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My '87 9kT has 326k on it and I've only replaced the rear control arm bushings and the sway bar bushing (the bar to chassis ones and the end links).
I replaced the rear control arm bushings around 230k because it's cheap and easy and seems to be the thing to do but honestly didn't notice much difference. The sway bar bushings did decrease body roll quite a bit (and are also cheap and easy) so I would recommend them. I later tried poly, but switched the front back to rubber. Body roll as further decreased but it seemed to promote understeer - new rubber in the front and poly in the back seemed like the best combo.
Other bushings just doesn't really seem to wear out! Maybe if you live somewhere wet or salty and have really bad roads or all city driving you go through some of the other bushings, I don't know. I've also done the balljoints (one got worn out and loose) and the tie rod ends (rubber boots deteriorated) but still, I got astonishing service life from these components. The 9k suspension seems very simple and durable.
I'd like to compare this to my E36 BMW. They typically need the entire from suspension rebuilt by 100k (including struts), and they've rather unkindly integrated one of the ball joints into the control arm so you need to replace the whole arm. WTF! So basically the suspension needs to be rebuilt three times as often and at four time the cost of the 9k.
Don't know about the 9-5 but I have heard of a number of newer cars that really chew through bushings.
posted by 98.150.17...
, Thu, 31 Oct 2013 16:21:15, Fri, 1 Nov 2013 05:39:40, Sun, 3 Nov 2013 04:43:49
, Tue, 29 Oct 2013 17:23:32
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