Street Performance Suspension Bushings
The final step for improved handling
By Greg Raven
VW&Porsche magazine
May-June 1986
It never fails. Just when car manufacturers get pretty well dialed in on what makes a car ride comfy, some performance enthusiast comes along and spoils it all by pointing out that a cushy ride usually means poor handling.
So off come the stock shocks and on go the latest sports package. Off come the stock springs and on go the lower, stiffer aftermarket versions. Off come the wimpy swaybars (if any) and on go the big irons. Stress bars are thrown on to make the chassis stiffer, and the tall, skinny tires are sold at the swap meet to some guy with a family, while the latest low-profile meats slip into their place.
At this point, the only thing standing between the enthusiast and perfect handling is those darn rubber bushings that seem to be everywhere in the suspension. He (enthusiast) could replace them with solid metal; that would solve the problem. But it would also make the car undrivable in all but competition conditions. So Mr. Enthusiast is stuck. He’s not happy, but he can’t go any farther. The rubber bushings stay.
They don’t have to, of course, Autotech SportTuning now offers a complete line-up of polymer bushings designed to reduce compliance without unnecessary harshness. They come in two harnesses: Street and race. The Autotech bushings fit the rear upper shock tower, 16.5 mm front swaybar, the rear pivot of the front A-arm. They also have replacement bushings for the front strut tower. These come in one hardness only, which Autotech recommends for not placing any extra stress on the front strut tower.
Autotech can be reached at 1800 N. Glassell, Dept. VWP, Orange, CA 92665, telephone (714) 974-4600.
Captions:
Autotech’s new line of suspension bushings fit the upper rear shock tower, 16.5mm front anti-away bar, the rear pivot of the front A-arm, and the front bushing of the front A-arm. Bushings are polymer constructed for a less compliant ride without unnecessary harshness.
The bushing set for the front strut towers is available in only one hardness, to avoid over-stressing the towers themselves.