Papazian said replacement parts such as control-arm bushings and engine and transmission mounts have seen continuous growth at Energy Suspension in recent years.  "Manufacturers are introducing more and more control arms where the bushings are not available separately," he said.  "That is something that we can supply.  It's an area we are continuing to look at and grow.

"Repair shops depend on repeat business, and this provides them with a way to reduce the customers' repair costs while providing them with a part that will last longer, which leads to a loyal customer," Papazian said.

Kevin Taeger, Heavy Duty Division sales manager, said that throughout its 27 years, the company has continued to adapt its polyurethane products to different needs.  "(Company Founder) Don Bunker is very innovative," he said. 

 
"He began with polyurethane components to improve the performance of skates and skateboards," Taeger said.  "Shortly after, he started offering sway-bar bushings and shock bushings.  These were things that a guy could put on in his driveway with no special tools and then immediately go out on the street and feel a difference.  It's one of the most inexpensive performance options, but it has one of the most noticeable impacts."

Among the advantages offered by polyurethane over stock rubber components are its resistance to petroleum products, ozone, and road contamination, Papazian said.  "Polyurethane is resistant to almost anything that breaks down rubber."

Taeger said the company designs each new part for its specific application.  In-house engineers and chemists consider things such as the range of temperature in which the part operates, deflection, memory, and resistance to abrasion when designing a part for a new application, he said.

"A lot of times our part won't look anything like an original part because we don't just reverse-engineer it, we re-engineer it," Taeger said.  The company's engineering work has earned it nine design patents, he said.

Taeger said the company develops many of its new parts because of feedback it has received from suppliers and repair shops about OE products that are failing frequently.  "On the heavy-duty side, every single part we make is because somebody is unhappy with what was available," he said. 

 
The company's heavy-duty products have been well received because truckers appreciate their longevity, Taeger said.  "In heavy duty, the key is the cost per mile of operation," he said.  "We can comfortably say that our parts will outlast rubber replacements by five to 10 times.

"Automotive repair shops shouldn't think of this as just a performance product," he said.  "Improved performance is a benefit, but there is also the longevity, and it helps the vehicle hold alignment better."  For example, he said, the company's products sell very well through Les Schwab tire stores throughout the Pacific Northwest, which is really not a performance-centered business, he said.

"Because polyurethane allows less deflection, the vehicle holds the alignment curve better," Papazian said, "but because it also doesn't break down, it holds your alignment better over time.

"The replacement market now holds some of the best opportunities for our products," he said, noting that it has already grown to about 30 percent of Energy Suspension's sales.  "One bushing goes bad and now he has to go out and buy a whole new steering rack.  That's a need we can meet."

The company's products are primarily sold through distributors, which include NAPA, O'Reilly/CSK, Advance Auto Parts, and Autozone, as well as smaller specialty and local distributors, Papazian said.

Engine mounts have been a good area for the company, as well, Papazian said.  "It was an area that really needed help," he said.  "Racers and offroaders were using cables, chains, and solid mounts because rubber mounts couldn't stand up to the conditions."  Energy Suspension developed a series of patented polyurethane mounts that include interlocking metal plates that prevent the mounts from being stretched too far or coming completely apart, he said.

The price of the parts vary from less than a rubber replacement part to slightly more, Papazian said.  "You are getting a premium product that will last for the customer," he said.

Installation time is the same as OE for probably 70 percent of its parts, Papazian said.  About 15 percent of applications are faster than installing stock parts, and about 15 percent take a bit longer than stock, he said.

"Leaf-spring bushing replacements are two-piece units, which saves time because they don't have to be pressed back in," Papazian said.  "While some control-arm applications may take a bit longer because you are reusing some of the original parts."

Papazian said the company has a technical hotline that shops can call to determine whether there is a repair part available and how the installation time will be affected.  He said the company's tech line is one of the ways that it learns about new parts to cover as well as by attending national trade shows such as SEMA and AAPEX.