Thread: Rear Bushing BIND (B13)

I installed the energy suspension bushing kit in the rear of the b13 the other day, did the outer ones two weeks ago, then when I went to do the inner bushings today I noticed that the *parallel links* were very stiff to move by hand......I heard allot of talks before about bushing bind not being a "oh so good" thing when it comes to suspension.... is this a normal occurance with the energy suspension kit? If not, is there a fix for this?

Yes it's normal. I don't think you're experiencing bind though. I think you're just talking about rotation resistance? There is no real fix if you insist on using the ES bushings. Don't over-torque the rear suspension hardware and you should be okay.

Mike Kojima and Steve (98sr20ve) even disagree on this topic. Steve thinks it is a major issue, and has done some informal testing to back up his theory. Mike thinks the issue exists to some extent but is not a major issue.

Details in The Suspension Thread if you want to read their thoughts on the subject.

I have read the thread before, in the past but not entirely. I wasn't sure if this was the same issue those guy were talking about or what not..... so I wanted to get some insight from you guys. Even when torqued to spec they still look some what tightly sandwiched in there and I didn't want anything to wear out excessively.....Seems like a easy fix though...but if it's nothing serious to worry about then no biggie.

Sorry I cannot be of more help. BenFenners advice is what I would go with.

I researched the living shit out of Suspension Bind, and when two guys like Mike and Steve, certified and bona-fide Suspension Gurus are disagreeing.....I sure as hell cannot figure it out. I had to concentrate real hard to even try to follow their damn conversation(s). ....

As I suspected, you're not talking about the normal suspension bind. You're talking about rotational suspension bind. Did you grease the inside metal collars with the supplied sticky grease? If so, you should be fine. Mike Kojima goes a step further and applies Teflon tape to the outside of the metal sleeve that slides into the bushing. This helps too.

The rotational bind you're experiencing should not be much, especially compared to the factory bushings. The OEM bushings actually bind worse than the ES stuff in this particular way. They add to the spring rate. Nissan tells you to make sure with the OEM bushings you tighten them down at ride height, because they are going to be locked in at whatever height you tighten them. Ride height at least gives you the same spring rate in both directions.

Are you following me?