Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: Mike2530 on 01 October 2010, 11:32:16

Title: Polyflex bushes
Post by: Mike2530 on 01 October 2010, 11:32:16
Has anyone had any experience of the polyflex bushes as i am just going to fit them to my car. I have only been hassling Powerflex for 8 years to produce them and at last they do.
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: feeutfo on 01 October 2010, 13:04:15
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Has anyone had any experience of the polyflex bushes as i am just going to fit them to my car. I have only been hassling Powerflex for 8 years to produce them and at last they do.
Do you have a link, or contact details for them?

And which bushes do they produce?
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: RobG on 01 October 2010, 13:53:06
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Has anyone had any experience of the polyflex bushes as i am just going to fit them to my car. I have only been hassling Powerflex for 8 years to produce them and at last they do.
Do you have a link, or contact details for them?

And which bushes do they produce?
http://www.powerflex.co.uk/products/Omega+B+1994-2003-2658/1.html
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: Martin_1962 on 01 October 2010, 17:57:53
I have the front wishbone and they are good
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: Kneepad on 01 October 2010, 18:34:43

I wonder why they only do the front bush for the wishbone. Is it under more stress ?
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: Kevin Wood on 01 October 2010, 19:06:39
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I wonder why they only do the front bush for the wishbone. Is it under more stress ?

I can't see how you'd do the other one as it forms the bottom pivot of the wishbone and pivots in the "wrong" axis. Guess you'd have to use a spherical bearing.

Kevin
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: Kneepad on 01 October 2010, 19:19:36
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I wonder why they only do the front bush for the wishbone. Is it under more stress ?

I can't see how you'd do the other one as it forms the bottom pivot of the wishbone and pivots in the "wrong" axis. Guess you'd have to use a spherical bearing.

Kevin

That clears up that little dilemna.  Why didn't I think of that.    :y
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: aaronjb on 01 October 2010, 20:23:11
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I wonder why they only do the front bush for the wishbone. Is it under more stress ?

I can't see how you'd do the other one as it forms the bottom pivot of the wishbone and pivots in the "wrong" axis. Guess you'd have to use a spherical bearing.

A really big spherical bearing..

Hmm.. there's an idea ;) Not sure how you'd secure it to the wishbone, though.
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: TestOmega on 01 October 2010, 20:36:47
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Has anyone had any experience of the polyflex bushes as i am just going to fit them to my car. I have only been hassling Powerflex for 8 years to produce them and at last they do.
Sorry, but why are these pieces of plastic so expensive?  I can see that they don't sell millions of pieces but still.  I would love to change mine just not sure about the price.  Kevin Wood's clarification on the Wishbone rear spherical bushing greatly helps as I was wondering too if things will mess up with one hard bushing the others OEM.

Regards.
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: Turk on 01 October 2010, 21:05:55
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Has anyone had any experience of the polyflex bushes as i am just going to fit them to my car. I have only been hassling Powerflex for 8 years to produce them and at last they do.

 :-? I fitted Powerflex polybushes almost two years ago. 

They did have a major fire in the last year, which destroyed all their stock and manufacturing equipment, but the data for the specs on the various bushes was recovered undamaged.

No need to remove wishbones. I fitted mine on the car.

Front Wishbone kit:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OMEGA-B-POWERFLEX-BUSHES-FRONT-WISHBONE-FRONT-BUSH-/360303540159?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item53e3c3b7bf

Wishbone & Anti-Roll bar kit:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/POWERFLEX-SUSPENSION-BUSHES-FRONT-KIT-VAUXHALL-OMEGA-B-/310239139505?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item483bb196b1

The front anti-roll bar bushes are well worth fitting too.  :y

If it helps, I made a 'how to..' video for the wishbones:
http://s696.photobucket.com/albums/vv327/Turkpix/?action=view&current=HowtofitFrontPoly-Bush.flv
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: Kevin Wood on 02 October 2010, 00:34:20
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A really big spherical bearing..

True. ::)

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Hmm.. there's an idea ;) Not sure how you'd secure it to the wishbone, though.

I guess it would have to press in. Leading us back to square one.

Then again, the rear bushes seem to outlast the front ones by quite a margin so just replacing the fronts would be a significant improvement.

Kevin
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: feeutfo on 02 October 2010, 02:29:10
Is it the rear bush merle do in heavy duty? Seems to be the most hard wearing?
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: Mike2530 on 06 October 2010, 03:04:56
They are not expensive compared to replacing the front arm bushes every couple of years or even the arms come to think of that. The Polyflex bushes outlast their rubber counterparts by years and improve the handling massively. I fitted them to my Sierra about 10 years ago and they were incredible in what they did to the handling of the car and that is why i have been on at Powerflex to produce them for the Omega for over 8 years.
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: Mike2530 on 06 October 2010, 03:17:01
Powerflex do bushes for most of the ford escort and fiestas which have the bottom arm bushes just like the rear bushes for the Omega arm so in time they may eventually do them for the rear of the arms too if enough pressure is applied to the manufacturers.


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I wonder why they only do the front bush for the wishbone. Is it under more stress ?

I can't see how you'd do the other one as it forms the bottom pivot of the wishbone and pivots in the "wrong" axis. Guess you'd have to use a spherical bearing.

A really big spherical bearing..

Hmm.. there's an idea ;) Not sure how you'd secure it to the wishbone, though.
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: Teebee on 06 October 2010, 11:00:12
I'm curious, is it just the one bush that wears badly on the wishbone?

I ask because I had mine replaced by Vx with genuine parts about 25k ago and they are just starting to feel wooly again. If it's only that bush that wears i'll just replace then with powerflex rather than get full arms.
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: Mike2530 on 07 October 2010, 01:58:12
They both wear but the front bush has more forward/rearward motion control of the arm than the rear and therefor fails quicker.
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: TestOmega on 07 October 2010, 02:35:47
Very wise comments and it helps.  If I may add the front ones are perhaps the furthest suspension joint (other than the sway/anti-roll bar) and as such also has the most movement including up/down around the pivot point at the front bush location.

Further in you get from the rear and the front the car is mostly rigid framed and as such movements diminishes with distance towards the centre of the car.

 8-)
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: Mike2530 on 22 November 2010, 11:40:27
Finally fitted them and they are a huge improvement, not going to have the 4 wheels fully aligned and set accurately then see how it drives. If it doesn't drive nice after so much hassle it has given me, it is going and will be buying a Volvo V70 T5
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: Entwood on 22 November 2010, 18:00:49
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Finally fitted them and they are a huge improvement, not going to have the 4 wheels fully aligned and set accurately then see how it drives. If it doesn't drive nice after so much hassle it has given me, it is going and will be buying a Volvo V70 T5


Hope you really mean "now" ??

 :D :D :D :D :D :D 
Title: Re: Polyflex bushes
Post by: Mike2530 on 05 December 2010, 21:54:15
I did, it is just that i am a muppet and hands too big for the keyboard  ;)