Mitsubishi Lancer's rear strut mounts' top bushing

[inquirer]

I have a question about the Lancer's rear strut mounts' top bushing which is shown in the following diagram labeled with the code 41406B (near the top of the assembly).

Some brands like KYB offer 2 top bushings of different thickness in their kit (the two bushings at the top of the following photo):

while others like SNR have only one (the one on the right in the following photo):

My question is:
At the position the bushing is placed in the strut assembly (as shown in the diagram) what would its thickness affect? For example would it affect the rear axle's height or maybe the shock absorbers' travel?

 

[Jetronic]

no none of that, but you could preload the bushings more with the bigger one.

The rear axle setup is shared between the Lancer, Outlander and Outlander Sport. with minimal differences. The kit with 2 bushings would be generic I suspect

 

[inquirer]

no none of that, but you could preload the bushings more with the bigger one.

Thanks for your answer!

I just wrote these two points as an example. I was almost 100% sure that the ride height wouldn't be affected as the mounting point of the strut mounts to the chassis is bellow the bushings in interest.

How exactly is preloading defined? How does it affect handling and behavior of the car? By the way one of my thoughts was that the thinner one would give a stiffer feeling to the suspension. Am I right?

 

[Jetronic]

no you need to tighten the nut until it's tight against the metal bushing. You preload the rubber bushings doing so. More rubber = tighter.

 

[inquirer]

no you need to tighten the nut until it's tight against the metal bushing. You preload the rubber bushings doing so. More rubber = tighter.

In that case maybe the left one in KYB's kit is stiffer because it is wider. I have the impression that the right one is thicker but it has a narrower neck, so it maybe compresses more easily.

 

[Jetronic]

Could be, I'd just have a look at the ones currently installed. I've had to replace some struts for leaking in my years as a mech but never needed anything new besides that. In any case, dealership so uses OE parts.