silent blocks

[Scarpia]

anybody any experience or ideas about the availability of silent block replacement bushes for steering linkages on the aprilia?.
Steering judder is exciting at slow speeds but disappears once above 90mph.The wheels are nicely balanced and when I examined the steering bushes the rubber had the consistency of treacle.No need to look further I think.!

Seriously, I'd be tempted to use a modern synthetic replacement but I assume they need making specially in that case.Anyone have experience of suppliers or manufacturers ?

 

[chugga boom]

we used powerflex bushes on our augusta to replace the silent blocks, demon tweeks in wrexham sell universal bushes which we found would machine down in the lathe, the car has covered 3000 miles with them fitted and they seem ok, may be worth a try, we only needed to replace the bushes in either end of the main track rod as the drag link bushes were new

[davidwheeler]

Omicron can supply suitable Silentblocs (at a price of course) .  There are, to my recollection, three different sizes involved so measure carefully before ordering

[Scarpia]

thanks, I'll phone them.

[donw]

try Robush

www.robush.co.uk

suppilers of silent blocks got Augusta ones from them.

Don

[Scarpia]

I"ll give them a try.Thanks for the tip.
William

[JohnMillham]

I have just come across an interesting idea about silentbloc bushes. It seems that some people with Augustas don't pinch the pins up tight, so that the pin can swivel in the bush. I don't go along with this idea, as I think that they should be pinched up tight and that the rubber itself should be the only moving part. One Augusta owner has been running his (immaculate) car for over fourty years with the pin swivelling in the bush, with no apparent problems, although he unpicks the steering joints and greases them every year or so. I think if Mr Lancia intended that, he would have made some provision for lubrication. What do others think?

[davidwheeler]

Might be a good idea, ingenious anyway.  Silicone grease presumably?

[Scarpia]

Like John , i'm inclined to be sceptical about trying to be smarter that the engineers that design these things. Judging from the "exponentially" increasing steering judder you get in an aprilia as the bushes wear beyond a certain point (i.e more play than originally intended) i cannot imagine what the benefit would be of loosening them (and therefore introducing artificial play).Greased or not, it must surely increase the speed of wear in the bushes.? There are those that carry an egg with them in case of radiator leaks also.......

[1,6 HF]

There are those that carry an egg with them in case of radiator leaks also.......

presumably they also believe they can balance the radiator on its end at noon on the equinox.