eg Civic Trailing arm Bush Set

[Sexc86]

Hey guys

My trailing arm bushes are nearly fooked... but also the ones up the opposit end (to the brakes) as well. What are all these bushes called? how many do i need and roughly and are kits usually available to purchase?

Regards lyle

[EG5]

Get Mugen one if you want it stiffer than Honda one.

[bennjamin]

or get energy suspension replacement bushes. Get on US EBAY , or from EG5.

Cheap and stiffer than stock. Easy to install too

[outatime]

Energy Suspension ftw! u can get that for 60 bux from US ebay.

have u done urs yet Ben?

[bennjamin]

Energy Suspension ftw! u can get that for 60 bux from US ebay.

have u done urs yet Ben?

no ehehe its too cold outside :)
But i will a afternoon next week so come over !

BTW guys at current exchange rates the price is cheap from the US....$60 incl shipping for 2 ES trailing arm bushes.

[Sexc86]

what about the bushes for the arms at the end of the trailing arms though? what are these called?

[bennjamin]

ends ? theres only the TRAILING ARM bush on the trailing arm.

There is , the toe adust end (2 x bushes) and then there is the upper control arm (2 x bushes) and there there is the connection to the control arm (1 bush) that all directly connect to the trailing arm. Which one ?

[Sexc86]

the toe adjust? is that at the opposit end of the trailing arm of the actuall brake rotors and calipers? i think thats it

[bennjamin]

you misread , there isnt any other bush/es on the trailing arm , apart from the trailing arm bush :)

Only the front compensator arm ( to adjust toe) , upper control arm and lower control arm have bushes to replace

[vinnY]

maybe he's talking about the rear lca, bushing that connects the lca to the subframe?

[bennjamin]

maybe he's talking about the rear lca, bushing that connects the lca to the subframe?

ok then - there is 3 per LCA. They are the same size ( on the EG and DC) and you just take the LCA out and press old out , press new in :)

[lukecivic]

how hard is it to replace the trailing arm bush?
cant press it out cause they have the metal bit that extends out of it to bolt it up
so how do they come out?

[vinnY]

thanks tinkerbell (http://home.exetel.com.au/tinkerbell/RTAinstall.html) ;)

[DNYALL]

password JDM spherical bearing kit.
http://passwordjdm.com/PasswordJDM-Spherical-Bearing-Kit-P1854C326.aspx

If u got the dollars for it...Expensive but most likely worth it. Anyone know a website or place to get pasword jdm goods for a decent price?

[outatime]

since their website doesnt have the option to ship overseas, contact them and ask for Leo. he'll give u a quote of including overseas postage and u can organize the payment through paypal.

[STiR]

password JDM spherical bearing kit.
http://passwordjdm.com/PasswordJDM-Spherical-Bearing-Kit-P1854C326.aspx

If u got the dollars for it...Expensive but most likely worth it. Anyone know a website or place to get pasword jdm goods for a decent price?

Seems to be a good idea as opposed to polyurethane bushes. If anyone finds more spherical bearing suspension gear please post.

[bennjamin]

Seems to be a good idea as opposed to polyurethane bushes. If anyone finds more spherical bearing suspension gear please post.

but....why ? whats wrong with poly bushes ? Ignore the last few pages of thoughts ~ i myself have them and will install soon , and have several experienced users using htme with no issues at all. (including Tinkerbell) .
For the price its fine.
These spherical bearings dont look like they will take the abuse for the long run.

[STiR]

I was thinking more in terms of longevity actually, and also minimal movement. What makes you question their longevity? It would be annoying if they didn't last they are quite expensive...

[bennjamin]

I was thinking more in terms of longevity actually, and also minimal movement. What makes you question their longevity? It would be annoying if they didn't last they are quite expensive...

BTW your rear trailing arm needs some sort of movement , in 3 axis (x/y/z)
Its just the spherical bearing itself. These never lend well to impacts ~ for example suspension strut tops with spherical bearings often come loose or break on Aussie roads. From bad roads , impacts etc.
I just cant see these lasting long on oz roads for a daily driver.

