Bushes - Replaced the major ones!

[beeza]

My car is a 96EK1 Civic Sedan.

So this is replacing the 14 year old OEM bushes with Mugen bushes.

The pics are of the Left Hand Side bushes.Offcoasre I had both Left and Right hand side bushes replaced.

FRONT

Front Upper Control Arm:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/MugenFrontUpperControlArmBushesLR.jpg

Installed:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/100_1058.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/100_1056.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/100_1057.jpg

The difference?

Major.No longer does the car bottom out at the front over the same bumps/dips that it was before.Feels way more solid and after dropping into a dip in the road,it will rebound/recover FAR easier/smoother/nicer.BIG Improvement,very happy!

Front Lower Control Arm bushes:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/MugenFrontLowerControlArmBushesLR.jpg

You need a special tool to install these,I will have to get back to ya on this one!

REAR

I had 3 sets of bushes put in the rear:

Rear Trailing Arm bushes:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/MugenRearTrailingArmBushesLR.jpg

Installed:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/100_1065.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/100_1116-1.jpg

Rear Upper Control Arm bushes:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/MugenRearUpperControlArmBushesLR.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/100_1063.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/100_1064.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/100_1113.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/100_1112.jpg

Rear Compensator Arm bushes:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/MugenRearCompensatorArmBushesLR.jpg

Installed:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/100_1071-1.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/100_1066.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/100_1067.jpg

Again a BIG difference at the rear.Solid,holds true through the big dipping/swooping corners (that I drive on everyday)

Where as before the chassis of the car would roll and a lot of the energy/force would be going 90 degrees to where your driving,NOW,chassis/body rolls is minimal,energy is conserved and driver experience has been increased by 30% :p

Old bushes decrease performance and most importantly takes away the all to important - Driver experience.

The car feels Brilliant :thumbsup:

The rubber on the old bushes were old,worn and had deteriorated and torn in places :thumbdwn:

COST

* Mugen Rear Upper Control Arm Bushes $195
* Mugen Rear Compensator Arm Bushes $135
* Mugen Front Upper Control Arm Bushes $220
* Mugen Front Lower Control Arm Bushes $125
* Rear Trailing Arm bushes $195 (I Love U Speedy!)

Installation - $280 and took 5hrs.My main man needed to make up special tools to remove the old bushes.

Total - $1150,say $1200 once the Front Lower Control Arm bushes are in.

I will getting a wheel alignment ASAP too.It's needed.

Was it worth it?

O,HELL YES,ABSOLUTELY!!

Braking feels better,more confident,speed bumps are much easier to manage etc etc etc you feel the benefits all the time :thumbsup:

I don't care about going fast,I care about 'Driver experience' :D

[ITRfaithful]

awesome! i'm looking to do this too, did you take the car into a shop or did you do it most yourself?

[dinorider]

Oh man I am SO going to do this to my car when I have enough $$$. Where did you order your bushes from?

[SPEEDCORE]

Where is the price of the RTA bushings in your cost list?

[FastFwd]

I just completed the following in ES last night:

Front Coil Spring Isolators
Rear Coil Spring Isolators
Tie Rod Dust Boots
Front Sway Bar End Links
MPR Lower control arms
Whiteline Rear sway bar end links
Skunk2 Front upper ball joint
Front Shock Mount
Shifter Stabilizer
Skunk2 Rear Upper Control Arm
Skunk2 front uppder control arm
Steering Rack Bushings - Power Steering
Front Control Arm Set
Rear Control Arm Set
Ball Joint Dust Boots
Rear Trailing Arm Bushings
Rear Compensator Arm Bushings
Front Control Arm Bushings
Front Sway Bar Bushings
Steering Rack Bushings
Ball Joint Dust Boots

All up costed me $430 from the US and i did it all at home in my workshop with a Jigsaw, small fire, bench vice, drill and whole saw.

I can put up pictures tomorrow to show my progress also if you like.

[beeza]

^^ I was gonna put the ES kit in for ages but opted against it due to many on the net who say 'Way too much vibrations'

What do you think?


awesome! i'm looking to do this too, did you take the car into a shop or did you do it most yourself?

