Street/Mostly Strip Front Suspension

If the goal is low friction movement of the front end then stock bushings are not what you want, at least not everywhere.

Let me explain. The LCA bushings add a fairly significant amount of friction. Reason being is that nothing spins, when the LCA moves up and down that movement is translated into flex in the rubber LCA bushing- the pin does not move, the inner and outer bushing shells don't move, the rubber is friction fit to the shells so it doesn't spin- all the movement is the rubber bushing flexing. Which is why they have to be tightened at ride height, because if they're flexed entirely in one direction (like if they were tightened at full extension) they tear because the rubber doesn't have that much give. The rubber LCA bushing is literally built-in binding.

With a poly or delrin LCA bushing, the pin doesn't move, the shells don't move, and the poly does not flex. But unlike the rubber bushing, the poly bushing is not friction fit to the inner and outer shells, it's a tight slip fit. So, when the LCA moves up and down the poly bushing spins on the pin. Properly lubricated, the poly bushing creates very little friction. There's no limit for how far the LCA can move, unlike the rubber bushing which has limited flex and increasing resistance the further it's flexed. So the LCA pins can be tightened at any point in the install process, doesn't matter.

The "problem" with the poly bushings is that they MUST be lubricated. Which is why companies like Hotchkiss and Firm Feel sell greaseable pins. Poly is not rubber, different parts of the bushing move, and they still need to fit tightly in the shells and on the pin. Properly installed and maintained the poly bushings will outlast rubber every time. The problem is people don't check to make sure they fit properly on installation, they need to be a tight slip fit. If they're loose they'll either flop around in the outer shell or on the pin, both destroy the bushings. And then they must be lubricated, if they dry up the friction also damages them. It's not hard to do it right, it's no different than making sure the rubber bushings fit properly and not tightening them at full extension- it's just a different procedure. I have used them on several of my cars for tens of thousands of miles, all of them still look brand new. Bergman Autocraft's delrin LCA bushings solve the lubrication issue, delrin is self lubricating. So if you grease them a little on install they should last forever. They also take the place of the outer shell, so, less concerns about the aftermarket bushing fitting properly in the OE outer shell. I have BAC's delrin LCA bushings on my Duster. Next step up from poly, but more expensive too.

If you want to use the stock strut rods, I would suggest using rubber bushings there. Reason being that the strut rod also can cause binding as the LCA moves. The strut rod bushings deal with movement in two main directions, up and down as the LCA moves, but also forward and back as you brake and accelerate. The forward and back movement isn't ideal, that changes alignment settings and the softer rubber bushings allow a decent amount of movement there. But the up and down movement is necessary. The problem with poly bushings at the strut rod (other than the fact the most don't fit well) is that while they resist the forward/back movement better, they ALSO resist the up down movement. Which is not what you want.

If you want to further reduce binding, adjustable strut rods are very useful. They don't move forward and back like the stock strut rods with their large sloppy bushings. But, they allow free movement up and down, with even less resistance than the stock strut rods in that direction. And, they can be tuned for length. Which is important, especially with non-rubber bushings in other places. The factory depended on big fat rubber bushings to take up their production tolerances. Start eliminating those and the length of the strut rod becomes more critical. If the strut rod is too long or too short is can induce binding on the LCA. Again, not what you want. Which is why I use adjustable strut rods when I install poly or delrin LCA bushings. It's not mandatory, but, if you use the stock strut rods you will want to make sure they're the right length by checking the suspension for binding throughout its range of travel. The problem there is if they aren't the right length making them the right length is a lot more difficult.

If you do buy rubber LCA bushings, buy Proforged. Moog has recalls out now for their LCA bushings, the most recent batches don't even fit on the pins or in the LCA.

As far as the rest of the stuff for suspension set up, I'm not a drag racer. But the elimination of binding and having the suspension components move freely applies to handling cars too, it lets the suspension work properly regardless of what kind of driving the suspension has been set up for.

Write a book. It still doesn't make them a good investment . Proven many times on customers cars that come here from shops that install them. All I have to do is put their cars on the lift . Point one thing out and I get a job reinstalling Factory style rubber lowers and struts. Put a piece of poly and rubber in a vise squash them both and see what happens,. LOL. These suppliers can sell Ice to and eskimo in the Arctic . They should hire you.