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Quickor Technical Articles

The Wrong Way to Make Polyurethane Bushings

(Or did you know that PolyGraphite is only a name brand?)

The word POLYURETHANE comes from POLY, meaning 'more than three', and 'URETHANE', meaning 'resins'. This gives you the definition, "Any of various resins, widely varying in flexibility, used in tough chemical-resistant coatings, adhesives, and foams."

(Source: DICTIONARY.COM)

We at Quickor have been designing Polyurethane into our suspension kits since 1974.

You learn a lot in 30 years. We learned that Polyurethane can be noisy if done WRONG.

WRONG #1: You cannot blend ANYTHING into Polyurethane!

Our chemist told us not to waist our time; we did anyway. We tried blending Graphite, some 'Mocha' stuff, and several things I can't even pronounce. Nothing worked. Why? Simple: The family of Urethane plastic does not like impurities. (Simply because Polyurethane is a blend of different Urethane plastics, and any impurities will hinder their abilities to bond to each other.)

Graphite in Polyurethane does not work for a couple of reasons. If you put just a little Graphite into the Urethane, then the Graphite is fully encapsulated by the Urethane, and the Graphite never touches the metal surfaces that it is supposed to contact, defeating it's whole purpose. If you add a lot of Graphite, then the Polyurethane falls apart because it cannot bond to the Graphite. (Keep in mind that Graphite is used as a slippery lubricant.) You might as well be throwing in a handful of dirt!

WRONG #2: You cannot put in a grease zirk and tell people to grease it in order to make it quiet!

We learned a long time ago that Polyurethane must have the right lubricant to make it quiet. We also learned that there are some lube greases that are bad for Polyurethane. So now, there are all these greaseable bushings that are now completely caked with the wrong grease, and low and behold, those polyurethane bushings are still noisy!

In 1974, we set up a test stand, and we developed the right stuff. It took over 6 months of work with our Urethane chemist, a lube engineer, and me, the mechanical engineer. We learned that a silicon base and some Teflon was a good start. We continued development, added a few 'secret ingredients', and now we have our famed "PolyTuflon" green grease that works so well. We send it with every kit. It works, and only needs to be applied at installation. We are working on a grease gun system that will help fix those wrongly lubed noisy bushings.

WRONG #3: You cannot cost-reduce your Polyurethane (or PolyGraphite brand) products and expect a long and quiet life!

Polyurethane is like anything else important to you; it comes in many different grades. We learned that Polyurethane can be designed and tempered a lot like steel. If you design it to cure too quickly, it becomes harder. Harder Polyurethane is Noisier. Shorter molding time means less cost. So, between the correct chemistry and mold design, it costs just a little more to do it right--but it sure pays off!

At Quickor Suspension Co., we are committed to doing our homework and then doing things right. Quickor Polyurethane is the best blend of Urethanes on the market. We know Polyurethane needs to be lubed, so we send our "PolyTuflon" green grease with every kit.

We at Quickor always endeavor to supply the best value for your money.

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Created by BriteWare Consulting
Last updated: September 16, 2007