Whiteline T/C bushings,,, better?

[deviousKA]

ok been surfing pdm-racing.com. the last thing i need to get my 240 on the road is some tension rod bushings. i have heard that stock offerings break and ooze out and arent that great. i have stumbled across these whiteline parts. are these an improvement over stock?... im sure they are but they look like they are built differently. do they not have a metal sleeve that presses in like stock? also i know i should be asking them but (SPF1202K TC Rod Bushings ... $40.00) is this a price for a set? or is this each?. i ask only because im sure someone here has bought the same part and know how it performs

[Jeff240sx]

I bought the Whiteline bushings for a '96.. but I think they're all the same.
Anyway, the stock bushings are rubber, and on my '96 were cracked and allowed the t/c rod to lean over. So, I removed them, and needed to get the old bushings out...
I eventually used a 2.5" socket, and a 2.125" socket and a sledgehammer to get them out. You may have a better idea, but I am pretty sure you'll need a press to get them out. I tried a lot of stuff, like an 8-ton cylinder jack and ****.. didn't work.
Anyway, stock bushings have a metal ring around them, and are pressed into the round hole on the rod. Then there is the gooey center/rubber crap, and a metal sleeve.
The Whiteline bushings have grease and the urethane bushings, and then a sleeve, but it's not in the picture. You grease up the bushing, the sleeve, and need a vice. Press the bushing in it, and then push the sleeve into the bushing.
Yea, it's like $40 for the pair. Just be ready to get ****ed during the install. As for a review... I dunno. The only time my car moves is when I push it.
-Jeff

[deviousKA]

good im buying them tomorrow. i have a press it will be easy.

[98s14inaz]

They do have a sleeve. they look different but are a hundred times better. Try www.suspension.com for energy bushings as well. that is what is on my car. Easiest way to put them in is a press and lots of lube. make sure you get rid of the sleeve that goes around the stock bushing as well, you won't need it.

[mrdirty]

yes, MUCH better.

[Dream240]

Okay, I understand that they are better, but what's better about them? I mean how do they improve the overall quality of the ride? Is it something to do with the handling at high speeds or all the time? Just curious because I'm looking to replace my tension rods with JIC rods and I just want to know what I would be buying them for. Oh and does the bad tension rod's effect get multiplied by having a lowered suspension package as opposed to the stock setup?
i.e. Eibach Sportlines and KYB AGX struts?
Thanks for the info.

[drift freaq]

ok to answer the last posts question. JIC are spherical rod end TC rods the ball joint at the end replaces your stock bushing. It is a nice setup . It is full race . A lot of people go with because they do not want to A : find a shop to press out there old TC rod bushing or B: Want a plug and play install withno extra work. The other reason some people run them is they track there car constantly and want the best.
Bottom line, If you can do the work yourself, on getting out your old TC Rod bushing, you are gonna save yourself quite a bit of money, going with the Whiteline. They will give you the same feel that the more expensive TC rods do for a lot less money.
Thats it a nutshell they do the job and work . They are a vast improvement over stock and you will feel the difference in your steering.

[AKADriver]

Same feel? no, not really.

There was a good post to the amarok.org mailing list recently about the difference in feel between good stock bushings, whiteline bushings, and pillowball rods.

The gist of it was that the whiteline bushings offered similar steering wheel feedback to the pillowball rods, but they actually made for a slightly harsher ride over bumps since they don't really allow the tension rod to move in any but one dimension, which puts a bind on suspension motion and effectively increases front spring rates.

Pillowball ends take the slop out and don't allow lateral motion (the caster change that makes for vague steering in stock rods), but allow the rod to rotate freely.

But the poly bushings are still much cheaper, and will last longer/require less maintenance. The pillowball ends are like a tie rod end, they will eventually wear out, how long depending on if they provide a grease fitting or not.

[Dream240]

Okay well I think that clears it up. I think I'm still going to go with the JIC rods even though I don't track my car (yet). Just because I don't want to have to worry about them anymore and I do want the best for my baby!!

Thanks guys for clearing that up.

[98s14inaz]

Despite the stock bushings sucking enormously they were put there by nissan engineeers for a reason. They help deflect impacts on your suspension and alignment. Think about where you drive 90% of the time. Uncontrolled surfaces ie streets and highways. If you spend most of your time at the track get the JIC tc rods. They are perfect for controlled surfaces. They will stiffen up you steering big time. Just don't use them for street driving because every bump etc you will feel and probally wear out suspesion components prematurely. My humble opinion is for the urethane tc bushings. Solid, stiffer, and they don't degrade like rubber. They will still deflect impacts but improve the responsiveness of the cars handleling. You will notice more with a front strut bar though. It is a good low cost comprimise between performance and driveability.

