I got the new suspension fitted (theres a thread on that if anyone is interested).
But, while fitting it i found:
Both front drop links had worn bushings. although i hadnt hear it from inside the cabin, they had alot of play. (now replaced).
At the rear, i had a completely deteriorated spherical/metal bushing. ‘‘27AR’’ which connects to the rear shocks. now replaced with a polybush
Glad to read on your other thread posts that it sounds like your car is now handling more predictably.
The rear spherical failures are odd in that for some reason, they seem ‘common’ here (would it be too presumptuous to say all NDs made before the production part revision (with the TSB) will see these bearing fails, given enough miles)…but you hardly ever read of this issue on the US forum, despite more users/posters, and a seemingly more magnified on many an ND issue (hoods, trans etc), but as stated, this spherical bushing issue seems almost non-existent. One could argue they may travel on looooog stretches of roads in the states, but that’s a massive generalisation, as shed loads of posters drive and live in down town cities, with presumably all the issues we get too. And many in eastern and northern states, which see conditions which make our weather look like picnic. But still, hub carrier issues seem almost non existant on that forum, and when they are raised, it’s often by a Brit or European, or someone down under.
One wonders ( and this is a bit off the wall) if your car was ever driven a lot in somewhere like Milton Keynes (other new towns available 
) where constant roundabouts do increase unequal tyre wear.
I dont know if that would also affect the bushes - if the car was transferring force more from side to side - than on more straight and twisty roads? 
Anyway, I hope these replacements improve your ride. 
A really good point! I saw this quite often when we used to carry heavy wooden ladders on our vans a few years back.
It is possible that it is a “tolerancing” issue of the parts i.e. some of the parts on earlier cars may have been manufactured with a wide tolerance band (variation around a true or exact dimension) on dimensions which affect the sealing (from muck etc.). Therefore cars where the tolerancing bands used have allowed larger clearances and therefore poorer sealing may fail while those where the parts have smaller clearances may not fail. Mazda may have cured the problem on later cars by tightening up the tolerance bands so that the assembled clearances are always smaller and therefore better sealing. If you get my drift 
If you read my post which you commented on, I didn’t mention anything about its evolution; how it was and how it maybe post TSB. I asked why the US forum seems to have literally zero reports of it occurring on their cars, across any model year. And given that that forum seems to have a trillion reports of issues with other ‘common’ problems, such as hood rubbing, transmissions etc, the hub carrier bush failures is almost non existent. Like i commented, literally every post on that US forum documenting that it has occurred, seems to be from someone in Europe, or Australia.
So how do you find the car now with the new bits fitted?
Well, who knows! Maybe as you say, they drive long distances on straight smooth roads without potholes? Maybe in the USA the dealers change the bushes on customers cars at the first site of any problem to prevent any group litigation
I was just trying to explain why you might have had an issue on your car, but never mind!
Hi,
I haven’t got an issue with my car either.
I also commented that they also drive in conditions similar to ours: inner city and they talk about the ‘state of the roads’ often. If dealers replaced them at the first sign of any problems, surely there would be talk of that on the forum? Still though, it’s a mystery in the absence of reports.
Sure is a mystery. Wonder if the related TSBs refer to any applicable markets?
Hi,
Not sure if this is still on topic… 
The bushing issues were not a root cause of the problem. they were problems found.
I’m pretty sure i now know the 2 issues which led me to stating this post in the first place:
With the new coilovers and roll bars i can now quite happily at anywhere from 20-40mph throw the 1 ton lightweight into corners, roundbouts, and slaloms with enough ferocity to throw myself out of the drivers seat. Its very accurate, direct, and full of grip.
This is true upto approx 60mph.
Once reaching a corner at the 65-70mph mark, i am getting the traction on control coming on, im back to having over and understeer (depending on the turn-in weight transfer and my right foot), but the actual lateral G’s being applied are not very high at all. The car itself is balanced, its easy to feel and to control with the new suspension. but the point is its a stark difference once doubling your MPH.
Put this way - i would not want this car anywhere near the autobahn right now 
The front and especially the rear of the car is very lights and cant keep the tyres on the road.
This will explain my driving impressions initially, and would have amplified and emphasised the rear end rebound on the softer suspension.
So my next part of my ND project will be flat flooring it, diffuser and front splitter. (i’ll leave the wing until last, as i would rather avoid one if possible).
For the Bushing bit - i got some pics when it was on the ramp. This is showing the knakered 27AR and then its new poly (before thee coilover went on).
…one thought to add.
when purchasing the car its come with the Cobalt backbox fitted. having looked under the car, im wondering if that smaller exhaust has really opened up that back section under the car as a severe high pressure area, which is causing the lift… as the OEM backbox is a giant suitcase that fills much of that area.
where do you park it on a beach what year is the car mines a 2019 so five years old now and underneath there is hardly any rust at all.
I agree, it looks very rusty to me. Still can’t get to grips with the OPs apparent handling complaints. I would be more worried about the amount of corrosion and the possible effects on other areas of the car.
That is shocking. It may help in understanding the issues you seem to be having. This does not look like a well looked after example and indicates that it may have been abused in other departments.
There was another pic of the undercarriage of an ND and that too was shocking, and not very old.
I woudn’t say that ‘looking at the underneath’ it don’t look like a ‘well looked after car’- just one which has been used as a, uh, ‘car’, of which is rubbish at preventing rot in the first place.
My up! gti got 46K miles on it and the underneath looks as good as my 16.5K mile ND which has had a very east life, element and use wise, and my Mrs’ 29K mini even better, which has been ours from new and is a daily in all elements. My ND don’t look in the same league as it, underneath, despite being babied.
So it looks like the prior users of the owner’s ND probably just used it as, uh, a car, like 99% of the public do with their cars. Its just this particular car (the ND) is p.poor at stopping this sort of stuff occurring in the first place.
I don’t think that the OP was seeking opinions on the condition of their MX-5 (Despite the extreme topic title), more about the handling. Keep this on topic please?
If a thread don’t go off topic, they just die a different way.
Or folk take offence to other folk’s uninvited opinions and the topic gets locked. Forum etiquette lends itself to staying on topic.
