Delrin Suspension Bushings

[BrianAz]

Hi,
Does anyone have any experience of the harder Delrin suspension bushings that Vicks advertise? I am currently rebuilding the front suspension (as well as most of the car) on my 1980 Spider and am considering using these instead of the standard bushings?
How are the cornering, ride, shake and rattle, wear etc characteristics of the two types of bushings?

Thanks,
Brian.

[pope]

If you are going to race, then I understand. If it is just a driver Spider, why would you. They are plastic, so no rubber cushioning effect. You will feel the road more.

[htchevyii]

Nobody else? I want to know too. Actually I think I found something about them on turbo124.com, but I don't know if they are the same ones Vick's sells.

[brad131a4]

I've had them on a spider and liked how they firmed up the handling. The only problem I had was that they have no metal insert as you find in the stock rubber and the poly bushings out on the market. This made the top bolt have to pivot in its hole as you couldn't tighten it down to spec as it would just lock it in place. The bottoms were the same but you had to just tighten the nut until it was snug and then the bushing would pivot on the shaft. For a stiff race suspension it wouldn't be all that bad with the limited motion. On the street with a stock suspension I found that there is just to much movement going on that it elongated the upper holes because of not being able to tighten it down and having the inside of the bushing pivot on a metal sleeve.

[Joe Clemente]

I've had Delrins in for quite some time. They definitely eliminate the slop from old, cracked worn out rubber units. Before I installed them there was a troubling amount of play up front. I found it was most noticeable under braking and cornering where there was greater weight transfer and the control arms would displace. The Delrins really tightened it all up and provided a remarkable improvement in stability and handling. The trade off has been a much harsher and noisier ride. I agree with Pope, Delrin's zero deflection makes it ideal for race but they are a bit over the top for street use. The better option would be polyurethane if available. They have more deflection but make less noise and still tighten the handling. If I were to remove my suspension for service or upgrade, I'd go that route.