Truck Accessories Buyer's Guide
The Suspension Rebuild Guide: Bushings, Control Arms & Alignment for Trucks
What rubber fatigue actually costs you — and how polyurethane and precision alignment components fix it for good.
There's a certain kind of truck wear that doesn't announce itself, just a slow drift in how the truck feels. Steering gets a little vague. The front-end wanders slightly under braking. The rear springs clunk on gravel roads. By the time most owners notice, the original rubber bushings have been failing for years. Rubber is what automakers use because it's cheap and quiet at the factory — but it hardens, cracks, and deflects under load in ways that polyurethane simply doesn't. Rebuilding your suspension with quality bushings and correctly spec'd control arms is one of the highest-return investments a truck owner can make: better handling, tire life, and alignment stability all at once.
Rubber vs. Polyurethane: Why the Material Matters More Than Most People Realize
Factory rubber bushings are designed to absorb noise and ride harshly well on a stock, unmodified truck. They compress and deflect under cornering and braking loads — which feels smooth initially but allows geometry change at the worst possible times. Over time, rubber oxidizes, takes a set, and cracks. Polyurethane holds its shape under load, maintaining consistent camber and caster angles even when you're pushing the truck hard or carrying weight.
The tradeoff: polyurethane transmits slightly more NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) than rubber. For a daily driver, this is barely noticeable. For a truck that tows, hauls, or sees any lifted or leveled suspension work, the handling and alignment benefits far outweigh the difference in ride harshness.
Complete Upper Control Arms
For lifted or leveled trucks where OEM geometry no longer works — or where the factory arms have simply worn out.
When Do You Need New Arms vs. Just New Bushings?
If your truck has been lifted or leveled, the factory upper control arm likely sits at an angle it was never designed to run at — putting the ball joint at the edge of its travel and accelerating wear on both the joint and the bushing. A complete aftermarket arm corrects that geometry, restoring proper ball joint angle and often adding caster correction as well. If your truck is stock height and the arms themselves are undamaged, fresh bushings are typically the right call. If the arm is bent, the ball joint is sloppy, or you've added a lift, replace the arm entirely.
SuperPro
Upper Control Arms SuperPro 09-18 Silverado 1500 / Sierra 1500 Front Upper Control Arm Set Corrects upper control arm geometry on 2009–2018 Silverado and Sierra 1500 trucks, particularly those with leveling kits or minor lifts. Includes SuperPro's polyurethane bushings pre-installed, restoring proper ball joint angle and caster for better tire wear and steering feel. $588.99 Shop Now |
SuperPro
Upper Control Arms SuperPro 19-23 Silverado 1500 / Sierra 1500 Upper Control Arm Set Built for 2019–2023 Silverado and Sierra 1500 trucks, this set addresses the geometry compromise that comes with factory leveling systems. SuperPro's arms are engineered with additional caster correction baked in, which improves high-speed stability and reduces tire feathering on lifted trucks. $619.99 Shop Now |
SuperPro
Upper Control Arms SuperPro 04-20 Ford F-150 Front Upper Control Arm Set Fits 2004–2020 Ford F-150 trucks with independent front suspension. These arms are purpose-built to reclaim proper geometry after a leveling or lift kit install — a common need on F-150s where OEM upper arms go out of spec quickly under raised ride height conditions. $619.99 Shop Now |
Control Arm Bushing Sets
When the arms are structurally sound but the bushings have worn — the most common scenario on trucks 10+ years old.
