Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings

Re: Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings (TwoDogs)

Mon, 29 May 2017 13:31:29 GMT

@Falcon,

I only just saw your response... might have been a solution but too late now, I have bought the "complete set".
Thanks anyway...

Re: Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings (TwoDogs)

Sun, 28 May 2017 11:35:16 GMT

Thanks B24,
took your advice and should have them in a couple of weeks .
cheers

Re: Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings (B24)

Sun, 28 May 2017 09:32:12 GMT

TwoDogs
I need to replace the bushes in the rear control arms, 1990 SW20 3SGTE.
In the parts catalogs they are not shown so it appears I have to buy the whole control arm.
Buying a whole kit seems overkill as well, unless there are other members looking to replace 1 or 2 different bushes ?
Any suggestions? Thanks...

You can buy the whole poly bush kit out of the USA for about $150. The trick is getting your hands on a press to push out the old ones. Whole job will take about a day. It's a must for any MR2.

Re: Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings (Falcon)

Sun, 28 May 2017 07:53:37 GMT

Bushes in rear control arms ?? Do you mean the transverse control arms between the ball joint and the chassis?
Or the transverse toe in adjustment links bushes and if these which end? Chassis or hub?
Where are you located. I may have these bits available.

Re: Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings (TwoDogs)

Sat, 27 May 2017 08:12:04 GMT

I need to replace the bushes in the rear control arms, 1990 SW20 3SGTE.
In the parts catalogs they are not shown so it appears I have to buy the whole control arm.
Buying a whole kit seems overkill as well, unless there are other members looking to replace 1 or 2 different bushes ?
Any suggestions? Thanks...

Re: Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings (TwoDogs)

Fri, 21 Apr 2017 09:04:35 GMT

Sure enough, I took a wheel off and it's ID is 70.x mm with no ring.
I look up eBay for hub centric rings for the 60.1mm hub spigot and wouldn't you know it...there are 2 sizes that might be correct ..OD=70.1mm or 70.5mm !! My ruler and eyecrometer lacks the precision to tell which one I need.
The wheel is an ROH 17"x 8" with an offset of approx. 32mm (measured lying on the garage floor with tyre on).
I'm hoping someone here might know, even a likeliness of which one is the one to get.
I will try to contact ROH and ask also.
Anyway this is a significant diagnosis, I'm confident that there is also some disc runout to fix also but at least the
freeway shakes will be gone. I hope I haven't stressed the studs too much.
Maybe I should post this in a wheel thread ??

Re: Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings (Reddtarga)

Thu, 20 Apr 2017 14:44:54 GMT

The problem with aftermarket wheels for MR2's is not stud pattern but the need to find a staggered set.

The Nissan GTST and GTR 16" have large tapered centers and neither will fit the Toyota hub spiggot, so something needs to be done about that. Someone else on here may know if metal hub rings are available.

Apart from centering, the offset/width on the front is important if you want good shake free steering with no tramlining.
The GTST wheels have a 40mm offset that is close to stock (45), so the scrub radius is not changed much, and at 6.5" they are not much wider than stock (6")

Also apart from looks, with 16's you need to think about tyre availability.
The fronts are no problem, but the rear choice is limited in a 225/45R16 if you want to retain the stock rolling diameter.
FYI, if you were to use a 225/50R16 on the GTR rear (larger rolling diameter than OEM) with a lowered suspension it will probably rub on bumps, so guard rolling needed.

EDIT
I just found a pic of the Nissan GTST/GTR combo to give you an idea of what they look like. The car has been lowered about 1.5"

Re: Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings (TwoDogs)

Thu, 20 Apr 2017 13:45:36 GMT

@redtarga - I reckon you've hit the nail on the head. I just went out to the car and looking at the wheels, I was wrong about the wheels and now think there is no method of centring the wheel on the hub, bar the studs. So I reckon this may be the cause of many intermittent and varying shakes. So before I do anything else, it's time to change the wheels. (Drawdown on the mortgage time).

@Phiz - do the R32 wheels fit the lip on the hub snuggly ? (Is there a lip on the hub, like my Camry?)
I need to check with 18yr old to see if he likes the look. I don't care as much about the look.
Maybe I should check a Wheel thread on the forum.....

thanks for all the help, a relatively major breakthrough.... disc milling etc can wait and may not be requred....

Re: Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings (Phiz)

Thu, 20 Apr 2017 12:01:51 GMT

Our Stud pattern is very common.. for skylines/silvias, however most of them only take 17's/18's. If you look up Rota wheels webiste for example, they only start 5x114.3 at 17's.

