Let's talk bushings! (in track bars anyway)

[chorky]

So I have been doing a LOT of reading, watching, and exploring - to try and find the best option for me. I realize there is a wide range of experiences, preferences, and products, but I want to try and nail down some pro's and cons of bushing types in relation to various products. For this case I am specifically looking at track bar applications - which has different needs than say control arms. But the information might be able to be used for others in different ways.

Theres some major players here and each one offers something great, but also things not so great IMO. Through this thread I am hoping to nail down the right direction to go for track bars.

Steersmarts (standard)
Uses a clevite bushing. I believe this is the same style of bushing in OEM arms. So maximum NVH reduction at the cost of maximum articulation.

Steersmarts HD
Bushings used here are a standard polyurethane bushing with an inner and outer sleeve. I find it coincidental that bushing replacements are easily found and purchased (not easily installed). This is not something I want to deal with on a regular basis and several 'reviews' have discussed the hard bushing failing and and being noisy. But, they e-coat their product which is good for areas with higher levels of corrosion

Clayton
Uses their designed GIIRO bushing. Finding detailed specs on it is difficult but in their own video they say it is a dual durometer self centering bushing - which is the same that Synergy uses. One thing not clear (and not bushing related though) is, are their components e-coated? Are they just powder coated?

Synergy
Use a dual-durometer self centering bushing. Now at first I wasn't sure what this was, but as I read more into it and did some reading, the term 'durometer' found to not necessarily relate to a bushing type or style itself but the hardness of the material. So Clayton and synergy both use a polyurethane bushing that is slightly more advanced than the basic one in the steersmarts. I have recently read reports of synergy bushings also failing - and their arms are not e-coated so corrosion can be a concern. But with all 'reviews' you only hear about the bad typically....so that's not fully helpful.

Teraflex
They use their in house Independent Rotation (IR bushing). This is a type of bonded rubber which allows for more articulation at the cost of some structural stability as there is less internal rubber. Their cutaway shows this. . This can be good and bad of course and there are plenty of reports of their bushings being both good and bad, but the bigger problem is their inner sleeve apparently is larger than the bolt that goes through it allowing for clunking.

Icon
On one end they use a Johnny Joint, and the other end is a multi durometer bushing - without specifications so who knows. Their arms are double powder coated

Rockjock
Johnny Joint on one end and a Flex Axis joint on the other. Johnny Joints are great for movement and articulation - terrible NVH quality. The Flex Axis joint seems to be a standard poly pushing like in the steersmarts HD bar

MetalCloak
MetalCloak has their own patented bushing discussed here https://metalcloak.com/metalcloak-durotrak-bushing-1.6w-.56id.html Now this particular bushing Is for track bars and is a little different than the bushings in their control arms. They comment on it being a rotational bushing which a key point as track bars would see more rotational forces in bushings that other lateral or vertical forced. They say it is a blend of rubber compounds that offers maximum flex and quality NVH reduction but dont really specify much else. This is frustrating because, like any company, they say theirs is the ‘best’ but that is so subjective. But we all know they make great parts.

JKS
Thanks to another forum member because I forgot about these guys. After looking at their products and watching some videos it is apparent that their standard duty track bars offer a OEM style rubber bushing. They don't necessarily specify the material, and in the written description they do simply use the word 'durometer' which is not at all specific - but in the video they make a point to discuss their bushings being 'soft' like OEM. They also do mention having a heavy duty style bar where the frame side is still a OEM style bushing, while the axle side is a heim joint style for better articulation for those in more hard core situations. One downside is, like most, they only use a powder coat on the steel bar - so when it cracks/chips, rust will become an issue most likely. But another solid option, and JSK seems to be forgotten a lot so hopefully this reminds everyone that they are another option of many.

Now some discussion for bushings

Polyurethane
Can be noisy and 'rough', is more robust in theory than rubber, several companies infuse teflon in some way to quiet them down

Bonded rubber (like OEM)
offers the lowest NVH ride, does not offer the most or best articulation

JohnnyJoint style
More articulation at the cost of NVH. Some styles are like a combination of Johnny Joint and a rubber bonded bushing.

