Suspension has Backlash? - CRX

In this episode of Dirty Elbows Garage we are exploring some strange findings from the custom daq we installed!
#autoracing
#suspension
#straingauges
#dirtyelbowsgarage
#honda
#crx
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[@jesscneal]

I used to run a Pinto as a circle track race car that had all factory rubber bushings in the front suspension initially. I would set the toe out to about 1/16" and figured out that it was gaining almost 1/8" of toe out on track. I switched to poly after the first few races :)

[@joelhall3646]

I can see deflection when I torque my wheels so there is definitely plenty of movement of the front suspension when under load. However, when I do an alignment, my results can be repeated so it isn't so bad but I am also only measuring to a tenth of a degree. Much of this deflection I feel is in the traction bar mount bushing and even with harder bushings in place, you can visibly see them compress.
I always wondered how rubber, hardened rubber, PE and spherical bushings differed in reality. I expect that PE will not be as quick to recover after being loaded resulting in more slop but having less overall deflection when loaded vs rubber.
Everyone talks the praise of spherical and PE but I run HardRace bushings on my CRX in most places but have spherical in the rear for coilovers and PE for the rear lower arms and trailing arms. I have a set of Energy PE bushings but haven driven another CRX on course with the same suspension as mine but with PE, I can't tell the difference.
The plan is to end up with a mix of spherical, PE and hardened rubber throughout with the front coilovers and traction bars moving to spherical and the lower control arms all being PE leaving the upper arms rubber along with the rear toe arms.

[@DirtyElbowsGarage]

I agree, I think those materials are going to have much different dynamic and static results. I've seen loaded deflection too but the unloaded is what shocked me here. I don't think I mentioned it but with the calibration I did against a known load this memory load can be as high as 30 lbs.
As far as feel goes everyone is different. I don't think there's a right or wrong. "Ride" plays a huge role in everything and everyone has their own ideal setup. And more rough/soft tracks are gonna show or hide the differences.
Your current setup and goals sound great. I'm looking at a PE setup but I'm not sure I'm going to go 100% PE. Looks like there are some keep joints I need to leave softer - or go spherical like you mentioned.