I replaced all the bushings in the front end with urethane and now I need to do the rear. I've been advised (on this forum) to not use urethane in the rear because it would bind up the suspension. So, who has stock rubber bushings? Just the dealer?

Thanks,
Rich

 

When I got my susp done I had the rear end links done at the same time and it seems fine.
So far I have had no complaints. My bushing were from Energy Suspension.

 

I did the same replace all the bushing so far they are fine I use Energy Suspension got them on Victoria British they are cheap but postage and handling is not..

 

It is reccomended to do the watts link and the lower arms, upper arms get the stock rubber. As far as I know, dealer for the oem ones, maybe RB or Mazdatrix. I bought my urethane ones from Mariah, but they can sourced cheaper either online, or try Nopi and Summit.

 

Mazdatrix has them

 

I got mine from lordco.

 

The older and softer the link bushings are (especially the uppers) the better. They allow for more twist and compliance and reduce oversteer. You want a balanced suspension and the geometry of the stock suspension isint very good.

 

don't put polly in the uppers or the watts. just don't do it. you can put them in the lowers, but I wouldn't.

 

So, stock rubber everywhere in the rear, except the sway bar and sway bar end links, right?

Thanks,
Rich

 

From what I've read and what I did, the recommended use of ploy in the rear is that you can do the sway bar links and the watts linkage, plus if you want to you can do the upper control arms. I went with the sway bars and the watts linkage and left the control arms stock rubber. Handles real well and doesn't seem to bind or have any nasty snap oversteer. Also, make sure you lube the poly, especially on the watts linkage as the bushings experience a lot of rotation and could bind or make noise otherwise. The sway bars really don't have this problem so its not a big deal although the lube will help keep them quiet.

 

I would agree with that.

The upper arms work against the lower arms. Then when you through in the offset mounting of the Watts you have 3 things working against each other when the bushings are too stiff.



-billy

 

I thought that the OEM rubbers in the rear links are basically a _part_ of the link, ie you can't just slid them out and replace them with new factory rubbers. Mazda doesn't list the rubber inserts as separate from the links, you gotta buy the whole arm. Has something changed and now there are OEM rubber replacements??
Stu Aull
80 GS
Alaska

 

Thats mazda so that you have to buy the hole arm , but energy suspision makes them in urethane I bught them, I took the arms to a local shop and they installed them using a press...

 

Yea, I haven't found the stock rubber bushings. As 7aull said, the parts catalog doesn't list them...just the whole arm. VB (oops, I mean Black Dragon) lists them that way too, and they are prohibitively expensive. So, I am resigned to leaving everything as-is (except the sway bar bushings and end links) or replacing with urethane.

Rich