The front tension rod bushes on my 1990 Auspec NA Z32 are starting to fail and are leaking goo. Options seem to be (1) get new poly bushes pressed in by someone like Fulcrum Suspension, or (2) replace with adjustable front pillow tension rods. I use the car for normal road driving, not track work. Any thoughts on which is the better replacement option to go with. Thanks, Paul
Paul I have some stock tension rods with Nolathane bushes? already in them, pm me if you interested. Abraham
Either fit "pillowball" adjustable units(such as the Tune-agent ones I have been using for several years)or go for the ones Abe has on offer. Either type will give you better service than the leaking ones you currently have.:zlove:
There sure are reasons for keeping stock arms rather than pillowball...pillowball arms not being legal being a good reason Abraham
And this was why a couple of months ago I had such a job getting tension rods all the suppliers for a/m ones insisted on selling me pillow ball units
press out the old leaking bushes, press in new nismo bushes, there harder than stock and way better than rubbish pillow units.
JustJap in Sydney sell Hardrace arms that are adjustable, but still use regular bushes. This keeps it legal, while giving you the ability to adjust them.. Tension Rods aren't that expensive, so I'd probably go the adjustable ones.
I tried to buy the hard race ones from just jap 2 months after they took my money they had not sent them - the track n trace number they sent me was not theirs and when I rang them they told me I would have to wait 2 more months for them to get some more. it took another week to get my money back from them. they were great on the phone really nice said all the right things but never delivered results.
Not true, they are legal if you have an engineers cert for them. It's not that expensive you just need to go and get it done. Maybe a couple hundred for the engineer signoff, get mod approval and its legit. I have been through this with a friends car in WA.
Why bother with an engineers cert just for a tension rod unless there is a lot of things that need to be done on the zed that would need an engineers cert...because a $100-$150 part easily becomes a lot more when you add on an engineers cert costs...much easier to just buy new stock arms or just buy the hardrace arms if you need adjustability Abraham
My point is that they can be legal. And saying outright they are not spreads misinformation. I wouldn't be doing it just for tension rods but when doing a number of suspension components so that you get it all done at once in one trip. That's the plan for my zed.
I picked them up in store, so I didn't have to deal with anything like that... From what I saw they were great help.
WTF was that? They are illegal if not ADR approved or outside RTA specs and saying they are illegal doesn't mean its misinformation when its fact correct. Like many components that are illegal, an engineer has his own certification to override the legislation but that fact remains without the engineers certification they are illegal - the word "illegal" is used by the RTA in relation to this, or are you suggesting they have it wrong as well? Suggesting an engineers cert for a toe/ tension rod is crazy, given your now retracting that on the basis you would only do it for many components, leads me to wonder why you suggested it the first place?? Not having a go at you, just think your post was pretty out there in interpretation and response I agree with others pillow balls are crap even though teins and others do make there stuff pretty good, the hard-race ones sound good and others said, the nismo bushes in the stock set are great as well. It comes back to whether you want/ need to adjust your toe/ castor. Do you have stock components/ wheels or mags and lowered/ what did your last alignment show up in specs. If you do need to adjust and money can afford it get the hard-race ones. If you don't have much money and need adjustment get pillow-balls, the best brand you can afford at the time, or if you get an engineers certificate (to do your whole suspension rofl get your stock ones - turn them into adjustable and then fit nismo bushes and have them certified as well! Cheers
Adjustable pillow ball units are the best option out there. Attempting to adjust camber in the front with a bushing set up will bind/break the bushing, this is the biggest advantage of running bushless. Did you consider that when we put those FUCAs in your car SuperZ? You will also obtain the most precise steering wheel with no play in that connection - i.e with a ball joint. Defectable? Pfft, sure, maybe in the realm of the internet. In real life having something like that will make no difference to whether an officer will defect you or not. Whether you'll have to remove them to clear the pits is a different matter. Just get the adjustables, install/align them, forget they're there and enjoy driving your car.
I don't know how they would break with adjustment given toe is controlled by castor and camber by FUCA, there is only very little impact of movement/ play involved with the other - but I know your a stickler for these things since you like your car scraping on the ground So when my bushings break I will let you know The rest of your comments are well on track
Wow struck a cord have I? Mate I am not retracting anything. I am saying if you want to ensure you can't get defected or that if you have to pass the pits that you will actually pass then you need to get it engineered. What I am sick to death of is seeing people have a cry that they are outright illegal or "I got yellowed" or "I have to replace to pass pits" when what it came down to was a lack of effort to go and get it certified and get the mod permit to get it passed. You could say it's illegal to drive a car... unless you are certified to drive one with a license. But it's not outright illegal that you can't ever do it which is what I am tired of people claiming. Or how about legal to own not legal to use unless licensed? Or not legal to use on the road without certification? Plenty of ways to spin it. My whole thing about doing them all at once is more centered around not wasting time. To get something certified I need to take time off work, take the car to the engineer, get them to do their thing, take it home etc. This all takes time and money. I'd rather do it all in one go than drag it out over multiple visits and take more time off work. If you have the spare time go get it certified for just the rods, but it's a lot of time when you better do it in one go and get a whole heap looked at. For my situation I have suspension on every corner that needs to be certified which is why I am doing it in one go. For others this may not be the case. And it all depends whether you want the hassles from the pits/cops if and when you get pulled up on it.
Out there with startrek No not all mate - haha - I just thought it was out there! :rofl: Its illegal to drive a car if you don't have a licence - ask a copper! :rofl: An illegal modification is a modification that's not approved - ask the NRMA :rofl: But your clearly different when it comes to context :rofl: Getting an engineers certificate for a tie rod, could be very expensive unless you know one for him, to go get it done cheaply Good on ya! You have no shortage of spirit, that's for sure :rofl:
