slomo85

iTrader: (8)

perhaps i shoud state my question more clearly. i think the mazdatrix look stronger than the racingbeat design. is that true, or is the under 5 dollar difference not even worth it...

scathcart

Its not really about strength... both will suffice in strength just fine.

The Mazdatrix endlinks are really more race-bred than the RB design. Polyurethane has a tendency to bind, especially after the lubrication washes off after a few months. This was always the problem with polyurethane bushing squeak... and although adding graphite to the bushings helps, it does not eliminate the binding issue. Polyurethane binds in its axis of movement, always.
Now... something else to consider: these bushings will also twist and deflect as the suspension travels up and down... this was one of the reasons why Mazda went with plastic spherical balljoints on the S5's. Not only are they binding about their axis of intended movement, but they are severely deforming under suspension travel.
Bad.
This is what causes the S4 endlinks to deteriorate so rapidly, and they are built with rubber that was MEANT to deflect. Hence, the change to the S5 balljoint endlinks.

The mazdatrix bushings are spherical metal balljoints. These are pretty much perfect for suspension bushings... you would want to run then at every bushing position if you could 1) tolerate the cost of the bushings, and 2) tolerate the intensely rough ride.
These balljoints will not bind or deflect under any movement or load... but, they will wear out if not kept greased AND sealed.
The mazdatrix units are not sealed as sold.

Both the RB and Mazdatrix units are adjustable.

So: the RB units will bind the suspension and wear under suspension travel. They will be minutely quieter.
The mazdatrix units will not bind, but will wear under suspension travel as sold. Don't ask me how quickly they will wear to unusable state, I dunno, I run my own design using sealed greasable spherical balljoints. Far superior design, don't bind, don't wear out, and cost about $60 for a set of 4.

If I wear completely incapable of screwing a nut and bolt together, I yould buy the mazdatrix units over the RB units.

slomo85

iTrader: (8)

ok, that's what i was thinking, to bad they are unsealed though. i have been googling, looking for somewhere to get sealed spherical bearings. know of any online places for these? meh, best bet is probabally some local place... or maybe come up w/some sort of rubber seal myself. bah, i don't know...

slomo85

iTrader: (8)

ok, now that i have had more time to search. i find all the metal spherical bearings I need. I just can't find any sealed ones... more searching i guess, but I am running out of search terms, lol...later

uRizen

iTrader: (2)

And where can someone get a hold of these?

slomo85

iTrader: (8)

mazdatrix.com man...

I like how they have all this stuff for the 2nd gen, all in one location. And I usually go there looking for stuff before racingbeat.com and corksport.com. Just a pearsonal preferance I guess. And I am still searching for sealed bearings, any hints?...later

edit, if you are refering to the ones that are sealed, I don't know. He made them. Would you post some pics?

slomo85

iTrader: (8)

Aww man. I just found out the difference. It's so simple too... I saw the difference between a sealed/unsealed spherical bearing in a blueprint. They won't look physically different, there is just a thin seal on the outer edges, and a groove like in rotor bearings in the middle. I can't see that in a tiny little picture. Gonna call mazdatrix tomorrow and ask if thiers are sealed, and see if my last order went through. Does anyone know if they make the sealed spherical bearings this small w/a zurk or not? I found larger ones that did...later

scathcart

Geez, you guys just want everything handed to you.
These guys make decent rod ends:
http://www.aurorabearing.com/


The rod end seals go on when you bolt these things on.

Here's one company that supplys them:
http://www.sealsit.com/rodend.asp
Pricing seems... OK on these guys.

I source all my stuff locally, so don't ask me about the above web links.

scathcart

Theirs are not.
No grease fittings either.

Tofuball

It's true! . . .

Anyway, thats awesome, I didnt even know you could buy those so easily.

Anywhere I could find more information on preforming this task? I'm not entirely clear on what parts to buy from that list, or what to do with the parts when obtained.

Could somone clear this up for me?

Thanks!

scathcart

Lemme guess... you want exact part numbers?
My P/N's won't do you any good if you can't source them locally. However, I'm heading to my shop tomorrow and I can remeasure all of the parts. Then, I'll link them to some part numbers from the vendors listed above, and list the exact sizes, followed by some assembly instructions. I don't *think* I have any parts or pre-assembled ones right now, but I will be building a run of them before Christmas.
Assembly is super easy... takes about 2 mins, and involves screwing 2 thing together.

Tofuball

Yay!

THANK YOU, YOU ARE MR. AWESOME.

scathcart

Thank me when I get the numbers.
Dunno how likely it is that I will make it to the shop this weekend... I didn't get as much done tonight as I had hoped. I'll do my best for having them by sunday night.