After much research I decided the only way to go, unless you want untold maintenance, squeaks, and a harsh road ride, was to either go OEM or IL motorsport bushes, both of which are rubber. Picked the IL motorsport ones from MX5 parts during the Easter Sale for just less than ÂŁ300 for all 22.
I have yet to evaluate them as the car is still in a million pieces !
The old bushes were a pig to remove, but the new ons a piece of cake to install in comparison.
I used the threaded bar, washers and suitable length of pipe approach.
Cheers for the input guys, I’ve been a little wary of the poly bushes from things in the past to be honest, I reckon when I do the rebuild I’ll stick with rubber bushes, just wondered what the general consensus was really and if anyone had used these ones…
The car will only get normal road use so the IL rubber ones will be fine,…
Older cars suspension differs to modern link suspension systems designed to transfer/manage loads, vibration and harshness based upon stiff grippy tyres with minimal sidewall movement.
The technology of the day relied upon suppleness that included higher walled tyres within the design which is why low profile tyres and stiffly located suspension don’t work well on them. In fitting stiffer bushes you do get better location but that transfers quite considerable loads back into the body. Great on track but not so good on the road where they can make the car more skittish and twitchy. With Macpherson struts the loads can become extreme - hence strut braces however with double wishbone/control arms this is not the case which is why a suspension strut brace is not really going to benefit a road going MX5 in any way.
On a road car I see no issue with aftermarket bushes on the suspension but not the wishbone to body mounts which I [personally] would replace with rubber. Cheap type poly bushes only ensure the suspension is stiff. Use the correct [softer] Shore rating and ensure they and the crush tubes are greased properly with correct grease/lubricant which tends to work better with split mounts. Use fine emery paper in the holes for a smooth surface.
Hi @LffSam
After reading lots of conflicting views on forums here and elsewhere, I am coming towards the same conclusion - IL Motorsport rubber bushes might be the way to go. Would be great to hear how you got on with these - 3+ years on.
(My Mk 2.5 is being restored and upgraded for the track but I wouldn’t want it to be so extreme that it couldn’t be used for occassional business trips or weekends away)
Hi. I sold the car about a year after finishing the resoto. The car felt tight and feedback was great, much better than the tired old bushes. Sorry I can not comment further. Richard