FRporscheman

I'm working on my friend's 968, replacing the control arm bushings. I bought the rubber bushings from Paragon. It looks like the rubber shoulder is thinner by about a millimeter, which results in this gap. What do you guys think?

On the control arm in the pic, I kept the old steel sleeve in the arm. On the other side, I sawed out the old sleeves and used the new ones - they both have the same issue.

And merry Christmas to everyone.

jtedgar

Contact Jason at Paragon-Products (PP). He is very knowledgeable regarding the 968 since he is an owner as well as being the proprietor of PP.

944CS

I would have put in Powerflex polyurethane, you'll notice improved steering feel/response, lifetime warranty, and easy installation!

FRporscheman

My understanding is that some extra NVH comes along with the poly bushings. My friend wants max comfort / smoothness, so I went with rubber.

944CS

I haven't noticed any increased NVH with Powerflex purple bushings in control arms. I put them in my subframe on another car and didn't notice anything either.

The black series will probably be noticeable.

FRporscheman

Thanks for the tip. Just looked them up, they seem like a nice product. I'll try them on my 951 when I get a chance to refresh its suspension!

Still a little lost with the Paragon bushings though. Not sure if they're OK or not.

mel_t_vin

Have you presented these questions to Jason?

FRporscheman

Yep, Jason is being really helpful and helping me figure this out.

My picture above is not very clear, here's a better pic, what I'm worried about is the gap on the left side.



I was hoping other people who have installed these bushings could show me what theirs look like, or tell me how theirs fit. Maybe I got a funky set, or installed them wrong, wouldn't be the first time!

darek_u

No, you are not the only one. Mine fits even worse, I'll post picture later.

darek_u

Here is mine. It looks worse than yours, in fact I managed to push it in a mm more using hydraulic press - but that's it, no more. Both halves touch each other inside the control arm, if I squeezed it more I would probably damage the aluminium. It was some time ago when it happened to me, obviously I got in touch with Jason, he was willing to help as much as possible but I gave up - he wanted me to remove the bushings and take measures. I didn't want to go through the pain of removing them and taking a risk of damage. I installed both arms as they were - I know I rather shouldn't but on the other end bushings fits perfectly into it's place in cross member... WTF??? I expected it to be too long but it slips in with no major resistance - just a proper snug fit. To make it even more weird the other arm looks pretty much like yours (bushing fits better) and it is also snug fit... Since that time I've done 4-5kkm with no problems at all. I checked it not so long ago and there are no cracks or other signs of defect.

darek_u

Here it is installed. Not the best picture though...

FRporscheman

Thank you, Darek. Glad to hear it's been working well!

I had the same problem, so I removed the outer sleeve parts and pressed them in first (all the way), then put in the centers with rubbers, and ended up with my gap. But from what Jason tells me, (if I understand him correctly), your way is the way they're "supposed" to be installed.

You have a gap between the arm and the sleeve, but the rubber is firmly held. In my case, the gap is in a bad place. I tried putting washers in there (made to the right size), but I think I'll have to just redo them.

darek_u

Glad to hear that what I did was in fact the correct way of handling it. It looks a bit odd but if works well and safe - I can live with it.