swanny
Senior Member
My friend did a pretty nice write-up / review on Energy Suspension bushings and how to install grease zerks on the LCA's for http://www.K20A.org and I thought I would share. If you are a member there you can just click this link http://www.k20a.org/forum/showthread.php?t=5952 ...you have to register to view so here is the dialoge and and questions that have been asked thus far.
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11...5_203_27503.jpg
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11..._203_101771.jpg
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11..._203_404156.jpg
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11..._203_544697.jpg
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11...5_203_97972.jpg
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11..._203_408791.jpg
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11..._203_451008.jpg
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11..._203_542605.jpg
Sticky Worthy? Maybe it could replace the year old AEM article?
Pics:This weekend I finally installed the energy suspension master kit onto my '91 civic in preparation for the K swap. Everything went as smooth as butter, the whole kit went on in about 12 hours of work on saturday. 9am-11pm with a few breaks for streching and eating of course. The original bushings on my lower control arms were shot to the point that when the weight of the car was on them, the metal sleeve looked like it was sitting on the bottom of the control arm.
On my civic i'm running a CRX si suspension, Neuspeed springs, Tokico blue struts, on Nankang NS-II 215/35/R18. Shot bushings with no sidewall tires really made for a rough ride, aka my girlfriend hated riding in it. It handled rather well, but on extreme cornering a high speeds i was getting massive understeer (front tires lost traction first, understeer, right?) and it was a little scary. Also, due to improper suspension geometry under preasure because of the bad bushings, i would get tired rub when doing aggressive cornering.
The energy suspension bushing upgrade. Now that its on, everything is FIRM, not rigid firm, just firm. It transitions over bumps much beter than with the stock bushings, given its still a little rough because of the 18's on a little civic, but i love the way to]hey look/handle to ditch them. Handling and cornering is drastically improved, understeer is gone, i'm dipping into corners at much higher speeds with very impressive stability. When i really push it, i actually get oversteer now (back breaks lose), keeping on the gas, the front just bites, rear breaks a little, and it really eats up tight corners. Reminds me of drifting in a RWD car but with much more control. I can't wait the get the power of the K pulling me through the turns now. Also, all tire rub problems are gone, since the upgrade, i have yet to rub the walls of the tires on the fenders probably because correct suspension geometry is being held throughout suspension travel.
I've read reviews on energy and prothain bushing kits saying that they begin to have problems after about a year of use with squeeking and wearing if they lose lubrication, SO, i drilled and tapped in grease zerks in all the lower control arms and pumped them up with water resistant marine grease. I don't have a single squeek, infact, its actually quieter than my old setup, probably because of how gone my old bushings were.
The main reason i started this post was because i haven't found any threads on suspension bushing kits on K20a.org and after putting this on, i strongly believe this is the BEST SINGLE UPGRADE ON AN AGING SUSPENSION. And you can't beat the cost! I paid $140 for the kit at a local shop and installed it in a day (given i had access to a 40 ton air powered hydralic press thanks to my dad owning a farm) for pressing out the old bushings. The shop wanted $850 in labor to install, and if i hadn't had the time, but had the money it would still be worth it.
If anyone is interested in doing the installation and has questions, i am more that happy to help. Also, if others have done the install and would comment on their experiences, especially as the bushings age, i'd love to hear about it.
how much was the bushing the complete set??
I paid $140 cash at a local shop for the master kit. It comes will all bushings except the really large one in the rear trailing arm. You can buy those two bushings separatly from energy for around $40, but I recomend against using Energy for just that bushing. If yours is bad, get a new honda one, or even better, a Mugen. They allow for proper lateral movment, Energies is a much more solid bushing and seemed to be far to stiff. Another company is Prothain, i don't personally have any experience with their stuff, but it might be worth looking into. Also, the big rear trailing arm bushing installs kind of half-ass, with the need to reuse some stock pieces which makes me feel like it was under-developed and studied by Energy Suspension. This is personal preference, some people don't agree that lateral movement was intentionaly engineered into the Honda trailing arm bushing, which the ES bushing eliminates. Anyways, the major cost is labor, either in time or money. hope that answers your question.
Here are a few pictures of my lower control arms with the grease zerks installed.
These were installed right after removing the old bushings. I drilled and tapped holes for the grease zerks. If you don't have a tap and die set, you can buy press-in style zerks at most auto stores. I like them threaded though so that if there is a problem down the road with one being damaged, it is easier to replace. I also chose the smallest diameter zerks i could find (1/4") to minimize the size of the hole drilled into the control arms. As for comprimising the structural integrity by drilling into your lower control arms, i don't think there is anything to worry about if you keep the hole small. I got this idea from a number of auto-X vehicles i've seen on the internet and in person that have zerks installed into stock arms. Placement of the zerks is critical, as you can see in the second to last picture I've attached, i tried to draw a little diagram to show that you need to plan for movement. This is so that the zerks don't bind on anything when the suspension moves up and down. Also, obviously they need to be accessible for a grease gun. After you get the zerks drilled and installed, make sure there are no metal bur's inside the control arm's sleeve. You don't want a rough edge inside that would tear at your new bushing you are about to install. Energy Suspension recommends using a water resistant marine grease (thats what they supply). Squeaky aftermarket suspension problem solved.
Can't you also burn the old bushings out? How did everyone else that has installed ES bushings done this? Burn them, use a press, etc...?
Yes, if you don't have a press, you can burn out the bushings. But you still have to deal with the metal sleeve left inside the control arm. Its only about a 1/16 th of an inch thick, but you have to remove it. Once the rubber is burned out, the best way would be to cut a little notch in it with a hack saw to break its structural stability. If you choose to take this method, be very carful not to cut into the control arm. Personally if i were you, don't bother with any of this and find someone with a press, and just use a socket that is the same size as the sleeve to push them out. When pressing, it would build up insane pressure before the explosion as the sleeve finally moves a few millimeters for the first time in 15 years. I hid behind my work bench when the press read 10 tons with no movement. But they all eventually gave with no problems
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11...5_203_27503.jpg
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11..._203_101771.jpg
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11..._203_404156.jpg
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11..._203_544697.jpg
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11...5_203_97972.jpg
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11..._203_408791.jpg
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11..._203_451008.jpg
https://hondaswap.com/forums/uploads/11..._203_542605.jpg
Sticky Worthy? Maybe it could replace the year old AEM article?
. I wanted to also add that while your greese fittings are a good idea I dont think it is as needed as you think since you went with the self lubricated black bushings.
. Im not too suspension-savvy.
