I bought everything from Ferr Parts Sacramento, including the 4 New Konis and all 4 motor mounts. Thank you
I used Nick Forza Urethane bushings and they are very noisy. Easy to install and perform well but they creak and squeak.
Or you can use original bushings but if you have adjustable coil over shocks, stiffer springs, and larger swaybars, that will also give you great handling and quiet, correct?
How the a-arm bushings affect ride so substantially is a bit of a mystery to me. Why do they have such a big effect? To my simplistic thinking, their primary function is just a pivot point. It seems to me that compound can’t much resist the torsional force exerted by the leverage of the a-arm so their impact on handling should be negligible. Another mystery to me is why do poly bushings squeak? That would mean there is movement. Aren’t they clamped tightly in place?
Standard bushings - the outer shell is welded to the arm, and the inner sleeve becomes fixed to the chassis when bolted tight. When the arm moves, the inner sleeve tries to rotate, but the rubber bonded to the inner sleeve and outer shell resists - the only rotation that occurs is due to flexing of the rubber bonded layer. The more it flexes, the higher the resistance. Flex too far, the rubber could conceivably tear, but if in good condition it has enough strength to resist any rotation the car can give. In other words, the rubber stiffness and resistance is a major part of the suspension. Poly bushings, meanwhile, DO rotate, they don't rigidly bind the inner sleeve to the outer welded fixed shell. That makes a difference on your suspension tuning (specifically desired spring rates), but that movement of the bushing in the outer shell is what squeaks. Gordon
I've just completed the rear suspension.... if you have the tools to remove and fit the new bushings just get a local garage to tack the bushes... The whole project is very satisfying... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Surely everyone goes to this guy: http://maseratisource.com/ https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/maseratinet When I bought mine he was so much cheaper than anyone else.
FWIW when I re-bushed my 308 I used poly lower and OEM upper. Holds alignment very well, satisfied with the ride/handling.
Image Unavailable, Please Login This is still true today about MaseratiSource. I just bought a set of bushings and a set of ball joints including tie rod ends just a few weeks ago and they are the cheapest.
Mike, agreed - I bought the set from MaseratiSource on eBay a few years ago, a fraction of the price of anywhere else. I'll be installing them (along with the QA1 setup) later this winter. Gordon
When I talked to Jacque (cool guy) from Maserati Source, he said the original bushings is 20% stiffer on the rear compared to the front, he said most people ordered the 20% stiffer bushings for both front and rear, so that’s what I did. Anyway I thought I share this to let everyone know you have options.
I have installed Nock Forza bushings and they don’t squeak...at least so far. I’m in Texas so probably temperature plays a factor, but so far I’m very happy with them Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Question: when I removed my old bushings I got two different type or materials not sure if this is original or if the PO changed it. What is the difference between this two, is one better than the other? Thanks. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks for the detailed explanation. Interesting. Your explanation implies that poly bushings, because they rotate, are not part of the spring component of suspension. This would mean that using poly bushings with stock springs softens suspension behavior from factory stock behavior.
It's harsher, because the rubber in the bushing is not adding to dampening recoil. Everything is going directly to the springs and the shocks.
Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login I had mine rebuilt with adjustable sleeves installed. You can adjust the ride height with this setup!
Not trying to persuade, but the Energy Suspension bushings have been dead quiet. There was a thread long ago about the importance of using the extremely viscous silicone they recommend, which, strangely, does not always come with the bushings.,
I struggle to understand this. If the poly bushing is rotating then it is not providing any resistive force to the a-arm. It is solely the shock and spring that is providing that force. In other words, the system has become softer (... according to my thinking). With stiff poly bushings, I can understand how more road noise would be transmitted to the frame since the road noise would be higher frequency vibration traveling through tire and then suspension system. The road noise would not be lower frequency deflections of the suspension system and hardly any motion within the tire itself. I can likewise understand how poly bushings would provide better suspension alignment control since they would not deflect as easily from the spec alignment setting. This seems pretty esoteric however and would expect all but the best of racers could notice. I would expect the erratic deflections of the tires would mask bushing displacement for most people. I am just blabbing as a theorist. I’ve only owned one track car and didn’t fuss the tuning much.
Automotive manufacturers use rubber bushings to reduce vibrations from transmitting through the suspension to the passenger compartment making the ride quality less harsh. The advantage of the polyurethane bushings are they don’t flex or deflect as much as rubber. By reducing the excess suspension movement, the polyurethane makes the suspension more efficient and more responsive to the driver. As for reducing the torsional stiffness in the bushing and softening the overall spring rate it is not necessarily a bad thing. If the suspension is too stiff it will allow the tire to lose contact with the road surface, conversely if there is movement in the suspension the tire will follow the road surface maintaining contact. On some cars a softer spring and a heavier sway bar will improve handling significantly. In this case I doubt the change is negligible. I used polyurethane bushings in my 308 for cost and ease of replacement considerations. The handling characteristic’s were night and day, but my stock bushings were shot so it’s not a fair comparison. I agree that for the average street driven car the difference is probably minimal. As for noise I used the supplied grease that came with the Energy Suspension Bushings and so far after two years have not noticed any squeaking noises coming from the suspension. Overall I’m very happy with the Poly bushings and would use them again.
The 308 / 328 design resulted in a 60 / 40 rear to front % weight bias, so these cars have that as a final limitation when it comes to handling, now with that being said, its a hell of a design, because these 30 plus year old cars can still carve up a canyon road like its nobodies business, and are more fun than 95 % of whats out there, no matter whats your bushing. Thank you
Personally I don't think the 40/60 weight bias creates handling limitations. For me the car feels much better planted in turns if you are either neutral or accelerating rather than on the brakes which would push it more towards a 50/50 split.