Bad heim joints in Mazdatrix Super Angle Kit
 

What's Up Everyone,

It's been ages since I've been on the forum, but I wanted to come on here to see if anyone else has experienced a similar problem with these mazdatrix parts.

These are the Mazdatrix Super Steering Angle and Bump Steer Kit for the FC, https://www.mazdatrix.com/SteeringAngle.htm. I bought these a couple years ago, but they have less than 5,000 miles on them. I don't drive the car very often except for a nice day for a cruise and drift days. The heim joints seem to have premature wear and are already going bad. This has resulted in unpredictable handling over bumps, gaps and changes in the road. Let me know if anyone else has seen similar problems. For now, I'll be removing the rack spacers, tie rods and tie rod ends to convert back to stock. I still have the JTP knuckles, so I will have enough angle to have fun with.

*Excuse the rust and dirt, the car has been sitting for the past month.

https://youtu.be/m1sFA2IYDfc

That's normal with rod ends. They wear quickly and need replaced frequently. That's why production cars don't come with them.

I think I get three days out of the rod ends in my rear suspension before they clunk, and a couple months before they move around like that.

Find the highest quality rod ends you can find in that size (they will cost more than the entire bumpsteer kit cost) and get Seals-It type boots for them. That will make them last longer, although they will still be a regular maintenance item.

I'm having a similar issue. I have around 5000 miles in mine, and I just have a small amount of play. I have the bump steer kit, not the angle kit. I don't know what thread they are, so I was going to call Mazdatrix and see if they knew so I could just order better replacements.

I don't agree that they should be getting sloppy this quickly. I ran tie rod ends like this on my mustang for years with no slop to speak of.

Have you pulled yours apart and checked the thread pitch? I don't want to pull mine apart if I don't have to :)

If they use stock inners, the thread pitch is M14x1.5.

The rod end is a different thread pitch than the tie rod threads.


My problem is all in this rod end:


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...6bb1797f81.jpg

I don't know the thread pitch on the heim joint side, if that's what you're asking. I won't take them off until the end of the month after payday so I can buy some replacements.

The weird thing is I have a Ground Control rear camber bar and PBM rear toe arms, and those all have heim joints, but they don't display this same type of premature wear. I guess it's the product itself from Mazdatrix since I'm not the only one having similar issues. I like low maintenance and longevity so I will probably revert back to stock since I don't need this much ridiculous angle to have fun anyways. The JTP knuckles give me more than enough angle for my needs.

Thanks for your input!

Looking at the image, it looks like there simply isn't room for a better rod end without spacing the brake rotor out. Makes sense.

Also check thoroughly for evidence of the rod end running out of travel and binding against anything. That looks like a "high misalignment" style rod end (which wears faster than a normal one) but check it all the same.

There is a good amount of space between the rotor and rod end now. I have different rotors on the front of the car now anyway that have more space than the OE rotors pictures.

It is not running out of travel either, and at full droop as pictured it is at it's furthest travel.

I imagine mazdatrix isn't using very high quality rod ends... But even my first set of QA1 rod ends on my custom tie rod ends only lasted 2 seasons.... my second pair seem to be lasting longer though.

judging from the picture on mazdatrix's site, they're going to have a different sized threaded portion vs. the hole in the end, so make sure you measure both. Also, if they adjust like I assume they do, they're going to be reverse threaded...

Also, make sure you replace it with a high misalignment rod end, My first set didn't have them, and my tie rods ended up limited my suspension travel :p:

I used the Mazdatrix bumpsteer kit and cut the rod end threads down so I didn't have to shorten the rack.

No issue with wear yet though I expected to have it because they were are sealed. 3 seasons use- first two with car garaged and then 3rd after car sat outside for 2 years and all those parts got rusty.

I cleaned the rust up as best I could before that 3rd season to minimize wear.

I had to cut the threads in the adapter deeper on the tie rod side to get them to work. There is barely any adjustment, but it is enough to set the toe properly. But I did not have to cut anything. I also got thinner jam nuts, but did not need to install them to get that proper adjustment.

I know the threads are different on both sides of the adapter.

I also had to cut my inner tie rods, but I have the rack spacers installed so it's to be expected. Perhaps, Blue TII got lucky with some higher quality heim joints on his batch from the manufacturer.

I seem to recall they were inside my front wheels with my wheel and tire set-up. My brake ducts pointed at my tires.

Is that the case for everyone here with failures or are the ball joints outside of the wheel lip with the brake ducts pointed right at them?

It might just be the environment they are operating in on different cars.

My Mazdatrix heim joint swaybar end links started to rattle over bumps about 5-6 years into my 15 years of using them (though they still didn't have noticeable play).

I have no brake ducts, my tie rod ends are inside the wheel. When I replace mine I will probably put a small heat sheild between the rotor and rod end.