Hard Race Bushing Failure - Educational

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Klasse
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Re: Hard Race Bushing Failure - Educational

Post by Klasse » Wed Jun 10, 2020 5:48 pm

Those kits also are separate to the swaybar and steering rack bushes, which prob wear about the same? I am just getting up to speed in this area.

Any recommendations between Hardrace and Mugen/Spoon? OEM obviously be nice but its patchy.

The bullet may need to be bitten.
'97 DB8 Integra Type R, '97 EK1 Civic LXi
ex: '94 CD6 Accord SiR, '92 EG9 Civic SiR, '89 DA6 Integra XSi

Little_Nolan
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Re: Hard Race Bushing Failure - Educational

Post by Little_Nolan » Wed Jun 10, 2020 8:03 pm

I am no longer purchasing Hardrace items. Bushings are such a pain to install that it makes purchasing the best quality you can the first time - WORTH IT.

Some things are much easier to do than others but replacing the bushings in LCA's, steering racks, and top hats are generally a huge PITA.

If your car is street driven the majority of the time and sees occasional track days it might be worth ponying up the dought for a spoon or mugen kit.

If you are more track focused,, you could certainly get pieces from Kingpin and know you have probably the best made pieces available.
Current: 97-00305, '19 ZR2 2.8L Duramax, '97 EX Sedan

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JDMJNKY
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Re: Hard Race Bushing Failure - Educational

Post by JDMJNKY » Thu Jun 11, 2020 12:57 am

Appreciate this post. it brings attention to the fact that no company will be perfect in all things. Hardrace, Megan, Truhart all originate from the same factory, we know this. It was once said HR added their own twist, but that's debatable. I do second the hardened rubber vs the flashy stuff. I've ran their hardened stuff in the past and would do it again.

Little_Nolan
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Re: Hard Race Bushing Failure - Educational

Post by Little_Nolan » Thu Jun 11, 2020 9:51 am

JDMJNKY wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 12:57 am Appreciate this post. it brings attention to the fact that no company will be perfect in all things. Hardrace, Megan, Truhart all originate from the same factory, we know this. It was once said HR added their own twist, but that's debatable. I do second the hardened rubber vs the flashy stuff. I've ran their hardened stuff in the past and would do it again.
I will try to address this in the bushing/parts database project CoolhandLuke and I are discussing. My research has indicated that Rocar USA, aka Roca bushings likely produces all the black rubber bushing parts for Hardrace, Megan, Truhart. I am not not sure if they produce Hardraces TPV blue parts though.


Well, it looks like Hardrace has removed the DC2 endlinks and bushings from their website. They were there sometime in the recent past but now they are not on their site.

Interesting :thumbup:
Current: 97-00305, '19 ZR2 2.8L Duramax, '97 EX Sedan

Previous: 97-0322, 97 DB8R, 98-0197, CR-154

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aw614
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Re: Hard Race Bushing Failure - Educational

Post by aw614 » Thu Jun 11, 2020 10:36 am

Oddly enough I had the hardrace front sway bar endlinks and they held up pretty well for nearly 5 years. The TPV material is the same stuff that is used for the hardrace shifter bushing and that has held up well for me. But I did replace the rear bushing as it was making shifting a little too notchy with the speed factory shift springs.

On bushings, I have been curious about getting stuff on rockauto from brands like KYB, acdelco, beck arnley, etc. and if they are from the same source as hard race or of better quality.
-Andrew Wong

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JDMJNKY
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Re: Hard Race Bushing Failure - Educational

Post by JDMJNKY » Thu Jun 11, 2020 10:59 am

Little_Nolan wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 9:51 am I will try to address this in the bushing/parts database project CoolhandLuke and I are discussing. My research has indicated that Rocar USA, aka Roca bushings likely produces all the black rubber bushing parts for Hardrace, Megan, Truhart. I am not not sure if they produce Hardraces TPV blue parts though.
The similarities were just too uncanny, I've suspected that for a while. Giddy, looking forward to what you guys share.

Little_Nolan
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Re: Hard Race Bushing Failure - Educational

Post by Little_Nolan » Thu Jun 11, 2020 12:32 pm

aw614 wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 10:36 am Oddly enough I had the hardrace front sway bar endlinks and they held up pretty well for nearly 5 years. The TPV material is the same stuff that is used for the hardrace shifter bushing and that has held up well for me. But I did replace the rear bushing as it was making shifting a little too notchy with the speed factory shift springs.

On bushings, I have been curious about getting stuff on rockauto from brands like KYB, acdelco, beck arnley, etc. and if they are from the same source as hard race or of better quality.
What is your climate/where do you live?

Miles and track/street driving?
Current: 97-00305, '19 ZR2 2.8L Duramax, '97 EX Sedan

Previous: 97-0322, 97 DB8R, 98-0197, CR-154

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aw614
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Re: Hard Race Bushing Failure - Educational

Post by aw614 » Thu Jun 11, 2020 1:08 pm

Little_Nolan wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 12:32 pm
aw614 wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 10:36 am Oddly enough I had the hardrace front sway bar endlinks and they held up pretty well for nearly 5 years. The TPV material is the same stuff that is used for the hardrace shifter bushing and that has held up well for me. But I did replace the rear bushing as it was making shifting a little too notchy with the speed factory shift springs.

On bushings, I have been curious about getting stuff on rockauto from brands like KYB, acdelco, beck arnley, etc. and if they are from the same source as hard race or of better quality.
What is your climate/where do you live?

Miles and track/street driving?
Im in Florida, I put them on sometime in 2013 or 2014. And put around 30k miles on them, autocrossed the car at least once a month and did two track days with them. I did replace them with OEM units sometime last year as I thought I was having noises from them, that ended up being something else. I'll see if I can find them to post pictures of how they look as I kept them.

But on the HR bushings on the LCAs, I have seen similar failures on my friend's old civic.
Last edited by aw614 on Thu Jun 11, 2020 1:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-Andrew Wong

Little_Nolan
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Re: Hard Race Bushing Failure - Educational

Post by Little_Nolan » Thu Jun 11, 2020 1:15 pm

Good info and nice to hear they were not in too bad of shape.

Pictures are good!
Current: 97-00305, '19 ZR2 2.8L Duramax, '97 EX Sedan

Previous: 97-0322, 97 DB8R, 98-0197, CR-154

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aw614
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Re: Hard Race Bushing Failure - Educational

Post by aw614 » Thu Jun 11, 2020 4:29 pm

This is how my endlinks looked like when I took them off.
sketch-1591910833150.png
sketch-1591910833150.png (2.37 MiB) Viewed 1349 times
sketch-1591910857854.png
sketch-1591910857854.png (2.48 MiB) Viewed 1349 times
-Andrew Wong

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