Insert Traction
Here
ubber bushings
are squishy.
They do a great
job absorbing
annoying vibra-
tions, but they also allow
things to move around
under load—sometimes too
much for our liking. When
we drive our Mustangs
aggressively, the rubber
bushings in the drivetrain
“wind up” under load and
then release that energy
when the tires break trac-
tion. When this cycles
back and forth between
traction and slip, it’s called
wheelhop.
Aftermarket companies
that cater to enthusiasts like
us know that we care less
about reducing vibration
and more about putting the
power to the ground quickly
and smoothly. That’s where
Steeda Autosports comes
in. Steeda’s latest offering
to stiffen up the connection
between the differential
and the rear suspension for
S550-chassis Mustangs is
the Mustang Differential
Bushing Insert System.
Steeda’s ingenious solu-
tion doesn’t replace the
factory rubber bushings,
but rather surrounds the
factory rubber bushings
with harder polyurethane
inserts. The result is a
differential that’s more
firmly supported without
any permanent changes to
the factory parts. Two sets
of bushings are included38 OCTOBER 2019 WWW.MUSTANG-360.COMInstalling Steeda’s Mustang Differential Bushing
Insert System for Less Wheelhop
TEXT WES DUENKEL
PHOTOS DAMON RIVETTIBUSHING INSERTS(80-duromter [red] and
90-durometer [ black]) so
the customer can tailor
the amount of differen-
tial support to his or her
application.In addition, the Steeda
system installs in a couple
of hours and adds little to
no perceptible increase
in noise, vibration, or
harshness.It sounded like the right
choice for us, so we headed
to Gear Driven Automotive
in Northridge, California,
where owner Saul Gutierrez
handled the install.