Here's part of the email from Hsport, how to tell the difference between the two versions.

Hope this helps!

 

What is H-Sport doing for those of us that have the older style bushing? Even if I haven't had a problem yet I don't like the idea that it could fail during spirited driving. Will they do a recall? Do they have a fix for the old style? Thanks for the info.
Dan

 

I just called H-sport and the person I spoke with at first denied any problem with the bushings. After a brief discussion about some information on a couple of bushing failures, he admitted that he did hear of a bushing problem with a "full race mini that was driven very hard and did not lubricate the bushing correctly".

 

Would the heim joints hold up to track use??? Others posted that may be harsh or noisy for street use. Or the heim joints wears out they become loose. Just reading the board before making a purchase.

 

Thanks MB! I'm pretty sure I have the older variety, but I'll look over the weekend...

 

Just to be very clear. I did not say there was a design or mfgr problem per se, I said one failed on my car and wondered if anyone else has seen this. The parts were installed professionally and lubed properly.

The response I got from H-sport did NOT say there was a problem, either. I was told there are two versions of the arms, and the reason for two versions was not explained, either. I am not reading anything into that fact as there are lots of reasons why products are changed. I can guess, but that is only a guess, and I'd rather wait and see how things progress.

I don't think we are in any position to make any claims one way or the other. However, whoever you talked to may not have the full story. My car is NOT full race, nor do I race it. Just a few track days a year. Yes, I drive it 90-100% at the track. I would expect bushings to never fail, but wearing out is normal. If I have to replace bushings once a year, I don't care. I just don't want a "failure" on the track that could hurt me or someone else.

To be completely fair to H-sport, let's not jump to conclusions on this. If you have a concern, inspect your car. If all looks fine, no worries. But if you still have a concern, check back here later and see how things work out in my case. For all I know, maybe the bushing was bad, maybe the installer screwed up. The main thing I want to know is I can trust the parts on my car.

 

Below are some pictures of the bushing, and the arm.

Here's a thought. It's possible to apply a substantial amount of torsional pressure on the bushing when tightening the lock nuts on the arm. I wonder if this might be the culprit? The arms were "professionally" installed, but you know how that can go...

 

When lubing suspension bushings you WANT a sticky lubricant. If you cannot get a hold on the stuff powerflex uses some good ol' anti-sieze is the next best thing..........

 

It's sticky alright! I put a sandwich baggie on my hand when I work with that stuff...

With that said, how does one pump that stuff through the zerk fittings? If one must only apply that consistency of lubricant (very thick), then arm removal is required, I would think. Sort of defeats the purpose of the zerks...

Mine have not squeaked yet, and its been about 12k miles since I installed them with that sticky stuff. When they do finally make some noise, my plan was to shoot something like lithium through the zerks with a grease gun. I'd rather do that every 3 or 4 months (5 min job) as compared to yanking the arms out once year.

I just put some anti-seize on my spark plugs, and still have some extra. I can't imagine applying that stuff with a grease gun though. If doable, I'd love to hear...

 

anti-seize may be sticky, but it is not a lubricant. It contains metal particles, copper, aluminum or nickel, in my experience.


I use the H&R bars which have lube-free, teflon lined bushings. no squeaking, no lubing.

 

So, one week ago today I sent pictures of the H Sport lower arms on my Mini, and was told they would send new bushings and grease when they received the images. So they have the pics on Monday.

I sent another email Thursday, asking the status, even asking if they thought it was my fault. No answer.

One week later, no parts. I called, and after being on hold for several minutes, was told no one knows anything and put on hold again as the guy who answered the phone went to ask his co-workers. A minute later, next thing that happens is I'm routed to Mark Hotchkis's voice mail. No warning, no "I'm sorry, you will need to speak with..." etc. I thought WTF!

Man, I hate giving bad reviews but I am leary to recommend H Sport at this point. Products seem good but the support is pretty weak so far.

 

Thanks for the update, albeit not what we were hoping to hear...

Let's give them the benefit of the doubt at this time, although that might be hard to do. Get a class of that fine Napa wine, and wait for Mark to ring you back. Keep us informed...

 

I am getting 4 new ones after I called today. I will take pics once I get the arm and bushing out. I will take a look at the bushing since they are a complete rubber bushing. Stock ones and all other bushings for trailing arms that I saw have a metal sleeve in the them.


Alex

 

a few months back my passenger side rear outer bushing failed, pretty much splitting in half and dangling. very noticeable when up on a lift, which luckily my mini was. unfortunately i missed out on the driving school because of it.

i tried to get the replacement bushing in time, but i too had a delay on my replacement shipping of bushings. somewhere along the line i was told to wait for a week or two for the replacements to arrive. i waited 3 and finally had to call to remind them. the fellow helping me was quite helpful and did everything possible to make sure it was going out this time. and it did, but unfortunately too late for driving school.

i talked to eric at helix and both he and randy reported no problems of bushings failing on the h-sport control arms. h-sport themselves stated the same things that was already discussed on here: probably due to installation error or not enuff lube. the polyurethane bushings are supposed to be tuff stuff.

as far as i know, nobody else in hawaii has had this problem yet. and there were a bunch of us who had ordered the h-sports. so far in ~5k miles of driving i haven't noticed any problems yet, but i will be keeping an eye out. if i do get another failed bushing, i probably will swap out for another.

 

kbseto,
mine failed in the same manner. I can see where a third possible install issue exists with these bars that might cause premature failure of the bushing.

Bars are installed and then the alignment. When tightening the large lock nuts, it is possible to apply a substantial amount of twist or torsional pressure on the bushings. I noticed this when I went to replace the bar. Removal was ok, but when I went to slide in the bolt, I noticed the bushing sleeve did not line up with holes, the bar was twisted. I had to loosen one lock nut to rotate the bar so the holes lined up.

So, I wonder? Tightening the lock nuts can twist the bar, thereby putting a lot of static, torsional pressure on the bushing. Combine that with hard track driving. Can the combo of static torsional force and normal corning force be the culprit? Seem logical to me!

 

Here is the pic of my failed bushing. The others were okay.

Alex

 

yep, static torsional force already present combined with cornering stresses sounds like a pretty good theory to me. especially, since nobody else seems to have any logical explanations besides installation error for the failed bushings, which are supposed to be quite durable.

btw, of those in hawaii who ordered the h-sport rear control arms, pretty much most, if not all, of us had them installed at the same shop. and i do believe that they have only one primary guy who deals with all the european cars. plus, i believe i was the last of the bunch to have the control arms installed. that is why i find it hard to believe that installation error was responsible for the failure.

 

Thanks for the info.

They're sending me a complete set of bushings, all four, and grease. I'm going to install them myself this time and see how things go. Sept 24 will be another track day.

If I get another failure, I will probably try another product.

 

How long have you had your lower control arms installed before the bushing issue was noticed?

I'm planning to be at Thill on 9/24 also - what run group are you?

 

kbseto,

I've attached the photos that I took of your bushing problem (hope you don't mind).

DaKineMINI

 

Mine failed after 1000KMs of highway driving.


Alex

 

Here's a video of Thill clockwise to wet your appetites

Thill clockwise