Inner Anti Roll Bushes

The outer anti roll bar bushes have been replaced with polys at some stage, but the inners look worn and perished, so I'm gonna have a go at them at some stage soon. Are they a potential MOT fail?

My searches have revealed they are a b1tch to do, but I've not managed to find a guide or fitting advice.

Does it make any difference if they are done with the suspension under load (you know with the full weight of the car on the wheels), or unloaded, or maybe somewhere in between? Any little gems of advice, or a link to a guide?

Many thanks!

Not a fail, easy to do on a ramp, wouldn't fancy doing them in the floor thoufh.

Great, there's no ramp going on 🙈.

Will it be a self explanatory-type job?

Looks easy enough.

I've just read it's a biatch to get the clamps back on. Access to the bolts looks tight on the miners aswel

Bolts are easy, just get a pry bar over the clamps to push then in place.

Are the replacement bushes split to so as to go around the bar, or are they one piece an need sliding on from the end (I wonder if that makes any sense :laughing:?)

Only ever seen split ones.

23mm sound right too?

Yeah, it's 23mm, mk3 Clios are 25mm

Thanks all, I'll give it a bash and report back when I can't do it 😅.

oreA said:

Yeah, it's 23mm

Click to expand...

Maybe not, it could be either, I need to measure......

checkt tomoteks build, seems the powerflex ones are slightly oversized and will prevent the bar from twisting smoothly:
TomoTek - 182 Track Build here we come!...

bozothenutter said:

checkt tomoteks build, seems the powerflex ones are slightly oversized and will prevent the bar from twisting smoothly:
TomoTek - 182 Track Build here we come!...

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That's interesting - I'm wonder though what size powerflex bushes @Tomotek used, 23 or 25mm, and if he used 25mm maybe 23mm would have been better? However I feel uneasy questioning what bushes he has fitted having seen the 'skillz' displayed in his build 🙈......

not had issues with them, as long as you clean any rust and old blown powder coat off they should be fine.

bozothenutter said:

checkt tomoteks build, seems the powerflex ones are slightly oversized and will prevent the bar from twisting smoothly:
TomoTek - 182 Track Build here we come!...

Click to expand...

OE part no is 7700847383 for all ph2 172/182, which all have roll bar 8200104120.

I changed all 4 bushes to power flex bushes on the front anti roll bar on Friday. I imagine this would be easier on a ramp or with the whole subframe off the car but I gave up with the inner bushes tbh. It seams impossible to apply pressure and insert the screw/nut at the same time lying under the car. Saying that above link seams handy. I might try cutting them down a bit.

STEVE.M said:

OE part no is 7700847383 for all ph2 172/182, which all have roll bar 8200104120.

Click to expand...

Thanks :up:.

Powerflex list two diameters on their webpage (23mm & 25mm), perhaps one is for Ph1?

Clio Ph1 2.0 16v RS-172: Outer mount - 22mm, Inner mount - 25mm
Clio Ph2 2.0 16v RS-172: Outer mount - 23mm, Inner mount - 25mm
Clio Ph2 2.0 16v RS-182: Outer mount - 22mm, Inner mount - 25mm
Clio 2.0 16v RS (172 & 182) Cup / Cup pack models: Outer mount - 23mm, Inner mount - 25mm

Louis' said:

Clio Ph1 2.0 16v RS-172: Outer mount - 22mm, Inner mount - 25mm
Clio Ph2 2.0 16v RS-172: Outer mount - 23mm, Inner mount - 25mm
Clio Ph2 2.0 16v RS-182: Outer mount - 22mm, Inner mount - 25mm
Clio 2.0 16v RS (172 & 182) Cup / Cup pack models: Outer mount - 23mm, Inner mount - 25mm

Click to expand...

The Powerflex list is incorrect.
182 has the 25mm inner bush, as it has the same ARB. 8200104120.
I suspect 23mm inner is a non sport item.

25mm it is then :up:.

Thanks all!

STEVE.M said:

The Powerflex list is incorrect.
182 has the 25mm inner bush, as it has the same ARB. 8200104120.
I suspect 23mm inner is a non sport item.

Click to expand...

All those say 25mm inner?

Louis' said:

All those say 25mm inner?

Click to expand...

I guess @STEVE.M meant to quote me when I said.....

oreA said:

Powerflex list two diameters on their webpage (23mm & 25mm), perhaps one is for Ph1?

Click to expand...

oreA said:

That's interesting - I'm wonder though what size powerflex bushes @Tomotek used, 23 or 25mm, and if he used 25mm maybe 23mm would have been better? However I feel uneasy questioning what bushes he has fitted having seen the 'skillz' displayed in his build 🙈......

Click to expand...

