Steering rack bushes (PH1 questions)

[Naith]

Steering rack bushes are done in, car is so lazy in direction change.

Anyway it's cheaper and possibly better to get the powerflex option? Renault charge more for one than powerflex do for two!

I've seen black series items and wondered if anyone has any experience with them? (Search doesn't give much) they seem quite stiff but that'll be responsive right? I dunno..

Also, ph1s have different racks, is that true? As I have no idea which it is in that case.

 

[Odyssey172 Dan]

Steering rack bushes are done in, car is so lazy in direction change.

Anyway it's cheaper and possibly better to get the powerflex option? Renault charge more for one than powerflex do for two!

I've seen black series items and wondered if anyone has any experience with them? (Search doesn't give much) they seem quite stiff but that'll be responsive right? I dunno..

Also, ph1s have different racks, is that true? As I have no idea which it is in that case.

my ph1 needs new rack bushes as mine are ruined so i was going to get polyflex ones. The rack should be a SMI rack if car has power steering same as mine, the black polyflex bushes are just a stiff version of purple ones, sort of recommended for track use.
i will most likely get purple but may get black depends on price.

 

[Naith]

I'm in the same boat need to know how stiff the black ones actually are!

 

[JamesBryan]

They do three different compounds; yellow, purple and black.

softest being the yellow which is almost oem iirc.

I'd go for purple tbh.

 

[Ph1 Tom]

Just get the black ones. If you had a 1.2 or diesel you wouldn't have any bushes at all, they mount solidly metal to metal.

 

[Naith]

Really?! Why they bush the sport then?

 

[Odyssey172 Dan]

Really?! Why they bush the sport then?

I would of said its for comfort and responsiveness, or just the design of the rack for power steering, as the dci racks are smaller in diameter, i would get purple or black as yellow aren't that stiff, black tend to be the hardest compound joint with red ones and they are a lot stiffer than purple, price wise black, purple, or yellow are about the same.

 

[Naith]

cheers mate, can someone confirm a link to the right bushes as im hearing contrasting ideas on whats right...

seen some powerflex ones for 21quid on ebay, seem on the mark?

 

[Dan@SJM]

They'll wear out faster than the OEM stuff because of the construction of them. Stick to OEM IMO.

 

[Matt e]

How do you know they will wear out faster?

 

[Odyssey172 Dan]

They'll wear out faster than the OEM stuff because of the construction of them. Stick to OEM IMO.

i wouldn't say it will wear them out faster from previous experience, they are made from polyurethene which is a harder compound, and as far as I know they are like wishbone and anti-roll bushes
last ten times longer.

 

[Odyssey172 Dan]

cheers mate, can someone confirm a link to the right bushes as im hearing contrasting ideas on whats right...

seen some powerflex ones for 21quid on ebay, seem on the mark?

I'm going to get these ones
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Renault-C...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item565f65588e

 

[Keith185]

Outside factor worth keeping in mind that the yellow and purple ones come with their lifetime warranty (had good service when one of my ARB ones split) but the black doesn't.

 

[Naith]

That's interesting Keith! I still think it's gonna be black as I live my life race by race.

 

[Dan@SJM]

They wear sooner beacause they're a hard plastic, rather than a proper polyurethane.

 

[Naith]

all the power flex ones hard plastic or just black?

 

[Odyssey172 Dan]

all the power flex ones hard plastic or just black?

no it depends on the application but most are polyurethane such as wishbone, arb, rear beam and top mounts, but if these are made of polyurethane plastic which is harder than rubber i can't see how the wear quicker than oem rubber bushes. At the moment my rack can slide from side to side within the bushes but only under hard cornering, i can't tighten my bolts up anymore so until i get new ones. The other thing to consider is if they were made of 100% plastic, they wouldn't last five minutes as they would snap.

 

[Dan@SJM]

I'll leave you to your beliefs. Having worked closely with another brand of polyurethane bushes, you can see how poorly powerflex is produced and its properties aren't what they should be. The manufacturer I'm working with to produce some decent polybushes are OEM fitment on some vehicles to the Dakar rally. You don't see powerflex being used out there...

 

[Odyssey172 Dan]

thats fair enough I just haven't had any problems to polyflex bushes thats all

 

[Naith]

So this manufacture you're working with doing steering bushes for the ph1?

 

[Tony Hunter]

Naith, just fit standard ones, that's all I've got on the race car, been on for 3-4 yrs now and still good.

 

[Dan@SJM]

So this manufacture you're working with doing steering bushes for the ph1?

No. As IMO they don't need uprating. I'm not out to produce products that aren't needed (where standard stuff is sufficient and as long lasting)

 

[Naith]

Price on oem? As I'm sure ads quoted me something silly.

 

[Matt e]

About £45 from Renault

Powerflex come with a lifetime guarantee anyway

 

[Tony Hunter]

But the Renault ones come with new clamps and bolts, it's not just the bit of rubber.