Cheers mate!

I took it too my muffler guy,he owned the fastest V8 in Aus for a while,so he knows his stuff :thumbsup:

Unless you have the tools or the knowledge to make the tool needed AND are able to remove the suspension parts and put em back,'a real pain in the ass'

That was Geoff's words if I remember correctly :D That's why I gave him plenty of notice/warning that I was gonna dump this job on him hehehe :thumbsup:

Don't bother by yourself.I tried but it ain't that easy.


Oh man I am SO going to do this to my car when I have enough $$$. Where did you order your bushes from?

Yonas,JDMYard,he has em' all!


Where is the price of the RTA bushings in your cost list?

I was working up to your post.I was looking forward to a - 'Well done beez! Great job mate!'

:p

[FastFwd]

well done beez great job mate :)

ummm well i like the rough feel, the raw feel of a car. Ive got G4's very tight susp, the ultra heavy duty frotn an rear sways, the polyurethane engine mounts. and now the full ES setup. My car does feel very very tight, dont know about vibrations but its very firm. Car feels like its held together tight, around corners and going over small holes in the road etc feels firm.

personally i dont have a problem with it, but for someone looking for a completely smooth ride then i would say ES is a 50/50 option.


Originally Posted by ITRfaithful View Post
awesome! i'm looking to do this too, did you take the car into a shop or did you do it most yourself?

Very easy...as i said before all you need is a, tools to remove the parts, Jack, jack stands, wratchets, wrenches, socket sets etc and then to remove the OEM bushings u need Drill, whole saw for the drill bit, jiggsaw or large electric saw of some type, vice, hammer and a pare of hands.

Putting in the ES bushings is as simple as pushing them in or if a little tight using the vice...

Its not that hard of a job but its a bitch. its time consuming, took me almost 15 hours to complete it all.

Shops use hydrolic bench presses to remove the bushings which cuts half of the time down...even still it would be fairly annoying....

Glad i did it tho, got quoted 2500 for labour. me = Free

[flipfire]

Great review. $1154 is a bit costly, but bushings need to be done eventually.

I got ES bushings for my shift linkage and they were pretty hard. Thats probably the cause of the vibrations, the hard compound isnt absorbing it as well as the soft OEM rubber.

[beeza]

well done beez great job mate :)

ummm well i like the rough feel, the raw feel of a car. Ive got G4's very tight susp, the ultra heavy duty frotn an rear sways, the polyurethane engine mounts. and now the full ES setup. My car does feel very very tight, dont know about vibrations but its very firm. Car feels like its held together tight, around corners and going over small holes in the road etc feels firm.

personally i dont have a problem with it, but for someone looking for a completely smooth ride then i would say ES is a 50/50 option.

Hmmm HARD...I like a nice tight smooth ride :thumbsup:


Very easy...as i said before all you need is a, tools to remove the parts, Jack, jack stands, wratchets, wrenches, socket sets etc and then to remove the OEM bushings u need Drill, whole saw for the drill bit, jiggsaw or large electric saw of some type, vice, hammer and a pare of hands.

Putting in the ES bushings is as simple as pushing them in or if a little tight using the vice...

Its not that hard of a job but its a bitch. its time consuming, took me almost 15 hours to complete it all.

Shops use hydrolic bench presses to remove the bushings which cuts half of the time down...even still it would be fairly annoying....

Glad i did it tho, got quoted 2500 for labour. me = Free

Awesome Job!! :thumbsup:

$2.5k for labour :eek: Here's the other leg,PULL IT!

[FastFwd]

Yer ns told bs...

I do know places usually cost just over 1g just for installing. But honestly i got all of the bushings for $430. and thats the total cost of a completely bushing kit and installed if you do it yourself. Cant go wrong with that.

[beeza]

Great review. $1154 is a bit costly, but bushings need to be done eventually.

I got ES bushings for my shift linkage and they were pretty hard. Thats probably the cause of the vibrations, the hard compound isnt absorbing it as well as the soft OEM rubber.

