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UK report from www.lancerregister.com SuperPro dominates Asia Pacific Rally Championship and what it means for performance enthusiasts
UK report from www.lancerregister.com profiling SuperPro and why its the choice of many top racers and road tuners
Years of experience and testing give SuperPro a unique grade of engineered polyurethane. At SuperPro we aim to achieve zero warranty claims and most of our customers will support our progress and history in this area. For example. Tenneco Automotive, a worldwide ride-control manufacturer uses a range of SuperPro manufactured bushes in their shock absorbers. In one review of over 400,000 parts supplied over 2 years, Tenneco reported zero warranty claims or returns.
Quality is maintained at SuperPro by developing and proving both the material and the product design in the some very diverse environments in the world. SuperPro bushings have been subject to harsh conditions ranging from track racing, rally competition use, to off-road and beach recreational four wheel driving.
Maintaining access to these environments is attributed to serving the global automotive market, and through partnerships developed by SuperPro between the following OEM manufacturers and suppliers:
Tenneco Automotive, A range of SuperPro polyurethane bushings to suit both their original and aftermarket ride control products in Australia and South Africa.
Powerdown, an original equipment and aftermarket supplier to the Australian road transport industry use SuperPro polyurethane to meet the extreme conditions imposed by roads, loads and distances.
Mack Trucks use various components made with SuperPro polyurethane which are fitted to these vehicles as original equipment.
General Motors Holden use SuperPro alignment correction kits as part of their Parts and Accessories program.
Australian Defence Force have utilised SuperPro polyurethane to improve the useful life of various components.
This provides development and testing under an enormous range of conditions, and has helped in the development of a material that will withstand climatic conditions throughout the world. For example, The polyurethanes used in the SuperPro range remain flexible at very low temperatures and posses outstanding resistance to thermal shock.
SuperPro polyurethane bushings have been successfully used on Antarctic expeditions in the suspension of Toyota Landcruisers. Temperatures in Antarctica rarely get above 15°C, and can plummet below 50°C. SuperPro has also been sold for over 10 years in northern Europe and Canada
All SuperPro products go through elaborate production quality checks in accordance with proven systems. SuperPro has its own life cycle and functionality testing equipment as well as conducting definitive abrasion and duro hardness tests. These are used to confirm that the product has been produced with correct mixing ratio, and cure conditions. A NATA approved laboratory performs all backup and support testing of the product and material.
SuperPro designs incorporate the latest technology in polyurethane, as developed by the SuperPro Research and Development Team. Design features such as bullet grooves, knurled and spiral bores and grease grooves ensure that the product performs at the highest standards without transmitting any excess noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).
SuperPro components are produced to the highest achievable tolerances for polyurethane. This is essential for the correct fit of each component, resulting in the maximisation of product life and to ensure that the vehicle componentry is not over stressed and damaged. All the steelwork used in the product range is precision machined for precision fitment.
Research and development is critical in the continual improvement of the SuperPro product range. The gathering of information used to improve the product never ends. Our dedicated R & D team delivers on the following functions:
Additionally, products are rigorously tested under extreme conditions in the terrain of the real world. These components are also subject to bump & rebound tests, whereby their ability to compress and return back to the original form is tested for consistency
SuperPro boasts itself on the coupling of best-in-class machinery and equipment with innovative process systems. This allows for unprecedented flexibility in production options available for the customer to utilise. This flexibility allows for even the smallest production runs (as low as one hundred) while still remaining efficient and competitive against volumes in the thousands.
Our 40+ years experience in manufacturing deliver better quality and save our customers money. This has been recognised by some of the leading automotive parts manufacturers in the world like Tenneco Automotive, Powerdown, Mack Trucks and the Australian Defence Force.
Tenneco is a worldwide ride control manufacturer and they use a range of SuperPro manufactured poly bushings in both their original and aftermarket shock absorbers in Australia and South Africa. These parts are supplied under the requirements of the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) as demanded by vehicle manufactures. SuperPro has supplied Tenneco Automotive with over 400,000 parts, with zero warranty claims.
SuperPro has also pioneered innovative tooling designs that enables the delivery of a consistently high-quality product. Cutting edge technology allows the use of polymer-based moulds that offers flexibility in design, long life and enormous savings in overhead tooling costs.
We have manufactured polyurethane bushings and suspension parts since 1983
Originally part of the Fulcrum Suspensions group; over 40 years history & experience in automotive suspension
Experience that has led to growth in exports and sales to worldwide OEM and Tier-1 suppliers
History is not a static view of the past. It is the bedrock for experience, wisdom, and the springboard for innovation. SuperPro harnesses product wisdom experience and rich development to improve the quality of every product and process we provide.