No, will make the car feels/behave different depending on weight, track increase/decrease and size difference.

It is very common to have R32 gtst front, and R32 GTR rear wheels on a sw20. Suits the guards quite well. the front are 6.5, where as the rear are 8's. Some say that you need a wider back track, however it is to each's opinion. Most of the time it's for looks. (not serious enough for performance)

Re: Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings (TwoDogs)

Thu, 20 Apr 2017 11:14:00 GMT

Hi Phiz,
I thought the Toyota stud pattern was relatively common... oh well, something else to deal with...
Is there a problem buying wheels of a style but in different widths (front vs back).?
If so, then maybe 2 people could purchase 4 of the narrower width and 4 of the wider ? but of course 2 people would never agree on the style of the wheel :o)
I've seen some cars with different wheels front and back....not a good look.

Re: Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings (Phiz)

Thu, 20 Apr 2017 10:06:59 GMT

Better off knocking them all out of the park at once, rather than fixing something, then wearing it away whilst you fix other stuff. Good luck man i've been looking for good sized 16's for a while now, don't come across anything under the 1.5k mark for something nice/fancy. The Stud pattern kills us.

Re: Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings (TwoDogs)

Thu, 20 Apr 2017 09:46:56 GMT

Re the wrong sized wheels, I intend to replace them with better sized wheels at some stage, maybe that stage needs to be now, if they are the problem... My Camry wheels definitely fit the lip on the hub, tighter than these MR2 wheels

Re: Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings (TwoDogs)

Thu, 20 Apr 2017 09:44:03 GMT

Thanks RT, you have given me food for thought. The car came with 4 17x8" wheels, one of which needed straightening. They seem to fit on the hub lip ok, but I don't know just how snug that fitting needs to be.
Either way I should probably get a dial gauge and check wheel, rotors and hubs as you suggest.
Last night my son and I pushed and pulled on the front wheels at full lock to see if there was movement in the control arms and they seemed good, but perhaps our method is not great. This morning I heard something rubbing as I pulled up. Sounded like a disc rubbing on a high spot, with or without brakes applied., but definitely in frequency with wheel rotation.
thinking, thinking,......

Re: Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings (Reddtarga)

Wed, 19 Apr 2017 18:38:07 GMT

Steering shake under braking or otherwise is a real PITA.

Youve checked the ball joints.
Other things to check on the front:
Tie rod ends, inner and outer. Wheel bearings. Uneven rotor wear. Hub runout, and of course wheel alignment.

If aftermarket wheels are fitted, hub rings are needed to center the wheel on the hub spigot as well as for safety. Plastic ones distort with the brake heat so metal ones are best. (Sometimes, without them you'll never get rid of wheel shake).

A clock gauge with magnetic base is a good investment to check hub runout, as well as rotor runout. I found that even brand new rotors can still have runout, but this can often be fixed or reduced by indexing. (swapping their position on the wheel studs). You can even index the wheels this way too if you are that keen.

Just one more thing with alloy wheels; always tighten the wheel studs using a torque wrench with a 'star' tightening sequence. I use about 80 ft/lb

Good luck with it.

Re: Need advice on SW20 suspension bushings (TwoDogs)

Wed, 19 Apr 2017 11:54:44 GMT

Hi SW20TT, yes I'm at Berowra. Have been slowly working on a 91 Turbo with my son, who just passed his test yesterday so the car is all mine for the next 3 years - yay! anyway recently I noticed steering wheel shake under brakes, sometimes a little less, not under brakes, and when I looked at rotors, one had a little runout. At the same time I had been wondering that steering seemed a little vague. Then 2 days ago, I noticed while my son was braking down a hill that the shake was quite violent, so I'm suspecting more than just disk runout. Also the wheel shakes a little on the m1 and since the tyres were recently replaced and balanced, I think the concrete sections of the M1 have grooves scored into them, to deal with puddling of rain water. So I am suspecting at least 1 control arm bushing to be root cause of all the above ?? Maybe other things contributing also.
This morning with the car off the ground, we checked the ball joints, using a length of timber and there was no movement, which surprised me. I am still learning how to check all the suspension & steering components.
So this morning I rang a friend who runs a 4x wheel drive business and asked if his guys could get the car up on the hoist and test everything - and let me know what I need to replace. It's booked in for May1. If I need several bushings then I might do the lot and I will get back to you to see about saving some $$.