Useful life of Delrin bushings?

[bldn10]

Do these things wear out? I have a car that has raced for 6 seasons and done over 60 events (events, not races). I know the easy answer is just to replace them all but I'd rather not if they last virtually forever. Any thoughts/experience?

[joeg]

I use NYLATRON (similar) for some bushings.

These will last forever, but it depends on what loads are inputted to the bushing. If all it handles is a linear load (up and down; no fore and aft) yours may last forever too.

Where they handle both loads, (or both loads simultaneously) they can get sloppy by wear and will need replacing.

It can also be a function of how big the Delrin is in relation to the metal sleeve or bolt passing through it.

My polyurethane bushings on the other hand are worse than OEM rubber for longevity.

[Machines240]

wait a minute, i thought urethane was supposed to last much longer than rubber and not slop out as much....care to speculate?

[joeg]

Perhaps the wrong durometer; perhaps it is simply the wrong material for the specific job.

Urethane simply lacks certain properties found in rubber and in certain jobs will distort (and will be inferior to OEM rubber).

In others, it works just fine and will outlast OEM rubber many times over.

I am not a chemist; just a wrench and observer.

Delrin/Nylatron may simply be too hard in certain applications.

[Knestis]

If you aren't seeing any physical play, they should be fine. I'd physically inspect them though.

Nylon bushings (both Delrin and Nylotron are in the same family) aren't very tolerant of misalignment - they will actually bust if tweaked - but are great for apps where there aren't any offset loads - like swaybars in a suspension system that truly locates the uprights with control arms.

Urethane under load tends to "creep" and deform, if squeezed one way and left there, but will be better if there is some misalignment or offset motion, like if control arm pivots aren't exactly on the same axis.

K

[Bildon]

>> I use NYLATRON (similar) for some bushings.

Yes! Great stuff. Moly impregnated Nylon.
Slippery and hard. And best of all, simple to machine.



------------------
Bill Sulouff - Bildon Motorsport (http://www.bildon.com)
Volkswagen Racing Equipment
## 2003 ITB NYSRRC Champs ##

[joeg]

For sure on that Nylatron.

It does seem to come in different hardnesses, however, each with slightly different machining characteristics.