Control arm bushings

Going thru my new to me 1990 Cherokee, that is lifted 5 inch, 33 inch tires, etc.. I see some of the control arm bushings are shot. What are the pros and cons of the different types of bushings, I see red type, urethane I assume and black, I assume regular rubber. what choices do I have, recommendations? I do have aftermarket round tubing type control arms. This is all new to me, Id like to know what works best, and want to know what to avoid.

thanks

ps current worn out bushings are black.

Your going to need to post up pics of the arms to see what style they use(color is not a indicator)!

Typically polyurethane bushings are a bit firmer, and transmit a bit more noise/vibration. They are more resistant to oils and fluids, but also have a tendency to squeak when dry. Poly bushing are often available in different hardnesses. Rubber bushings are OK, and tend to be a bit more flexy. Don't buy cheap ones from Omix-Ada or Crown Automotive, find some Clevit brand replacements. What works "best" depends on your needs.

I dont have attachment privileges for photographs, see here is a link to my Control Arms...

http://www.cherokeetalk.com/forum/f8/what-control-arms-these-73649/#post1144241

Let me know what you think would be good replacememt bushings for them. the upper arm bushings at axle are shot. the lower arms dont look as bad, lots of metal in them.

Uppers are 1.25 inch dia, lowers are 1.5 inch dia. I was told they might be Rubicon Express brand???

If you have what's pictured, those are RE arms. Do you have drop brackets?

I'll add that it still doesn't solve your question! The one you have pictured has a "Super-flex" joint which is rebuild-able. The other end of the arm depends on the year, the early one's used factory rubber bushings, with the latter years using a custom "hour-glass" bushing.

I just realized those "are" your pics, so those are the old style arms that use the factory "rear" arm bushings. The rebuild kits for the lower front's are available, I've never needed any in 15yrs as they are greasable/adjustable!

Ok, I posted some more photographs at cherokee talk...

http://www.cherokeetalk.com/forum/f8/what-control-arms-these-73641/#post1144481

you can see how distorted the upper arm bushings are, the bolt thru the bushing is push near all the back, and the bushing steel appears to have backed out of the axle mounts, so I got metal on metal rubbing.

Could these arms be too short? I assume I will need to move or rotate the axle to get the bolts for the arms to line up with new bushings.

any advice on this? are there bushings that will better resist the distortion, or do I need a longer control arm or???

also note the steering tie rod is bent! I assume it is supposed to be straight, correct?

I really want to get this right, rather than use the same kind of parts again if that is the solution. I am still new to all this, learning as I go with help from you all.

Thanks

Are the control arms left and right specific ? Are the axle ends oriented correctly ?

What do the control arms lengths measure ? The bushing are failed, they are routine maintenance items that don't last forever.

RE arms are not left/right specific and they are installed correctly. But since they're the fixed length models the only caster adjustment would be in the slots of the DB's. I would just call that wear "negligence", they were probably shot when the new arms were installed. The factory uppers typically don't seat well in the cast mounts, that you can work on!