Hey, so I've replaced my oil can and dog bone engine mounts, also adding a VIP pitch stop on my '06 R53. You don't really hear a whole lot about the transmission mount on these cars, probably because it's a little more work to get to & a little more expensive to replace. So then the question is - are they prone to failure as well? Are they just not subject to as much wear & tear as the other two for some reason?

Second question - I have a front end knock while going over bumps at low speeds that's just getting worse & worse. I'm pretty sure it's the front sway bushings & am just curious if I would see any downsides to going with Powerflex bushings rather than OEM rubber. I am fairly sensitive to NVH - for example, I was fine with the installation of my Powerflex LCA bushings but the lower engine mount inserts were too much, even with only one half installed & I just opted for a new OEM rubber mount, removing the poly entirely. I also realize I'm comparing a suspension bushing to an engine mount here, point being that they can both increase NVH.

Any experience with either of these would be great to hear, hoping to get the bushings ordered this week!

 

I've seen more issues in regards to the engine mounts versus the transmission mount. If you want to see what the replacement is like you can check out our tech article here. As far as Powerflex bushings, here is some good insight about them. You'll see prolonged tire life, improved performance, better handling and they are more cost-effective than OEM bushings. Suspension bushings are some of the most highly stressed components fitted to a motor car. They undergo enormous strains 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 for which 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. In comparison to engine mounts and suspension bushings, for engine mounts if you're sensitive I'd stick to OEM for those like you did. I'd say there are more positives than negatives to upgrade to Powerflex bushings. I, personally, haven't heard really any complaints about them. Hope this helps a bit with your question.

 

Hi, don't know if you are still paying attention to this thread but I am doing a lot of suspension work and have a question about my new OEM rubber front sway bushings.Yes I considered upgrading to Powerflex but I have no issue with the present ones but I dropped the sub frame to replace the roached OE LCA bushings(with powerflex)(I know, at 115,000 miles they should have been replaced a long time ago but I bought it with 67k and it has never been an issue till now, oh, 2005 Cooper S) and the inner and outer ball joints(OEM Lemforder) and while I was at it upgraded the struts to Bilstein touring capped with IE fixed camber plates and an M7 strut bar. Also replacing the factory lower engine mount with a BSH(street) and replacing the factory upper engine mount with OEM Lemforder(yeah, I know, I will probably end up replacing it soon, especially since it will probably be working extra hard to suck up extra NVH from the BSH and I would have gone with the Vibra-Technic, but my budget was already screaming so I figured that will be the replacement when the new one fails in 20k or so cuz by then I will have saved enough for that and possibly an SS catback exhaust upgrade, probably Borla or Milltek) I also upgraded the sway bare ends to Alta. So anyway, no issues at present but I figured as long as I was replacing all the other stuff, why not replace the sway bar bushings as well, sooo, my question, do I need to grease the new rubber bushings? The reason I ask is because I also replaced the rear shocks(Bilstein) and while I was back there upgraded my OE sway bar to an Alta 19mm with matching sway bar ends and the sway bar kit came with bushings(naturally but not sure if they were rubber or poly) and a tube of grease(which I applied, liberally) but the new front bushings did not(come with grease). So do I to head to Pep Boys and if so, what type of grease do I need?
Thank you in advance for your patience in reading this and any help you may provide.

 

No grease is needed for OEM rubber bushings.