The cheapest you can do it is $1200 less the $280 install.So $920.

Yes,that's the cause of the vibrations,all too common a story on the net.

Many remove them cause they are sick of the vibrations.


Yer ns told bs...

I do know places usually cost just over 1g just for installing. But honestly i got all of the bushings for $430. and thats the total cost of a completely bushing kit and installed if you do it yourself. Cant go wrong with that.

If you like your car hard/stiff and vibrating :p

[FastFwd]

If you like your car hard/stiff and vibrating :p

I dont get much vibrations....

just more of a solid ride.

[Rice_4_life]

nice write up, need to get around to replacing mine as well.
How did you manage the rear trailing arm bushes ? Did you hammer them out ? Wheel alignment afterwards ?

[FastFwd]

im getting a front and rear wheel alignment in a week..

Trailing arm i cut out wit a electic saw and then hammered it out and chucked the whole trailing arm bush into a fire where i was left with just the exterior ring which you slide over the ES bushing.

For the Mugen ones Beeza has it comes complete...so u dont need to do any of that.

hitting it out with the hammer works well...few good hits and you start to see it move.

[beeza]

nice write up, need to get around to replacing mine as well.
How did you manage the rear trailing arm bushes ? Did you hammer them out ? Wheel alignment afterwards ?

As stated,I had them installed by my main man,Geoff :D

I will get a wheel alignment soon,unless Deano will do a DIY on setting up your own suspension :thumbsup:

[Rice_4_life]

I see, we used to just mallet them out (rubber mallets) and hammer them back in.

[beeza]

I dare say that's what he done.The tool needing to be a custom fit over the outer rim of the edge I guess..

[kairi_k]

damm $280 for installation!! bargain

[beeza]

For sure Aye!!

Cheers :)

[EK1.6LCIV]

I love this thread, more than half of mine are on the hitlist for next month, including castors...

any play in yours? I found a small ammount of play in mine during a wheel alignment, Mugen make anything?

great read tho and props left :)

[beeza]

Thanks Ryan!!

What do you mean by any play in them?

I just ordered some Mugen Rear LCA bushes from Yonas,$210.So I got them plus the Front LCA bushes too do next.

Here's the printout from the wheel alignment after new tyres and bushes,any feedback is greatly apprecited!

Dont hurt ya neck!

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/100_1347.jpg

[FastFwd]

how much was all four wheels aligned cost?

[beeza]

55 er'

[cnez]

need to replace bushings on mine too. found this AWESOME article showing how it can be done:

http://www.superstreetonline.com/techarticles/27098/index.html

Apparently the rear trailing arm is a pain in the a**. But to make ES trailing arm install easier:

"The guys at Energy Suspension use a washer on both sides and a nut and bolt combo to start the bushing. Once the bushing begins to slide into the trailing arm, the bolt, nut, and washers can be removed. The bushing should then pop into place with little help."

edit: the rear trailing arms are first on my list. any experiences on only replacing rear trailing arm bushing with the ES ones and leaving all other bushes stock? (sry for the possible hijack :P)

[beeza]

ES is cheap crap.Mugen is far superior to ES products.Far.

[FastFwd]

ES is cheap crap.Mugen is far superior to ES products.Far.

I disagree.

I havent used many Mugen bushings but i think the difference is related to preference in drivablity and how you want you car to feel and not which is better or worse.

Personally i love the feel that the ES bushings have given my EG. Very tight, sturdy, but a downside harsher ride which people dont like. On the flipside the Mugen ones little softer, maybe not as tight or sturdy ride/feel but please the greater honda community as they more suited for a daily driver.

[kcokla]

i think this needs to be moved to review/DIY area
but this is awsome

+rep bezza
only a matter of time before your name has a bunch of boxes!

[beeza]

Thanks Kcokla!! :)


I disagree.

I havent used many Mugen bushings but i think the difference is related to preference in drivablity and how you want you car to feel and not which is better or worse.

