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black/red are the same. and gearbox has them a long with a buncha members. he has commented on it before and im sure he can do it again.

 
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My OEM bushings have just reached 110, 000 miles... but don't really expect to get that much out of OEM ones if you decide to go that route... they still look really good, only some surface cracking on them.

 
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if you are not lowered, your bushings should last you a while because they are designed for stock-height-travel

lower them, and you instantly put a lot of pressure on them bending and working at a lowered-height of travel.

 
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stock bushings are terrible! mine only lasted 60k, maybe yours will go longer if you only drive in the summer like grandma. otherwise rubber hates just about everything like salt, dirt, chemicals, etc and dries/rots/stretches/breaks over time. they are only still used because the average driver would complain about squeaking and rough ride. this only holds true for engine mount inserts which can cause a bit more vibration, but after a while it completely goes away. the lca ES bushings are the best if you never want to worry about your bushings again, and it keeps better alignment. massive upgrade if you turn curves at hi speeds. they only squeak in the cold winter months and even then, only when you go over large bumps or steep driveways. there is no noise at all just driving on a normal road. very seldom i get some slight creaking when i make aggressive turns due to the whole car body rolling around lol. in the summer (or above freezing), its just like stock and zero squeaks. one of the best mods i ever did, along with the front engine mount inserts. now i never have to worry about them breaking again. when you see what the ES lca bushing looks like, you will know why. the stuff is nearly indestructable and huge compared to the stock skeleton bushing with a couple legs and mostly hollow space.

 
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Gearbox and everyone else, thanks for the replies! I read that the black bushings are impregnated with graphite, but the read ones are not?? my understanding is the graphite reduces the squeaks...does anyone know if this is true?
also, I live in michigan, and the weather here sucks...it's unbearably hot in the summer and unbearably cold in the winter, plus the roads are terrribly pothole ridden and bumpy

 
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its supposed to but doesnt. its a good mod on bad roads tho.

 
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^correct. black has graphite

 
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pic of ES bushing

 
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ok thanks for the PIC!!

 
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Sorry to bring this thread back to life, but I had my ES bushings (red) installed for about 4 years now. I just put my stock spring back on (coming from TEIN S-tech) and now there's tremendous squeaking!

I tried putting grease all over the bushing as much as possible, but there's still so much squeaking! Maybe there's a different way to apply the grease that I don't know about? Does anyone have a DYI for the novice, or any advice? Do I need to bring it to the mechanic just for them to remove the bushing and re-grease?

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

 
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thats the thing with the ES bushings. the more they move the more noise they make. and the special grease does not last very long. once its dried out, you have to remove and regrease them otherwise there is no way to get lube inside the middle areas behind the metal. i just live with it and the noises are almost like nothing in the summer. winter is when it gets bad. and the stock springs are very bouncy thats why you are noticing it more than a firmer suspension.

 
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It's summer here, and the squeaking is horrible. Luckily it's only when I'm driving slow (parking lots). Just sucks when I'm meeting up with friends and that's all you hear when I'm rolling in haha.

 
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Yeah, the little tube of grease they include with them isn't enough. I coated mine with a thick layer of white lithium grease before pressing them in.

 
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yeah they do still make noises going in driveways and over bumps in summer...

 
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My LCA bushings are bad so I will replace them soon.
I will get these energy suspension ones, but I have a question, hope someone could help. The ones on O'Reilly auto parst are energy suspension 71.99 plus tax, the ones on ebay are about 55 including shipping and the ones on amazon are about 50 with shipping. The ones on amazon and ebay do not specify if they are energy suspension. They just say they are Prothane bushings.

My question is if the ones on ebay or amazon are energy suspension even though they dont mention it (the brands seems to be Prothane) ?? or could they be knock offs?

 
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They're probably knock offs and prothane isn't all the same, there are different hardness ratings. I get all my energy suspension parts from the site below, I've ordered from them 4 times and the service is outstanding. The front LCA bushings are 47.99 from them, I definitely recommend consideriny picking up ES motor mounts as well.

http://www.energysuspensionparts.com...ic+2002+Non+Si

 
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Thanks a lot MindBomber,
I will buy them from the website you gave me. The others I saw they are prob knock offs becuase the brand seems to be Prothane rather than Energy Suspension.

