Can't Get Rubber Bushes

  1. My model of MX-5 is: ND
  2. I’m based near: Edinburgh
  3. I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: Rubber Bush Availability

I need to replace the NS and OSR upper rose bushes on my ND but local garage can’t seem to source them from either Mazda or other suppliers - Mazda is trying to sell them the complete hub unit at £500 per side. Local garage is talking about poly bushes instead but thought I’d put some feelers out to see if anyone knows where to source the standard rubber bushes. Thanks, Charlie

MX-5 parts sell the poly bushes also, but check, they may do rubber also.

This post may help with background to this issue. Nd rear hub carrier bushes - Technical Area / Steering & Suspension - MX-5 Owners Club Forum (mx5oc.co.uk)
:heart:

Two years later, I am in the same predicament. It think MX-5 Parts only sell poly bushes, is there any reason not to use them? And the price of the Mazda solution is now £632+VAT!!
Charlie, how did you eventually solve the sourcing of bushes?
Club members, any advice gratefully received :slight_smile:
Thank you, John

I seem to remember Andrew Leslie has a kit to replace these at a fraction Mazda cost. Search on various sites for info.

I’ve noticed this around the forum and online quite a bit - I don’t own an nd but due to the mtce involved car manufacturers don’t tend to use rose joints very often on road cars as they’re more unforgiving and prone to fail and seize than regular bushings unless regularly cleaned and greased.

If the car is equipped with rose joints from factory you really shouldn’t notice any harshness from changing even with poly bushes really aside from lack of articulation. Rose joints are pretty solid generally unless this is somehow a composite of metal, plastic or rubber components to make them less hardcore.

I would personally think twice before going from rubber to hard polybushings or rose joints, but wouldn’t be concerned about going from rose joints to poly at all.

There are a number of sellers offering replacement spherical bearings, this is one source I found, not an endorsement.

Hello John

Just trawled through my emails to see what I ordered in the end:

Rear Hub Carrier Upper and Lower Trailing Arm Bush

Paid £165 from MX5 parts back in 2021 and got a local garage to fit for me - can’t say I noticed any difference in firmness of ride and have had no problems.

Hope that helps, good luck with your fix

Charlie

Charlie, many thanks for your comments, it gives me some confidence to go a similar route…

Best regards, John Perry

Thank you Ian, a way forward is coming into focus…

John Perry

Many tx Dean for your thoughts, John Perry

Just bought myself a full set of 4 including removal/insert tool for £385 inc’ postage from Brian McCloud: bmceng@hotmail.co.uk Garage will fit them for me on a 2017 ND, with 40k miles, seriously clunking at the back.

Update 7 December as spherical bushes changed yesterday (mechanic insisted on referring to them as rose bushes). Now drives like a new car! Seriously, what a difference it’s made. Photos attached of the kit I bought and the old ones removed.




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Another source here:

White line from another source, useful comments on fitting

Great options, thank you. I have got some on back order now and the garage lined-up to for them… Hopefully in time for the better weather :+1::grinning:

Thank you, Markito, glad your car feels great now.
Yes there are a few solutions to this now, but only a true spherical bearing replicates the Mazda intention, to have fixed, defined points of support and rotation. This solution designed by myself in 2020 uses premium spherical bearings, each with a dynamic load rating of 3000kg, and a static load rating of 8000kg, which means these will maintain their integrity for a long time. Happy motoring my friend.
Best wishes
Brian McCloud

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The whiteline bushes are so cheap I thought I’d take a look. First impression, looks a nice unit, heavy as machined parts are all steel. Very stiff to move but once moved at an angle it’s easier.
Seals popped straight off without much effort, a little worrying.
Pressed the inner out far too easily in my opinion, there is no positive retention, purely held together by a press fit.
Conventional ball joint construction very similar to the Mazda original. I could see immediately the reason they move easier the further at an angle they are moved. The inner and outer bearing surfaces are the same width, this means that at an ever increasing angle there is less and less contact surface area.
Lastly, the fit of these in the hub will be very tight as the outside diameter is 0.08 to 0.1mm greater than Mazda spec, the material being steel and the form of the outer surface mean these are gonna put a lot of pressure on the hub. Removing the Mazda bushes can be tough but after a few years of dissimilar metal corrosion and the class of fit that these are, subsequent removal will probably need removal of the hubs and the use of a hydraulic press.