Hi... my ARB is 25mm so I fitted the 25mm option inner bush (which as my thread shows was still way to tight in the clamps) .. The 23mm bush would have been even tighter.. I'd just make sure you jack both front wheel up when you do it, you'll struggle a lot if you try and do one side at a time (the ARB will be pre twisted)

Tomotek said:

Hi... my ARB is 25mm so I fitted the 25mm option inner bush (which as my thread shows was still way to tight in the clamps) .. The 23mm bush would have been even tighter.. I'd just make sure you jack both front wheel up when you do it, you'll struggle a lot if you try and do one side at a time (the ARB will be pre twisted)

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Thanks for replying . From your pic in your build thread it looked a bit like the inner diameter of the bush was too big and wouldn't compress enough round the bar......that was my thinking, in ignorance of course :smile:!

So when fitting, have both front wheels off the ground, so bearing no weight - thanks :up:.

I've just looked at your thread again @Tomotek, and you did a trial fit without the bar and the bush was still too tight - I get it now :grinning:.

oreA said:

I've just looked at your thread again @Tomotek, and you did a trial fit without the bar and the bush was still too tight - I get it now :grinning:.

Click to expand...

No problem... yeah the hole in the trial fit was about 25mm high but only about 18mm wide .. hence why people have to crow bar them on lol.. not ideal!!

Did mine a couple of weeks back, had a 25mm ARB, so you guessed it! I put 25mm Powerflex Black bushes on. Essentially what needs doing will be very obvious, although it's getting the clamps done back up that you will struggle with. I did mine on the floor, with an average supply of tools. My skill level is about average I would say, although I am an automotive engineer by trade.
The best way to do it without dropping the subframe is to get the car up as high as your axle stands will safely allow. I got the rear up as well, although you don't really need to. Disconnect the outer mounts (on the wishbones) so the ARB moves freely. At this point, I removed the ARB and subframe braces entirely, shotblasted them and gave them a coat of epoxy mastic, which I would recommend. At the very least you need to clean up the ARB where the inner bushes go.
The powerflex bushes are split. Give them a good, liberal coating of the supplied grease, and put them on the ARB. There's a chamfer designed to clear the hinge part of the clamp, so orientate this appropriately.
It's easiest to start with the drivers side as there's more space on that side. Passengers side is a right swine.
You'll need a G clamp and a pair of medium or large mole grips, mine is a 4 inch G clamp iirc, and it only just fits in the gap it needs to fit into. I used the clamp to bring the bush shell into the subframe, in order to get the bolt in. I tried to push the bush shell (the metal clamp part. Calling it a shell to avoid confusion with G clamp) in by hand, with a bar, and by putting a long bolt through, but had no success with any method other than this.
Put the G clamp in the centre of the shell (covering over the bolt hole, you wont get the bolt in this step), and camp it up good and tight, so the ARB is held in place. Take the mole grips and clamp the shell in place, at the edge of the shell, so you can get the G clamp out and put the bolt in. Clamp the mole grips up good and tight, and make sure they wont spring loose. Use a podger (or other tapered piece of metal) if necessary to align the hole in the shell with the thread in the sub frame and put the bolt in. Torque it up (or tighten it but FGS don't strip it) and remove the mole grips. Rinse and repeat on the other side.
Once this is done, give the ARB a waggle up and down. It should be tight, without wobbling around radially in the mounts, but should move axially with a little effort.

Quick tips:
Wear goggles. Yes I hate them too, but the amount of detritus that fell off the bottom of my car onto me was unreal.
Have a good selection of tools, such as flexi ratchet spanners. They don't need to be good quality, you can do the undoing with a ratchet and socket.
Try not to drop the ARB on your face, I did this and it hurt.
Put yourself aside a day for this, it's a bit of a pain in the ass.

I hope this helps, if I do another lot, I'll get some pictures and write a guide for the chaps on here. Any questions drop me a message, reply etc, I'm happy to help. Best of luck!

That's excellent, thank you for the write up, very detailed!
I feel confident I could do this now, and when I get round to it I'll try get some pics too :up:.

Louis' said:

Clio Ph1 2.0 16v RS-172: Outer mount - 22mm, Inner mount - 25mm
Clio Ph2 2.0 16v RS-172: Outer mount - 23mm, Inner mount - 25mm
Clio Ph2 2.0 16v RS-182: Outer mount - 22mm, Inner mount - 25mm
Clio 2.0 16v RS (172 & 182) Cup / Cup pack models: Outer mount - 23mm, Inner mount - 25mm

Click to expand...

Got this info for the mk3 by anychance looking at 20mm or 20.5mm front ARB bushes from powerflex

I took my ARB off my 182 last Saturday to replace both inner and outer bushes with Powerflex. As soon as I removed the inner clamps I just knew I was going to have a fight on my hands putting them back on. I'm doing the work this weekend. Clamps and grips at the ready

Jon Wright said:

I took my ARB off my 182 last Saturday to replace both inner and outer bushes with Powerflex. As soon as I removed the inner clamps I just knew I was going to have a fight on my hands putting them back on. I'm doing the work this weekend. Clamps and grips at the ready :smile:

Click to expand...

Get some pics up and a little guide if you, i need to tackle this at some point too.

Mine is 100% getting done by my mechanic. Sounds like a right bc ballache of a job.

tip I was suggested is to use a longer nut and bolt then mole grip the clamps and swap the bolt back to the original if that makes sense

I tackled the inner and outer ARB bushes this Saturday despite the freezing cold weather. I’d already removed the bar and old bushes to replace with Strongflex bushes.

