Polyurethane has been with us as a specialized plastic for over thirty years. However, recent advances have now made it possible to engineer very special properties into this exciting material. Suspension bushings are some of the most highly stressed components fitted to a motor car. They undergo enormous strains and in the most arduous of conditions with no maintenance or lubrication.
The material they are manufactured from is a rubber compound containing natural products which deteriorate with age. It becomes softer and more pliable, resisting the forces placed on it less and less. Therefore allowing more and more movement of suspension components and offering less and less control over the suspension geometry.
This in turn causes accelerated tire wear, braking instability and poor handling. This is the single biggest reason you can instantly tell the difference driving a three year old car compared to a showroom new one. However even new cars will benefit from POWERFLEX bushings because of their superior design they offer much more effective control of the suspension components to a much greater extent than normal rubber items.
With the technological advances in this material it has been possible to overcome the common problem associated with harder bushings which is increased noise. By correctly engineering the polyurethane compound, bushings can be made 25-30% stiffer than new rubber items but with exactly the same noise absorbing properties.
