mx5cartalk.com

DISCLAIMER
If you believe this job should only be done by an authorised dealer or professional using genuine Mazda parts specifically manufactured for your car, please move on as there is nothing of interest here.

This information is provided in good faith.
If you chose to use this information, you do so at your own risk.

If you have an ABS equipped MX5 NB that requires a replacement front hub, have some mechanical ability and want to save some money for minimal effort, read on-

BACKGROUND
The MX5 front hubs/bearings are not adjustable and non serviceable. If it is worn, the hub and bearings are replaced as a unit.
The genuine hub is good for in excess of 100,000 km however when they do wear out, many are replaced with after-market copies due to cost.
Many of these after-market copies are wearing out within 30,000 km, some sooner.
General opinion is that the genuine Mazda hub is the best value.

To replace my front hub, I ordered a genuine NB8A non-ABS hub (Part# NA01-33-04X) for $200ish from a Mazda dealership.
Out of curiosity, I asked about the genuine ABS equipped hub (Part# NA23-33-04XA) and was also advised that it was around $500ish

REMOVING THE HUB
A guide to the removal and replacement of the front hub can be found HERE and is the same for the NA and the NB.

CAUTION
This process will only work for genuine Mazda hubs!
The below photo's shows the 3 different hubs I was working with, note the difference between the non-genuine and the genuine hubs, the ABS rings have a different inner diameter.





THE PROCESS
Remove the hub as per the guide above and give the old one a clean.

If you have access to a press, being careful to avoid damaging the ring, press it off the old hub and then press it onto the new hub.
Refit the hub and you’re done

If you don’t have access to a press, place the hub in a vice or similar and gently tap the ring off the hub using a hammer and piece of wood. Remember that all you want is the ring, preferably undamaged.


(this is the new hub in position as the ring popped off the old hub before I could get a photo)



Note the difference between the cheaper non-ABS hub and the ABS equipped hub, you can clearly see why Mazda charge the extra money.

Invert the new hub and tap the ABS ring on using a piece of wood until it is flush.


Dry mount the hub onto the stub axle and spin to ensure the ABS ring is running true, adjust if required.

That’s it, you’re done



Reassemble the hub as per the above instructions

Full size photo's can be found here

If you are or have replaced your hub with either a genuine or non-genuine hub, you might want to keep the old ABS ring.

A sad sign when you need to include a disclaimer on a "how to guide"

good stuff, de Bounce. thanks for contributing.

nice work there. I replaced mine with non genuine ones about 10,000kms ago..the new hub rings were mushc larger than the standard unit

not going to say how i made them fit though

Great write up. Thanks for sharing.

This is what Mania recommended I do for my NB8B and it's what they offer for ABS fitted MX5. Huge savings as you know - something like 60%

Back from the dead! I found this thread while looking for something else, and thought it worth updating. The following does not really apply to strictly road cars, but still ...

The 'Mazda' hubs above may be getting a bit scarce. They remain the gold standard though, still. If tracking on slicks/semi-slicks (R-specs) especially if turbo, do not settle for less. Specifically, do not settle for hubs where the back web has been machined flat to take the studs. A machined circular relief as per above photos is OK, but not the full flat machining of that area. It seems (from at least the USA track crowd) that they are prone to cracking, and worst case catastrophic hub failure and loss of wheel . Plenty of photos on MT.net, not for the faint-hearted. Although it looks insubstantial, that vestigial web around the stud appears to make a real difference in prolonging the hub life (or maybe the people who make the 'flat' hubs just use crappy steel).

The USians are working on a couple of new front hub designs with better bearings and more strength, but don't hold your breath. The fix for the rear hubs is the SADFab adaptation of the MR2 hub, a simple bolt-on swap, a lovely bit of kit .

There's a new solution, albeit pricey, for the front hubs. It's what the 949 and Trackspeed guys are going to for their track cars. Meant to be a one and done replacement, instead of new hubs each season.

https://www.miatahubs.com/

Todd Herring switched to Bosnjak hubs last year with a few people swearing by them. ABS compatible and all, though they are $1200 a set apparently (still cheaper than $600USD ea from MiataHub plus international postage & duties etc).If you're swapping failed hubs often, these may be the go long term, cost and reliability wise.
https://www.terrybosnjakengineering.com.au/billett-hubs

Thanks for those updates fellas! Now I remember seeing the Bosnjack hubs, but not the price. My SADFab rears cost me $500 for the pair, landed, and a front set around that price would get my attention. I like the look of the US solution, but I could see that ending up around $2k landed. I can see me keeping a close eye on my stockers for some time into the future ...

If there was some group buy that got a big (and I mean big) price reduction on the Bosnjak ones, I might stretch, but I think it unlikely that I could stretch to what would likely still be a four figure number. However I am expecting a phone call this week from the lotteries office, and things might change then