Polybush hardness, identifying grades available??

[LobbyLudd]

I realise polybushes with their longevity and benefits etc. over replacing the old basic rubber type come up on the forum from time to time but I am interested to still try to find out the actual range of choices in hardness to softness grades from the various suppliers for fitting to the Minor.

As Polybushes have now for some time been fitted and in use by many members.
Has any particular grade of hardness emerged to prove to be best in the various key locations (i.e eye bolts , rear hangers etc. etc) and for perhaps replicating nearer towards the performance of the old original factory fitted quality rubber ones and so doing to avoid any really significantly harder ride effect.?


The only company that seem to take the trouble to clearly list 3 separate grade options as choices I have found seem to be Polybush - these being Performance -Red Dynamic - Orange Comfort - Blue
(These presumably are in effect simply 'Hard to Softer' grades based on something like the international standard 'Shore' test system.)

Other companies including a very well known one that I have always had my Minor spares from over the years seem to be less able to give much info apart from describing their own stocked bushes as either 'they are rubber or poly, you take yer choice gov" type of answer !!

Colours of polybush I have seen listed across suppliers so far include - Black, Yellow, Purple, Green, Red, Orange and Blue ?

Do these colours indicate an 'agreed' grade of hardness softness in any way I wonder as a standard recognised 'Shore' test type of scale or are they just made in these variety of colours to look nice by a particular manufacturer that can actually vary from supplier to supplier?

[LobbyLudd]

P.S. My interest in this subject is that my wife has a Fibro/Muscular health problem and the thought of 'significantly' increasing any harshness of ride would certainly make her more reluctant to ride in my moggy, though as at present occassionaly. ( I have been told it felt different in the 1960s in our old original moggy as she was 45 years or so younger then! )

[Declan_Burns]

LL,
As far as I know the colour in general is not a definite indication of the shore hardness. This may vary of course dependant on the manufacturer. I am not aware of any international standard specifically relating colour to hardness.
Regards
Declan

[LobbyLudd]

LL,
As far as I know the colour in general is not a definite indication of the shore hardness. This may vary of course dependant on the manufacturer. I am not aware of any international standard specifically relating colour to hardness.
Regards
Declan

Thanks Declan for that reply, as I suspected information given to me upon my enquiry to a trader at last years Beaulieu autojumble did state that polybushes were actually generally colour coded across the majority of manufacturers according to hardness grading. (This obviously must not then be the case )

Just thought by now certain grades may have emerged that are more recommended than others fitted to certain key areas on the Morris??
I suppose the only way to find out if there is any significant difference in ride would be the same car driven by the same person having fitted different grades on the same car.
( uh oh, sorry, I know! - this may now all getting a little bit too over complicated )

Think I will continue to go ahead with a more simple answer to replacements as required through my usual contact expertise provided through my local branch.

[Declan_Burns]

I found that especially the polybushes that are being supplied for the tie bars are way too hard. I had green ones and they were rock hard-couldn't use them in the end and had to make my own from urethane. They have been on the car since 2011.
Regards
Declan

[Trickydicky]

On the Poly bush main site for the minor there are 2 types of bush, comfort and performance. http://www.polybush.co.uk/shop/278_Part_Kits
Without contacting the company this is the only information I can see.

Hope this is of some use.

[les]

I'm sure they were no where near that price in the past.

[LobbyLudd]

I'm sure they were no where near that price in the past.

£59.86 (+ post &VAT ) for 4 spring hanger polybushes with an option of 2 grades of hardness available - as listed by Polybush ??

£6.00 per 4 (+ post & VAT) from - as listed by E.S.M one grade stocked coloured blue. ??

(am I right ??? )

[LobbyLudd]

I'm sure they were no where near that price in the past.

£59.86 (+ post &VAT ) for 4 spring hanger polybushes with an option of 2 grades of hardness available - as listed by Polybush ??

£6.00 per 4 (+ post & VAT) from - as listed by E.S.M one grade stocked coloured blue. ??

