mint

Pretty sure I need new bushings...so which should I get? I know the 202 rubber bushings are much more robust than the 208, but having bushings that will last the lifetime of the car (using polyurethane) sounds appealing.

My questions is...how much harsher is the ride with the polyurethane bushings? Is there any other downside than making sure they're lubed before install to avoid squeaks?

dlbehrns

I am told they will eventually squeak and, the poly bushings for the 208 are hard to find online however, you can find them listed for the C model of the same vintage. The stealership said I need to replace mine at 30K which I thought was ridiculous so just to be safe I ordered a set of the polys and took the car to an indy who said the dealership was on crack so, I have a pair but have not installed them. Lubing the bushing in the beginning will prevent them from sqeaking but because they are not a sealed bushing it probably won't last.

bobbyjo9

Ive had em for ~ 2 years without a peep. I used lube to install due to the tight fit and lack of flex with the poly. The ride quality remained the same. These bushings serve as a pivot point so would have more to do with steering feedback than suspension impact. The poly contact point is static with the LCA, and a metal sleeve insulates the pivot point on the bolt. In other words the moving contact point uses the same material as the OEM rubber bushing... a metal sleeve. Now the sides of the bushing are exposed to contact the mounting location but are under no stress. That would be the only place I could see a squeak develop. IF it did, just a quick squirt of lube at that point would fix the squeak without even jacking the car. The only downside I found with swapping from the rubber bushings to the poly, is I no longer have the violent shaking in the wheel to keep me awake!

PelicanParts.com

+1 for the poly bushings...

mint

Thanks guys. Looks like I'm getting poly. Yup, that's why I'm doing the swap. Also doing the drag link along with ball joints and idler arm while I'm at it.

Pelican, do you stock these for our cars? I know FCP does but if I can help a vendor out, I'd prefer that.

bobbyjo9

Im with you on the vendor support. Just as a side note, I ordered through FCP and couldn't have been happier with the transaction and the product

MarcusF

<Caution, thread jack in progress>

Wait a second, Pelican Parts is in Harbor City? THE Pelican Parts? I used to buy Porsche parts from you guys ages ago. As I live and learn . . . . . So, do you guys ever have garage sales? You know, open on Saturdays so the So Cal MB & Porsche community can use up all your parking and buy everything in site? If so, post a date - I'm in. If not, start a thread and ask who's interested.

To bring back some semblance of thread relevance - check and see what Pelican has to offer. They have A TON of CLK parts - including bushings.

PelicanParts.com

There is no scale to judge this.
On a subjective base, I find them "slightly" harsher, and much quieter.

IMO most daily driver owners will not notice the change.

To me, the change in hard maneuvering is (sweet) instantly apparent++.

Down side:
It is a PIA locating a full steering/suspension set for most chassis, at a reasonable price.

Roy@pelicanparts.com

.

Williams707

Well I have polyurethane bushings because they are part of KMAC adjustable camber kits.

1. Noisy squeaking until they are broken in.
2. Noticeable harsher ride
3. Hard maneuvering is awesome

But again this was at the time with the hard Pirelli PZero Nero 20" low profile 30 series tires.

mint

Armstrong has a full set for the front and rear LCABs at a very reasonable price -- and they give you super grease!

Meh, I bought KMACs and sold them without using them just because I heard of how many shops have no idea what to do with these...plus my specs aren't insanely out of whack since I'm on a mild drop.

IMO, lower profile tires tend to make the ride harsher than firming up suspension.

Anyways, I bought the Armstrong poly set and if anyone cares, can provide feedback.

OGCLK320

Yeah some feedback would be great! Instal amount? Diy? Price? I am trying to do a front end suspension rebuild my self. Steering gear box drag link ball joints. Motor mounts. Trans mount. And hopefully h and r sway bar for the front. I have so much play in the steering it feels really sloppy. I know my steering gear box has a ton of play but I'm sure my lower control arm bushing are on there way out too if not already gone. Let me know on your feedback! Good meeting you at social euro too bud! Always nice seeing fellow 208 owners!

