Grassroots Motorsports
Issue link: http://grassrootsmotorsports.epubxp.com/i/397024
Grassroots Motorsports 116 PROJECT CAR: NISSAN 350Z Many of us only notice a bushing when something goes wrong. This is how the manufacturers intended it. The reality is that bushings are one of the most impor- tant systems on your car. Simply put, they separate the part of your car that's designed to move from the part that isn't. Obviously a car's suspension is designed to move. That's how it keeps the tire in contact with an ever-undulating road surface and provides some level of comfort for the occupants. The most precise way to allow the suspension com- ponents to move is to use simple pivots or bearings. The downside: Metal-on- metal connections transmit a great deal of noise, vibration and harshness from the road into the chassis. Solid pivots are also unforgiving of forces pushing them in directions they aren't designed to move. Permanent damage can result from one frm wayward bump. The typical solution for street cars? Hard rubber bushings with metallic sleeves. These allow suspension compo- nents to pivot in the proper arc, but they reduce noise and vibration. They also provide a degree of compliance in that they can deform and bounce back into shape when loads are applied. While this is a fne solution for a street car, in a competition situation when those loads increase, bushings can become a huge WE'RE BUSHED Why You Should Care About Those Rubber Things Between the Other Things The inner bushings on the front lower contr ripped out (inset). This allowed for nightmares. Even the compression of a soft stock rubber bushing in this location could cause signifcant ethane Whiteline bushings allow the arm to articulate in its designed arc while keeping other displacements to a bare minimum. Soft differential bushings allow the diff to pivot up and down when tor offset fr better with driveline tor located bushing. All of the bushings locating our differential are f movement to a minimum. The rear com- pression arm bushing is a true compro- mise. Designed with some fex built in, upgrad- ing it from stock can cause some other complications that need to be addressed. Direction of arm articulation. When force is applied, bush- ing deforms and compresses. com- presses to the point where no further compliance is available. Complications ensue. Bushing at rest. j.g. pasterjak photos