Life expectancy of suspension bushes

[WLAcopilote]

I have been using "pattern" suspension bushes on my 100" Bowler since I built it six years ago. I have noticed lately that the radius arm bushes at the axle end are lasting about nine months of green laning and road use (9000 miles). On such a light car as mine I am amazed by their short life...

Anyway I visited my local Land Rover dealer to buy some genuine bushes only to find that they are nearly £10.50 a bush. Can I expect them to last twice as long? Would I be better off using polybushes? I am uncertain as to whether to use polybushes as my last experience of using them in a 100" Tomcat led to them failing (from brand new) after three stages on the 1997 Southern Hillrally.

any advice gratefully received...
Matt

[greenlandy]

I've not got anything as nice as a Wildcat but my humble 110 has been on the same bushes for 8 years!!! They are well on their way out now but I think they're well worth the dosh. Mine are the original polybushes with the harder ride but they make a softer version now as well.

[Graham.J]

Perhaps give Scorpion Racing a ring on 020 8211 4888 or 070 0033 2272 and see what they'd suggest.

[darthdicky]

My 90 went through 3 sets of genuine LR bushes in just under 3 years, I'm now trying out Blue (soft) Polybushes and they don't show any sign of wearing yet after 6 months. If they do wear out in a year or so I'll still be doing better than the normal bushes, and they're a lot easier to change apparently...

[WLAcopilote]

Thanks for the advice, I bought a pair of narrow early radius arms on Friday so I can have a service-exchange set ready and press bushes in and out at my leisure (instead of realising the bushes are shagged and then struggling to fit the job in). The replacement arms had bushes in, genuine ones at that. Curious thing is that the arms seemed to be lighter than the ones I removed.

Matt