OGCLK320

Also the armstrong set online @ fcpeuro is $120 is that per bushing? Or per control arm? The control arm has 3 bushings each side correct? But they say you only need to replace the rear one on each side. LPDauto has them for 50 a piece if you are wanting to just replace the rear on each side. Just curious as to what I should do. My car has a lot of miles and if I am going to be taking the LCA off anyways I wouldn't mind doing all three. Are they all the same bushings or are the front and rear different sizes? TIA

Williams707

The fix to a smoother ride on a lowered sports suspension with low profile tires is to run NO2 in your tires. Everyone is impressed with how smooth my ride is and got even smoother with the switch from Pirelli Pzero Neros to Nitto Invo tires.

mint

Book labor is 3.2 hours for both sides since the shop will remove both arms -- dollar amount will vary based on shop rate but mine estimated $320 on the high side. You can DIY if you know how to take the arm apart, but you'll need a press or some way of getting the old bushings and metal sleeves out. If you're not super savvy using shop tools (e.g. me) I'd just let a shop do the bushings. My steering box has some play too but isn't leaking yet so I'm gonna hold off till it is necessary to rebuild. I'd also probably do the idler arm bushing while you're doing the drag link since you're already under there -- probably sway bar end link bushings/bushings on the bar if you're upgrading. Nice meeting you too man

$120 is for both front LCA bushings for both sides (so you're getting 4). Not aware of there being 3 bushings per arm -- I just know everyone has to replace the rear LCA bushings at one point since the 208 design sucks. Most get away with not doing the smaller front LCA bushing as I believe it's solid rubber. But if you're going to do one, you may as well do the frontside LCABs as well. On the front LCAs, the front is smaller than the rear so they are different sizes.

Hm, interesting -- never heard of this. Might try this when I get an alignment.

PelicanParts.com

Unfortunately they don't make them for most of my personal Mercedes fleet 1970 - 1985.
http://www.armstrongdistributors.com/mercedes.html
Searching the web or cutting/casting my own are my options.
The newest I have is a W201 190D five speed manual 50 MPG.

roy@pelicanparts.com

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mint

So I had these installed yesterday to replace the OEM bushings -- I had my shop do both the rear and front bushings on the front LCAs since they already had the arm out.

Can't tell much of a difference vs. stock in terms of harshness; they're only slightly less compliant than rubber but not enough to make me think twice about my decision. Installer had no problems, they don't squeak and the car feels a lot more planted. As a bonus, the replacements got rid of a driver's side squeak going over speed bumps and driveways as well as a clunking when in reverse and braking while turning the wheels.

I say, if your stock bushings on on their way out go with the polys.

mint

After spending more time on these, I'd have to say I can definitely feel the difference the poly makes vs. rubber; much less compliant and firmer ride especially over abrupt bumps in the road. However, I'm pretty sensitive to changes in ride quality so that might not bother other potential buyers.

I think for coupes this is a must have item as the roof helps maintain rigidity but for cabs, definitely make sure you're okay with firming up the ride before installing these. Otherwise, welcome to Rattle City. If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably just get the rubber W202 bushings because I dislike a firm ride but between the slight gain in performance and shelling out more money to R&R, I'll live with these for a while.

mint

After putting on a lot of miles these past few days, I can say with certainty that getting the poly bushings put in was a big mistake. The material is simply way too hard and while you are able to take corners a lot faster and have improved steering feedback...my god it's astounding how uncomfortable these are. Couple this with lowering springs and lower profile tires and you're in for a tooth jarring ride. You will feel every single road imperfection, no matter how big or small. Hit a sizable pothole and it'll feel like your car got hit by a wrecking ball and is about to explode. To me, it's simply not worth the improved performance and doesn't feel at all like a Mercedes anymore.

That said, I'm going to get them taken out and replaced with OEM in a couple of months; another unfortunate side effect is developing some nasty rattles and squeaks in the cabin I would strongly not recommend these for anyone other than the very serious enthusiast and doesn't mind a super stiff ride, doesn't DD their car or has silky smooth roads in their area.

Williams707

Interesting, I have a different experience.

People look at my car and think it's going to be a terrible ride but once they get it they are impressed with how smooth the ride is.

My combination is

• H&R Sports Cup Kit (Shocks & Spring Kit)
• Front & Rear Nitto Invo 20" low profile 30 series
• Front & Rear Polyurethane via KMacs
• Nitrogen Filled instead of Air

Ride got even smoother when I changed the Pirelli PZero Neros out to the Nitto Invos big time.

OR

Maybe your roads are allot worst than mine