Energy Suspension
Control Arm Bushings Energy Suspension 99-07 GM (Various) Black Front End Control Arm Bushing Set Covers a wide range of 1999–2007 GM trucks and SUVs including Silverado, Sierra, Tahoe, Suburban, and Yukon variants. Unlike OEM rubber that deflects under braking and cornering, this Energy Suspension polyurethane set keeps control arm geometry consistent — a direct fix for vague steering feel and premature tire wear. $140.99 Shop Now |
Energy Suspension
Control Arm Bushings Energy Suspension 01-06 GM Silverado C2500 HD / K2500 HD Front Control Arm Bushing Set Purpose-fit for 2001–2006 Silverado 2500 HD and 3500 trucks in both 2WD and 4WD configurations. Heavy-duty polyurethane construction handles the additional front axle load these trucks carry — OEM rubber on HD trucks compresses significantly under towing and load, causing alignment drift exactly when precision matters most. $119.99 Shop Now |
Prothane
Control Arm Bushings Prothane 88-01 Chevy C10 / C20 / C1500 2WD Control Arm Bushings — Black Fits 1988–2001 Chevy C/K 2WD trucks — a popular fitment for classic and resto-mod builds that want sharper handling without a full suspension overhaul. Prothane's black polyurethane formulation is grease-able, which extends service life significantly over standard poly and virtually eliminates the squeaking that plagues cheap replacement bushings. $94.99 Shop Now |
Alignment Sleeves & Cam Kits
Precision adjustability for trucks that need caster and camber dialed in after a lift, level, or worn-out OEM eccentric bolts.
What Alignment Sleeves Actually Do
Most factory truck suspensions use eccentric (offset) cam bolts to adjust caster and camber at the control arm pivot. Over time and miles, these cams wear, seize, or lose adjustability — leaving a shop unable to correct alignment even on an otherwise healthy suspension. SPC Performance alignment sleeves replace seized or worn OEM eccentric hardware with fresh, precisely-machined replacements that give your alignment technician the range of adjustment the system was designed to have. On lifted trucks, this becomes even more critical: lifting a truck typically pushes caster and camber out of spec, and without proper adjustable hardware, there may be no way to bring geometry back within factory tolerance.
SPC Performance
Alignment Hardware SPC Performance Camber/Caster Sleeve Assortment (6-Pack) A technician's starter set — six sleeves across the most common offset angles for GM truck applications. Instead of ordering individual sleeves and waiting on shipping, this assortment covers a range of correction needs in one purchase. Ideal for shops or serious DIYers who work on multiple trucks or want spares on hand. $222.99 Shop Now |
SPC Performance
Alignment Hardware SPC Performance Ford Alignment Sleeves — Available 0 to 2 Degrees Vehicle-specific eccentric cam sleeves for Ford F-150 and other Ford truck applications with IFS. Available in multiple offset angles from 0 to 2 degrees, letting you dial in the exact caster or camber correction your truck needs post-lift or post-leveling. Consult your alignment tech to determine which degree sleeve is required before ordering. From $28.99 Shop Now |
SPC Performance
Alignment Hardware SPC Performance Adjustable Truck Sleeve The fully adjustable version — this sleeve provides a variable range of caster/camber correction rather than a fixed offset, making it the right call when you need flexibility or when a fixed-angle sleeve doesn't quite land where you need. Particularly useful for trucks with non-standard lift heights or suspension configurations that fall between standard degree increments. $62.99 Shop Now |
Master & Total Bushing Kits
For full suspension rebuilds — every pivot point replaced in one kit, same material throughout.
| Kit Type | What's Included | Best For | Price Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Suspension Hyper-Flex Master Set | All suspension, steering, and drivetrain bushings for a specific truck platform — control arms, sway bars, spring bushings, body mounts, and more | Complete suspension refreshes on GM trucks from the '70s through early 2000s where OEM rubber has fully deteriorated | $450 – $631 |
| Prothane Total Kit | Complete bushing coverage for a specific vehicle — all major suspension pivot points in one box, color-matched poly throughout | Restoration builds and daily drivers where consistent poly durometer across all bushings matters for predictable handling | $272 – $534 |
Energy Suspension
Master Bushing Kit Energy Suspension 81-87 Chevy/GMC 2WD 1/2 Ton Pickup Hyper-Flex Master Bushing Set — Black A comprehensive rebuild kit for 1981–1987 Chevy and GMC half-ton 2WD trucks — every major suspension and drivetrain bushing replaced with Energy Suspension's black Hyper-Flex polyurethane. This is the right call when you're doing a frame-off or full undercarriage restoration and want consistent material throughout rather than mixing OEM rubber and aftermarket poly. $473.99 Shop Now |
Energy Suspension
Master Bushing Kit Energy Suspension 01-06 Chevy Silverado 4WD Red Hyper-Flex Master Bushing Set Full platform coverage for 2001–2006 Silverado 4WD trucks — this kit replaces every OEM rubber pivot in the suspension, steering, and drivetrain system with Energy Suspension's red Hyper-Flex polyurethane. At this price point, it's substantially cheaper than buying equivalent individual sets separately, and everything comes color-matched for a clean, finished look underneath. $630.99 Shop Now |
Prothane
Total Bushing Kit Prothane 67-72 Chevy C10 2WD Total Kit — Black Everything needed to rebuild the suspension on a 1967–1972 Chevy C10 in a single box — an especially popular application given how many classic C10s are mid-restoration or being converted to street trucks. Prothane's black formulation is grease-able at every bushing, which matters on a truck that may sit between driving seasons or see occasional show use. $271.99 Shop Now |
Leaf Spring & Shackle Bushings
The pivot points most overlooked in a suspension rebuild — and often the source of that rear-end clunk on rough roads.
