Questions on suspension parts
 

Wrapping up the suspension here shortly - just need a few more parts, and I have a few questions.

1. Is anyone familiar with the MMR spherical bearings? Do they retain the factory toe adjustment?

2. I'll be doing the DTSS deletes here shortly and I think I have a good idea of what needs to be done. I know I need a 32mm socket but is there anything else I should be aware of? How much of a pain in the ass is the install?

3. Along the lines with (2), but how much of a pain is it to remove/reinstall the rear control arms? Just thinking about installing the MMR spherical bearings.

4. Anything else I need to know when screwing around with things back there?

Simplest way is to remove entire rear suspension, rebuild, then reinstall.

I don't Know about the MMR bearings, but I don't see how they could remove the rear tow adjustment, the rubber bushings have the hole in the center.

I have not done a DTSS delete, as my cars DTSS is not worn out yet and works very well. Sorry I can't help with that one.

1. Don't know.
2. Take a look here. May not be what you'll do but has some information you can use. http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/rrsteer.htm
I recommend removing the entire knuckle assembly so its easier to press in/out with a vise/press/threaded rod. You can also replace any other old (20yr old) suspension rubbers and clean the suspension while you're at it.
3. Dropping the subframe may make your life easier if you want to do this. It's heavy if you have the diff and arms still attached so be careful.
4. Safety first. Consult the FSM too.

The MMR spherical bearings replace the forward bushing on the rear control arms, which is the one that contains the factory toe adjustment, I believe. I was originally going to replace the bushing with one from the Energy Suspension kit but after doing some reading it is not recommended to replace that is you have adjustable camber links (MMR or AWR). This is where I first heard of the MMR bearings as most people recommend those or to stick with stock if you have the adjustable links. Here is MMR's website: http://www.mmr-direct.com/.

Regarding the other stuff I have a FSM and I'm familiar with Mazdatrix's walkthrough so I have a vague idea of what needs to be done. My biggest concerns right now are removing the 32mm nut as I don't have an impact wrench and pushing the axle in so I can remove the carrier/hub assembly.

Easiest way I've found to remove the rear subrame is this.

Jack up the car and remove the exhaust from the cat back
Remove the driveshaft
Remove the muffler heat shields
Reposition jacks underneath "Frame Rails"
Grab two creepers, three jacks and two friends.
Two jacks go at either end of the subframe, and one under the diff.
Lower all three together onto the 2 creepers and slide the whole assembly out.

Takes me all of 25 minutes.

When removing the axles, unscrew the nuts until they are at the end of the stud. Hit with ball pien hammer. Remove the nuts, push the studs out, the axle falls away ;)

MMR bearings do in fact retain factory toe adjustment. they supply a block off plate for the cam, but you can just reuse the OEM cambolt and adjuster plate thingy. i have them in my car.
the design is def better than mazdatrix/AWR (whoever) bearings, which require welding. MMR's use a retaining clip. just try not to get angry when your shit doesnt show up for 2 months lol

and while your subframe is out you might as well do its bushings. either mazdacomp or delrin. subframe bushings dont really add too much NVH, so i dont see a reason not to just do delrin.

dtss is easy. use a 2 jaw puller and find a socket thats the right size to press the bushing in/out. word of warning tho, be careful how you place the puller on the hiub. its all aluminum, so if the jaw is barely hanging on to an edge, it can break off. not really a big deal, just makes it harder to position the puller in a way that works.
or use a press i guess..

removing the axle nut is pretty easy. just have someone stand on the brake, and use a breaker bar with a pipe on it.

Alright well I went ahead and placed on order for the MMR bearings. I also have the Mazdacomp front differential mount, subframe mounts and differential stop washers on order. Hopefully everything won't take 2 months to arrive because I'd like to get all these things installed and get the car aligned before the NASA season starts out here.

So as I'm getting closer to ripping out the rear suspension I figured I'd bump this...

I've got just about everything for my rear end swap (4.30:1 ring and pinion and Miata T2 Torsen going in). I'm replacing all the differential mounts with the Mazda Competition ones and one question I had was whether it would be wise to replace the subframe mounts during the process? Usually I wouldn't question the matter but at $90/piece they are quite expensive for rubber mounts.

i'd do it just for the fact that its such a pain in the ass to get the subframe back out. you're putting all that other crap in there so why not.

That was my reasoning, but after spending $1k+ on rear differential and subframe crap, I was really not wanting to spend another $200.

How bad are the delrin subframe mounts? I've been hesitant to go with anything "solid" (hence all the competition mounts), but at $120/set they are significantly less expensive than the stock Mazda pieces (at least according to Mazdatrix). Would there be any downside to having those solid, while everything else is "stiff" rubber?

On another note, I'm still waiting for the spherical bearings from MMR. Got the PayPAL shipping notification last Friday and still nothing (shouldn't take a week to ship from TN to OH!).

if the diff mounts arent solid, i dont see any reason why solid subframe mounts would add more vibration. they're just a second level of vibration damping from the diff.
delrin is probably not gonna be noticable.

MMR can be slow sometimes- I heard of others complaining about them but they've always delivered in the end.

I also recommend biting the bullet and replacing as much as you can when everything is out. Granted, it does depend on your budget and personal judgment.

Good luck.

The rear diff mounts don't really affect much. I have them w/ the comp front diff mount, pinion snubber, and derlin trans/ motor mounts. Vibration is not bad, and this is on a daily driven car.

I'll check this thread in a month, you MIGHT have your MMR order by then.

I have all the competition mounts for the engine, transmission and differential.

As for vibrations, I'm not worried about the differential because it is isolated with a rubber mount from the subframe. However, with delrin subframe mounts all the suspension vibration will be transmitted straight from the control arm to the subframe (via spherical bearing) and then into the body (via delrin subframe bushings). I guess all this would do is make the vibrations from rough roads more intense in-cabin, correct?

Well, I got everything installed this past weekend. Aside from breaking the speedometer drive gear in the transmission (so currently no speedometer) everything went okay.

I'm disappointed how much drivetrain lashing I still get; even with the full set of Mazda Comp. engine, transmission and differential mounts and delrin subframe mounts. The only thing with the stock rubber back there is the vertical stabilizer bar. What I call "lashing" is the jerking/bouncing and noise associate with on/off/on throttle transitions. Because I lack the proper tools, I had a shop set the backlash and ring gear contact so I don't know why there is more noise going on unless they didn't do it correctly. I also did not install a pinion snubber as I didn't think it would be needed, but I'm guessing that was a mistake.

Is there something else going on here or is this just a fact of life with a FC?