I'm looking into getting some for the saff, I know they suffer a bit of understeer now and again was wondering if people replace all of the bushes with poly bushes or just some of them, I've heard that the rear arm bushes are best left using OEM ford bushes? And is it worth getting a 18mm ARB before getting the bushes?

Cheers

 

I have poly bushed my Fiesta RST and it helps the handling! Are you local(ish) to Salford / manchester ?

 

Nah I'm a southerner, I had my golf all poly bushed and my escort but as far as I know there's always bin a handling issue with saffs so I don't want to make it too rigid

 

What you are referring to are 'spherical bearings' and yes, do not replace them with an inferior bush.

Poly bush the beam mounts and ARB'S and TCA's.

Martin

 

I poly bushed the lot apart from the rear suspension arms.

Ive spoke to a few people who polyed there rear arms and they couldnt tell the difference between standard bushes and the polys.
.
I would defo reckonmend a polyer rear diff mount

 

Front: Arb to shell and arb to control arm
Rear: Beam bushes (big ones that connect the beam to shell), diff mount.

These are the main ones, will make a big difference. The rest will help, but you won't notice as much. The rear arm to beam bushes are really bearings from the factory, you can get new ones from GGR, but at Ł70 odd a pop (you need 4) they are petty dear to do unless you really need them. You can get poly bushes for there, but thats up you to, personally I wouldn't but some people say they are fine.

 

Yeh defo doing the rear beam, tca and arb bushes I just hope the rear chassis rails don't come off with the beam lol

For the agro and cost ill leave the rear arm bushes alone

 

Not the best pic but this is the bushes in the rear arms with the rubber seal and the grease removed.You can just see the bush/bearing inside.

 

 

The bush with the rubber cover.

 

Yeh there a #### to remove I did all 4 and took most of the day to do, I think it's best left alone, cheers Glenn

 

I had a bit of play in these bushes.I took the rubber cover off cleaned the old grease out and repacked them with new grease.It got rid of the play.

 

Yeh I think it actually says its a serviceable component, hopefully there fine

 

I think the understeer on sapphs is because of two reasons. The standard rear beam makes it understeer, as it toes in during cornering. I think Ford did this intentionally to make it an understeering car.

The second thing is the front roll center. At standard ride height it's not a problem, but when the car is lowered this increases the already present understeer.

Last year I replaced the standard sapph (non-cosworth) hubs on my sapp for 3dr cosworth hubs (higher roll center) and the difference was very noticeable. It understeers less and the car generally feels much more responsive. Later I also replaced the rear beam with a 6 degree one and the handling is really nice now.

With regard to the poly bushes, the most important to do are the tca to arb and arb to chassis at the front. And at the rear the big beam bushes and beam mount. If the rear arm bushes are worn the car will also handle strange.

 

As people have said you want to get a front end poly kit

Personally I wouldn't bother with polys for the beam mounts, go for solids along with one of those diff mounts MSD sell. Fitted this setup to mine recently and it's the best mod on the car, made an unbelievable difference.

Anyone who takes the standard rose joint type bearings out the rear arms IMO is making a big error. Ok polys will seem fine when you fit them but with over a ton of car and a few hundred hp going through them they will be fucked in no time!

 

Cheers guys

 

I would defo get the diff mount changed though.If your driving the car normaly you cant tell its fitted but as soon ad you start to throw the car about you can tell the difference.

 

That is my normal driving lol any chance I get its on full lock which is why I need if to handle