An actual TRACK car , maybe. But for a daily driver IMO either get these poly bushes , they will last for a long time (will only ever start to squeek if anything) or spend abit more and get mugen or OEM style bushes.

[STiR]

I haven't had any problems with spherical bearings in strut tops yet, but interesting point nonetheless. Would you get mugen over poly bushes? I've got the whiteline poly bushes on my STi and I think they're excellent. With hondas i'm not sure what to get, hearing of these failed poly bushes?

[bennjamin]

id get mugen over poly , yes. It resembles OEM design , and its supposed to be replaced once in like 10 years / 200,000kms so its nothing to scamp on.
I chose poly due to price and ease of DIY install.


I have never heard of failing poly bushes , they are less prone to breaking BUT i have heard of pol bushes becoming noisy as the lubricant runs dry. You have to be quite forward in covereing in lube for the best long term result
If and when it "squeaks" - it isnt an issue but it will just be an annoying noise.

[STiR]

So these bushes coming with aftermarket LCAs are not poly? I find the mugen a bit steep at 180 for rear trailing arm bush, considering i've got quite a few bushes to be upgrading.

[bennjamin]

any aftermarket LCA"s generally have poly bushes.

Look at Energy suspension for the trailing arm bush , its $60 shipped from the US for both.

[STiR]

So why are people having issue with failing LCA bushes?

[bennjamin]

lol i didnt realise we are talking about LCA's.

I would say the bushes are too small and not well designed for the application. Plus aftermarket LCA's dont have a huge research investment behind them - they are for bling.
Do u have some links ?

[STiR]

I was actually referring to complaints I was reading about in this forum re aftermarket LCAs and failed bushes. I'm trying to give my car the best suspension/chassis set-up and I was leaning towards poly replacement, then spherical bearing appeared to make even more sense. You have placed doubt in my mind about that :)

[bennjamin]

IMO

avoid spherical bearing for anything suspension
use OEM bushes for LCA's etc.
Use OEM or poly for the trailing arm bush.

[nd55]

I think Password JDM comes into New Zealand.

search NZ Honda.com for "FBI".

There's also available "Hardrace" bushes which are either hard rubber or spherical with dust covers. Search ofr hardrace on Ebay.


What do people with poly bushes suggest for a good lube? The white lithium stuff that comes with Energy Suspension doesn't seem to be doing the trick for me.


> avoid spherical bearing for anything suspension

I think the "hardrace" RTA spherical bearing might be reasonble for use daily use.

http://www.hardrace.com/precise.asp#1


> re aftermarket LCAs and failed bushes

A LOT of the online chatter on Honda-tech.com has been about poly RTA bushes not having the proper three degrees of flex.

The arguments against poly bushes was becuase some people were finding under hard braking or corner there was a tendency to 'snap' oversteer.

An equal number of people chimed in and said they'd never experienced this. Honda-tech.com goodness.


Nick.

[bennjamin]

just an update for those that care. DIY installed rear poly bushes , after a full alignment the car feels a touch firmer in straight lines and cornering. Bites alot harder in sharper corners and "pendulum" driving. No noise , lots of lubricant used.Been thru alot of different situations sofar and no"binding" characteristics.
Will keep this updated

[EKVTIR-T]

just an update for those that care. DIY installed rear poly bushes , after a full alignment the car feels a touch firmer in straight lines and cornering. Bites alot harder in sharper corners and "pendulum" driving. No noise , lots of lubricant used.Been thru alot of different situations sofar and no"binding" characteristics.
Will keep this updated

Which type did you use?

[bennjamin]

Which type did you use?

ES poly trailing arm bushes to suit my car.
From US ebay seller , approx $60 incl shipping for both from USA.

