Polybush kit now installed on V50 D5

[shark90]

Over the last couple of weeks we have been working with Polybush to develop a new polyurethane suspension bush kit for the C30/S40/V50. As we know, the C30/S40/V50 platform is very similar to a Ford Focus although there are a few differences, and these have now been ironed out and worked around specifically for the C30/S40/V50 cars.

My car has 80,000 miles on the clock and the standard Volvo bushes were worn, but in remarkably good shape. My car has always driven nicely since I bought it in November, and pretty planted being the R-Design. The only critisism I've ever felt about my V50 is that the steering doesn't feel particularly predictable, and I've never been sure if that was down to the front tyres not suiting the car (Pirelli P-Zero Rosso) or perhaps that it was just "normal" as the V50 isn't the lightest of cars, particularly with the D5 hanging over the front axle. I have also spent plenty of time driving a friend's ST and always felt the same about that too, so I sort of put it out of my mind.

We completed the fitting over two days, documenting and photographing each step for reference. We fitted the rear bushes last week and today we completed the fronts.

Between times, I did have to drive the car to London and my first impressions with the rear bush kit fitted were that the car felt a lot more planted, not stiffer in particular, but it made cruising at motorway speeds very pleasant and the car had a very direct feel. The only down side to this, was that the fronts were still running standard bushes and it made the car feel a little wooly at the front. After experiencing the rear bushes and how good it made the car feel, I couldn't wait to get to work on the fronts!

After some deliberation on fitment and the different ratings of polyurethane available, the Polybush engineers returned today to complete the fitting of the test kit to the front of the car.

The fronts are in and after testing, the car feels absolutely great. They are everything that Polybush had promised, there's no discernable increase in road noise, no squeaking, no stiffness, just a nice, taught feel to the car. The steering responds in a more positive way, the car changes direction with increased precision, the torque steer is massively reduced (and I should know about that with nearly 600Nm!) and it just feels much "nicer" and crisp to drive, like a new car again! I really think we have achieved the setup we were looking for with this kit and it really has that fine balance of taughtness without being stiff.

Now while this post might sound like an advert, and of course we are a Polybush distributor, these are experiences of my own V50 which I've had for 6 months or so now.. I'm very pleased with the feel of the car now and can tell the difference immediately, but it hasn't made the car twitchy, speed humps are no problem, I really can't see a down side to be honest! Another huge positive is that some of the original fit bushes cannot be bought from Volvo, you have to buy the whole arm with bushes installed, Polybush bushes can be installed in their place at a much lower cost than the Volvo replacement items, so you can actually upgrade something on your car and save money at the same time.

The entire range of Polybush bushes are available from us at Shark Performance, and very shortly the retail pricing and full kit for the C30/S40/V50 will be made available to the public exclusively via us and our dealers. If you are interested in upgrading your suspension bushes, or have been advised to change yours due to deterioration, then please get in touch and we will be happy to advise you of the options.

Thanks!

[SonyVaio]

That sounds like a very good transformation there with the Polybushes.

T5_Monkey (member) has had his car polybushed for some time (i think using the focus set) and Monkey always posts up how good they make the car feel. Definitely something on my 'To Do' list.

Ben have you got any pictures you can upload of the work that the polybush engineers have done? I for one would be interested.

[shark90]

I haven't got their pictures on my laptop right now, but I'll send a message through tomorrow and ask them to make them available to us

[scoobysn7x]

After hearing from T5_Monkey about the improvements to his car I would definately be interested to know the cost of the kit and what is available

Thanks

[Welton]

This sounds great and I for one am very interested in suspension bushes. I've just had new wishbones and rear stays and they transformed the feel of the car so the Poly kit kill take it further.

I feel that the standard car has a lot of 'play' in the bushes and disconnect the driver from what's going on.

Will look forward to your further information

[getsome]

Sounds like something worth doing to my V50. Can you arrange shipping to Sweden ?

[SonyVaio]

Originally Posted by getsome

Sounds like something worth doing to my V50. Can you arrange shipping to Sweden ?

If not I'm sure some kind soul on here would post them for you.

Yip - well volunteered! I'll happily post them to Sweden for you, when they are available that is.

[shark90]

Originally Posted by getsome

Sounds like something worth doing to my V50. Can you arrange shipping to Sweden ?

We certainly can, that's no problem at all.

Retail pricing and availability to be announced next week.. please keep an eye on this thread!

[Electronix12]

Originally Posted by shark90

We certainly can, that's no problem at all.

Retail pricing and availability to be announced next week.. please keep an eye on this thread!

Whats the difference between your ones and the ones I can already order for the V50?

[shark90]

Originally Posted by Concorde Rules

Whats the difference between your ones and the ones I can already order for the V50?

Given that Polybush don't yet list an item for Volvo or V50, could you point me to a place where you can order them and I'll check it out?