Poly LCA/UCA bushings: yay or nay?

[Woodswanderer]

Recently replaced my stock ones with cheap aftermarkets, still have old parts and considering bushing replacement with poly for spares. Mainly for the longevity and ease of future replacement IF they ever wear out.

Can anyone weigh in on this? Good or bad? Im sure its been done, how about daily driver specifically?


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[RCP Phx]

I wouldn't do poly unless it's a flex joint which are readily available as replacements joints these days!

 

[maxbraketorque]

I would avoid old school polyurethane bushings. Not enough flexibility, and they are going to be squeaky and transmit road noise. Synergy makes a dual durometer polyurethane bushing that will fit in the UCA locations. It has better bending flexibility, and the inner pin spins freely. They are supposed to be squeak-free and almost as quiet as stock. However, I don't think Synergy or anyone else (e.g. Metalcloak) makes a new-style polyurethane bushing for the LCA. They want you to use their LCA that has the improved bushing.

 

[GravyDavey]

I run poly in the UCA axle positions only after running cheap rubber bushings that were thrashed after 1 long wheeling weekend. I didn't want to deal with changing them again. A couple things to note about my XJ: it's pretty loud, rattled, and squeaky all around, no carpet.
Although I go offroading about once a month, my jeep is not usually flexed out on rocks so I haven't experienced any loss in performance in that regard.

 

[RCP Phx]

I run poly in the UCA axle positions only after running cheap rubber bushings that were thrashed after 1 long wheeling weekend. I didn't want to deal with changing them again. A couple things to note about my XJ: it's pretty loud, rattled, and squeaky all around, no carpet.
Although I go offroading about once a month, my jeep is not usually flexed out on rocks so I haven't experienced any loss in performance in that regard.

I would want to know you were eating them. I run rubber up front as sacrificial bushings with RE Superflex joints in the rear on my radius arms but I've only replaced them once in 22yrs!

 

[GravyDavey]

I chalked it up to me buying the cheapest bushings available on RockAuto. I thought about changing back to rubber last summer when the motor was out for a rebuild. I even bought Omix Ada clevite bushings, but decided it wasn't worth the effort.

Now I'm in the middle of putting the bushings I bought into my buddy's 4 banger TJ that's got death wobble. I thought with the smaller engine I would have room to fit my ball joint press under there to get the old ones out. Nope. We would have had to take the coil out on the passenger side, so I made a little press out of some Home Depot hardware. Heated up the passenger side bracket and the bushing came right out super easy. I'm going to try the homemade press on the other side today, the casting on top of the dif. We'll see...

 

[maxbraketorque]

I chalked it up to me buying the cheapest bushings available on RockAuto. ...

Do you recall what rubber bushing you used? And 3-link, 4-link, or radius arm?

 

[GravyDavey]

I don't recall the bushing. That was 5-6 years ago. I've been running a stock 4 link set up, but I did put some RE knock off adjustable uppers on while the engine was out last summer.

Not much of a lift either, up country leafs with an extra main leaf in the pack, ZJ coils up front. One day I'll get a proper 3" lift. Most of my off roading is family friendly type stuff with little kids in the back half the time so my main focus has been making the XJ reliable.

 

[maxbraketorque]

Thanks. Was trying to get an idea of why the bushings wore out so quickly. Seems like they wore out with mild flexing.