I was keeping my mouth shut on this thinking that you might not want to
hear from a manufacturer of Nylatron bushings who will certainly have an
inherent bias but all this talk of Nylatron being hideous for a street
car just ain't right!
I have had Nylatron bushings on all the suspension joints on my street
car for 15 years and it rides just fine. There is no vibration
transmitted because there is no vibration generated. The wheels are
balanced, the wheel bearings run smooth. We are not suspending a
vibrating engine. We have suspension travel to handle the bumps and
rubber tires. OK, if you bottom the suspension, soft bushings will help
to cushion the shock. No, it does not ride like a Cadillac but I don't
think any of us are looking for plush.
With all the talk I have heard over the years against Nylatron for
street I have wondered if I have just gotten used to rough ride but many
people have test driven my car and not one thought the ride was rough.
After the first turn I usually rear something like "Wow, this thing
handles like it is on rails!" then a little later the comment is "Well,
this does not ride rough at all" like they were fully expecting to have
their teeth rattled.
We don't need vibration isolators at our suspension pivots. We need a
good bearing material and sleeves that won't rust and grind out the
bearings. Soft bushings cause handling problems. Hard rubber or poly
does not work well because it is not a good bearing material. Nylatron
is hard so it keeps the wheels from wobbling in directions they should
not go and it is made for bearings so it wears well. The only problems
of squeaking or groaning that I have heard were caused by improper
setting of end play of the trailing arm bushings where the bolt was
actually torqued up on the bushings rather than on the sleeve. If
properly installed Nylatron bushings work great.
Richard Good
Good Parts
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