Other than the usual spanner’s and sockets, the only other tools I used was a 4” G Clamp, a small set of Molegrips and a small pointed chisel to align the holes.

I didn’t have access to a ramp so was doing the job on my drive using axle stands. I jacked all 4 corners of the car as high as I could using 50cm stands. For slightly easier access when attaching the inner bush nut (if that’s what you call it), I lowered the two rear subframe bolts by about an inch.

After threading the bar over and through the gearshift selector bar, I cable tied the drivers side end of the ARB so it wouldn’t fall down onto me.

I started on the passenger inner bush first removing any cables out of the way to allow easier access. After applying grease and fitting bushes, I attached the G Clamp over the centre hole of the ARB clamp and wound it all the way in. Then I took the Molegrips and clamped the outer edge of the ARB clamp to hold it into position.

Then I removed the G Clamp and then took my pointed chisel to line up the bolt holes. Once I got somewhere near I clamped the corner of the ARB clamp to fully secure into place, being careful as to not block the hole so the bolt won’t go through. The original bolt went in fine, so just a case of reattaching the nut. Lowering the subframe slightly helps you reach through the side of the subframe to attach the nut. Once the nut was attached to the bolt I just hand tightened it before moving onto the drivers side.

Once the inner bushes were done I moved onto the outer ones. I threaded a longer bolt through the ARB clamp which attaches to the lower arms. I did this because the old bolt was badly rusted. The outer bushes went on fine, although I did have to pull the ARB bar towards me a little to line up the bushes correctly on both sides (hence me not tightening inner bolts yet). Once both sides we’re done, I then proceeded to tighten the bolts, although I haven’t torqued these up yet as I’m in the process of upgrading the lower arm bushes and will wait until the car is on a proper ramp, under load, before torquing up.

And that’s it. Not as bad as I anticipated despite the bitter cold weather. The only drawback doing it on your drive with jacks is you end up with a sore neck the next morning.

Jon Wright said:

View attachment 1360468 View attachment 1360469 View attachment 1360470 View attachment 1360471 View attachment 1360472 View attachment 1360473 View attachment 1360474 I tackled the inner and outer ARB bushes this Saturday despite the freezing cold weather. I’d already removed the bar and old bushes to replace with Strongflex bushes.

Other than the usual spanner’s and sockets, the only other tools I used was a 4” G Clamp, a small set of Molegrips and a small pointed chisel to align the holes.

I didn’t have access to a ramp so was doing the job on my drive using axle stands. I jacked all 4 corners of the car as high as I could using 50cm stands. For slightly easier access when attaching the inner bush nut (if that’s what you call it), I lowered the two rear subframe bolts by about an inch.

After threading the bar over and through the gearshift selector bar, I cable tied the drivers side end of the ARB so it wouldn’t fall down onto me.

I started on the passenger inner bush first removing any cables out of the way to allow easier access. After applying grease and fitting bushes, I attached the G Clamp over the centre hole of the ARB clamp and wound it all the way in. Then I took the Molegrips and clamped the outer edge of the ARB clamp to hold it into position.

Then I removed the G Clamp and then took my pointed chisel to line up the bolt holes. Once I got somewhere near I clamped the corner of the ARB clamp to fully secure into place, being careful as to not block the hole so the bolt won’t go through. The original bolt went in fine, so just a case of reattaching the nut. Lowering the subframe slightly helps you reach through the side of the subframe to attach the nut. Once the nut was attached to the bolt I just hand tightened it before moving onto the drivers side.

Once the inner bushes were done I moved onto the outer ones. I threaded a longer bolt through the ARB clamp which attaches to the lower arms. I did this because the old bolt was badly rusted. The outer bushes went on fine, although I did have to pull the ARB bar towards me a little to line up the bushes correctly on both sides (hence me not tightening inner bolts yet). Once both sides we’re done, I then proceeded to tighten the bolts, although I haven’t torqued these up yet as I’m in the process of upgrading the lower arm bushes and will wait until the car is on a proper ramp, under load, before torquing up.

And that’s it. Not as bad as I anticipated despite the bitter cold weather. The only drawback doing it on your drive with jacks is you end up with a sore neck the next morning.

Click to expand...

Jon, would you mind if I put your pictures and a write up in the Cliosport guides section so it's easy to find? If you'd prefer to do it yourself, or not happy for me to use your pics, then that's absolutely fine, just thought it might help future attempts.

James363 said:

Jon, would you mind if I put your pictures and a write up in the Cliosport guides section so it's easy to find? If you'd prefer to do it yourself, or not happy for me to use your pics, then that's absolutely fine, just thought it might help future attempts.

Click to expand...

No problem James. Glad it is of some use

There's a proper guide now, if anyone needs it, much the same as the above really, but with a bit of extra description in places.
https://www.cliosport.net/threads/mk2-rs-arb-bush-replacement-guide-pic-heavy.817150/