[Ti Rider]

I need to replace my bushings. I'm leaning toward Mugen hard rubber bushings but on HT several posters claim they are just repackaged OEM bushings. OEM would be fine but I'm looking to autocross and want an upgrade. ES would be my last choice. I've read they squeak no matter what you do and eventually break apart. Money isn't a huge issue, I'll pay more if Mugen's are worth it. Let me know your thoughts/experiences.........

 

[fireant]

I'm very happy with the Mugens. Be sure to have them put in at a slightly different angle if the car is lowered, so they dont have preload.

 

[mattminerDOTcom]

mugens and the oem ones ARE identical.

ive never experienced the problems you stated with the ES ones, but if you are worried get the stock ones and clock them properly.

[email protected]

 

[downest]

The ES ones on my car are getting on 4 or 5 years old as far as i know, and they are holding up well.

 

[Ti Rider]

mugens and the oem ones ARE identical.

I've read that over on Honda Tech. There are several posters who claim they are the same. Do you have a link or proof that they are identical? Apparently the guys at Kingmotorsports claim they are completely different/much stiffer than OEM rubber bushings. I just don't want to Mugen prices for OEM Honda bushings in a Mugen bag.......

 

[downest]

But I bet they come with a badass JDM tyte sticker!

 

[jmart]

I've got a set of Mugen rta bushings in a box waiting to be pressed into my trailing arms. They do *look* the same as the oem ones. I'm not sure if they are any diff, but at the time i bought them i didn't realize i could just get the oem ones (noob). Anyway, i suspect that despite looking the same the mugen bushings prob have a harder material, but i can't say that is true for sure. **shrug**

 

[mattminerDOTcom]

Well I had new oem ones and a set of the 'mugen' ones in my possesion. While i dont have a durometer, I did a few small tests on them.

I put them in a vise and then attached a springscale off the through pin and loaded the stock and the ugen with weight. I then measured the deflection of the bushings and found them to be identical. That, and my visual inspection, leads me to believe they are identical. We sent back the king motorsports ones.

[email protected], reporting in from his layover in Midway...on my way to Cali

 

[Ti Rider]

Matt, thanks exactly what I needed to know. Mugen bushings are expensive. My rough calculations show it'd be over $600 for all the bushings I need. That's a little more than OEM and twice as much as ES. Too much to gamble that they are not just repackaged OEM bushings. ES poly bushings are looking better and better.......

 

[jmart]

Personally, I wouldn't put stiff poly bushings on a street car. And its not even about the harshness of the ride. Bloted joints, welded seams and other parts can break over time. This is caused by fatigue failures due to high frequency inputs. These inputs come from road variation and things like wind drag, etc. Rubber bushings help to dampen these vibrations so they don't rattle your car apart in time. This may seeem ridiculous but small input amplitudes at high frequencies can be just as damaging as large inputs. Anyway, my point is what are you really getting out of putting in poly bushings? Plus, when the metal wears away at the poly, you'll just have a sloppy joint.

If you want really stiff, why not just put heim joints in, or better yet do that and just weld up your dampers. Cant get much stiffer than that!

Anyway, these are just my opinions on street cars. Now track cars are a diff story.

 

[downest]

Anyway, these are just my opinions on street cars. Now track cars are a diff story.

What about dual-purpose cars?

 

[SETI20]

The black ES bushings don't squeek due to the added graphite.

I've had red ones before, and I -think- I heard a squeek every once and again. I have the black ones now for a couple of years. Not a sound yet.
But I think that's because I lubed them better the second time.

 

[DAP91Si]

The black ES bushings don't squeek due to the added graphite.

I've had red ones before, and I -think- I heard a squeek every once and again. I have the black ones now for a couple of years. Not a sound yet.
But I think that's because I lubed them better the second time.

The black ES bushings squeak just as much as the colored bushings. I had thoughts of getting the Mugens but I think I will return mine to stock. Is King Motorsports engaging in false advertising?

 

[SETI20]

The black ES bushings squeak just as much as the colored bushings.

That might explain why mine don't squeek at all.

I'll bet a case of beer that 99% of the squeeking bushings is caused by improper installment.
I had a set of OEM bushings installed on my brother's 88 CRX and if you want to talk about squeeking....there's a prime example.
Took the bushings out. Re-did the metal jacket, re-inserted them. Dropped the car, re-tightened everything with the suspension tentioned up. Problem solved.

So either that makes me a master mechanic, or the others botch jobs. You tell me.

 

[lessonsinspeed]

I also had the a black set of ES, including the trailing arms, on my old rex. Never had a squeek. As long as you dump lube on anything that touches anything, you should safe for awhile.

I'd say go with the ES. Cheaper, they do make your car feel more solid. Jmart has a point about the wear, and they do ride stiffer than (worn) rubber bushings, but, in my opinion, its worth the tradeoffs. Same deal with any type of aftermarket suspension.

 

[fireant]

I got my Mugen RTA bushings from OPM http://www.opmautosports.com/products/index.html and they were $115 back then (2 years ago). That was $10 less than the OEM ones at the Honda parts counter.

FWIW I did buy new OEM bushings for the load bearing lower control arms, but for the uppers, I've used poly to save money.