tie rod and lower arm

[civic91dx]

well i took my car to the shopt to get the ball joint and axles replace and the guy told me that i will soon have to change my right side tie rod and lower arm. he said the bushin on the lower arm is gone. can i just get the bushings and do u guy know where i can get it for cheap online and if i can just only get the bushin does anyone has a diagram of the lower arm and how the bushin is set up?
thanks
carlos

[91civicDXdude]

you can get OEM bushings from honda, but they'll probably cost you an arm and a leg. Or, you can buy energy suspsension bushings, im not sure of a dealer, just find one and ususally they have kits you can buy, but you might have to buy a bigger kit than just the front lower arm..

[Problem_Si]

The master Energy suspension bushing set sells for about $100. You can find them pretty much anywhere, even Ebay.

I would go with OEM though....will be some $$$, but there is a big difference. The urethane bushings squeek all the time and they make your car sag.

The reason the OEM bushings are much better is because the rubber is pre-loaded. Think of it like a compressed spring. When they go bad, they have no spring left in them. This is why a car will feel sloppy around the turns if the bushings are bad. Believe me, I know.

The only advantage urethane has over OEM, is longevity. But you usually get 10 years out of the stock ones, so spend the extra cash and do it right. You'll be glad you did.

[FourthGenHatch]

I also heard not to mess with the polyurethane ones.

[EF You]

woah!!! dont start hating on the polyurethane bushings.

ive had them on 2 of my EFs, and ive had stock on the other 2. one of the cars i replaced the bushings with OEM ones because my stepdad didnt want me to put aftermarket stuff one the car since i was giving it to my sister. ill tell you this much, the car still drives like shit. not nearly as big of a piece of shit, but still shit nonetheless.

now the cars that have had the polyurethane, thats a totally different story. they turn tighter, take bumps better, DONT SAG, and dont feel as rattley as the other two cars. but yes, the DO SQUEAK sometimes, i dont really care about that though, cause the b16 is usually wailing away anyhow and it drowns that out. only time i ever hear the squeak is when i coast to a stop in front of my house.

the best part about the bushings, when some woman hit my car and totalled it, i took all the suspension off and saved all the bushings except one (rear lower control arm to frame) cause that one fell out in the wreck. they are now on the suspension thats going on my 88.

i love energy suspension, and i would love them more if they made compensator arm and upper control arm bushings for the rear. i aint paying 100 bucks for prothane ones


one last thing, you cant buy bushings for the control arms seperately from honda. you gotta buy the whole arm

[MyFirst4G]

What are Prothane bushings? is it a company? or is it a material like polyurethane?

[MyFirst4G]

Nevermind my last message, I just called prothane and they said it retails for like 400 bucks, but said i can find it at JCWHitney or Summit for like a lil over 100 bucks and he was right, its like 120 bucks. ANd the guy said that the squeeking is due to the wrong grease. Every Prothane kit comes with the required grease and all you gotta do is apply it before u put em on and they are so much better. The rear trailing arm bushings alone are like 120 bucks alone but those things are HUGE and for good reason though..........

[civic91dx]

so i can just get inserts for my bushins on my lower control arm instead that buyin the whole thing? right cuz the mechanic said that i couldnt do it but i though i can and i found some at napa's website for 14 each or buy the whole arm for 120

[MyFirst4G]

Well, i dont know about that... wait untill someone else reply's cause i dont know and dont wanna give u false info, just need someone else to double check!

[EF You]

you cant get OEM inserts, you gotta buy the whole arm. but you prolly can get aftermarket rubber ones.

hey myfirst4g, that prothane kit might say master set, but it doesnt come with trailing arm bushings, compensator arm bushings, or rear upper control arm bushings, and those are the most expensive ones.

[MyFirst4G]

yea, i know they are like 120 bucks just for those 2 bushings, but still 120 for the master kit from prothane is pretty good, doesnt the ES kit go for like 100 bucks? for like 20 bucks more dont you get like a shit load more?

[Problem_Si]

You will definitely get what you pay for. Theres a reason they are $14 at Napa. Take my advice and use the OEM ones. Its a little pricey, but you won't have to do it again for another 10 years.


I dont buy the gimmicks behing the urethane bushings. I need bushings in my car, and did a lot of research into the Prothane and Energy Suspension as a cheaper alternative to OE. What I found suprised me, considering some people swear they're the best thing since sliced bread.

First, ponder this. Have you ever seen what it takes to get a OE bushing into say a control arm?.....I have, and it takes a whole lot of lube, patience and a big ass bearing press. So when Energy Suspension tells me that their bushings go in with minimal effort, it leaves me wondering why.

Again, urethane is a soft, durable material. Its great for some uses, like the shift stabilizer, but not for load bearing applications. That is why the OE bushings are PRE-LOADED rubber. They give the car added support, which really counts if you plan on doing any hard driving. Urethane is not pre-loaded.

Im a firm believer in Honda OE parts. They are the best available in 99% of all cases. I've been through my share of shitty aftermarket parts, and Im done wasting my money.

[MyFirst4G]

Originally posted by Problem_Si
You will definitely get what you pay for. Theres a reason they are $14 at Napa. Take my advice and use the OEM ones. Its a little pricey, but you won't have to do it again for another 10 years.


I dont buy the gimmicks behing the urethane bushings. I need bushings in my car, and did a lot of research into the Prothane and Energy Suspension as a cheaper alternative to OE. What I found suprised me, considering some people swear they're the best thing since sliced bread.

First, ponder this. Have you ever seen what it takes to get a OE bushing into say a control arm?.....I have, and it takes a whole lot of lube, patience and a big ass bearing press. So when Energy Suspension tells me that their bushings go in with minimal effort, it leaves me wondering why.

Again, urethane is a soft, durable material. Its great for some uses, like the shift stabilizer, but not for load bearing applications. That is why the OE bushings are PRE-LOADED rubber. They give the car added support, which really counts if you plan on doing any hard driving. Urethane is not pre-loaded.

Im a firm believer in Honda OE parts. They are the best available in 99% of all cases. I've been through my share of shitty aftermarket parts, and Im done wasting my money.

Hmm, i as well do not wanna spend my money on crap parts again, i've been down that road once..... so how much does a OE HONDA kit cost?

[Problem_Si]

Not really sure, I priced them about a year ago...

They come in kits I believe, front and back. Each kit has every bushing you need. I believe its something like $260 for the front, $340 for the rear. That damn trailing arm bushing is a bastard (cost like $200 for the pair).

Most of the cost is going to be in installation. If you have access to a bearing press and a 2nd car, I would suggest doing it yourself. Its very labor intensive and time consuming, because you have to disassemble the whole suspension, then either cut or burn the old bushings out. Then you clean up the parts, lube them up and press in the new ones.

You shouldn't have a problem doing the front yourself, but I believe you need a special tool to do the trailing arm set in the rear. Luckily, I am good friends with someone who has that tool...hehehe :finger:

Who knows, maybe they sell the individual bushings, the only way to know is to call honda yourself. Just make sure you know EXACTLY which one you need, as Honda parts people tend to be dicks.

[civic91dx]

hey problem_si do u know where i can get the whoel armfor cheaper than 129 that is what advance auto part is askin me and also i need a new e brake cable and on the net they ask if my car was canada or japan built what does that means and how can i find that out