Originally posted by Bradness: I recall an email correspondence I had with Powerflex (UK co.) some time ago about replacement poly bushings for the Mondeo which they were working on. The reply I rec'd from the technical staff at Powerflex went something like "the 2 arm bushing is one of the worst designs they had seen and poly was totally incompatible with this suspension". They went on to explain that they had tried different durometer specs for the bushings and they had all failed under test.
Now I can understand the frustration that we all have with this part as I too am about to change my front A arnms for the third time. I'm fortunate in that my cars have all been 4 bolt arms and that at long last, there is a solution on the horizon.
If you wish to know about suspension design, look at any race or high performance car suspension. Suspension pivots are on a horizontal axis, not a vertical 1. This is just a bad design and more than likely why Ford went back to the 4 bolt arms with later Cougar production.
Bingo. The bushings are already a very poor design on the stock arm. The design of the bushings does not allow free movement of the arm up and down, as there is no real pivot line, only the rubber deflection that allows the arm to move up and down. If you replace the bushing with a harder material, it only makes it harder for the arm to move up and down, which makes the suspension work even less than w/ the crappy stock stuff. Some of you guys are comlaining about lack of options, but just because these parts are an option doesn't make it a good option, or even a "better than stock" option. And as far as the linked post from the past, yeah, you shouldn't be using the lower arm to decrease camber, for exactly the reasons stated by stazi and capaldi. If you are that far gone, you have lowered your car too far beyond what is good for the suspension geometry.
Somebody want to send me a set of 2 bolt arms that have bad bushings, but good balljoints and I'll see what I can come up with for a better option? My takeout arms got pitched last time I changed mine . . .
