Urethane Front Suspension Bushings for '71 Super Beetle

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vwlover77
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Location: North Canton, Ohio
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Urethane Front Suspension Bushings for '71 Super Beetle

Post by vwlover77 » Sat Apr 13, 2019 4:52 pm

Shortly after we bought our '71 Super Beetle Convertible (in 1990!) I went through the entire front suspension and replaced all of the rubber bushings, strut inserts, tie rod ends, ball joints, steering damper, and the idler arm bushing. Even with new (at the time) Michelin tires, the Super Beetle shimmy continued.

Fast forward 28+ years and yesterday I finally installed a urethane bushing kit and the shimmy is GONE!

(Why did i wait so long???? Well, maybe because 1990 was only around 18,000 miles ago!)
Don

---------------------------
78 Westy
71 Super Beetle Convertible Autostick

"When we let our compassion go, we let go of whatever claim we have to the divine." - Bruce Springsteen

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Amskeptic
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Re: Urethane Front Suspension Bushings for '71 Super Beetle

Post by Amskeptic » Mon May 06, 2019 10:36 am

vwlover77 wrote:
Sat Apr 13, 2019 4:52 pm
Shortly after we bought our '71 Super Beetle Convertible (in 1990!) I went through the entire front suspension and replaced all of the rubber bushings, strut inserts, tie rod ends, ball joints, steering damper, and the idler arm bushing. Even with new (at the time) Michelin tires, the Super Beetle shimmy continued.

Fast forward 28+ years and yesterday I finally installed a urethane bushing kit and the shimmy is GONE!

(Why did i wait so long???? Well, maybe because 1990 was only around 18,000 miles ago!)
Do you find harshness or anything that would point to urethane?
Do you categorically blame the compliance of the original rubber?
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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vwlover77
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Location: North Canton, Ohio
Status: Offline

Re: Urethane Front Suspension Bushings for '71 Super Beetle

Post by vwlover77 » Mon May 06, 2019 11:37 am

Amskeptic wrote:
Mon May 06, 2019 10:36 am
Do you find harshness or anything that would point to urethane?
Not as yet. Noise, ride, and steering behavior seem the same as the rubber bushings so far.
Amskeptic wrote:
Mon May 06, 2019 10:36 am
Do you categorically blame the compliance of the original rubber?
Based on the immediate disappearance of the shimmy, I do.
Don

---------------------------
78 Westy
71 Super Beetle Convertible Autostick

"When we let our compassion go, we let go of whatever claim we have to the divine." - Bruce Springsteen

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