Personally i love the feel that the ES bushings have given my EG. Very tight, sturdy, but a downside harsher ride which people dont like. On the flipside the Mugen ones little softer, maybe not as tight or sturdy ride/feel but please the greater honda community as they more suited for a daily driver.

Absolutely!

Great post mate!!

:thumbsup:

[beeza]

+rep bezza
only a matter of time before your name has a bunch of boxes!

Cheers,but not unless you do it! Add the reP! haha,Whoops! :angel:

[EK1.6LCIV]

ES rear trailing arm bushings dont align properly, seen alot of graphs proving this

theyre other gear isnt too bad at all, just the trailing arms are something they dont build well, which is why Mugen and oem are the way to go

[beeza]

If you like to Shake,rattle n' roll then ES is for U!

[rob1000]

Problem i see though, ES is far cheaper. You can get a full ES kit for less than $240+shipping but mugen is almost a grand :(

ES kit contains:
* Front control arm bushings
* Rear control arm bushings
* Front shock bushings,
* Front & Rear sway bar bushings
* Front & Rear coil spring insulators
* Rear trailing arm bushes
* Steering rack bushings,
* Transmission shifter stabilizer bushings (manuals)
* Rack & Pinion bushings
* Ball joint Boots
* Tie rod end boots.

According to the quote in OP mugen is:
* Mugen Rear Upper Control Arm Bushes $195
* Mugen Rear Compensator Arm Bushes $135
* Mugen Front Upper Control Arm Bushes $220
* Mugen Front Lower Control Arm Bushes $125
* Rear Trailing Arm bushes $195

Imo thats just too expensive... especially when people are saying the best part of mugen bushings is they're perfect for a daily driver. The Rear Upper control arm Bushes alone, are most of the cost of entire ES master kit!

Anyone had experience with Superpro bushings? how do they compare in ride and price to these two?

[beeza]

U get what U pay for and $1200 is an absolute bargain for the benefits that reek everyday!

Super stoked.

[rob1000]

U get what U pay for and $1200 is an absolute bargain for the benefits that reek everyday!

Super stoked.

I bet they feel great alas, if i went the mugen route, I'd have to sleep with one eye open in fear of what the other half might do while i slept :D

[beeza]

AHAHA Rob,I like you :)

[rob1000]

AHAHA Rob,I like you :)

Hey, noone wants to end up like 'ol J. Bobbit :eek:

[beeza]

Who's that?

[rob1000]

Who's that?

heh google john bobbit im sure you would have heard of him

[beeza]

"John Wayne Bobbitt (born 23 March 1967 in Buffalo, New York) and Lorena Leonor (née Gallo)[citation needed] (born 1970 in Bucay, Ecuador) were an American couple, married on June 18, 1989, whose difficult relationship gained worldwide notice for an incident in 1993 when Lorena severed John's penis with a knife."

Oh,Damn!

I hadn't heard of him.Ouch!!

[egSi]

top work Brett.

ps buy some ****ing new shocks :thumbsup:

[FastFwd]

ES rear trailing arm bushings dont align properly, seen alot of graphs proving this

theyre other gear isnt too bad at all, just the trailing arms are something they dont build well, which is why Mugen and oem are the way to go

Exactly right...

I had an issue with this which i had to modify them a little bit to make them straight but wasnt that hard once i figured it out.

[98vtir]

Damn I was considering getting an ES kit soon.... this has kind of put me off yet I spose it is a nice cheap way to get new bushings till I can do Mugen... :(

[beeza]

top work Brett.

ps buy some ****ing new shocks :thumbsup:

hehe,THANKS TRAV!!

And I will real soon,then get my car corner balanced.I only got onto that when you mentioned it in Tim's thread.I was like,'Hell Yeah!!'

Can't wait to have that done :thumbsup:

I've been driving in the twisties the last 2 days,mad fun.When she's properly balanced,it will be awesome :honda:


Damn I was considering getting an ES kit soon.... this has kind of put me off yet I spose it is a nice cheap way to get new bushings till I can do Mugen... :(

Yeah,plenty of people on the net say the same thing.

