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90K views 330 replies 98 participants last post by  bpitas 
#1 ·
Well I got bored today so I decided to try and rid myself of this damn wheelhop. It seems pretty obvious what the problem is with these bushings, they are just incredibly soft. In an effort to firm them up I decided to just shim them. The job was super easy to do, just put the ass end on jackstands, support the diff with a jack, pull the front 2 cradle bolts and let the diff down slowly until you have enough room to work.



I trimmed the rubber bushings down to the point they had a nice flat surface which lets the first 1.25" washer fit over the metal part of the bushing.



I ended up using 2 washers on top and bottom which compresses that bushing close to 1/2". Using the jack to lift the cradle back up and center the upper washers made it a piece of cake.



Unfortunatly I could only find 1.25" washers so I was only able to do the front cradle bushings so far. I'll be picking up some 1.75" washers to do the same to the rear two bushings as well.


Before dropping the clutch at 5k on dry pavement resulted in wheelhop that would give ya a nose bleed. Now it only has a slight little wiggle that you can barely feel and the tires lay a perfectly smooth patch of rubber down. I've still got a little hop when I grab second hard but its only half of what it was before. Hopefully after doing the same to the rear bushings it will be even better. All in all I have to say I’m really pleased with the results. All in all i'm very happy with it. It was a dramatic improvement on the wheelhop and absolutely no increase in interior noise since there is no metal-on-metal contact. :spin:
 
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#33 ·
I thought that ID and OD meant that but I fugured that a 1 3/4" opening was huge! I mean that is a washer that is meant for some tremendous size stuff! Doesn't it only have to accomodate the bolt which is prolly 1/2" ID?

About the easy fix and potential negatives...there has to be a negative, wouldn't you think?
 
#34 ·
About the easy fix and potential negatives...there has to be a negative, wouldn't you think?
Yea I too am a little cautious to just dive right in and do this mod. Although i didnt realize it was so easy to just pop new bushings in... Has anyone else done this yet? I will be reinstalling the maggie this week or weekend and have been informed by the girlfriend i won't be permitted to work on it again for a very long time after that is finished. Wondering if i can trick her into thinking tearing the rear apart is part of the maggie install... I'll look for the washers this week, provided we dont all of the sudden discover this causes the rear suspension to fail on the highway between now and this weekend I'll probably give it a try.
 
#38 ·
Great piece of trouble shooting Hog.

Looking to get rid of the wheel hop and when I talked with the Dealership they told me there is a TSB to eliminate wheel hop. At first they said it was a bushing replacement but when they received them it turns out you use the stock bushings and the shim's which come in the kit.

I was going to do this but then I found out the dealership was full of idiots. I decided it would be better to live with the wheel hop then bring the V back to them to F*%K something else up. I could see the rear end falling out of the car after they were finished with it. I tried to get them to give me the Shims however they said they had to install them (what a crock).

Has anyone done this TSB yet?
If so is it the same thing or is it something different?

Again, I agree with the positive replies on this web site, Awesome find and I will be trying this on my V sometime soon if different then the GM TSB.
 
#63 ·
Great piece of trouble shooting Hog.

Looking to get rid of the wheel hop and when I talked with the Dealership they told me there is a TSB to eliminate wheel hop. At first they said it was a bushing replacement but when they received them it turns out you use the stock bushings and the shim's which come in the kit.

I was going to do this but then I found out the dealership was full of idiots. I decided it would be better to live with the wheel hop then bring the V back to them to F*%K something else up. I could see the rear end falling out of the car after they were finished with it. I tried to get them to give me the Shims however they said they had to install them (what a crock).

Has anyone done this TSB yet?
If so is it the same thing or is it something different?

Again, I agree with the positive replies on this web site, Awesome find and I will be trying this on my V sometime soon if different then the GM TSB.
I have. The wheel hop is still there on initial launch. Anything above 1800 RPM -- :mad: The only advantage is that the wheel hop is gone on the 1-2, 2-3 upshifts since the TSB install. The bushings are of a higher durometer plastic like material so they are stiffer. I think HOG may be on to something here. Still, I'd feel better about a Billet Steel piece rather than a set of washers in there.