(am I right ??? )

Looking more carefully - Polybush is actually supplied in the set of 12 bushes for the £59.86 + vat
and ESM presumably will be £1,50 each (x12 = £18.00 for the 12 bushes in direct cost comparison)

(Still a difference for some reason??)

[les]

Where am I getting £96 + vat from, for a set?

[LobbyLudd]

Where am I getting £96 + vat from, for a set?

Don't know Les ?
I thought it was interesting to see such marked difference in the listed price of a set of rear spring shackel poly bushes ( I just took these as an example with the present prices as listed on each of these two companies websites.
I am no expert in the formulation of Polyurethene to know if and why there is any other reason these items have such a price difference

[les]

On the polybush link from Tricky a full set appears to be £96.75 plus the vat. This is for a van, presumably a saloon will be along the same lines. I'm sure I'm reading it right!

[LobbyLudd]

On the polybush link from Tricky a full set appears to be £96.75 plus the vat. This is for a van, presumably a saloon will be along the same lines. I'm sure I'm reading it right!

You are right Les (for a FULL polybush set it is £96.75) from Tricky's link
As said I was only comparing the Rear Spring Shackle set of 12 bushes at £59.68 from Polybush (making theirs just under a fiver EACH + vat ), in comparison to the ones Listed by E.S.M listed at £1.50 for a single Rear Spring Shackle Bush ??
I wondered why the difference

[les]

Well the price difference that you note would imply a variation in quality, although without any form of standardization there is little hope of confirming this. I used the bushes from jlh as I understood they had been tried and tested by them. They were original polybushes. (red) Don't think I paid that much for them though but it was a while back.

[Trickydicky]

Super Pro make poly bushes which are sold by Moss,
http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/Shop/ViewP ... exID=17163

Here is the link to the Super Pro website and the FAQS page, the prices are comparable with the Poly Bush cost,
http://www.superpro.eu.com/

I don't know who makes the bushes that the usual suppliers sell, the last set I bought from ESM for the torsion bar on my car were yellow and did not come with any packaging to indicate who made them.

It could be down to the old adage of "You pays your money, You takes your choice"

[LobbyLudd]

Super Pro make poly bushes which are sold by Moss,
http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/Shop/ViewP ... exID=17163

Here is the link to the Super Pro website and the FAQS page, the prices are comparable with the Poly Bush cost,
http://www.superpro.eu.com/

I don't know who makes the bushes that the usual suppliers sell, the last set I bought from ESM for the torsion bar on my car were yellow and did not come with any packaging to indicate who made them.

It could be down to the old adage of "You pays your money, You takes your choice"

Ah Ha!
From the link to MOSS, at last, a definative piece of information in print provided from a supplier :-
"That fitting our stocked Polybushes will result in a 25%-30% increase in stiffness of ride"
(presumably as a comparison to the originally fitted rubber bushes)

[don58van]

All
If you are interested in this topic, it is worth having a look at this thread.

http://mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=6&t= ... t=superpro

Don

[Trickydicky]

All
If you are interested in this topic, it is worth having a look at this thread.

http://mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=6&t= ... t=superpro

Don

Well found Don, Lobby must have forgotten he asked more or less the same question back then.

[LobbyLudd]

All
If you are interested in this topic, it is worth having a look at this thread.

http://mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=6&t= ... t=superpro

Don

Well found Don, Lobby must have forgotten he asked more or less the same question back then.

Yes, did not appreciate how much info was contributed in that ' earlier round' on the subject (like Islips excellent work on trying to formulate a suppliers listing table of hardness grades available for our future reference(sadly so very few suppliers asked gave information at the time)

At the end of the day all I still really wanted to ask was that specific question :- -
"Which is a good quality polybush grade on the market that is the nearest in elasticty available towards the rubber originals, acknowledging they may always be a 'bit' harder ??

[don58van]

Does anyone have access to a Shore hardness testing rig?

With that, we could supply samples from various sources and get definitive measurements.

Like a couple of others, I made a crude testing rig by taking the return spring out of a drill press. putting a slightly rounded point in the chuck, and using a dial gauge to measure the amount of deflection. Proper hardness equipment would no doubt give more reliable results.

Don