PROTHANE BUSHES - COMMON QUESTIONS

WILL I LOSE RIDE QUALITY? The original rubber bushes are fairly soft, which help attenuate noise and vibration that is generated by the tyres and road surface. Increasing the hardness of the bushes either with harder rubber, urethane, or even bronze will allow more transmission of noise and vibrations. Some manufacturers formulate the hardness and design to reduce this effect. A softer urethane bushing allows the vehicle to perform better without the harshness, even over rubber components of the same hardness. The only change in ride quality is increased performance. This is why the Prothane total kit is a better choice than TRD bushes.

WHY USE URETHANE? Factory supplied rubber components are on the soft side to accommodate the typical car buyer. They tend to deteriorate very rapidly and, since the MR2 is now in it's 21st year, the OEM rubber bushes have long since lost their effectiveness. Most MK1's now suffer from "spongy" and less than ideal handling. Urethane will correct these conditions while improving drivability and ride quality.

DOES URETHANE SQUEAK? In a word, NO! Squeaking is caused by high frequency vibrations that can be heard rather than felt. It is usually caused by lack of lubrication, poor installation, incorrect part, or urethane that may be too hard for the application. In anti-roll bar mount applications, most squeaking is the result of not cleaning the bar thoroughly prior to installation and failing to use the supplied "squeak proof" Super Grease. Additionally, the MR2 bushes were manufactured with grooves and channels to hold the Super Grease to provide long-lasting performance.