[Dream240]

Hmmm...... okay I'll look into the urethane bushings. Yeah I did think about the effect the JIC's would have on my daily driving. I just wanted them cause they're crome and they look sooooo shiny!!! HA...I made a funny.

Thanks again.

[sL103]

im sure they are all about the same T/C rods are kick ass mine where Stillen but they rusted, the nismo ones are alittle cheaper than Stillens and if your looking at other T/c rods got to www.sgpracing.com they make some from ss they wont rust. or a used set is good to you can sometimes find them on www.twinturbo.net lol i let mine go for like $150 because i need money so. if your just looking for better road feel just get the bushings i also had those too im my Z and i have to say that both felt pretty nice and way better than stock of course. so i guess its what you want to do. check out www.courtesyparts.com for the NISMO ones (they are made out of a really hard rubber as were the ES ones are made from polyurathane too.

if you want razor sharp steering response though see if they make steering rack bushings like the Z has now talk about makeing your car do what exactly do what you want!!!!!

as for me when i do get the 240sx that i find im probably just gonna get the E/S or NISMO ones because im a NISMO Freak!!!

[twitchy]

is there some major problem with changing the old OEM bushings with new OEM busings? Cause something is flapping around madly under my car and I need new ones pronto.

[citizen]

Resurrection!

[cdlong]

since this thread is back from the dead i will post another question. i'm thinking about some TC rod bushings but i've heard the poly bushings cause the rod or the lca to break because the bushings don't flex as much. has anybody heard that? i was trying to decide between the whiteline and the nismo ones. mostly street, with a little autoX in the summer.

[Replicant_S14]

Originally Posted by cdlong

.... but i've heard the poly bushings cause the rod or the lca to break because the bushings don't flex as much. has anybody heard that?

Yes I've heard of that and I've seen pics but I think the problem is overstated. I've been on the whitelines for 2 years (street, track, auto-x) my LCAs are fine.

I did a write-up with pics on installing these if anyone needs to take a look:
Whiteline TC bushing install

[cdlong]

whiteline it is! now i need to decide what other ones to replace.

[gsracer]

i installed energy suspension t/c rpd bushings about 6 months ago and my LCA already started to crack in between the bolt holes for the t/c rod.

[gsracer]

and they werent cracked from before what happens is the poly bushings aer so stiff that they dont let the LCA move easily up and down as they should, this in turn binds the suspension and will eventually breack the LCA at its weakest point in between the to bolt holes, you go cheap now and it will cost you 75 - 100 dollars later for new control arms.... or your life in an accident when your lca breaks off at 80 mph on the expressway. i learned my lesson

[tastyratz]

i would say possibly fab up some sort of a bracing to go underneath the lca where you bolt on the tc rods. if you put a small piece of sheetmetal with 2 holes on the bottom of the lca it will thicken up the support in that area nicely.

[Steeles]

Originally Posted by gsracer

and they werent cracked from before what happens is the poly bushings aer so stiff that they dont let the LCA move easily up and down as they should, this in turn binds the suspension and will eventually breack the LCA at its weakest point in between the to bolt holes, you go cheap now and it will cost you 75 - 100 dollars later for new control arms.... or your life in an accident when your lca breaks off at 80 mph on the expressway. i learned my lesson

so all of us riding around with Spherical bearings on our adjustable TC rods are rolling death traps? I've had my TC rods on for two years and broken one control arm when the car drifted into a curb. metal is a lot less forgiving than polyurethane.

[DuffMan]

Agh, stop bringing up old threads! But steeles, I think the poly tc rod bushings cause failure because they dont alow the tc rod to rotate when the car is lowered. A spherical bearing can rotate all day long.

[Steeles]

Duff - IIRC the poly is stiffer than stock which means it dosent move like the stock bushing it limits the range of motion. which causes extra stress. the Spherical still gives that range of motion due to its design. while still providing the benefits of the poly bushing. although adding more caster pulls the LCA into a more stressful position which puts stress on it

[upSLIDEdown]

SO....

I'm looking into this as well and what i want to know is...using stock LCA's, are the adjustable spherical end rods any less likely to make the LCA's crack than a regular TC rod with a poly bushing?

Thanks in advance,
Bryan