TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Dec 28, 2004 10:25 pm

okay, so tomorrow is project day, and i've already decided that it's time to install my billet digital dash...but i also want to replace all the rubber/bushings on the suspension and i was wondering if the difference in quality really warrants the difference in price....urethane is much cheaper than rubber and i was wondering if it affected the stability/ride quality of the bug? has anybody researched this or has everybody just listened to their mechanic friend that says that rubber is better than urethane?
i have two degrees involving automobiles (Bachelors in Mechanical engineering with a minor in automotive engineering and an associates in automotive technology) and have not come accross anything that provides any sory of argument or conclusion that urethane sucks. please enlighten me. i'm hoping i can go for the urethane and save some stress on my wallet....

Tue Dec 28, 2004 11:46 pm

I have 'heard' that Urethane is generally stiffer so it transfers road shakes or engine shimmies (in the case of a motor mount) to the car more than rubber.

Wed Dec 29, 2004 8:13 am

i have broken urethane trans mounts with a 1600 in my 61 ragtop.. i use bus mounts(german) and berg intermediate.. i did not say "stock 1600" a highly modified 69X85.5 is still 1600..

Wed Dec 29, 2004 8:58 am

I've never installed rubber mounts on an aircooled, but I did learn that poly breaks alot easier than rubber on my Scirocco.

Wed Dec 29, 2004 10:38 pm

My urethane transmission mount split into two pieces sooner than my former rubber mount lasted.

Wed Dec 29, 2004 10:59 pm

I like the smooth quiet old fashioned rubber mounts.

Thu Dec 30, 2004 2:34 pm

well, i went ahead and got the urethane kit and redid everything but the motor and tranny mounts....and i must say that the front end rides much smoother....but i'll just have to wait and see how they handle punishment...now i'm in the market for new rubber for the tranny and motor....i'll have to poke around at the vedub shop downtown though because i haven't found a reasonable price on engine or tranny mounts online......it's not a necessity...i'm just trying to completely restore the bug....and i don't want worn rubber in my finished product....

Thu Dec 30, 2004 2:36 pm

Using them in the suspension bushings will just create alot of squeaking.

For engine mounts, i use Berg HD rear mounts and have a Berg intermediate cross member due to the Berg 5 tranny.

Thu Dec 30, 2004 11:09 pm

well think how that goes.. rubber is soft, plastic is generally not

what do you want in your suspension?

Thu Dec 30, 2004 11:15 pm

thevanillaninja wrote: well think how that goes.. rubber is soft...

That's a general statement that's not always true.

Fri Dec 31, 2004 12:23 am

urethane, while not as durable as rubber, has more flex and sway. think of a skateboard (yes, i'm THAT guy)...the bushings in the trucks (the suspension if you will, the trucks are what house the axles) are made of urethane because urethane has more flex than rubber (more flex without recoil anyway...i'm sure rubber would take much more abuse...) now, i'm not sure if the same principles apply to the bushings in a car's suspension, because the bushings in a car's suspension are put through both compression and flex.....the finale product in my bug's suspension is a ride smooth enough that it rival's my prelude's....though the handling isn't even in the same ballpark (the only car with handling rated better than a prelude in 1989 was the porsche 944...)....the ride is smooth as a baby's bottom...