South Africa-manufactured Vesconite Hilube bushings have been successfully used as suspension bushings in a modified 4×4 vehicle at this year’s Dakar Rally.
Prior to Dakar, the polymer bushings were put through their paces at an endurance event in Argentina – a gruelling 9000km race across a tough terrain of sand dunes, mountains and salt flats.
According to our Argentina distributor Leandro Panzini (VesArg), “The previous material that was used lasted only one or two race stages, whereas Vesconite Hilube lasted for the complete Dakar race, as well as another shorter race.”
Apart from aiding suspension alignment, these bushings are an important component in general vehicle safety, driver comfort, steering and handling. This is particularly pertinent in the 15-day Dakar Rally, where vehicles are travelling between 100km/h and 200km/h over extremely demanding terrain.
In this particular setting, the bushings were exposed to rapid oscillating movement. Panzini says the Hilube performed way better than the original nylon-molybdenum bushings. “The bushings were used for the equivalent of two Dakars, and are still in good condition, thanks to Vesconite’s winning combination of low friction and high abrasion resistance.ā
