The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

So i'm interested in poly bushing my 1500 fwd, is a dolomite full set compatible? And which ones should i get and where from?

Thanks in advance

If you have a 1500 FWD parts book compare it to the Dolomite one; I uploaded a scan of the 1976 onwards Dolomite parts book here.

When I ordered bits for my Toledo recently I used the parts book, found all the parts numbers, looked them up on the SuperFlex website, and ordered individually from there.

Poly bushes are a bit of a controversial subject, there are some that say you should never put poly bushes in certain areas, that was discussed here.

If you are looking for comfort and no vibration? I would say no! My Dolly was polybushed when i got it, and having been in another one without...... Big difference. I would read the above for certain before making your mind up.

Tony.

Yeah I've seen some of the controversy about them, but really it must be down to bushing hardness, and i'm sure I've read that you can get ones about the same as original rubbers. I need to figure out which ones benefit from being harder, and which don't, pretty much all of mine could do with replacing.

I'm not fussed about comfort in the slightest, I'm all about spirited driving, i have stiff suspension and a bucket seat for it. I'm just concerned that now being stiffer, the bushings are gonna be the parts to suffer.

And I'm quite confident the FWD uses the same as other dollys, but as you say I'll see if i can find the exact part numbers for the ones I need, don't think i have a parts book to hand though.

milesJK wrote: ↑Thu Oct 18, 2018 10:48 pm Yeah I've seen some of the controversy about them, but really it must be down to bushing hardness, and i'm sure I've read that you can get ones about the same as original rubbers. I need to figure out which ones benefit from being harder, and which don't, pretty much all of mine could do with replacing.

I'm not fussed about comfort in the slightest, I'm all about spirited driving, i have stiff suspension and a bucket seat for it. I'm just concerned that now being stiffer, the bushings are gonna be the parts to suffer.

And I'm quite confident the FWD uses the same as other dollys, but as you say I'll see if i can find the exact part numbers for the ones I need, don't think i have a parts book to hand though.

I had a look at the Rimmerbros and there listing for the FWD suggests that some bushes need modification to fit. I don't know if they are right or not, but it is something to check.

milesJK wrote: ↑Thu Oct 18, 2018 10:48 pm Yeah I've seen some of the controversy about them, but really it must be down to bushing hardness, and i'm sure I've read that you can get ones about the same as original rubbers. I need to figure out which ones benefit from being harder, and which don't, pretty much all of mine could do with replacing.

I'm not fussed about comfort in the slightest, I'm all about spirited driving, i have stiff suspension and a bucket seat for it. I'm just concerned that now being stiffer, the bushings are gonna be the parts to suffer.

And I'm quite confident the FWD uses the same as other dollys, but as you say I'll see if i can find the exact part numbers for the ones I need, don't think i have a parts book to hand though.

I had a look at the Rimmerbros and there listing for the FWD suggests that some bushes need modification to fit. I don't know if they are right or not, but it is something to check.

dollyman wrote: ↑Thu Oct 18, 2018 10:32 pm If you are looking for comfort and no vibration? I would say no! My Dolly was polybushed when i got it, and having been in another one without...... Big difference. I would read the above for certain before making your mind up.

Tony.

Tony, I am afraid your observation is rather meaningless because you haven't stated which bushes were fitted,
there is quite a difference in the options of hardness available from the different manufacturers.
Also did you try the same tyres on both cars?


Personally I use Superflex because these are replacements for the originals and my experience gives me confidence in them.


thanks,

Ian.

sprint95m wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:19 am

dollyman wrote: ↑Thu Oct 18, 2018 10:32 pm If you are looking for comfort and no vibration? I would say no! My Dolly was polybushed when i got it, and having been in another one without...... Big difference. I would read the above for certain before making your mind up.

Tony.

Tony, I am afraid your observation is rather meaningless because you haven't stated which bushes were fitted,
there is quite a difference in the options of hardness available from the different manufacturers.
Also did you try the same tyres on both cars?


Personally I use Superflex because these are replacements for the originals and my experience gives me confidence in them.


thanks,

Ian.

Hi Ian, Every bush on the car has been done, and they are dark yellowy brown colour. But as stated they were on the car when i bought it, so i have no idea of the make. Even the PO could not remember the make, only the fact he wished he had not bothered, due to the hardish ride and vibration.... Not major.... But there. Tyre wise it has got new dunlop sp3 which i fitted hoping for a better ride, but it remained the same.

Tony.

dollyman wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:55 am

Hi Ian, Every bush on the car has been done, and they are dark yellowy brown colour. But as stated they were on the car when i bought it, so i have no idea of the make. Tony.

Colour is also rather meaningless as its only a colour dye in the polyurethane and different companies can use different colours.
I always use superflex bought from chris Witor so I know I'm getting genuine from a well known supplier and you can order using the original part numbers as a reference.

I also think Chris Witor gives discount to TDC members

dollyman wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:55 am Hi Ian, Every bush on the car has been done, and they are dark yellowy brown colour. But as stated they were on the car when i bought it, so i have no idea of the make. Even the PO could not remember the make, only the fact he wished he had not bothered, due to the hardish ride and vibration.... Not major.... But there. Tyre wise it has got new dunlop sp3 which i fitted hoping for a better ride, but it remained the same.

Tony.

Dark yellowy brown is definitely not Superflex, Tony.



On the subject of tyres...
My mother used to have a 2002 Peugeot 307 that had Dunlop tyres (195/65x15 I think) from new.
When it needed new tyres she bought Vredestein replacements and the difference was striking...
whilst the car drove the same it was much much quieter. That was before the time of comparison labels,
so I don't know if the said labelling scoring would have pointed this out?

I always go for tyres with the best wet weather performance and don't really bother about the road noise score.
For the Sprint I may fit Michelins and furthermore they are made in Britain (at almost 1000, Michelin is Dundee's largest employer).

Also, (for the Sprint) I have Dynamat lightweight soundproofing and CBS (Car Builder Solutions) carpet.
I am hoping this will make for a improvement over the standard car but won't know how much difference
because I will have changed so many other things as well and didn't ever actually drive the car in standard form.




Ian

sprint95m wrote: ↑Mon Oct 22, 2018 5:48 pm [ . That was before the time of comparison labels,
so I don't know if the said labelling scoring would have pointed this out?

I always go for tyres with the best wet weather performance and don't really bother about the road noise score.

Ian

The labelling system is pretty much a sales gimmick scam, the EU standard for testing allows companies to self certify their tyres and although there are guide lines and rules as to how the testing is done its not an exact science so two different brands can't reliably be compared.