Replacing Front Control Arm Rear Bushes

NachaLuva

NachaLuva

Product Developer
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One of my front control arm rear bushes has been leaking for bout 18mths now, just recently the other one started too. I have since found out not adjusting them after installing raised springs has killed them!
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So I got these:
Control Arm Rear Bush (Castor)- SuperPro

They even come in Subaru blue!
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Only now I need some help installing them. I should be right putting them in by using a vice to press them in. I was going to try using a vice to push the old ones out using either sockets (dont think mine are big enough) or 2 sizes of pipe, one the size of the housing, the other the size of the sleeve.

Will this be hard? Any better way of doing it? Also, does anyone know what size pipe I would have to use?

I might also try using a heat gun to heat up the alloy housing to expand it slightly...
 
i'd go a press over a vice. they're in there pretty farkin tight !!!
make sure you mark the control arms while theyre stillin in and the foz is sitting on them so you get the orientation right for the offset bushes.
also make sure you press them back in the right way round to suit the taper on the ferrule !!
 
+1 for a press, have done it in a vice however the press almost makes it easy :)

I used a massive socket set to push the bushings out and back in again.
 
Not a job I'd take on myself.

Did raise this with Ralf at TruTrack. His advice was to replace them with OEM rather than urethane. Reckons the urethane wear out quicker, and are harsher.

Would have thought they would last longer, but there ya go.
 
Got the bushes out easily enough by welding a HT bolt to a plate & a piece of RHS for a handle, some pipe & my 2' breaker bar.

bushpress1.jpg


Couldn't get the new ones in though so I went across the road to a friendly mechanic who let me use his press...oh so easy! :biggrin:

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I made a little mistake though...who can pick it? :shrug:
 
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The offset bushes increase caster & also a little bit more neg camber. Results in heaps better cornering :lildevil:

The mistake I made was pressing in the bushes with the offset facing the wrong way lol :rolleyessarcastic: I just went back to the mechanic & pressed them in again the right way!
 
I had the white line ones put in during the lift and rebuilt struts install last week.

The car handles - way better, with very sharp and precise handling compared to before, however some of that is likely also due to the strut brace, koni shocks, stiffer springs, and slightly widened track the rear.

The castor and camber change definitely help the car handle better.
 
Sorry to resurrect this old thread.

@NachaLuva, how are the SuperPro bushes doing so far in terms of NVH, especially on corrugations? Cheers.
 
It would be good to hear about anyone’s experience with different bushes. I’ll price oem ones but I suspect I’ll be horrified. A useless bit of trivia - the Volvo S80 T6 I had (200kw/380Nm via front wheel drive anyone?) used a horizontal bush in the front control arms like the forester and I tried some cheap poly bushes and they wore out very quickly due to too much flex. Can’t say I was thrilled to see the same setup again...
 
forget all the mucking around with pressing in bushes if you can, just get the Febest ones in a new bracket.
febest.com.au

Febest Auto Parts - OEM Quality Parts for all Makes and Models

Febest Auto Parts - OEM Quality Suspension, Steering, and Rubber Parts for all Makes and Models. Honda Parts, Toyota Parts, Lexus Parts, Nissan Parts, Landrover Parts, BMW Parts, Mercedes Benz Parts
febest.com.au febest.com.au

$35 each, OEM quality rubber.

if you do need to press them in, heat up the bracket in the oven and pop the bush in the freezer first
 
SubyForester said:
It would be good to hear about anyone’s experience with different bushes. I’ll price oem ones but I suspect I’ll be horrified. A useless bit of trivia - the Volvo S80 T6 I had (200kw/380Nm via front wheel drive anyone?) used a horizontal bush in the front control arms like the forester and I tried some cheap poly bushes and they wore out very quickly due to too much flex. Can’t say I was thrilled to see the same setup again...
Click to expand...

Yes, we recently just put Energy Suspension on one of our BP5s and the ride is definitely harsher but tolerable, depending on whoever is driving, haha! Regarding longevity, the rear bushes for the front control arm, when flexing, would open up the contact between the bush and the metal sleeve, thereby allowing the entry of debris. We are not sure how long that setup would last but we'll see.

duncanm said:
forget all the mucking around with pressing in bushes if you can, just get the Febest ones in a new bracket.
febest.com.au

Febest Auto Parts - OEM Quality Parts for all Makes and Models

Febest Auto Parts - OEM Quality Suspension, Steering, and Rubber Parts for all Makes and Models. Honda Parts, Toyota Parts, Lexus Parts, Nissan Parts, Landrover Parts, BMW Parts, Mercedes Benz Parts
febest.com.au febest.com.au

$35 each, OEM quality rubber.

if you do need to press them in, heat up the bracket in the oven and pop the bush in the freezer first
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link @duncanm. The edges of the one for earlier Subaru's rear bush for the front control arm seem more rounded, most probably allowing your method to work. Good tip as well regarding pressing. Cheers.
 
Thanks for the replies - that’s great!
Mines a 2008 so these are the go:
febest.com.au

Febest Auto Parts - OEM Quality Parts for all Makes and Models

Febest Auto Parts - OEM Quality Suspension, Steering, and Rubber Parts for all Makes and Models. Honda Parts, Toyota Parts, Lexus Parts, Nissan Parts, Landrover Parts, BMW Parts, Mercedes Benz Parts
febest.com.au febest.com.au

They’re a bit cheaper but need pressing in. A great tip for the changing the bushes...
 
I feel its worth mentioning I used SuperPro bushes when I did the rear diff mount bushes in my SG9 forester. Unfortunately they only lasted maybe 6 months before I could feel the diff start vibrating a bit, and 2 years on the diff is thumping as bad as the worn out OEM bushes were. I would have expected much better longevity than that. When I get around to doing them again I will use OEM rubber ones I think.
 
Thanks for the input, @ratters. I will look into that, as well. Some say that the input of dirt into the grease jackets increase the wear. I guess it depends on the design as well. If it's a sealed type that needs to be pressed, there are no entry points, whereas, when it's the hand tightened type, it has plenty of dirt entry points.
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This type lets dirt in more than the one above.
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I actually questioned whether it was wise installing them when I bought them, because they use this strange hexagonal shape which concerned me that they would not be tight fitting and would potentially wear out quicker, and I was right.

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