I know how to change the LCA bushings (I read the DIY and saw a youtube video), but can I change the motor mounts while I change the LCA bushings?? or it cannot be done at the same time?

 
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Motor mounts are very easy, well, the front one is at least. The rear takes a bit more work, but it's pretty basic stuff.

1.) Support the engine with a few blocks of wood under the oil pan, you still have three mounts holding the engine up, this is just to prevent it sagging and making the bolts difficult to line up.

2.) The front mount, there are three bolts holding it on. Two directly into the block, and one going through the centre of the bushing. Remove them and the mount will lift straight out.

3.) Put the inserts into the mounts, they pop right in with no need for press.

4.) Bolt the front mount back in place, just be careful not to torque the bolts too tight since that could crack the aluminium block. Use common sense, don't tighten them with body weight and a 4ft breaker bar and you'll be fine.

5.) The rear mount is behind the engine, between the block and the firewall. With the engine still supported, remove the exhaust midpipe, the mount is directly above it and it needs to be remove for clearance. If you haven't removed the midpipe before, I strongly suggest the candle wax trick for removing seized bolts (youtube it).

6.) Repeat step 2.

7.) The rear insert requires some trimming due to a poor mold design by ES. I used my $10 dremmel, and it only took a few minutes, you don't need to be extremely precise.

8.) Repeat step 4, re-install the midpipe.

Note: The first couple days with the motor mount inserts they will be extremely stiff and the car will vibrate like crazy, after that they break in and soften up quite a bit. The rear mount is also totally optional to install, many people install only the front mount since it's the one that fails most commonly.

 
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Great DIY MindBomber!!!
Thanks for sharing that.... I will try to do it when I do the bushings

 
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I also will order the motor mounts, but which ones exactly are you talking about?
Can you give me the link please?

 
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http://www.energysuspensionparts.com...prod=16%2E1111

 
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supposedly a lot firmer than stock but they start cracking at around 80k miles only in states with severe winters. The epoxy like material gives after repeated use and exposure to hot cold hot cold. The ones test for 80k were used on a track car, ended up paying 10x the amount for the stiffer billet Full-Race Traction *****. would prefer to pay under 50$ for these!

 
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hmm interesting. ive had mine for 4 yrs and some really bad winters where they stay covered with road salt and sand for the whole winter. they look dirty but thats about it. ive never heard of polyurethane cracking and mine shows no signs of wear at all. the oems were trashed at 50k miles, completely torn apart. but if i get 8yrs out of the poly bushings, thats still pretty good imo. and cracking doesnt mean the bushing is shot either, it could still work fine for several more years.

 
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Im about to order them,,, but should I get the black or red???
I like the red ones but apparently the black ones are better (because they add lubrication) according to what ES says here ( I also read it in this forum, but I dont remember where exactly).

1)What is the difference between the
Energy Suspension ® red and black polyurethane components?
Answer:Both are our Energy's HYPER-FLEX™ performance polyurethane formulations. Energy has impregnated selected black polyurethane components with graphite–to add a lubrication property. Additionally, both Energy Suspension ® red and black polyurethane components are engineered differently than OEM rubber components–to be free a floating and non-binding design. This allows for the additional durometer (firmness) of the components, which adds to the performance improvement of the vehicle overall.
Through its 25 years of design and formulation of polyurethane, Energy's polyurethane components are the best on the market today.


Can someone give me a feedback on this?
Thanks

 
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The difference between the two amounts to this, red squeaks a bit more in the cold than black.

I have red and live in Canada, the squeaking is barely noticeable and only on very cold days, living in socal I doubt you'd have any issues.

 
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i have black and there is a ton of squeaking in the cold. just get the color you like best. whatever lubrication the black ones have will disappear after a month.

 
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Thanks for the input guys, I will get the black ones.