Blueprinted hubs - Mazda Comp vs. TCM/ART/5XR
 

I need to replace both front hubs on my car, and I'm willing to spend a bit more on a hub that's going to last longer. Looks like there are several places that will sell blueprinted hubs, and I'm trying to figure out which makes the most sense. Here's what I've found:

Mazda Motorsports - These are the only ones I've found who claim that they actually upgrade the ball bearings plus better grease. They're pricey at $235 per hub though.

Treasure Coast Miata - I like the price point ($115 ea. with ARP studs). I emailed TCM about their process, and they said: "We disassemble the core, clean, measure/inspect the races and balls. If they check out to be in spec we reassemble with a MUCH better grease." So the main upgrade here is just the grease, it would seem.

ART and 5X Racing are both similar in that they both claim the "blueprinting" process is mainly just inspecting and repacking with a different grease. ART wants $192 ea. (via FM) and 5X Racing wants $100 but they are currently not available on the site.

So, I guess the main question is, are the Mazda Motorsports hubs worth the extra ~$100 for better ball bearings, vs. a hub that's just repacked with better grease? Anyone have experience with the TCM hubs? I saw the thread on ARTs.

(I realize there is a third option here of buying a Timken or something and repacking myself, but I don't think I will have time to do that before the next race...)

How in the world is TCM measuring roundness tolerance in a G50 ball (OEM)?

I buy Gilfus hubs through Mazdacomp, but I'm not perfectly happy with them. The rear seals seem to be pretty finnicky.

Are the tcm-art-5xr hubs new or "refurbished"?

TCM and 5XR both state that they are refurbished OEM hubs. Not sure about ART but I imagine they probably are refurbished also.

Gilfus is the company that provides the hubs to Mazda Comp? Finicky how - do they leak?

Are any of them a real improvement over $25 front hubs?

Yes. Go search, please.

Guessing they mic them at a single spot to make sure they still in the g50 spec (±2 tenths from nominal) for diameter and inspect for pitting. Really doubt they actually measure them at that price, thats a fuck load of labor.

Are any of these people actually putting in silicone nitride G10 BBs?

Guys, you don't need to pay all that money. Take your old bearings (or use new) apart and check for pitting (after cleaning of course). If you don't find any, simply take out the inner races and "re-finish" them (using a flat surface and sandpaper, sand the inside faces a few thousands (this allows more "preload" on the bearing when you torque them together. I have yet to find any exact tolerances published (i'm sure someone has some ballpark figures that work well) This is how i service hubs/bearings on Ferrari challenge cars (yeah, these cost over $1000 per corner and are "non-serviceable"

Thanks, I'm aware that I can service them myself... but I don't have the time.

The TCM hubs are a pretty small upcharge from just buying a new Timken, so I'm leaning toward that route, unless there's a big longevity increase with the Mazda Comp units.

So I bought the TCM hubs - will report back once they're on the car and I've run them a bit. I got 55 track hours out of the OEM hubs (which already had ~120k street miles on them), but only 17 hrs on the eBay replacements. Hoping the TCM hubs can do a bit better than that...

Just ordered TCM as well... With $20 rebate for sending in the old ones it seems like a deal.

Here's a probably dumb question: usually I put some grease on the spindles before I install the new hubs, but in this case I don't know what type of grease TCM used to repack. Should I worry about mixing incompatible greases if I use the Redline grease I have lying around?

Stop overthinking. Just grease your damn shaft with whatever you have.

Any updates on longevity of the TCM unit ?

I'm about to pull the trigger on the TCM "blueprinted" hub but see that TCM also have new Timken for a reasonable amount. If I repack the Timken myself ( or pay TCM $37 to do it ) .. would that be "better" than the "blueprinted" oem refurb ?

Bump .. anyone with experience on longevity of these TMC hub ? Should elaborate that this will be going into an Exo so less weight / stress on the unit .. maybe grease wont get so hot and the new Timken ( with the 'worse' grease ) will be better ?

I pmed op a few months back and said he didnt have any issues yet, but hasn't put much time on them either.

Okay thanks Sean.

Order them right before they had a price increase. 1K miles later and so far so good, but then again, only time will tell!

About to order the Treasure Coast hubs but figured I'd check here for an update. Are they still holding up?

Yes, still smooth as buttah!