[FastFwd]

Damn I was considering getting an ES kit soon.... this has kind of put me off yet I spose it is a nice cheap way to get new bushings till I can do Mugen... :(

Yeh if your looking for bolt on bushings and little modification then just get the mugen or other brands with similar setups. But for the ES theres a bit of mucking around, if you got the tools, space and time its not that hard.

[beeza]

Yeah,that's an awesome effort to do all them ya self!!

[98vtir]

Yeah, I defs won't do em by myself :P I'll borrow my Nissan boy of a friends hands...and tools bahaha

[beeza]

hehe FA-Sure!

:)

[egSi]

Brett, I dont think you can corner balance a car without adjustable suspension. How do you suppose they adjust the weight at each corner? Cut a spring coil out? lol ;)

Trust me man, stop 'modding around it'. Just buy some koni yellows. :thumbsup:

They cost less than your bushes ;)

[beeza]

Yes! I'ma gonna :)

The Koni yellows are adjustable though right? So I should be able to corner balance it with them?

The thread:
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2506043#post2506043

[lookingforboost]

to the question about the SuperPro bushes, we just put Rear trailing arm bushes upper control arm bushes and a whiteline rear sway bar on my brothers Ek and pretty happy with them very firm and they are really good priced although we got them for a bargin :P but yeah very happy with them next up is asjutible toe arms and wheel alignment

[string]

Yes! I'ma gonna :)

The Koni yellows are adjustable though right? So I should be able to corner balance it with them?

The thread:
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2506043#post2506043

They're adjustable, but only in a few discrete height settings. For corner balancing you'll need a continuous adjustment such as a perch on a thread (i.e. "coilovers"). An minimalist example of such a device is the Ground-Control system.

Car balance goes deeper than messing with the corner heights to achieve equal cross weights. In road cars you're limited by factory design, but consider that it might be more important to achieve equal front corner weights, or to move heavy items closer to the centre of mass. Regardless, make sure either you or an equivalently weighted sack of potatoes is in the driver seat while it's being done.

[beeza]

Thanks String!

Great one mate,cheers!!

[egSi]

Brett,

I dont think you can corner balance a car with only Koni yellows. The Konis have like 3 different height positions. I just dont think that would be accurate enough to corner balance front or rear within grams of each other. It would be like downloading your SLR pics onto a Gameboy and wondering why they look like shit.

Either get a fully adjustable coilover or forget it.

IMHO there are wiser places you could be spending your money ;)

[beeza]

Yup,good one Trav,I was thinking the same thing all day!!

Cheers mate,good lookin' out mate.

I always value your knowledge/wisdom with Honda's! :)

Are Buddyclubs N+ Coilover too much for a daily? I just dont wanna sacrifice comfort.Damper control for the track is a must too.

[egSi]

Im not sure about N+ i have BC Race Spec Damper. They are totally ****ed.

If i was you, id get some second hand Tein SS asap :thumbsup:

OR

Brand new Konis.

Also man, dont stress bout being dumped. It costs more than most would think.

I like your height now but judging by your track pics, your shit rolls WAY too much. You need more than a stiff swaybar to cure that lean.

Just my opionion tho ;)

[beeza]

Since those pics I've replaced a few bushes,just need the coilovers.

No way am I stressin' about slammin' her,if I did I already would have done it but I'm waiting till I'm ready,which is soon.After I sell the b18c I got,Supension > Power.My engine is finially runnin' wicked! :)

Thanks Mate!

[Super-DA9]

are Hardrace and Mugen bushings essentially the same? cause I've got a Hardrace kit and holy **** they look EXACTLY the same.

[jdm_b16a]

I'd just like to compliment you on the excellent photographs - very clear and illustrative.

Peter

[VT3C]

anyone have any experience with Energy Suspension bushings ? tha seppo's seem to love em.

anyone used Spoon either ?? i have the large lower front arm spoon bushings waiting to go

http://www.spoon.jp/modules/SNL.php?fn=items/00/0000/0918/0918_1.jpg&w=120&h=90&bg=16777215

but i want to do the lot at once..

the Eurethane bushings http://www.spoon.jp/modules/SNL.php?fn=items/00/0000/0917/0917_1.jpg&w=120&h=90&bg=16777215

were out of stock when i was at Type One :(

and not sure what these are for also:

http://www.spoon.jp/modules/SNL.php?fn=items/00/0000/0926/0926_1.jpg&w=120&h=90&bg=16777215

but i REALLY need to replace ALL my bushings.. i did some on the front A-arms (chassis side) a few years ago with some crap dark blue AUS made bushings.. they didnt fit anywhere near it so I had to shave them down to fit and I only ended up using one of them I think cause it was such a pain.. but I have a lot of movement under hard braking especially which I do not like at all :(

[jdm_b16a]

The blue bushings are probably the SuperPRO ones you can buy at SCA or REPCO. I'm surprised you had so many problems as they are meant to be reasonable quality.

I've got the full Energy Suspension bushing kits for both an EG and an ED, which I will be installing in the near future so until then I can't really comment. However, like you, I've read nothing but good things about the Energy Suspension kits.

When I built the racecar (EG6) I had every bush replaced with Nolathane bushes (which are meant to be on par with the ES kits) and the car was like a gokart, it went exactly where you pointed it, but it was very bumpy. You also have to factor in stripped out interior, hardmounted race seat and lowered on coilovers and stiff springs.

I've just bought a 6tonne Hydraulic Press to remove/fit everything but I've also seen it done (on the SuperPRO website in fact) with a bench vice. The key to fitting is the special lubricant they give you, and I know in both the ES kits I've got (bought from the USA) there is a large tub of red goo that the instructions say is imperative to a smooth fitting and to stop the bushes from squeaking later.

Peter

[beeza]

Thanks Peter,cheers mate!

[Alvis]

awesome thread Beeza :) +1 rep.

How many k's were on your car when you did this?

[beeza]

Thanks Alvis!

About 110,000 mate,there 148,000 atm :)

[mugen_ctr]

phoaw!!! changing bushes is a lengthy one, an one in not gonna do lol, id rather pay the labor than do it myself, as i dont have a press, an 2ndly, taking all the parts off is a couple days work, well for me that is lol....

once the funds are up, which mite be 2-3yrs time (student), than ill do all the bushes, as the cost, is far too much for me

[beeza]

Yeah I didn't do mine either,bugger that lol,no bush press either

[Alvis]

sounds like a lengthy job... and a decent whack of wod if you want quality parts. I might wait before I do any of mine - pedders check came out all ok so I'll hold off for a while

But still, fantastic thread - and good to hear you're loving the driving experience, which I agree is the most important thing, not just having the fastest car on the road (or a b series lol) :)

[beeza]

haha yeah!

And still Lovin' it!! :)

[liberx]

Hey Guys,

Just had new bushes installed on my EG too. Opted for Hardrace bushes ordered direct from USA. Great value for the full bushing kit with the $AUD at the mo. Had them put in by a suspension workshop here, quoted around 7 hours. No issues reported with fitting.

The result? So far very happy. Car retains firmness, but without the harshness, and no slop whatsoever. Corners flatter, no uncontrolled body movement under load, yet also smoother. Went for adjustable upper arms (F&R) at the same time (also Hardrace), and of course alignment. Can't wait to get it back onto the track to really experience the difference...

[JDM-EGG]

Hey Guys,

Just had new bushes installed on my EG too. Opted for Hardrace bushes ordered direct from USA. Great value for the full bushing kit with the $AUD at the mo. Had them put in by a suspension workshop here, quoted around 7 hours. No issues reported with fitting.

The result? So far very happy. Car retains firmness, but without the harshness, and no slop whatsoever. Corners flatter, no uncontrolled body movement under load, yet also smoother. Went for adjustable upper arms (F&R) at the same time (also Hardrace), and of course alignment. Can't wait to get it back onto the track to really experience the difference...

how much did it cost to get it installed mate ?