[outatime]

i also use the ES poly trailing arm bushes. the rear of the car feels firmer but slightly harder on bumps. i took off the rear swaybar and even without it, the car handles very well on corners.

the sellers name on ebay US is called 'upgradeautomotive'. Shipping is via USPS with tracking number provided. Takes a week to be delivered from the date of purchase.

ben, can't wait to get the oem endlinks on wednesday and put this dilema to an end!

[bennjamin]

woo woo do it !

[EKVTIR-T]

ES poly trailing arm bushes to suit my car.
From US ebay seller , approx $60 incl shipping for both from USA.

Reason I ask is there are a few types.
The fixed shaft type
http://www.hardrace.com/images/product/pro_200706081108410.jpg
And floating shaft type
http://www.ultrarev.com/files/images/product_thumbnail/t_38771_01.jpg


Also what do you think about this?


Having owned both OEM and ES(back to OEM now) trailing arm bushings on a car with 500#+ rear spring rates, I can tell you the ES bushings make the car an unpredictable piece of shit to drive. Under braking, the car wants to wander all over the place and when you compress the outside rear by rolling over a bump snap-oversteer is induced. Do what you like, but for any real performance driving, urethane bushings are garbage. Hell look at the real time ITRs, they used delrin and sphericals everywhere but the trailing arms because they know how to develop a suspension and not get sucked into hearsay and marketing bullshit.

http://hondaswap.com/wheels-suspension-tires-brakes/trailing-arm-bushing-50861/

I suppose with a setup that has minimal travel it won't be such an issue.

[outatime]

woo woo do it !

can i quickly drop by whenever you're free in the arvo so i can borrow your ratchet and install them? :D

btw don't i get a pq point on that? ^^^ :p

[e240]

Its just the spherical bearing itself. These never lend well to impacts ~ for example suspension strut tops with spherical bearings often come loose or break on Aussie roads. From bad roads , impacts etc.


I disagree with your opinion on spherical bearings. I have used and tried all the types and seriously, would use spherical bearings on all my suspension joints if I could get them. Especially for the front.

Used in Control arms, spherical bearings offer the least deflection of any form of bushing while still allowing true multi axis rotation (Unlike Poly bushes which control flex to an extent because of the nature of the design). If your suspension is jarring enough to damage the spherical bearing on the control arm, I'd say you actually have another mechanical issue, because those areas are not meant to take load, only to rotate. And if it can damage the bearing, its also warping the Poly bushes, changing your suspension geometry when you need it most.

If you want the highest performance, then the spherical bearing will allow the most consistent geometry and largest amount of suspension travel without bind.

There are cheap Spherical bearings and there are Spherical Bearings. The only drawback about having suspensions with good spherical bearings is the cost, but now there competitive ones out there.

I've been using spherical bearings on my towers and Rear LCAs, Toe and Camber for more than a year now with very hard abuses. With the race suspensions on, I have to admit, its hard, but when I mount my street units on, the ride is smooth (Minus the sound from the stripped interior off course..:p)

[EKVTIR-T]

How much are the rear trailing arm sphericals on average?

[outatime]

I disagree with your opinion on spherical bearings. I have used and tried all the types and seriously, would use spherical bearings on all my suspension joints if I could get them. Especially for the front.


What brand of Spherical Bushing do you use? might try that one day.. and what bushings do you use for the front?

[STiR]

I'm still partial to spherical bearings... so many brands, so many choices

[bennjamin]

I disagree with your opinion on spherical bearings. I have used and tried all the types and seriously, would use spherical bearings on all my suspension joints if I could get them. Especially for the front.

Used in Control arms, spherical bearings offer the least deflection of any form of bushing while still allowing true multi axis rotation (Unlike Poly bushes which control flex to an extent because of the nature of the design). If your suspension is jarring enough to damage the spherical bearing on the control arm, I'd say you actually have another mechanical issue, because those areas are not meant to take load, only to rotate. And if it can damage the bearing, its also warping the Poly bushes, changing your suspension geometry when you need it most.

If you want the highest performance, then the spherical bearing will allow the most consistent geometry and largest amount of suspension travel without bind.

