Need to replace my rear sway bar bushings

[Huskyguy68]

20 year old suv, probably original Sway bar bushings.
Crawled under my vehicle yesterday, both sway bar bushings look like a swollen black rubber blob. Probably dried out with hair line cracks.
Should i go with Polyurethane or budget friendly rubber?
I heard Poly bushings sometimes can be too stiff, but does it matter with sway bars?
Like, will my ride comfort suffer?
Or do these sway bar bushings affect the Handling but not comfort?
Thanks!

 

[Kira]

Knowing the year, make, model and climate could be helpful.

The difference is a firmness using polys over rubber on the rear sway bar, but it won't blow you away.
Holding the rear of your stock vehicle slightly more level for a little bit more time during curves isn't a performance upgrade.
It'll be a slight but noticeable improvement, and I bet you like it.

What is the price difference? Where would you source either?

 

[grasscutter]

I like the Moog Problem Solver series because they have the little cups to hold the flat washers in place.

 

[ripcord]

Be prepared for squeaking if the OEM bushings were rubber. Lubricant on poly bushings doesn't last long in my experience.

 

[MCompact]

20 year old suv, probably original Sway bar bushings.
Crawled under my vehicle yesterday, both sway bar bushings look like a swollen black rubber blob. Probably dried out with hair line cracks.
Should i go with Polyurethane or budget friendly rubber?
I heard Poly bushings sometimes can be too stiff, but does it matter with sway bars?
Like, will my ride comfort suffer?
Or do these sway bar bushings affect the Handling but not comfort?
Thanks!

I replaced the stock rear anti-roll bar on my Mazdaspeed 3 with a James Barone Racing adjustable anti-roll bar. It was supplied with polyurethane bushings so I bought the optional billet aluminum brackets that are fitted with grease fittings for the bushes. JBR has since offered stainless steel brackets that also have grease fittings. Those fittings are the easiest way to keep polyurethane bushes silent.

 

[Huskyguy68]

Knowing the year, make, model and climate could be helpful.

The difference is a firmness using polys over rubber on the rear sway bar, but it won't blow you away.
Holding the rear of your stock vehicle slightly more level for a little bit more time during curves isn't a performance upgrade.
It'll be a slight but noticeable improvement, and I bet you like it.

What is the price difference? Where would you source either?

2006 NIssan Xtrail (Canada vehicle) Looks like Rockauto has the Ackoji brand in OEM rubber bushing for only $3.39 each.
Shipping $15.09.
I will try to find locally in store .
Climate: Same as Seattle's, rainy rainforest .
What type of climate is Vancouver?

Vancouver has a moderate, oceanic climate. Protected by the mountains and warmed by the Pacific ocean currents, Vancouver is one of the warmest cities in Canada.
I go by Celcius, so Winters are mild and very rare to get snow/frost. Warm humid Summers. Fall can be nice , mixture of Sun and rain. Spring is just rain/Sun/rain, rain rain rain, Sun.

 

[Huskyguy68]

So it appears I can skip Rockauto and buy locally.
My local Napa store stocks my rear sway bar bushings .
$5.45 each/rubber. Ultra 8 Brand ......probably some low budget brand but I don't think I need some high tech rubber bushing , so should be fine.

 

[researcher]

So it appears I can skip Rockauto and buy locally.
My local Napa store stocks my rear sway bar bushings .
$5.45 each/rubber. Ultra 8 Brand ......probably some low budget brand but I don't think I need some high tech rubber bushing , so should be fine. View attachment 329506

from what I remember, the Altrom Ultra-8 brand can be re-boxed oem or oem-supplier parts. You might be surprised at what you get. And that's the good kind of surprised.

 

[Huskyguy68]

from what I remember, the Altrom Ultra-8 brand can be re-boxed oem or oem-supplier parts. You might be surprised at what you get. And that's the good kind of surprised.

Oh that would be a nice , pleasant surprise!
Opposite is ordering whatever parts , thinking it's a good well known brand name.
Then later finding out they were made in China/Mexico/ Afghanistan/Turkey, etc.
Brand name tires is another example.
Michelin Tires, made in 26 countries. Including here in Canada.
Having said that, I have ordered aftermarket parts for Nissan and two Toyotas in my family. Sometimes the only available part was my only choice, or the OEM parts was ridiculously overpriced and add shipping , taxes, just crazy.
Coil packs, Cam/crank sensors, spark plugs, filters, valve covers, and more have all been functioning with no CEl or sudden break downs. From recent install of a few months to over seven years. I took a chance and things turned out fine.
The good surprise you mention

 

[researcher]

Oh that would be a nice , pleasant surprise!
Opposite is ordering whatever parts , thinking it's a good well known brand name.
Then later finding out they were made in China/Mexico/ Afghanistan/Turkey, etc.
Brand name tires is another example.
Michelin Tires, made in 26 countries. Including here in Canada.
Having said that, I have ordered aftermarket parts for Nissan and two Toyotas in my family. Sometimes the only available part was my only choice, or the OEM parts was ridiculously overpriced and add shipping , taxes, just crazy.
Coil packs, Cam/crank sensors, spark plugs, filters, valve covers, and more have all been functioning with no CEl or sudden break downs. From recent install of a few months to over seven years. I took a chance and things turned out fine.
The good surprise you mention

ya that's the best kind of surprise! definitely keep us updated on what part shows up. I remember some of the Sankei 555 Japanese steering parts showing up under the Altrom brand at Napa. The same thing happened with the distributor cap for my 96 Civic I bought from Napa under that same brand. It was a Japanese supplier.

 

[Huskyguy68]

ya that's the best kind of surprise! definitely keep us updated on what part shows up. I remember some of the Sankei 555 Japanese steering parts showing up under the Altrom brand at Napa. The same thing happened with the distributor cap for my 96 Civic I bought from Napa under that same brand. It was a Japanese supplier.

I will!....but for this particular parts, the rubber rear sway bar bushings, i'm thinking I may be won't be too serious/concerned on the country origin. It almost feels like i'm buying a new door stopper/door wedge from a Dollar Store.....a generic chunk of rubber, made by a factory robot . You know, like ..''they can't possibly screw this up, even if it comes from the South Pole.''.

 

[Huskyguy68]

Update : I ended up (also) ordering from my local Napa store the Front sway bar bushings which were $6.45 each Cnd.

Installed them myself April 7th.
I spent 6 hours outside in my driveway!...yes, I know that sounds excessive, they were a bit different to remove then the rears I did a week earlier. So for me it was a Learn as I go process, trying out different floor jack positions, the factory scissor jack, dragging out all sorts of tools , spray lube, etc.
Once I figured out the front left side, things went smoother/quicker on the right side, but still some difficulties.
Bottom line: I got her done, did not need to pay a mechanic to install, test drove my SUV a few times and everything seems great.
Ended up replacing the front & rear sway bar rubber bushings AND the rear sway bar links, got the parts locally or thru Rockauto , so I saved money on whatever markup parts a mechanic shop would charge plus (guessing) $300 labor & whatever taxes on top.