The Cure for the Wandering Car

1. After raising the car on...        read full caption 1. After raising the car on a lift, elevate the front suspension and remove the tires.

2. The first order of business...        read full caption 2. The first order of business is to remove the lower control arm. Begin this by removing the ball joint, tie rod, and the front bolt connecting the lower arm to the frame.

3. Next, remove the fork on...        read full caption 3. Next, remove the fork on the bottom of the shock. This allows for easier access to remove the lower arm. The shock will need to be partially removed later to insert the shock bushings.

4. Remove the nut on the rear...        read full caption 4. Remove the nut on the rear bushing of the lower control arm. Then, loosen the two bolts that hold the rear bushing in place on the lower arm. When these are loose, the lower arm can be pulled from the bushing and removed from the car.

5. With the arm removed from...        read full caption 5. With the arm removed from the car, quickly secure it in a vise.

6. With the arm secured, use...        read full caption 6. With the arm secured, use a hammer and chisel to pry up the metal ring surrounding the bushing.

7. If the ring is properly...        read full caption 7. If the ring is properly lifted away from the bushing, the bushing will come out easily.

8. Lube the arm and bushing...        read full caption 8. Lube the arm and bushing properly with the silicone grease provided. The lower control arm bushing near the frame will slide in with little effort. For the bushing near the outer edge, you will need the press to push the Energy Suspension piece into place.

9. Before placing the lower...        read full caption 9. Before placing the lower control arm back in the vehicle, you will need to swap out the rear lower bushing. The bolts are already loose and the bushing should come right out of the bracket. Lube the new bushing and place it in the bracket. Slightly nudge it into place, leaving the bracket loose enough to easily reinstall the arm.

10. Slide the lower arm back...        read full caption 10. Slide the lower arm back into the main bushing. Make sure the bushing bolts are snug, then tighten the nut that connects the arm and bushing. Drop the ball joint back into place and twist the nut a few turns. You will want to leave these loose as it will make other parts of the install easier.

11. Remove the nut holding...        read full caption 11. Remove the nut holding the front spindle to the control arm. Next, remove the two bolts holding the upper control arm to the car. These bolts are located in the engine bay on the shock tower. The control arm should slide out without a problem.

12. Use a torch to soften...        read full caption 12. Use a torch to soften the rubber on the upper control arm bushings. Once the glue and rubber are hot enough, a long screwdriver can be used to push the bushing out of the upper arm.

13. Clean and lube the bushing...        read full caption 13. Clean and lube the bushing and control arm. Press the bushings into place on the upper control arm, then press the metal insert in. The upper control arm is now ready to be reinstalled on the vehicle. Follow the removal steps in the reverse order and tighten into place.

14. While the shock is disconnected...        read full caption 14. While the shock is disconnected from the arm, remove the main nut on the piston and slide the shock out of the pillow mount. Remove the factory bushings and insert the new polyurethane into place. Place the shock back into the mount and tighten the top nut.

15. Remove the end links from...        read full caption 15. Remove the end links from the front sway bar. This will drop it down and give you access to the sway bar bushings. Remove the bolts that hold the bushings into the brackets and they should slide off the bar. There is a small slit, so it should be easy to remove.

16. Use silicone grease to...        read full caption 16. Use silicone grease to lube the inside of the sway bar bushing. Place the bushing around the bar and hand-thread the mounting bolt through the bracket. Next, fully tighten the mounting bolt. The Energy Suspension kit provides a set of polyurethane bushings for the end joint.

17. Remove the factory end...        read full caption 17. Remove the factory end bolt and bushing, slide the new bushings on, and put the end bolt into place. Once these are installed, tighten up the complete front suspension.

18. Remove the two 12mm bolts...        read full caption 18. Remove the two 12mm bolts holding the bushing in place. Remove the bushing, swap over the bracket and hardware, and reinstall.

19. Unbolt the shift linkage...        read full caption 19. Unbolt the shift linkage from the transmission. With the linkage removed, pop out the factory bushing, pop in the Energy Suspension pieces and reconnect.

20. Support the rear tires...        read full caption 20. Support the rear tires off the ground with jackstands while the car is still on the lift.

21. Remove all the bolts that...        read full caption 21. Remove all the bolts that hold the rear trailing arm to the frame. Be sure to remove the two bolts that connect the trailing arm bushing to the frame.

22. Use the torch to soften...        read full caption 22. Use the torch to soften the glue around the bushing. Once it starts smoking, it should pull out easily. Be sure to use a pair of pliers, since the metal will be hot. One more word of advice, the gas tank is directly above you. Do not do this unless you are experienced and in a proper facility.

23. Once the bushing is removed...        read full caption 23. Once the bushing is removed from the trailing arm, trim away all the rubber from the metal insert. You may want to use a razor blade to start, then finish it up on a wire wheel.

24. Use a wire brush to remove...        read full caption 24. Use a wire brush to remove the glue residue that may still be on the trailing arm. This needs to be clean, as it is important for fitment.

25. You will need to lube...        read full caption 25. You will need to lube the bushing before putting it in place. The guys at Energy Suspension use a washer on both sides and a nut and bolt combo to start the bushing. Once the bushing begins to slide into the trailing arm, the bolt, nut, and washers can be removed. The bushing should then pop into place with little help.

26. The insert from the factory...        read full caption 26. The insert from the factory bushing is the only thing left to install on the trailing arm. Use silicone grease and prep the insert. Use a large pair of pliers to squeeze the insert into place.

27. Align the trailing arm...        read full caption 27. Align the trailing arm bushing and hand-tighten all the bolts that connect the trailing arm to the car. Lower the rear of the car onto the lift. Once the weight of the vehicle is on the wheels, finish tightening all the trailing arm bolts. Now, you’re now ready to roll with a firmer, more responsive ride.

If you’ve ever built a radio control car, you’ve most likely set up the suspension incorrectly. Not tightening tie rods enough and improperly adjusting suspension components makes the car wander around when driving.
Full-size vehicles are the same way. The factory equips the suspension with rubber bushings to create a comfortable ride. The result is a car that has road manners appealing to the average driver. But a performance-minded person will notice how the bushings create a mushy, floating kind of feeling. The car will not be as responsive and will have a tendency to wander on the road. As time goes by and the rubber deteriorates from road contaminants, the ride becomes sloppy and wanders even more. As the rubber bushings wear at friction points, such as control arm pivots, vagueness can result from the “play” that is caused by increased tolerances.
Energy Suspension has come to the rescue with polyurethane. Polyurethane is much stiffer than the soft rubber from the factory. This allows the bushing to resist the harsh twisting and pressure by the suspension’s natural movements and, in turn, places the effect where it should be—on the suspension components. Polyurethane also resists temperature changes better than rubber does. In cold weather, rubber tends to become firmer. Polyurethane is consistently firm regardless of the weather. Polyurethane is also impervious to road contaminants. These will definitely outlast the factory rubber. Energy Suspension has put plenty of time into developing this product, for the sports-minded driver, and the average driver alike, to replace the factory rubber when (or if) it goes bad. Unless you are qualified and have the proper tools, we suggest that you don’t attempt this installation at home. Let’s take a look as Bill and Nate from Energy Suspension walk us through the install of the Hyperflex kit on a 2000 Honda Civic.