How much improvement will polyurethane bushings give me?
I have a 2003 Honda Element awd and I've had all 4 sway bar links along with 2 front and rear sway bar bushings replaced. So far the car feels like it handles new.
However, I've been looking into polyurethane bushings as I want to increase my cars ability to take corners and feel more stable. My question is if I can take a curve at 80 mph, how much faster(in mph) would I be able to take that same curve if I install polyurethane bushings on the control arms and sway bars?
Nobody could calculate that. The limiting factors are the Tires and Shocks. And stiffer Shocks or Struts would make it feel more stable than Poly Bushings. Bilstein and KYB probably make the stiffest shocks for that car.
Almost none.
The ride might be a bit firmer, but the big advantage of poly bushings is that they last far longer. Your bushings are new so will feel very similar unless you switch to polys which are definitely harder than OEM. Even then you'll just get more road noise coming into the passenger cabin at all speeds and a harsher ride quality.
Carefully chosen adjustments to the suspension, possibly with changes to the rims and tyres plus the springs/struts, along with possible ride height adjustments could make small improvements. But you need to change one thing at a time and carefully assess *and measure* the actual differences on the same track each time. Just because a change sounds or feels faster is irrelevant. It's what the recorded data says, averaged over multiple runs under the same track conditions, which tells the truth.
Note that if the ride gets too hard, the suspension will only be safe under the totally flat conditions on a good racetrack. On real roads it won't.
Maybe 81 MPH…
New bushings won't help you drive faster around corners, Mark. Instead of worrying about your Honda Element, you need to figure out what upgrades you can make on YOURSELF. Investing in yourself is much cheaper and has long-term benefits.
It can be as simple of making a list of your most important life priorities. Then you have to focus on keeping the main thing the main thing. Don't get sidetracked on diversions.
- Will Powerflex polyurethane bushings help my car achieve better handling and corner faster? My car is an 03 Honda Element awd and there's a brand called Powerflex that makes polyurethane bushings specifically for each car. In my case, for my front and rear anti sway bars they offer "street" and "race" polyurethane bushings for my Honda.
- What tires will give me an improvement over the ones I have now(picture shown)? I have a 2003 Honda Element awd and I want to improve the handling/stability at higher highway speeds through curves and corners. However, they have to be all season tires. My car can do 85-90 mph through most highway curves. I want good safe/grippy tires that will help me take that at 95-100 mph. What tires would be good without compromising all season tires?
- My dealer didn't give me a wheel lock nut key? It is almost a year since I bought by car from the honda dealer, today I notice. I never got a wheel lock nut key. Is it too late to call them?
- What motorcycle will give me a similiar ride to my 750 Shadow but bigger? I learned to ride on a 2007 Honda Shadow VT750C2F and now I'm looking to go bigger. I love almost every detail about my Shadow; tire size, spokes, driveshaft, handling, width, engine look and feel etc. However, in my next bike I want a bigger gas tank, more cubic cenimeters (inches) and I want to sit a bit higher on the hog (pun intended). 6 speed would be nice but mostly I want the look, feel and reliability of my Shadow in an 1100cc+. Any suggestions would be appreciated.