Trunk Monkey Bars and Trailing Arm Bushings

[rmcdaniels]

I saw these at a local shop and they were cheap so I bought them. I don't know if they actually do much, but they can't be any worse than the $6 "BOMZ Racing" strut brace that was in the back and they will give my trunk monkey something better to hold on to during hard cornering.

http://s115271005.onlinehome.us/images/TM41.JPG

http://s115271005.onlinehome.us/images/TM42.JPG


http://s115271005.onlinehome.us/images/TM43.JPG


http://s115271005.onlinehome.us/images/TM44.JPG


http://s115271005.onlinehome.us/images/TM45.JPG


http://s115271005.onlinehome.us/images/TM47.JPG






I've also been having problems with the rear of the car getting squirelly during hard cornering, so I'm getting rid of my ES poly trailing arm bushings and putting in some Mugen rubber bushings. These things look so much like stock that I'm wondering if Mugen didn't buy them from Honda, mark them up $40, and then sell them to me:

http://s115271005.onlinehome.us/images/MB48.JPG


http://s115271005.onlinehome.us/images/MB49.JPG



http://s115271005.onlinehome.us/images/MB50.JPG




http://s115271005.onlinehome.us/images/MB51.JPG

[Conrad]

trunk monkey rocks...

[HONDA GHANDI]

lol, now you have to install a tire swing for your trunk monkey

[Nate]

I read a writeup on the Mugen bushings that said they were basically stock according to what this person saw. I wish I could find it. It was a page where this guy wrote pretty technical stuff, he swapped a roof onto his 88-91 Civic Si to lose the sunroof, if anyone knows the site I'm talking about, link it up. :)

EDIT: Holy Google, I spent like at least 5 minutes searching for this page once, (which is a lot) and couldn't find it. Maybe it was my search term this time. It was a link on the first page I found on G2IC.

http://www.performanceforum.com/wesvann/honda/bushing/bushing.html


Mugen sells rubber bushings for the 4g Honda's.

I called the distributor and was told that they are 120 percent stiffer than the stock bushings. I ordered a set and when I got them went by the local Honda dealer to see how they compare to the stock bushings. In my opinion, there is no difference!! It's possible to twist the bushing along the axis of the rubber web, and they both feel the same. Keep in mind that the distributor is saying that it's more than twice as stiff.

I then called the distributor again to discuss it. I was told that the bushings were molded with a higher durometer rubber and were indeed stiffer. When I asked if they had ever had one of the available bushings from Honda for comparison, they admitted that they had only seen used bushings that were still in the arm (after 14 years of duty cycles). The also admitted that they didn't know that Honda now sells them (independent of the arm).

I asked both the importer and a major distributor if they could go by a Honda dealer and check out the Honda bushings, and then get back with me. The importer told me I'd have to talk to the distributor (in spite of the fact that he was the individual that quoted the 120 percent number). I don't expect to ever hear back from the distributor.

Now in their defense, it's possible that when Honda realized that the original design was marginal, they followed Mugen and started molding them with a stiffer rubber.

http://www.performanceforum.com/wesvann/honda/bushing/S_0630.jpg

Here is a photo of the "Mugen" bushing (same thing as what the Honda dealer has in stock).



EDIT Again:

The link I found the other link on.
http://www.g2ic.com/forums/printthread.php?t=87382&pp=20

Someone mentions at the bottom some process the Mugen ones go through, if it is true, who knows.