CTS-BV
 
#39 ·
The bushings from the dealer are better than stock but last for like a month before they wear and fall apart, smush, or both.

I was wondering if using the washer idea would interfere with the GM TSB bushings? Would I just leave them in and install the washers or remove them? I won't tackle this till I get to NY in a couple of weeks but figured to ask now!
 
#40 ·
Anyone else trial test this other than Hog? All I need is two and I'm good.

Hey Hog....great find man. I know you only did this just a little bit ago, but do you have any squeaking, and side affects (other than 100ft burnouts) ;)

Thanks,
T
 
#41 ·
So the original bushing is all rubber? does it have any metal rings in it??? How do you get it out, just a press?

I'm really interested in finding out more on how to replace them in the event this turns out bad... I'm going to the dealer tonight to get a price on replacement bushings... I'm definitely going to try something along the lines of this, just want to make sure replacing isn't too hard. Anyone know how to get the stock ones out?
 
#42 ·
I'm pretty sure the KARS Stage 3 kit includes steel spaces similar to the washers you've used to eliminate the play in the rubber bushings. It goes a little further than that by stiffening up the whole cradle/differential thingy-ma-bobby-da-doo-hickey.
 
#43 ·
The original bushings and the TSB bushings are both made out of a nylon material. The Specter's are Delrin I believe but the real difference is that the Specters are much beefier. My understanding is that on the CTS-V race cars they use aluminum (not worried about transfering road/gear noise). The bushings press into a rubber piece (another bushing I guess) in a fashion similar to how your fingers interlock when you fold your hands. This rubber piece is not changed with the bushings and it's this part that would get compressed with the washers.

From the pictures attached it looks like the bushings are removed completely (the rubber piece stays in place) while the washers take up the space that the bushings occupied (without the bushing fingers going down into the rubber piece).

Not sure if this helps of confuses but it should be clear when/if you take yours apart.
 
#48 ·
What is the modification needed to make the washers fit? I assume its not as easy as simply lowering the cradle and slipping them in and then retightening...
 
#51 ·
Hey guys I just wanted to clarify a little bit here as there seems to be a touch of confusion. You don't have to remove the bushings at all, just unbolt the cradle and let it drop down an inch or two (use a jack to support it). The trimming I did was strictly to make the top of the rubber bushings flat so the first washer would center on the inner shank. There is sorta a 3/16" lip that sticks up in 2 places on the rubber of the bushing on the top and bottom. It just runs along the rim of the bushing on the end which im guessing is just part of the forming process. That is the only piece I trimed off. This pieces juuuuust barely even comes into contact with the upper body of the car and washer on bottom so I figured if this thing rode like crap I wouldn't be hurting the performance of the stock bushings at all anyway.

Driving the car around town on our nasty roads I can definitly feel that the rear is a more positive feel without that cradle being able to walk around so much. So far no squeaks, rattles or noises.

I'm heading to the track again this friday night so i'll post up some pics of the rear bushing install and some video on Saturday.
 
#76 ·
I have not had a chance to call Fastners to see what they have but im expecting they should have some basic 1.75" ID 3.5" od washers that i'll put in.

I'm just using cheap ass $1.30 galvanized washers, no need for super thick units, billet units, special jack assemblys that don't touch my diff, or any other expensive high-tech crap. Treat it like a regular ass car and not a space shuttle and things will make a lot more sense.... that's my $0.02 worth.
 
#74 ·
I've been reading this post. If it turns out that we need a higher durometer Polyurethane bushing with a steel sleeve in it, I can probably help. My company does injection molding and I have an obsolete mold that I might be able to make work. I used it for a prototype spring bushing (steel sleeve overmolded with Polyurethane). Also, washers could be made just using a hole saw mounted in a drill press and 1/4 plate. That way the OD can be the right size instead of larger than required.
 
#75 ·
I wish I had the tools to tinker like you speak of. Someday soon... It would awesome if someone with the right knowhow and correct tools could make a washer/bushing that really locked up the rear cradle.
 
#84 ·
Am I the only person on the planet that can launch this car without wheelhop? Seriously- I have a stoplight on an empty road I take off from every night, just peel and go.

Points for experimentation- I'm just wondering now if I have a factory freak rear suspension or something (totally stock, TSB bushings added).
 
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