Energy Suspension Master Bushing Kit for 96-00 Civic

Energy Suspension Master Bushing Kit for 96-00 Civic

This is the front-end refresh kit for the EK Civic. Instead of replacing one shot bushing at a time, the Energy Suspension master set swaps most of the front suspension and chassis bushings on your 96-00 Civic over to polyurethane in one box. On a 25-plus-year-old EK running tired factory rubber, this is how you take a car that wanders, clunks, and hops off the line and bring the front end back to feeling tight, especially if you've got a B-swap or a built D-series putting down more than the worn stock bushings can handle.

The factory rubber has spent decades cracking and sagging, which is why an old EK feels vague and floaty as the suspension shifts around under load. Energy's Hyper-Flex polyurethane holds everything where it belongs, so turn-in sharpens up, the car tracks straighter under braking, wheel hop off hard launches drops off, and it holds an alignment far better than worn rubber. Poly also shrugs off the oil and grime that rot rubber, so this is a job you do once.

Read this first: what the kit does and does not cover

This is the most important thing to understand before you buy, because the name "master kit" oversells what's in the box for the EK chassis. This kit covers the front suspension thoroughly and adds the rear trailing arm bushings, but it does not include rear control arm bushings or rear shock bushings. That catches people off guard, so go in knowing it. If you want a true full-car refresh, you'll source the rear control arm and rear shock bushings separately. For most people chasing sharper steering and a tighter front end, the front coverage here is what actually matters.

What's in the kit

Specs

Available options

What to know before you buy

First, the ride. Polyurethane is firmer than rubber, so this makes the car noticeably firmer and a little buzzier than stock. You'll feel more of the road and hear more through the chassis. On a built EK or a weekend car you drive hard, that connected feel is the whole point. If you want a plush daily, this is more than you want.

Second, the install. This is a real job, not a bolt-on afternoon. Every bushing has to be pressed out and pressed in, and on a car this age the old rubber is often seized into the shells, so expect to fight a few of them out with a press. Budget a serious weekend or a chunk of shop time. Use plenty of the included Formula 5 grease on every bushing, that's the single biggest thing that keeps poly quiet and stops the squeak these are known for. Energy recommends re-greasing every few years to keep them silent.

Third, plan the rest of the rear if you want it done. Since this kit skips the rear control arm and rear shock bushings, a lot of EK owners doing a full chassis refresh add those separately, plus the motor mount inserts if they want the drivetrain tied down too. Red and black are the same polyurethane at the same hardness, so it's purely a color choice. The black is graphite-impregnated to be slightly more self-lubricating, while red is just the look.