Subframe Bushing Inserts - BMR, Pedders, Prothane, Energy, etc.???

[parietta]

Anybody out there have personal experience with either the Prothane or Energy Suspension polyurethane cradle to subframe bushings? I really want to eliminate the rear suspension movement on my 2011 SS and believe this is the best first step from what I've read. After the bushings I intend to replace the trailing arms, toe links and rear sway bar. My question is which bushings should I go with? From a pricing standpoint I have seen prices from a low of $120 for the Energy Suspension bushings to a high of $265 for the Pedder's version with the others falling in between for what look to be essentially the same product. Does anyone know what the differences are? On a daily driver with the occassional autoX or track day, does it really matter? I've always been a firm believer in "you get what you pay for" but in this particular situation with a price spread of more than a 100%, I'm just not sure which way to go. Any personal experiences and/or advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

[2quick]

We have and sell the energy suspension bushings. we have had them on the car for over a year with no problems.
This link is whet we were doing with them last weekend.
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140415

some more things we were doing with them.




They seem to be working. They are not harsh or noisy.

[flyby]

Got pedders xa drag pack which is full bushings and coilovers. Absolutely love them. Would recommend them to all.

[caverman]

Are you trying to get rid of wheel hop? If so, I would do trailing arms first. When I first took my car to the track I got tons of hop. I then put on som TA and it all went away on the line. I still get an occassional hop from 2nd to 3rd but I'm going to address that with the Hotchkis chassis brace or some craddle inserts.

For inserts I've been looking at BMR but I probably should look at Energy as well.

[blake-b]

I've got the energy suspension full bushings. I am quite pleased with them.

[camaro4mybday]

not only do i sell pedders i use pedders and the products are second to none

[BMR guy]

Originally Posted by parietta

Anybody out there have personal experience with either the Prothane or Energy Suspension polyurethane cradle to subframe bushings? I really want to eliminate the rear suspension movement on my 2011 SS and believe this is the best first step from what I've read. After the bushings I intend to replace the trailing arms, toe links and rear sway bar. My question is which bushings should I go with? From a pricing standpoint I have seen prices from a low of $120 for the Energy Suspension bushings to a high of $265 for the Pedder's version with the others falling in between for what look to be essentially the same product. Does anyone know what the differences are? On a daily driver with the occassional autoX or track day, does it really matter? I've always been a firm believer in "you get what you pay for" but in this particular situation with a price spread of more than a 100%, I'm just not sure which way to go. Any personal experiences and/or advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

We do business with both Prothane and Energy Suspension and I can say that both companies make quality polyurethane. There is a big difference between bushing companies and suspension specialists however. A bushing company such as Prothane or Energy Suspension typically takes an OE suspension component, removes the OE rubber bushing and designs a poly replacement to fit that component. There is very little vehicle testing to verify results. Typically the extent of their testing is just insuring that the bushing fits properly. What we do is analyze the bushings load in it's working environment both on the street, on the road course, and at the drag strip. We test different durometer rates (bushing stiffness) in various conditions, and in many cases improve the bushing design itself. I believe this gives our bushing designs an edge over other options on the market and it is the main reason why our bushings cost a little more.

Additionally we manufacture the other suspension components you are already planning to upgrade. Sometimes it pays to stick with one brand for everything as it has been designed and tested together not only for compatability but for functionality to compliment each other. In the end you can't really go wrong with any of these companies but I just felt it was necesarry to explain what the differences were and why we are not necesarrily the lowest price in the market...

[flht99b]

I went with the BMR inserts instead of replacing the entire bushing. Very satisfied with the inserts ability to control the motion of the rear cradle and not transmit additional NVH to the cabin. Easier to install ( cradle still needs to be dropped down a few inches ) and less costly. For my 99% street use and 1% road course / autocross use the inserts were the right modification for me.
Ed M.

[Inferno LSX]

I got Pedders ones and I'm very happy. Worked very well at C5F2. The car never felt better on the track. There is some noise and vibrations, but worth it to me. Driving on the freeway and changing lanes has a positive feel.

[Agent WD-40]

Originally Posted by flht99b

I went with the BMR inserts instead of replacing the entire bushing. Very satisfied with the inserts ability to control the motion of the rear cradle and not transmit additional NVH to the cabin. Easier to install ( cradle still needs to be dropped down a few inches ) and less costly. For my 99% street use and 1% road course / autocross use the inserts were the right modification for me.
Ed M.

+1. I have the BMR sub-frame insert bushings and they are great! They definitely keep the rear cradle in place. It eliminated that feeling of the car stepping out sideways on aggressive shifts (especially on 1-2 upshift).

[SUX2BU]

Bushings are a huge pain, so I did it once and did it right. I got BMR's full line of bushings and suspension components. Like they said, they are all designed to work perfect together and it shows. Plus their customer service is second to none. They have also been around for a long time.

[BMR guy]

Thanks flht99b, Agent WD-40, and SUX2BU for posting your experiences!

[Hess Motorsports]

Just a quick question....... if price isn't the deciding factor, why not go solid? I think the science has proven that the solid bushings ALWAYS outperform any urethane counterpart with littel actual increase in NVH. On ALL of our drag, road race, auto x, and street cars, even our own Camaros, we have run the solid mounts from Pfadt with incredible results.

PM me if you have any questions. We set up (installs, laser alignments, and corner scaling) about 4 to 5 Camaros per week with different suspension options depending on the specific customers needs.

[flht99b]

Originally Posted by Hess Motorsports

Just a quick question....... if price isn't the deciding factor, why not go solid? I think the science has proven that the solid bushings ALWAYS outperform any urethane counterpart with littel actual increase in NVH. On ALL of our drag, road race, auto x, and street cars, even our own Camaros, we have run the solid mounts from Pfadt with incredible results.

PM me if you have any questions. We set up (installs, laser alignments, and corner scaling) about 4 to 5 Camaros per week with different suspension options depending on the specific customers needs.

Truth be known 99% of us would gain no measurable benefit from solid sub frame mounts/bushings and I dare to say nearly as many would hate the NVH increase the solid mounts transmit. GM didn't "insulate" the rear cradle cause they had nothing better to do. If you are building a track only car or want 100% from it no matter the consequences, solid mounts / bushings are definitely the only way to go. If you want to go to the grocery store or cross country in comfort they are not.
Ed M.