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MadaboutKitcars

This is a read-only archive of the old Madabout Kitcars forum. New posts and replies are no longer possible, but every thread is still here to browse and read.

Lube Your Suspension Well

24 Mar 2007, 8:05pm
Having done 1300 ish miles since Sept I was hoping the suspension would have eased in. However, still dead stiff and creaky......

I've started dismantling and completed the n/s front....basic problem was 2 fold:-

1) I hadn't removed the powder coat from inside the wishbone pivot bosses and as such the Powerflex bushes were too tight a fit, and therefore the ID shrunk a little, making the pivot too tight.

2) I used the powerflex lube they supplied.

Mark recommended I use Lith/Moly CV grease...which makes sense as this is high load.

Now works a treat and suspension is dead smooth.

Warning to all builders....lube your suspension well and make sure it is smooth....it's a pig to do afterwards!!

Rich
25 Mar 2007, 1:13am
Rich,

Was the combined length of your poly' bushes, greater or less then than the steel inserts?

My poly' bushes are about 2mm longer than the steel insert, which never has seemed correct.

Cheers,

John.
25 Mar 2007, 1:48pm
Yes....poly bushes together longer than the steel insert!

I've trimmed about 5mm off one of each of the pairs of bushes to allow grease to sit in the cavity this creates in the middle...thereby creating a reservoir of grease to help keep things smooth.

I think that when the susp bolts were tight the polybushes were compressing against each other, had no where else to go, so tightened up on the steel insert.

....by the way what camber are people running?

I've gone for 1/2 deg neg at ride height at the front. Rear 1 deg neg.

Rich
25 Mar 2007, 3:38pm
Not sure what mine will end up as it will be properly geo'ed at a local elise specialist but have been told roughly 1 deg front maybe slightly more and
1.5-2.0 at the rear