There are cheap Spherical bearings and there are Spherical Bearings. The only drawback about having suspensions with good spherical bearings is the cost, but now there competitive ones out there.

I've been using spherical bearings on my towers and Rear LCAs, Toe and Camber for more than a year now with very hard abuses. With the race suspensions on, I have to admit, its hard, but when I mount my street units on, the ride is smooth (Minus the sound from the stripped interior off course..:p)


appreciate your thoughts into this ~ I only really refer to "on street" use unfortunately. Thats what wold destroy these quick smart compared to poly or OEM style. Australia does have some of the more rougher roads in the world and they dont deal well with suspension upgrades or altercations !

Leo to keep it on topic , what do you recommend for the trailing arm only on a typcial daily driver car with a few track days in mind ?

[fatboyz39]

street and abit of track, we use Noltec RTA. Similar to the hardrace ones.

[bennjamin]

street and abit of track, we use Noltec RTA. Similar to the hardrace ones.

the noltec is a soild bush like the ES one isnt it ? How long have you had it in and how does it fair ?

[fatboyz39]

the noltec is a soild bush like the ES one isnt it ? How long have you had it in and how does it fair ?

Had it for over 6months now. Its not full solid like ES. It still have gaps. Look at hardrace one above, very similar to that.

Alot better then stock. LOL.

[EKVTIR-T]

I've had full solid Noltec blue rta's for about 2 years now.
I did find they made the rear end feel unstable under braking and gave a wallowing feeling also on long corners.

I wish I never put them in really..

[e240]

Leo to keep it on topic , what do you recommend for the trailing arm only on a typcial daily driver car with a few track days in mind ?

I think the "Australian conditions" are just a ploy for these local retailers to scare consumers into buying their items. Seriously, you think Australian roads are bad? haha...Yes, if you do bush driving all the time...

Anyway, I would use spherical bearings (good ones - teflon lined) if I could - a little bit more maintenance (Maybe once or twice a month just spray with wd40 to remove the dust/mud/dirt - thats what i do anyway) - but if poly is your choice - the ES ones give good value, just make sure you prepare the surfaces properly.

bind? as far a I see, the ES ones give unrestricted up down left right movement and doubt it would bind (if properly mainatained). The moulded in ones look like they would bind at the limits of the material flexability. However with the ES ones, its probably important to use a good toe control kit to properly maintain the geometry.

To get maintenance in perspective, I would clean and lube the ES ones with the same regiment as if I were to use spherical bearings, due to the nature of the design. Like I said, I'd use spherical bearings if i could and am waiting for Mfactory to start maufacturing them..LOL...

[e240]

the noltec is a soild bush like the ES one isnt it ? How long have you had it in and how does it fair ?


A bit different, the ES ones are not bonded to the middle shaft but the noltec ones are. I like the fact that the ES ones are no bonded because it gives the largest flexibility in movement. However, the maintenance regime is, like in my previous post, higher.

[DNYALL]

street and abit of track, we use Noltec RTA. Similar to the hardrace ones.

Where can you source these from and how much they usually retail forr?

[EGB18CT]

ive got sperical bearing lca from pic performance, with a very hard suspension setup, ive hardly driven the car atm, the feedback given from the rear of the car is very good, although it is very hard for the streets, if using on the street just use poly bushes such as energy/noltec, if hardly driving on the street then sperical. But yer up to you with how harsh you want your ride etc unless u have a race suspension set up the go the spericals (talking spring rates 12kf 14kr and above) ...it is a big dangerous driving on the street as as soon as u hit a small bump or wave in the road your almost one wheel of the ground... not good roads arnt like the track. Just stick to energy bushes imo.

[dynosaur]

so , polyutherane ( Energy suspension etc...) is more suitable for daily street use rather then sperical bearing ?

[outatime]

use Honda OEM (160 for a pair) for daily street. if you're short of cash, go for Energy Suspension (60 for a pair from ebay).