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Leaf Spring Bushings

Pivot bushings are bushings that were designed to remove the bind between the chassis and the spring. However, the negative effects of these bushings greatly outweigh their intended purpose. Our extensive testing has proven this component to produce very erratic handling characteristics. When the front bushing is allowing the front leaf spring to pivot, it transfers all the side loads and lateral forces to rear portion of the leaf spring and shackles or sliders, which were not designed to handle the additional stress. This leads to bent shackles, warped sliders and misaligned axis points. Furthermore, because the front eye is allowed to pivot, it does not have any solid displacement to drive the car forward.

Problems with front pivot bushings are:

  • Loose on corner entry, loose coming off
  • Tight on corner entry, loose coming off
  • No forward bite
  • Bent or warped suspension components
  • Reduction of spring life due to high stress loads on the shackle end of the spring.
  • Urethane and aluminum bushings tend to transfer more energy and loads directly to the spring. This prevents undesirable chassis and rear end movement, thus creating favorable synergy between the chassis, springs and rear end. These bushings produce a solid rear housing displacement for added traction. Furthermore, these solid bushings control and enhance chassis performance by resisting chassis roll/torque. Solid bushings provide stable and predictable handling characteristics that lead to more consistent lap times.