In 1983, Graham Scudamore-Smith and founding company Fulcrum Suspensions, embarked on the process of combining cast polyurethane with the manufacture of their very own bushes. Initially used on two wheel drive cars, by 1985 after ongoing problems with wear and tear with leaf spring bushes on 40 and 45 Series Landcruisers, the company started to design and produce Suspension bushes for the emerging 4x4 market.
Below illustrates the colourful timeline of industry-first developmental milestones that has driven real-world results and incidentally garnered a reputation for leadership in global automotive polyurethane manufacturing.
Other key milestones include over 30 years of exporting experience to the harshest environments in the world, which has established a strong European and North American distribution presence since 1999.
SuperPro embraces this rich history of innovation and experience in providing solutions and choice that differs and exceedse original equipment or stock components, SuperPro's strong technological capabilities give it the power to give the power of choice back to the individual.
The advantage of using polyurethane over rubbing in the creation of suspension components has impressed engineers and designers so much that it has become a preferred material for many new and creative concepts involving suspension technology. Polyurethane is now extensively used by Original Experience Manufacturers in new vehicles and to rectify inherent design flaws in many applications, particularly in high performance vehicles, without changing the actual design of the suspension.
Below is a list of some of the technology that delivers the SuperPro advantage:
Body roll can be controlled several different ways including with sway bars or stabilizer bars. Another way involves thoughtful and intelligent geometry changes.
SuperPro understand the different elements that contribute to body roll and provide all the popular roll control product solutions plus their Dynamic Roll Control technology. Modern vehicles extensively use MacPherson Strut front suspension systems that tend to increase body roll. Dynamic Roll Control products correct this geometry to reduce body roll in all applications.
The specially blended polyurethane used in SuperPro products has specific mechanical properties that make it extremely successful in its applications. The combined properties result in an extreme resistance to abrasion, low compression set, high tear strength and a resistance to oils and solvents.
This makes SuperPro ideal for most automotive applications, primarily because of the materialâÃÂÃÂs tendency to lead to a resilient product that is highly versatile in its various applications.
Vertical pivot bushings are now very commonly used by OEM engineers to the chassis. This solution provides great benefits in location precision but has its own inherent weaknesses that can lead to premature failure.
SuperPro has developed a unique metal and polyurethane hybrid design for this demanding application. Combining the core strengths of SuperPros engineered polyurethane with a specialized metal ball joint, the DuroBall design delivers all the benefits of a vertical pivot solution with greater durability and service life.
Crush tubing is an integral component of the suspension bushing system and is necessary for free pivoting. The crush tubes are made to precision tolerances to ensure a precise fit is maintained. Where possible, SuperPro uses high stress, corrosion resistant and hardened Supaloy. This new leaner, lighter alloy solution helps lower weight, fuel usage and running costs while improving service life and reliability.
Other metal components are made from engineered steels and zinc plated for corrosion protection and appearance.
In some applications SuperPro incorporates end knurls and hardened tubes to provide positive location. Where required, SuperPro products provide precision machined steel shells to allow the installer to quickly and easily replace worn components.
The double helix design feature has led to marked improvements in SuperPro products. The double helix is used in two applications - firstly on the inside of the bush, and secondly on the outside diameter of the crush tube.
The first design of the double helix is used primarily on shackle bushes to provide a region for grease to travel along. This allows a boundary layer of grease to form between the inside diameter of the bush and the outside diameter of the tube. The double helix is extremely successful in greaseable shackles as the grease can travel from the center of the bush along the helix and out to the grease grooves in the head of the bush.
Knurling is used to enable unrestricted pivoting of the polyurethane bush around the crush tube or any other mating steel surfaces. The knurling has inherent design advantages - reducing the surface area of polyurethane in contact with the crush tube, which results in less frictional force being developed.
The design of the SuperPro knurl bore combined with the integral grease retention lips, keeps the lubricating grease intact for the life of the bushing, and eliminates the necessity for periodic re-greasing.
Bullet grooves are incorporated in the design of SuperPro bushes to allow for variances in control arms or spring eyes. The voiding and bullet grooves also allow for the transgression of displaced polyurethane into the volume of the grooves as the loads of normal vehicle operation are applied. 
Even though polyurethane is in a solid form when it is manufactured into bushes, its unique properties enable it flow in a manner similar to a liquid when loaded. The action of the bush flowing into its voids prevents the generation of noise, vibration and harshness within the bush and its mount.