Now - one specific topic I want to discuss is the word DUROMETER. Some googling shows that the word "durometer' means "hardness" of rubber/plastic. So, a "dual-durometer" bushing as described by synergy, or a "multi-durometer" bushing as described by Icon, simply means a bushing with multiple hardness levels. The concern here, is there is not an easy way to understand and know what this hardness level specifically is. Plus, it really does not specify if the bushings are rubber or poly! Which...I think is bad practice. People (well me) want to know specifics without having to spend 5 hours researching each individual item. I would like to know - most people probably don't care because hardness can relate directly or indirectly to NVH. Keeping in mind I am after low NVH at the cost of max articulation. Anyway, soap box over - but just know that "dual-drometer" or "multi-Durometer' as specified on product pages, does not really mean anything without context of hardness levels or specifics. So that makes it difficult to choose the right option for you.

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[toddarama]

One thing not clear (and not bushing related though) is, are their components e-coated? Are they just powder coated?

From Clayton's FAQ on their page.... not sure if it actually answers your question or not ....

Powder Coating

• We use a black peel finish powder coating on our control arms that have a 2000 hour salt spray rating. All powder coated arms are washed, baked, then powder coated again.
• ¼ Mounting Brackets
• All of our mounting brackets are made from ¼” steel to insure strength and durability.

When I was shopping for my lift I emailed a few questions to them through the link on their page. They were pretty quick to answer questions. You could probably get more details from them if you contact them directly.

 

[DailyMoparGuy]

and Metalcloak…just to add to discussion

 

[amillsap]

CLAYTON all the way .Changed the way my truck drives no more following the ruts .The stock track bars are very soft and wander around 45k on my glad and now drived better than it did new

 

[chorky]

From Clayton's FAQ on their page.... not sure if it actually answers your question or not ....

Powder Coating

• We use a black peel finish powder coating on our control arms that have a 2000 hour salt spray rating. All powder coated arms are washed, baked, then powder coated again.
• ¼ Mounting Brackets
• All of our mounting brackets are made from ¼” steel to insure strength and durability.

When I was shopping for my lift I emailed a few questions to them through the link on their page. They were pretty quick to answer questions. You could probably get more details from them if you contact them directly.

good point. In my experience powder coat itself is tough but once it cracks and chips the metal under it rusts immediately. I dislike powder coat.

and Metalcloak…just to add to discussion

good carch! I will add them to the original post tonight. I was in a bit of a rush this morning

CLAYTON all the way .Changed the way my truck drives no more following the ruts .The stock track bars are very soft and wander around 45k on my glad and now drived better than it did new

yeah but their bushing types arent the best for everyone. I have been planning on calling each of the companies to try and get more details of their bushing types and designs.

 

[chorky]

Updated first post - added MetalCloak

 

[Animal]

You can usually identify duro rating by the color of the polyurethane. Duro 70A is yellow, duro 80A is purple and duro 95A black. The higher the duro rating the stiffer the polyurethane is.

 

[chorky]

You can usually identify duro rating by the color of the polyurethane. Duro 70A is yellow, duro 80A is purple and duro 95A black. The higher the duro rating the stiffer the polyurethane is.

I read this as well on some random site not associated with suspensions but wasnt sure if it was just that particular companies way of identifying them

something I have not found yet though is how duro 95A or 70A compares with the rubber in a OEM clevite. I would assume they are not comparable and that poly is much much stiffer. But thats just a total guess.

 

[Animal]

I read this as well on some random site not associated with suspensions but wasnt sure if it was just that particular companies way of identifying them

something I have not found yet though is how duro 95A or 70A compares with the rubber in a OEM clevite. I would assume they are not comparable and that poly is much much stiffer. But thats just a total guess.

