Has anyone used aftermarket pillow bushes?
 

Just want to no if their is a noticeable diffrence from stock to The feed pillow bushes
Also
Is there a big diffrence pollybushing evrything never experianced it so im asking people that have had it installed

And do they last as long as stock
Thanks

What is a pillow bush?


John

Thers 18 in totle on rx but its a bearing bush and
These seem to be a common problem 2 of my rear upper arms
Are clunking and i just wanted to no how good the after market
Bushes are
Link below

http://www.reworx.com/products_suspension_other.htm

Ok, In the US we call them bushings. If this is not a dedicated track car you are better off buying poly bushings (bushs). The pillow ball bushings are very harsh, they transfer a lot of vibration. There are six factory pillow ball bushings in the rear, replace those with the mazda part. Then the rest with poly bushing of your choice.

Search for "bushings" there is a thread comparing powerflex and superpro.


John

Thanks m8 Im gona replace all the stock bushes anyways
How rough are the upgraded pillow bushes im not to botherd about road harshness
Im running seriously hard springs as well Its rearly goin to be used on road

There is another option to replace the 6 factory Pillow balls. Atomic Rex was selling them for a while, not sure if he still is but you can check in the group buy section. I bought mine from hime because they are greaseless and cheaper than OEM. Easy install aswell.

Thanks m8 for info ill have a look into it
Also how are they like would u say it would out last stock pillows
And how does the greaseless part work is it not using ballbearings ?

Atomic Rex is supposedly still manufacturing these but I've been a little disappointed with the Customer Service so far. Told I would receive tracking info. A few days later, emailed and asked for tracking and was told the package was "lost" and a new set sent. Requested tracking 72hrs ago...crickets.

Apparently other people have gone through this with them only to have their package show up. At the moment, even if my parts do show up, I'd be hard pressed to order again based on my lack of comfort in sending someone $1000 and not receiving tracking info.

I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt based on the Holidays.

Those who have received the pillowball bushings from Atomic Rex has remarked the quality was good.

The FEED kit replaces most of the bushings with pillow balls but I dont think I've seen or heard of anyone using those FEED bushings before. I think cost has something to do with that (almost $1,400) and I'm not sure how fast, cheap, or easy it is to get a replacement pillow ball should you need one from FEED. I would use these on a dedicated track car that's used for competition purposes to really get your money's worth from these pillow balls. Otherwise, I'd go with AtomicRex pillow balls and polyurethane bushings (SuperPro or Powerflex) which is a great combination that is wallet friendly compared to FEED bushings. Another benefit, besides lower cost, of buying a polyurethane bushing kit is that you'll also get (depending on what brand you go with) trailing arm bushings, differential bushings, toe link bushings, steering rack bushings and sway bar bushings. The FEED kit doesnt include these.

I carry and have in stock AtomicRex pillow balls, Powerflex bushings and SuperPro bushings if you'd like to order everything from one source. Send me a private message if you're interested. :nod:

What he means by grease-less is that you dont have to put grease on them, under the dust cap, like you would with OEM pillow balls. AtomicRex pillow balls (theyre actually spherical bearings) should outlast the factory Mazda ones. The initial cost of 6 AtomicRex pillow balls is cheaper than a set of OEM and when it's time to replace them, you can buy replacement bearings for roughly $100 less than what it cost to buy the initial set of AtomicRex rex pillow balls. Theyre cheaper in the long run!

The difference in performance between an aftermarket pillow ball compared to a factory pillow ball in new condition is practically nothing. The difference is durability, particularly when you take the cushion out of the suspension and increase the shock loads on these components. The factory pillow balls come with dust seals, so if you're shopping aftermarket you can expect less life if there are no seals on them. AtomicRex makes a set where they retrofit all-metal spherical bearings into the stock suspension members. Cost is similar to OEM I think.

The bushings on the other hand do change the handling and ride of the car pretty significantly. There are several materials out there: your old worn out stock rubber, new stock rubber, mazdaspeed rubber, poly, delrin, and probably something else I forgot. Some materials will squeak and add to the rattle factor, if that's important to you.

Regardless of whether it's bushings or pillow balls, going from worn parts to new parts is going to help. I see *very* few individuals who go from good stock parts to aftermarket and can make a fair and unbiased comparison. So take that into consideration.

Thanks again for your input realy helpfull
id rather get it sorted out and not have to worry about it few months down the line
But it was just the reliability with the after market pillows i was unsure about but
Atomic rex seems sure that his items will outlast oem part

atomic Rex is def the way to go. Great product, I have had them on my FD for over 6 months and they are still working great.

stock/OEM for the pillow balls bushings is your best option for a street driven car. Heim jointed race bushings will wear a lot quicker, be noisier, require maintenance and be harsher over road irregularities since there is no rubber to cushion out the smaller road irregularities.

Poly makes a decent option for the non pillow ball bushings as do the stiffer Mazda Competition rubber bushings.

I have to admit AtomicRex did have shady customer service but the bushings were of great quality. To protect my greasless bushings I just cleaned the OEM dust covers and reinstalled them in thier original position

If you are going with a Powerflex kit, definately buy from Juan. He has great customer service and is always there when you have questions about install, ask me how I know.

Thanks :icon_tup: I'm always just a PM away if anyone needs me. Reusing your dust boots is a good idea to keep these bushings clean. I do this with customer cars as well. If anyone needs AtomicRex bushings, let me know. I have them in stock as well :icon_tup:

MR2
Youhave had these items for 6 months did u change anythin els or just them pillow and are u confident that it will outlast the oem unit ?

Gracer
Thanks for your input Im unsure but is the standerd pillow bush not a heim design ?
Ive not realy looked into it


And turk
how do u know :)