Prothane
Leaf Spring Bushings Prothane 67-87 GM Rear Spring & Shackle Bushings — Black Rear spring eye and shackle bushings for 1967–1987 GM trucks — the pieces that absorb motion at both ends of each leaf spring pack. When these wear out, they allow the axle to shift fore and aft under acceleration and braking, producing the vague, loose rear-end feel that many classic truck owners mistake for worn shocks. Includes 1.5-inch OD frame shackle bushings. $68.99 Shop Now |
SuperPro
Leaf Spring Bushings SuperPro 99-21 Chevy Silverado 1500 2WD Rear Leaf Spring Forward Eye Bushing Kit Targets the forward spring eye on 1999–2021 Silverado 1500 2WD trucks — the bushing that sees the most stress under hard acceleration and heavy payloads. SuperPro's design uses a split-housing format that allows installation without a hydraulic press, making this a viable DIY job for someone working with common shop tools. $100.99 Shop Now |
Energy Suspension
Leaf Spring Bushings Energy Suspension GM 2 & 4X Rear Spring Bushing — Black A widely-fitting GM rear spring bushing set for classic C/K truck and SUV platforms. Energy Suspension's 2X and 4X designations refer to the bushing wall thickness — this is a direct replacement for trucks with standard leaf spring eye diameters. One of the higher-volume GM spring bushing sets on the market, meaning fitment data is well-documented across a broad range of model years. $79.99 Shop Now |
Body Mounts, Motor Mounts & Rack Bushings
The mounts that hold the drivetrain and cab in place — often ignored until the vibration and clunking become impossible to ignore.
Prothane
Body Mounts Prothane 99-06 Chevy Silverado 2/4WD Body Mounts — Black A full set of body-to-frame isolator bushings for 1999–2006 Silverado in both 2WD and 4WD. Collapsed factory body mounts are a primary cause of cowl shake, cab flex, and the low-frequency boom some owners notice on rough pavement. These also matter for trucks that have been lifted — a lift without fresh body mounts leaves the cab floating on deteriorated rubber, defeating the purpose of a solid suspension rebuild. $268.99 Shop Now |
Energy Suspension
Rack & Pinion Bushing Energy Suspension 07-13 Chevy Silverado 1500 Rack & Pinion Bushing Set — Black Fits 2007–2013 Silverado 1500 trucks with electric power steering rack. The rack mount bushings are a commonly overlooked wear item — when they go soft, the rack moves slightly in its cradle under steering inputs, causing the subtle on-center vagueness and slight clunk that many owners attribute to steering gear wear. Replacing these bushings often restores steering feel without a rack replacement. $128.99 Shop Now |
Energy Suspension
Motor & Trans Mounts Energy Suspension GM / Chevy / Pontiac / Isuzu / Jeep Red Transmission Mount A polyurethane transmission mount covering a wide range of GM, Chevy, Pontiac, Isuzu, and Jeep applications. Failed transmission mounts are the first thing to check when a vehicle exhibits clunking under gear changes or drivetrain shudder at light throttle — the mount is a high-load, high-heat component that rubber simply cannot survive indefinitely. Red polyurethane construction for a clean, finished look in the engine bay. $49.99 Shop Now |
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