I assume the coloring is standard, I deal with several manufacturers of conveyor components at work and referencing color of the Polyurethane has always gotten me the same duro rating, could just be luck tho. I think the factory bushing is pretty close to duro 70, using my fingernail on both like you'd test hardwood I get pretty similar results, the factory feels a lot squishier to me tho.

 

[Andy29847]

I had Johnny Joints on my control arms and track bars on my 2004 TJ. They worked great! The track bars never required any maintenance. I believe that the track bars do not have much affect on NVH.

The control arms are a different story. The squeak. The ride was fine. The handling was super. The arms squeak because the grease dries out. The grease dries out because the joint is not sealed and certain kinds of dirt leach the oil out of the grease.

Johnny Joints are difficult to service. The joint has to be disassembled to clean and grease. The arm has to be removed from the vehicle to accomplish this. You have to make a tool (press) or buy tools from Curry to service the joint.

You also need a world class pair of circlip pliers to disassemble the Johnny Joints (see last photo).

 

[chorky]

I had Johnny Joints on my control arms and track bars on my 2004 TJ. They worked great! The track bars never required any maintenance. I believe that the track bars do not have much affect on NVH.

The control arms are a different story. The squeak. The ride was fine. The handling was super. The arms squeak because the grease dries out. The grease dries out because the joint is not sealed and certain kinds of dirt leach the oil out of the grease.

Johnny Joints are difficult to service. The joint has to be disassembled to clean and grease. The arm has to be removed from the vehicle to accomplish this. You have to make a tool (press) or buy tools from Curry to service the joint.

You also need a world class pair of circlip pliers to disassemble the Johnny Joints (see last photo).

yeah for me JJ’s are a no go this time. I also have a rock jock 4” with JJ’s on my 06 TJ with fox 2.0 reservoir adjustables and it rode great the first 5 years. Now the shocks need a rebuild and so do the JJ’s and nobody around here really knows how to do that or would charge excessive amounts. So I personally want to go with a more OeM style that is easy to understand and common. But JJ’s do work very well for their intended use. Greasing them every month is also a pita especially in winter.

 

[dajudge]

I have Clayton's control arms on my XJ. They flex great and they improved the stability and driving characteristics about 3000 times over the RE flex joints. Also, I had to rebuild the flex joints all the time (probably did it 10 times in the 14 years I ran them). I will definitely be going with Clayton's track bars and control arms on my JT! If your goal is max flex and on road characteristics are low on the priority list, go with Johnny Joints. Other wise I highly recommend the Clayton's.

 

[rharr]

fancy bushings are great, but what happens in 10 years and you need to replace them and are no longer supported and have a odd OD you can't find alternate for?

 

[chorky]

I have Clayton's control arms on my XJ. They flex great and they improved the stability and driving characteristics about 3000 times over the RE flex joints. Also, I had to rebuild the flex joints all the time (probably did it 10 times in the 14 years I ran them). I will definitely be going with Clayton's track bars and control arms on my JT! If your goal is max flex and on road characteristics are low on the priority list, go with Johnny Joints. Other wise I highly recommend the Clayton's.

Interesting how often you hd to rebuild those. I did mention earlier I am not interested in maximum flex. But its good to know for others who might be. I have JJ’s on my TJ and want to take them off asap. Theyre fine for hard core rocks. But I dont do that.

fancy bushings are great, but what happens in 10 years and you need to replace them and are no longer supported and have a odd OD you can't find alternate for?

Exactly my thoughts as well and is the reason I started diving into the specifics of various bushing options, although I was pretty confident what the answer was already. But I think this aspect is overlooked. Im sure there will always be some type of option but also willing to bet, considering how fast things are changing lately, that in 10 years it could well be a ‘well gotta replace all the arms again’ situation for some of these current options.

 

[rharr]

Yes, that is why i choose a kit that had simpler bushings and acknowledged i didn't need that extra 2" of articulation. I choose a kit that had bushing with a greater maintenance intervals.

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