I read somewhere that the 19mm poly bushing would fit my X-TYPE front sway bar bushing but I can't seem to locate the thread again. I'm having my front lower control arms and struts replaced and ordered the 19mm poly bushing from Summit racing but my mechanic say they do not fit and that he would need to force them on! Have anyone installed these?

 

Not sure this helps but if it makes you feel better, I thought I read the same thing regarding the poly bushings but I do not recall the size. I hope someone comes along soon for you with more specific info.

 

Be glad they do not fit. Poly bushings are a bad idea in 99% of cases and constitute a downgrade from stock. Use the standard rubber pieces.

 

Chances are if you didn't buy bushings specifically for the x type they won't just bolt on and fit perfectly. The front bushing mounts are a little odd in the way they are shaped, so even if the bar diameter is the same, they might not work.


In what world are poly bushings a downgrade? They last longer and they have less give which means the sway bar does a better job of working. The only down side is if they are not installed properly with the proper grease they can squeak.

 

They aren't, Mikey seems to find any thread about poly bushings to complain about them because he didn't put his on right so they made noise and the harsher ride must upset his hemroids. To each his own but the upside is longer life and a firmer more solid mount. Yes that also means more vibrations etc making it to the passenger compartment.

Going with poly on my XJR transformed it into an almost acceptable sports sedan and I haven't had a noise from any poly bush I installed. Plan on ordering a set for my front wishbones on the XK8 this fall as it is long over do.

As for 19mm bushing fitting. Yeah you need to order the right ones. You can make some universal stuff work (I have universal poly bushings on the rear of my xk but the fronts of the x type is a bit oddly shaped). Oh and don't forget to do the end links. If I remember right the x type uses ford contour end links (as do the rears of the xk8 and gen 1 xj8

 

Poly, contrary to common myth does not last longer. It breaks up in chunks in as little as 8-10 years as many people are now finding out, particularly with the cheap stuff from China flooding the market.

The 'downgrade' is indirectly related to the squeaking which can be sidestepped with lots of grease. Poly bushings must be allowed to slide over one or both mating surfaces. They must be 'loose' right out of the box. If not they'd destroy themselves in short order

Standard rubber bushings by design tightly grip in the inner and outer components they are mounted on. In a relaxed, neutral state they give a calculated amount of give to minimize the teeth rattling vibration some people mistake for 'ride improvement'. As the suspension component moves away from the neutral position the bushing material is put into torsion. This 'twist' firms up the bushing hardness substantially and actually allows less misalignment and deflection than a poly bushing under the same load.

OEMs knew this decades ago...................

 

Funny, I have 30 year old poly on my TVR that was OEM that look and function as new. I guess that is because they used such wonderful quality as they were scrounging thru the trash heaps of of British Leyland.

 

Its ford focus front end links that work on the x type. The rears however seem to be exclusive to the x type.

 

Perhaps, except the OP is talking about sway bar bushings,
where the OEM does not use bonded bushings in the first place.

Poly bushings are also well suited for steering rack mount bushings,
where again, the OEM uses non-bonded rubber bushings.

The problem with sweeping general statements is getting tripped
up by details.

++

 

No, the same principles apply . The OEM rubber bushings are deliberately undersized so that they grip the bar tightly once installed. They are put in torsion the same as other locations.

Installing poly in locations such as a steering rack is the 1% exception acknowledged above

 

Undersized bushings that "grip" the bar would cause it to bind, and suspension binding is something to be avoided, especially in the sway bars, so that doesn't make sense to me. Where are you getting all this information from? Of all the research I've done on Polly bushings I've never read any of these things. You are the first person to say stock rubber is better haha. I also feel I must point out that most suspension bushings, OEM rubber or polyurethane, have metal sleeve inserts in the center, which would negate this inner grip you are talking about. And of course, OEM parts are not always the very best they can be. Manufacturers often make compromises for cost as well as comfort and vehicle noise and vibration and that's the biggest reason for rubber verse polyurethane as OEM parts. There are also different hardness levels with polyurethane, and you can often get poly that's only slightly harder than the stock rubber, and keeping them lubricated properly (something that should be done regardless of the type of bushings) will help poly last longer and keep them from squeaking.


PS: I have full polyurethane in my x type (since when I got it the OEM rubber bushings were almost all shot after less than 10 years), aside from some rod ends on a few arms, and I don't have any squeaking problems. I can't comment on vibrations or ride harshness since between the rod ends, coilovers and huge sway bars my car is purposely stiff.

 

I'd suggest you do a little research on how stock OEM bushings actually work. If a rubber bushing were to slide as you imagine, it would be destroyed in minutes. Once you learn how a stock bushing actually increases spring rate on the suspension arm (or in this case sway bar) by being put in torsion you'll see that substituting a sliding poly bushing is a step backward.

It's funny how people that are so quick to pronounce an aftermarket piece as being an 'upgrade' frequently no idea how the stock OEM design functions...........

 

Yes roid boy the racing industry fully agrees with your assertion that rubber is better as well, well at least it is better then sheepskin when Danica Patrick is involved but for your car it goes around the track, autox, hillclimb or road course faster with poly bushings than rubber and from my experiencec it lasts longer as well. If your old, have roids or desire your car to ride and handle like a buick from the 50s then by all means keep your rubber. My XJR is on its 5th year with full frontal poly and it handles far better than it did prior (with the same model tire over the whole time) with very little negative effects but if your roids can't take it then why buy a car with nearly 400hp in the first place? Oh, if you're not doing anything 1st week of Sept. come on down and I'll show you how to install them properly on my XK8 so that they don't squeak.

 

You seem to have a fascination with people's backsides and squeaks. Might want to get some help with that, it's making you rather cranky and irritable.

Here's some reading for people that have their minds elsewhere:

Bushings: Rubber vs. Polyurethane

You'll see the principle of how the rubber bushing twists rather than slides. The link also goes into some detail (not relevant to a sway bar bushing) regarding other locations where a second dimension of deflection is introduced.

Pretty clever design.

 

Boy, did you happen to grow up in West Virginia and call your sister ma? There is a reason why many true performance cars come with poly as stock in movable joints such as control arms but obviously the auto industry for the past 60 years has been doing it all wrong. They should simply listen to Mikey on how to build faster, better handling machines.

 

Sheeeit, this is almost as good as the "removing engine cover" thread..

 

You see the similarity too, huh?

Wonder if they're brothers.......