspension.com
Thanks very much for the links. Did you burn the original bushings out of the control arms, or break the sleeve free and then re-weld? Phil
Didn't "break" them out, but used a cutter (dremel tool) to grind/cut through the old welds, then quick tack-weld back in.
I purchased all mine in red from this seller, although he hasn't listed the suspension bushes for a while now. He did me a great price and was easy to deal with. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&viewitem=&item=290154857177
When Birdman & I first started installing poly bushings, one of us posted the 'burn the old rubber out' tip way back in the old fchat. Since then we've found that all you need is a socket that's a snug fit inside the bushing & an arbor press or large vise. The old rubber bushing will press out quite cleanly. At worst, you may need to chuck a small round wire brush in an air die grinder or electric drill & clean out a bit of old rubber that didn't peel off. If you're going to tack weld them in as Mike C describes, use a MIG or TIG welder, work very fast, & use either a very wet rag, or better yet heat shielding putty around the tack weld spots so you won't melt the new poly bushings.
Yes, they squeak a little, and no, the ride is not harsh--just firm as in "now it turns when you move the wheel!" Just use plenty of the lube they provide with the new bushings, I had some left over...should have used it all. I'm very satisfied.
Here's a thread you should read if you are thinking of going poly http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49955&highlight=308+suspension+bushing+energy Follow the instructions with the expection - do not lube the outside of the bushing when pressing them into the A arms (this was confirmed by the mfg). If the original welds are not broken, you can do this without any welding. In my case, I found 3 broken welds which I had to redo.
Read it carefully, it's got all the tips you'll need to be successful. BTW, you can probably only do the press-out the insides trick once, or possibly twice. When the poly bushes eventually do wear, they'll most likely start rotating inside the bushing & wear it to the point that it will have to be replaced. But then that may be 15 or more years down the road, or practically forever if the car only gets driven 1k-2k miles/year. One good thing about polyurethane is it doesn't oxidize, harden & break down the way rubber does. It's resistant to most chemicals.
