Control Arm Bushings - The Final Word?, Who is telling the truth? Options

[bcheney]

I need to replace the control arm bushings on my 6 conversion. I am using stock 914 contral arms. I purchased a set of OEM style rubber bushings. The manufacturer is URO Parts. They have a U-tube video explaining why they made their bushings along with a demo of how to install them. The price of a complete set of four bushings was about $50.00 Here is the link to URO's U-tube video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45IvTOZxtBE

Elephant Racing makes there own version and claim that brand X (It looks like they may be referencing the URO parts) will not stand up over time. Their price for four bushings and installation tool is over $200. They say the brand X bushing significantly deforms after just one load. Here is the link to Elephants
U-Tube video that compares the two types.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X03h2gE4Rao...feature=related

I am really beginning to wonder if I should just go ahead and install the poly bushings I had at the beginning of all of this. They ran about $40.00 OR $50.00.
I was told they will squeak...so that's why I looked into the OEM style rubber type. I Really dont want to spend another $200 if I dont have to. If you have experience with any of these bushings please give me your thoughs. I would like to know what the real world report is...

[THE STIG]

Who has more track time here? I think it pretty clear....
The Tangerine Racing 914 has been raced continuously with SCCA and PCA since 1995.
It was debuted at the ITB support race on the Busch North race weekend at Lime Rock in September, 1994.
During qualifying the car was wrecked in a solo crash at West Bend which resulted in the engine breaking free from its mounts.
Despite an all-night attempt to repair the car for race day it was not capable of being driven at speed,
the suspension and drive train damage being greater than was first obvious.

The following spring the car was out on the opening day Porsche Club Driver Ed at Lime Rock.
It was then raced as an ITB car in the SCCA NARRC series, with Chris finishing more than 30 races in two years.
Most of the 1997 race season was spent upgrading the car to Production category specifications.
A couple of races were run late in the season to test the upgrades, which included a new cooling system and dry sump oiling system.

Chris won the NARRC Regional Championship for E Production cars in 1998.
The car was moved to F Production and Chris won Regional championships again in '00 and '01.

Chris stepped up to National competition in 2003. He won one National race at Lime Rock in the rain and qualified to attend
the National Championship Runoffs at the MId Ohio Sports Car Course, where he qualified 21st and finished 14th.
Speed TV coverage focused on Chris' last lap of the race when he was embroiled in a battle for position with a Lancia Scorpion driven by Sterling Strittmatter.

One week after the 2003 Runoffs, the car was badly damaged again in a high speed crash at Lime Rock during NARRC Regional Championship qualifying.
Chris was uninjured but the car was laid up until July '04 when he resumed National competition.
The '04 season saw Chris once again attend the National Runoffs at MId- Ohio where he finished 15th.
At the '04 NARRC Championships Chris won his class, setting a new personal best time at Lime Rock of 1:01.4

[SirAndy]

...

And how much of that was on roller bearings? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)


Everybody seems to have their "favorite" product ...
I know of a few local racers with similar pedigree as Chris and they have been running roller bearings for years with great success.

There's more than one way to skin a cat ...
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif) Andy