Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Has anyone got any views on replacement of rear axle bushes (item 7 on Powerflex diagram)? I was going to replace but read elsewhere that they don't tend to fail so there isn't much point. Is that right or after 30 years does the rubber harden/crack so it would help with newer ones?

Also the inner bushes 8, don't appear to be available from Porsche? Are Powerflex the only option?

This is one of those 'still to do jobs' on my list, rubber is rubber and I would bet that no 944 today is handling as good as it should if still on the original bushes. When I did the repair to my rear torsion bar mount two years ago I took a close look at the largest bushes ( No.9 ) and could clearly see that they had shrunk a little and hardened. IMHO Powerflex is the way to go if for no other reason than the cost which is at a ridiculous price from Porsche.

Pete

Not an easy job, I replaced mine with the Elephant Racing bushes with a full refurb of the torsion bar tube, spring plates etc. Worth a look at their website it gives a lot of useful info. Had the replacement (968) torsion bars drilled and tapped so I could reset the ride hight more easily without the need to drop the tube again and you don't need to cut a hole in the wing unless you want to replace the torsion bars. Not a fan of polybushes.

Is it correct that the Powerflex bushes make the ride a lot firmer?

They do and they squeak a little bit at very low speeds but four years on mine are still fine.

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I'm tending towards leaving them alone now and just do the ARB bushes.

Which leads on to another question! The drop links to the rear ARB have metal centres in the current bushes but the new ones I got from OPC are just rubber. Is that normal or have they supplied the wrong parts?

I use the ones with rose joints, but my originals did have a metal inserts. check the fronts as well I have snapped two.

I use rose joints too although whilst doing the clutch change I found one of them had seized solid

I used the powerflex bushes on the rear, both sets mentioned by the PO. I also replaced the two sets of mounts with the later 951 spec items. This makes the rear end a lot tighter and much more responsive / precise when hard cornering. The ride per say is not harder, that is more dependent on your choice of shocks and torsion bars. However there is a downside and that is significantly more Road noise in the cabin. The firmer bushes transmit more vibrations into the chassis. So it really comes down to what you use the car for and how often. If it is a daily driver stick with the Porsche rubber. If it's a weekend B Road blaster and / or occasional track use go for the Poly bushes.

When it comes to the ARB bushes however I would absolutely go for Polybushes front and rear. In addition I would add the brace to the front ARB suspension bracket.

Check out this german seller on ebay for rear axle bushes (and lots more)

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/wposhop/Hinterachse-/_i.html?_fsub=6015513017

They were listing the spring plate bushes separately but don't seem to be at the moment.

just Message Richard, hes a lovely fella

I would not advise the front ARB brace or supports. You'll certainly never snap a hanger again but on my car they had a dreadful effect on cornering. Front end just wanted to drift all the time. Car is lowered, with a strut brace, and on 300lb front springs but I felt effectively I had stopped my roll bar moving at all with the supports. With them removed the car handles great.

Stuart

Great

I thought I'd get in touch when I'm ready as i'll want a fair bit of stuff so easier to batch it up in one purchase (with any luck slightly cheaper that way )

He's quite often up for a deal

Odd one that Stuart. I'm running M030 arbs (Lyndsey ones, rear 5 point adjustable) 250lb front springs with arb brace, car is lowered to CS ride height, rear 968 torsion bar, Koni sport shocks monoball top mounts. All rubber bushes. Geo set up by CoG. The car handles and corners beautifully. Ride is pretty firm but ok with front Konis set full soft on road. The most impressive quality is the straight line stability in strong winds (e.g. Erskin bridge) with the Promax front splitter. It's much better than my 993 with RS suspension which is decidedly twitchy.