Were poly suspension bushings always this cheap?
 

http://www.energysuspensionparts.com....asp?cat=10244

And they've got diff bushings too! Always finding more places to spend your hard earned cash. :bigtu:

damn...230 for a full set including diff mounts.

Damn. I may just have to do that.

I'm pretty sure we can think BIll Wilner for that. I think he was working with them on making a more affordable set.

$165 for front and rear control arms...i know what im buying next. hmmm maybe ill ditch the soild diff mounts for these...decisions decisions.

what about us pussies that would like to have maintenance/squeak-free bushings? Does anyone make a relatively cheap set of OEM-style replacement bushings? Kinda like the mazda comp ones but not about $1000 for everything. :eek:

Aren't the black ones with that graphite composite shit supposed to be a lot easier to deal with?

damn that IS a good price! *save*

Aren't they all the same? They are all made by Energysuspension.

I picked up some universal sway bar bushings and mounts from autozone for my giant front sway bar and they had zerk fittings on the mounts and an actual lube channel cut into the bushing. You'd think they would apply the same engineering to all the suspension bushings.

The real advantage of these is that they're "free floating" - they work like a bearing (like a delrin set w/o the hardness). If you go with the OE style rubber bushing it will be vulcanized to the center sleeve and you will be back to the built in "bind" inherit with that design. That said, it's mandatory to maintain a reasonable alignment under load changes and of course keep that smooth ride with minimized surface vibration transferred to the subframe.

At this price, I think the poly is the way to go. I'd drill the control arm and bushing for a zerk fitting and again for a set screw (same as a delrin to prevent rotation.) You could also cut a longitudinal channel for the lube hole to get some grease on the interior of the bushing.

http://www.energysuspensionparts.com....asp?cat=11400

Strange they aren't showing the diff bushings for the 99.. i thought all the diff bushings were the same in the NA and NB ..

Drill hole. Tap hole. Insert Zerk. Grind as necessary.

That is awesome! I knew I was holding out on doing bushings for a reason.

Kudos to whomever made this happen.

exactly. I was highly considering doing the Super Pro kit when i swap my suspension over to the new car, but decided i could spend the money on other parts and scratched it off the list. but i may go through with this kit for the price.

damn subscribe bitches... group buy

boo. nothing for NB

I dont buy it. many of the bushings are the same. Sounds like whoever is selling them needs to do a little research on what bushings cross over to the NB.

these bushings are cheap, but you don't get FM's "support" where they hammer their cock in your ass.

Are these the same bushings that FM sells? I've been on the fence a long time about doing the bushings, this price could seal the deal.

no, FM sells Super Pro. like i've been talking about.

I called Energy to try to set up an account. Initial impressions:
-They are hard as fuck to deal with. I won't get into it, but the customer experience didn't leave me with the warm, fuzzy feeling.
-Dealer Buy In is $10k minimum. :eek:
-They specifically recommended NOT buying from the website that Rob linked. Said there were LOTS of problems with them.
-Everything is made to order. They do not warehouse anything.
-You can get the kit with graphite (black) or red at the same cost

I'm going to try to set up an account/groupbuy. No promises at this time though.

they are - I called way back when I was looking for race car bushings and asked if they'd do me a set in delrin. The response: "Why in the hell would anybody want bushings made of delrin? That's just stupid." I hung up.

If you can find a vendor with an existing Energy relationship, maybe they can get that web price with a dependable delivery. That price is really already at "group level" IMO.

I have a 6 ton press dudes in nova.

wow i'd definitely be in for a group buy, i wonder if someone who already has an account with them would do one. oh and damn you making it hard not to spend more money:vash:

I have been waiting soooo long for ES to finally come out with a kit for the miata.

This kit should be even cheaper for the folks that only need the front & rear control arm bushings.

If someone can get a group buy going,I am definately in.

in for gang bang / group buy.

N

Sign me up, too.

Count me in for a Group Buy as well.

Me too! (Possibly 2 sets)

In.

in.

my g/f HATES you!

haha. my bank account hates ben too.

