A-arm bushings, Pros - cons?? Options

[East coaster]

What's the best setup for a street car?

Tarret bronze/urethane? (Sounds like a good idea, but never heard from anyone running them)

Needle Bearings? ( I worry about rust and maintenance issues)

Stock with 40K on them? (Has a low "trick" factor, but probably works good)

Delrin/urethane (squeeky........don't want them)

Ditto for rear trailing arm bushings????

[Twystd1]

Good question Alpha,

I wanted to run a set of Mueller bearings, front and rear on my street car that will be occasionaly A/Xd.

So I asked Brad Roberts about the proverbial needle bearings set up about 6 months ago at Bmundays house.

He said the same thing as Mike.

In two years he has not seen any wear or compromise to the needle bearings kit on both street cars and the race cars he has installed them on. That was good news for me.............

The reason i was so interested in them was:

I wanted an almost zero bind suspension that would allow me to have spring rates and shock valving that aren't trying to compensate for a "erraticly" binding rubber bushed suspension.

In essence, I want something closer to Heim Joints with out all the fabrication inolved. (CSOB)

Here is my thinking............

When a suspension binds in an erratic fashion. The pivot points act like nonlinear springs to a degree. The harder the suspension is pushed sideways. Or when hitting a bump... or worse...BOTH...!!!!!
RESULTS: Instabind of unknown rate...

Now add a hot day or a cold day and the durometer of the rubber bushing changes to some degree. (not so for delrin)

The problem is that I can't plot a friction curve for this. Cause it changes erraticly in a way I can't calculate.

So I can't create shock valving curves/rates or spring rates that have any consistency, based on known suspension compliancys.

And it gets dam hard to tune the suspension when there is no consistency to the sticktion of the bearing surfaces.

Thats my thinking anyway.

The tradeoff will be a bit more of a harsh ride as I will lose some bushing compliency. Thats OK.. This car isn't a daily driver...

Then again, There are a many race cars out there with rubber, delrin, poly bronze and other bushing that are VERY competitive without needle bearing suspensions.

I think if I have a low stiction suspension.
I can more than make up for the less compliant ride with appropriately valved shocks.

Yea there are tradeoffs in everything. I think this is a very good tradeoff.

I haven't done this yet. So this is just talk at this point.

This is the plan i am going to do............. As others have done before me.

Mueller bearings are my choice

AND:

ALSO:

PLUS:

The real reason I want them....
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Aaron will feel like a loser because he uses "Slits Bearings" in his car.......

They are loose in turns. But make up for it by looking cracked and old....

Claytonovich