Also, it is possible to replace most of the suspension bushes with polyurethane ones. I have just taken delivery of a pair of bushes for the bottom of the rear shocks.
It isn’t cheap, but they don’t rot like rubber and last many years. I’m slowly working my way through replacing mine. That’s all the rears done now.

 

If I remember right when I replaced those ball joints on my car, I had to remove that's spindle thing completely off the car and use my hydraulic press to get that ball joint out

 

I don't really like polyurethane. It doesn't seem to have the right characteristics and doesn't flex well enough (they talk about them all the time on 4wd forums). They do chop out when they get full of dirt too. You would likely find they would sharpen everything up but NVH would be a lot worse. I went out of my way to make sure I could find proper rubber bushes when I redid all the bushes in my old Range Rover Classics suspension a few years back.

The 25 years old rubber bushes look perfect on the car here .... infact they still visibly look new... So I'm not sure what you gain with life span

If you use your car for track days etc .... the polyurethane bushes are probably a brilliant option

seeya
Shane L.

 

Yes they will wear out, but last a lot longer than rubber. I drive a Citroen Xantia Estate for work. It’s always carrying over half a ton, and the front bushes were getting knocked out every year. Since I fitted polybushes they are still going strong. The trick is to use the right shore. High shore polyurethane is too stiff and doesn’t last. I make mine from 70 shore hardness which has enough give in it to last and doesn’t transmit too much vibration. But off-the-shelf racing bushes are no good for road use; they are often made from 80 to 90 shore polyurethane (too hard).

 

In 4wds its different. Have you seen the way a bush flexes as the suspension articulates to its extreme (range rover classic have excellent axle articulation). In a passenger car, it would be just down to NVH. I've tried poly bushes in suspensions, engine mounts etc.... like you say, success is variable. Its interesting you are chopping out Xantia arm bushes, I haven't hear that one before (infact have never changed one, though its decades since I've owned a Xantia, and it was just a family car hatchback, not a workhorse).

with the xantia, do you mean the strut tops? There is a mob redoing a heap of Citroen strut tops, engien mounts and bushes

https://elastomer.eu/

these guys. Some people have had success, others not with them from what I've read on the forums.

 

Yeah, off-road requirements no doubt are quite different. On the Xantia I replaced the wishbone bushes. I’ve never had to replace the strut tops on any of my Citroens, done plenty of spheres over the years though. I gather you are a Citroën guy too?

 

Yeah I've mostly tinkered with citroens over the years. only really have proper citroens left now. I regass my own spheres, the trick is to not let them get to flat.