Almost ready for some pistons, Ben! :cool:

The ES account rep didn't return my phone call yesterday (the info I got was from customer service). I'm going to try them one more time on Monday.

sorry Ben, I didn't realize you were actually trying to work this as a group buy through ??? anyway - I posted something regrading working in the goodwinracingthread. Oh well.

All good Rob. Like I said, ES isn't exactly fun to work with anyway.

I just ordered a set of black diff bushings from this site, so let's see how it goes. with 42k on the 91 they are going on figured the CA bushings could wait.

i wanna get a set of the steering rack mounts/bushings. I saw them on miata.net a while ago.....will try to find link..

949 racing

I give up. ES is absolutely the most horrid company I've ever tried to deal with. They don't know their ass from their elbow, and the guy you need to speak with is always at lunch (no matter who you need and no matter the reason you need him). I got more warnings to NOT purchase from the site Rob linked--but I also don't have any viable alternatives for you guys either. :mad:

I'm going to check with lightning motorsports.

C

Sounds like I'll order a set of those bushings from the site posted with Paypal and find out whats wrong... Maybe ES is just trying to scare us away from buying them for some stupid reason?

I just got off the phone with lightningmotorsports.com - here's the follow up email. I'll post his reply when I get it.

************************************
Hey Tom,

Just got off the phone with you. Please get back to me with group buy pricing on qty 10, ES #11.18102 HyperFlex Master Kit - Mazda Miata

Per our conversation, I'm going to tell the guys that this is normally in the $240 price range, and you should be able to do approx 15% off. Also that this is a new part, and ES is a build-to-order manufacturer, so it will take somewhere in the neighborhood of 2-3 weeks once you're paid for the parts from us.

Please confirm this, and let me know if anything I've stated is incorrect.

Thanks,
Chris
************************************

Also, he put me on hold and called ES and they're saying this is a new part number that's just coming online, and they haven't shipped any yet.

So, what's it take to set up a group buy here?

C

I'd be in line for the GP.

Put me on that list.

Start a new thread in the correct section and then start a list of names. Maybe shoot one of the mods a PM and he'll stick it to the top.

Add me to the list.

Jay

Already sent the PM. We'll see what happens.

C

Let's leave it here until (if) it becomes reality. Like I said, ES is NOT an easy company to deal with.

If it's going to go through, let me know, and I'll move and sticky it.

The group buy is posted here - $209 shipped.

C

just got my diff mounts jsut as I ordered. So 11 days later they arrived. I don't see the problem Energy has with this site. Maybe they think they aren't charging enough.

What do you mean by that?

C

I'm interested in the group buy going on since new bushings are on the to-do list. However, I've read a lot of complaints about noise with poly bushings, while others have no issues. What gives?
Also, some sites I've been reading while researching the topic say to avoid bushings with graphite because it doesn't come in contact properly with the metal, and when it does, it washes away too easily. And graphite also can cause the polyurethane to deteriorate if there is too much in it.
Just want some things cleared up before I go for this...

I'm considering installing zerk fittings when I change mine over. That way they can be greased a lot easier.

Emillo has good pictures on miata.net, search for zerk and you'll come across it quite easily.

I mean supposedly energy suspension has warned against using the site I ordered from and which is running the group buy. But since my mounts came quickly, and the phone calls to energy from a couple people have been answered by guys that were a bit...terse...I wonder why they are saying not to order from this site. My experience was certainly good. If only they sold engine mounts...

Interesting, where'd you hear that?

They have a problem with Lightningmotorsports too? :confused:

C

That would be a really good idea.I just installed 4 zerk fittings on my front & rear sway bars.

The best thing about the zerk fittings was the price,I paid $1.08 for all four.

ES is working on it,thanks to Bill at miataroadster.

this.

yayyyyyyy

Are these bushings a 2 piece design or a single piece that would need a press to install? I only ask this because I know that the energy suspension bushing set for a 240 was mostly a 2 piece design with very few pieces that required the use of a press.

Thanks for the clarification.

C