Energy Suspension Master Bushing Kit for 88-91 Civic/CRX

Energy Suspension Master Bushing Kit for 88-91 Civic and CRX

If your EF Civic or CRX has the original rubber still in it, the suspension is held together by 35-year-old bushings that have long since cracked, compressed, and gone soft. That is why the car feels vague turning in, clunks over bumps, and wanders where it used to track straight. This Energy Suspension master kit replaces the bushings across the entire suspension and steering with polyurethane, so the chassis feels tight and predictable again. On a light, double-wishbone EF that lives on its handling, a full bushing refresh is one of the biggest improvements you can make for the money.

This is the complete master set, not a single position. It does the front and rear control arms, the front strut rod, the front and rear shocks, the front end links, the steering rack, and the manual shifter linkage, plus the ball joint and tie rod boots, all in one box. That is why people doing a proper EF refresh buy the master kit instead of chasing one worn bushing at a time. Energy's polyurethane also shrugs off the oil, road salt, and grime that rot rubber, so once the car is buttoned up it stays tight for the long haul. Owners who run this kit describe the result as stiff and durable, made for autocross and back roads, and they are right.

Specs

Color options

Red and black are the same polyurethane at the same hardness. The black is graphite-impregnated so it is slightly more self-lubricating, the red is just the color. There is no performance difference, so pick whichever you want.

Fitment

Rear shock bushings are included on the 89-91 cars. The rear control arm bushings come matched to your year, since the 88 cars use stamped-steel control arms and the 89-91 cars use cast-iron arms. The shifter stabilizer bushings only apply if you have a manual transmission.

What to know before you buy

First, the honest tradeoff, and this kit makes it loud. Going to polyurethane across the entire suspension firms the car up noticeably. You will feel and hear more of the road than you did on fresh rubber, because poly transmits more than the soft factory bushings were designed to. Owners are blunt about it: this is excellent for autocross and spirited street driving, but if you want a plush, isolated ride, a full poly kit is not the move. For a driver's EF, the tighter, more connected feel is exactly the point.

Second, you do not need a shop full of tools, but you do need patience. People have installed this whole kit at home using basic hand tools and improvised press setups (a long bolt, nuts, and sockets acting as a mini press) rather than a hydraulic press. The catch is that this is a lot of bushings across the whole car, so it is a project, not an afternoon. The smart way to do it is to refresh the bushings as you work through each corner rather than tearing the entire suspension apart at once.

Third, two things this kit does not cover, and they are common questions. Energy does not make rear upper control arm bushings or rear compensator arm bushings for this chassis, so if yours are shot, those are a separate Prothane set. Front and rear sway bar bushings are also not in the master kit, Energy sells those separately by bar diameter, so if you want to do the sway bars too, add the correct size set. Grease everything well on install, a dry poly bushing is what squeaks later, and pick up extra Formula 5 grease if the kit does not include enough for every joint.