The tangential grease grooves in the heads of shackle bushes reduce the friction between the head of the bush and the shackle plates. The grooves store grease, which is smeared around the mating surfaces when the spring shackles rotate, forming a lubrication boundary layer. This has the effect of minimizing head friction and reducing noise.
The Research and Development process for SuperPro products constantly gathers information and feedback to provide continuous product improvements. Our Superpro team constantly re-engineers and tests our products on our own fleet of passenger vehicles and 4WDâÃÂÃÂs, ensuring great performance.
Cyclic testing is performed using specifically designed testing equipment, to offer valuable information on the life and durability of SuperPro products. Australia's diversely unique conditions provide the perfect testing ground for SuperPro products. Encompassing everything from extreme heat, dust, and harsh roads, to race circuits, rally tracks, speedways and drag strips. SuperPro products are extensively tested in a variety of conditions to ensure the highest quality performance and reliability. Our products are also further tested in the diverse climates of Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Middle East, South Pacific, UK and USA. This ensures our products are made to last, no matter how tough the terrain may be!
At SuperPro, we use nominally 70, 80 and 90 Shore A material and have adopted a policy of progressive hardness reduction, using sophisticated polymers, design and casting techniques to eliminate NVH. It is in this noise, vibration, harshness area that we concentrate our greatest developmental efforts towards. For example, SuperPro research may indicate a shackle bushing could produce less noise if the flat sections are replaced by grooved sections. The benefits of a dedicated R&D team have provided on countless occasions new findings that allow finer control of Diametral interference and preload, which minimizes bending or other stresses on mating parts. This leads to less probability of cracking and/or breakage.
Our experience has shown that modern vehicles today do not have provision for wheel alignment correction and as the vehicle’s suspension softens with age, they begin to wander or steer off in one direction. Replacing with SuperPro bushings and parts rectifies this by the removal of excess compliance in the suspension system without affecting NVH (Noise Vibration and Harshness).
Equally, the standard alignment settings designed in to modern vehicles may be within tolerance but that tolerance can be very broad resulting in high tyre wear. A lack of available adjustment and the need for specific alignment settings for off-road, performance or high mileage commercial has driven SuperPro to develop its extensive “Value Add” alignment correction product range.
Backed by 30+ years of automotive industry experience in the toughest environments in the world, Australia
Supported by a full time, dedicated Research & Development Team
Export experience in Australia, Africa, Europe, America and Asia makes SuperPro suited for all markets and global applications
Maintained steering geometry
Enhanced handling & ride characteristics
Superior replacement and repair performance to get back that new car feel
Improved tyre wear, fuel efficiency and reduced running costs
SuperPro is part of an organisation that has decades of service, fitment, design and manufacturing experience with suspension parts and poly bushings. SuperPro products are formed using our own engineered product designs and are made using a proprietary engineering grade polyurethane formula with unique material properties. SuperPro Polyurethane is a special elastomer-based material which creates an extremely durable suspension product boasting the best characteristics of both rubber and plastic.
Our experience has shown that today's modern vehicles do not have provision for wheel alignment correction. As the vehicle's suspension softens with age, it will begin to wander or steer off in one direction. Replacing with SuperPro bushings and parts rectifies this by the removal of excess compliance in the suspension system without affecting NVH (Noise Vibration and Harshness).
The standard alignment settings designed in modern vehicles may be within tolerance, but that tolerance can be very broad resulting in high tyre wear. A lack of available adjustment and the need for specific alignment settings for off-road, performance, or high mileage commercial has driven SuperPro to develop its extensive Value Add alignment correction product range.
Backed by 40+ years of automotive industry experience in the toughest environments in the world, Australia
Supported by a full time, dedicated Research & Development Team
Export experience in Australia, Africa, Europe, America and Asia makes SuperPro suited for all markets and global applications
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Daily DriveYou want economy, durability, lower running costs and maybe some enhancement to sharpen up the response and increase grip. |
PerformanceJDM, Euro, domestic muscle or hot rod, it’s about grip, handling, looks and real performance |
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4x4Specialised vehicles with specialised needs means SuperPro. More off road ability, tough and rugged heavy duty performance but still very driveable |
CommercialLowest cost of ownership means better tyre wear, better alignment and fewer hours downtime. |
Choose your SuperPro and enjoy the unique tailored benefits for your drive. See our complete solutions and range of product here. (Link to Product page) Take a look at the online catalogue for the full range of SuperPro performance suspension parts and bushings for your car.
Only SuperPro features;
