Im still waiting on bushings from energy to do the exchange thing. Ill sell any individual pieces you want.

 

Okay, thanks. The reason I posted the question was to find out how much trouble others were having removing and inserting the steel inner bushings during re-grease. I spoke to a tech-rep at Energy who happens to own a Miata and he says he can remove and install his steel bushings by hand for greasing. I had to pound like hell with a big hammer and drift both to remove and reinstall, so I'm wondering what's going on. I remember being able to hand fit them when new.

 

he is lying or has never driven his car. within a couple days of driving it takes a press to remove stock ES sleeves. You can pound them out but they are soft metal and you will likely mushroom out the ends.

 

He works for ES, what do you expect?

I have only personally taken apart one car with used poly, and every sleeve required a hammer and or press to remove.

 

You know what would be cool? A solution for the sway bar bushings. I think what would work perfect would be some sort of split bronze bushing. Which are harder to find than you would think.
something like this except just inside a bored out standard poly bushing. Some ideas on how to make them here I'm also considering just buying twice as many as required and cutting them slightly less than in half and then filing them to fit the sway bar perfectly. They're only $3.66 each on mcmaster.

 

Does wrapping the bar in teflon tape not do what you are wanting those bushings to do?

 

It might. I only really bring it up because I noticed when I put the new shocks in that they car will stay at a wicked high ride height even after driving it unless you push the front of the car bad down or cinch it down on the trailer.

 

I made some delrin ones for the rear sway bar. I haven't done the front yet but I'll do the same. They took 20 mins to make with a hacksaw and drill.

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go to a NASCAR style speedway engineering 3 piece bar use bronze bushings problem solved.

here is another version. sealed ball bearings. Im using bronze in delrin blocks instead.
http://www.smallfortuneracing.com/mazda_miata.html

 

+1 kitteh cat to you. I will be copying this design.

 

Yeah I'm going to be putting a gendron bar onto the real racecar since its like $50 more than calling speedway and ordering the parts from them. But not for the ES car. I was cringing at spending the like $20 shipped it was going to cost to diy the bronze over poly.

 

Wait, I may have missed it - do you have pricing for the bronze retrofit + ES control arm bushings kit? It'd be nice to order the whole shebang from you (ES bushings, drilled out bushing, and required retrofit). Thanks!

 

No, we are getting the ES FUCA bushings so that we can do an exchange program for drilling them to 7/8". I should have those by next week!

 

Have read the thread, but still not sure which option I want/need. Street/track/autocross/hillclimb (I have one car) currently with original OEM 190k rubber bushings. Do I want:

1. The full Delrin package = $610.
or
2. Bronze retrofit kit ~$200 + ES energy bushings $189 = ~$389 (according to the projected FS thread pricing...)

Derrlin will be more stiff, Poly slightly better NVH? I'm actually leaning towards the poly option. How much difference is the performance between these two options?

 

The nvh really isn't that bad with delrin. Poly+bronze will perform really well. IMO delrin is for that last performance bump.

 

Thanks Aidan, that is just the information I need for my OTR (Other Than Racecar), which is mainly road but sees irregular track duty as well.

 

Just an FYI. $610 is for the kit with the rear spherical conversion. We are out of those right now, and wont have any for a month or 3. The "NASA" kit, which uses poly in that location is $570, shipped.

 

I have a set of rear knuckle sphericals I'll sell. I originally ordered the full delrin/spherical package, but before I installed them I decided I wanted to stay NASA legal and switched pack to poly in that location.

 

I'm piecing together the parts to do a bronze bearing & alloy sleeve conversion for my poly bushings, but I'm having trouble finding a suitable washer to use on the ends of the bushings in the lower alignment locations. I thought I'd be able to track one down easily on McMaster, but I haven't had much luck (most are too thin). Sean, any chance you've got a link to one you've found to work well?

 

I have yet to find an of the shelf washer that works, I have to bore the ID out on the ones I use. If your making your own sleeves, you can turn and part your own washers.