Which Bushing Material (Front A-Arm) Is More Durable For All Driving Situations

[2013DIBGT]

So I find myself on the fence,

If you were given a choice between using a Urethane bushing and an Aluminum Bushing in the Front Control Arm Forward mounting location which would you choose if your main concern is durability and longevity over all else? NVH is not a concern.

The car is driven on the street often and the condition of many streets I find myself on would be considered very shitty so I'm looking to use the best bushing that offers the least amount of babysitting and maintenance.

Back story...I picked up a set of Boss 302S Front Arms with the Boss 302S Bushing Kit and as an bonus also received a Prothane Urethane Kit which could be used in the mounting location mentioned previously instead of the Aluminium one. I will def be using the Durlin Bushings in place of the Soda Can setup that came from the factory.

I can't say for sure how much abuse this connection point see's on a daily basis that would warrant the use of one bushing over the other since they both seem pretty stiff but the Aluminium bushing that came with the kit does look to have more parts/moving parts that the "dumb" urethane bushing doesn't have. I'm currently leaning towards using the Urethane setup because others here seem pretty happy with them but I'm not married to either option at the moment.

Please post up your thoughts and experiences ...Thanks

 

[csamsh]

Durability and longevity? Not the metal. Metal/spherical bearings anywhere have to be considered as wear items

 

[2013DIBGT]

Surprisingly, and this is a good thing, all of the Rod Ends I have on the car (I essentially have no bushings at all from the drivers seat to the rear bumper) have been solid and trouble free for about 20K miles so far.

They show no signs of wear at this point and I would like to think they may last another 20K miles if I'm lucky. I can't complain with those numbers despite all the bad stuff you hear about them.

Now these Ford Aluminium jobbies are certainly a different type of beast which is one of the reasons why I raised the question. They try to pass as a regular looking bushing at first glance but that’s about it.

I guess the part that concerns me most about them is that they are made up of multiple pieces ( I see at least 5) and far more complex then just a regular old urethane bushing. But with that said, they are obviously made to take an ass kicking but I guess the question of the day is, for how long?

How many miles do the folks who use Urethane bushings in the Front Control Arms have on them so far without the need for replacement? If were talking about the difference between maybe 15K miles for the Aluminium and a proven 30K Plus miles for Urethane then I will just go with the Urethane units and call it a day.

Thanks

 

[claudermilk]

Personally I'd go with the urethane since the car will be street driven. Yeah, the aluminum ones will give better handling, but they are full-on racecar parts & assume racecar maintenance (i.e., frequent inspection & probably frequent replacement).

 

[2013DIBGT]

Well it sounds like the wise choice would be to go with the Urethane units based on what the few responders here have said and from what my gut is telling me.

I guess if they happen to shit the bed in short order at least I'll have these here fancy Aluminum units ready to take their place. As an added bonus, it looks like I can push the Urethanes in with my flanges instead of using a press