How much better will my 308QV be with new bushings?

ken the only time you need to replase them is wen the rubber is coming apart and there is play in them. the old bushings you have to cut the welds and press them out the new will need to be weld in plase.

 

If there is nothing wrong with them, don't fix them. The difference in ride may be noticable to some, but not me. And the effort to do them is substantial.

Birdman

 

starting with the premis that you don't need to fix it unless it is broken, I would sugest taking the car to an alignment shop or mechanic you trust and have them assess the tightness of the original bushings.

If the tec indicates that they are within spec or good, you will not really see much improvement for the bucks spent. The stock rubber bushing is probably 3/16ths thick as is the poly that replaces it. There is not that much difference in the flexibility/compressability between both materials and hence not much difference in bushing compliance, hence little or no difference particularly if the stock stuff is still "good".

I would look at the anti roll bar bushings and links. They take a serious beating and will show it. Someone once postulated that going to poly on the antiroll bars, particularly since there is so much of it in the bar suspension and links), will give you a net gain of one bar size by going to poly. sorry for the run on mouth.

If they, (a arm bushings), look good and you want to tighten up the handling of your car, go for a better tire, like the tire racks max performance summer tire catagory.

After that, the best bang for the buck will be some of the saner performance anti roll bars front and rear, (or equal).

Don't get me wrong, I like the Poly bushings and have done them on my car to get rid of the dreaded clunking - but if it aint broke....

hth,
chris

 

i have replase all of them on my car they need it to be replase . this not a one day thing.

 

I replaced the bushings in my 1986 328GTS with Energy Suspension's Poly Bushings. My car's stock bushings (which is one year newer than yours) were in bad shape. They were wallowed(sp?) out and were very deteriorated. My car had 39,593 miles on the odometer when I replaced them in September of 2002. I would believe that if yours are stock they would be similar in nature. The bushings made a tremendous difference in my car. It was like night and day. I think part of the problem with my car was the lack of being driven. It sat around for a 1-1/2 year (900 miles). The shocks, the tires, the bushings, the steering rack bushings and some of the other grommets were all rotted.

I cannot begin to tell you the difference in the car. It is like a whole new vehicle.

The job is not difficult but it is time consuming. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions concerns. Be happy to help.

Mark Manzonelli
1986 328GTS

 

I did mine the same time (and with the same group buy) that Mark M did. I didn't really need it badly, as my rubber wasn't very rotted or degraded, but it still made a noticeable difference, and I've never been sorry.