Now blueprinted! Bearing pre-load is reset on each hub for tighter tolerances.
Consider the forces on a front wheel that the average driver generates on a trip to the store, to work or school. Now consider the forces that same corner of the car endures in every turn in a racing situation with a driver who is pushing the car to its limits. Multiply that by the number of turns on each lap and by 30 laps…or maybe multiply that by 24 or 25 hours, and wonder what that wheel is going through.
Now you understand why racecars need heavier duty hubs and bearings than road cars. The heat generated can be much greater than that experienced in normal road use, and that is especially true in endurance racing.
“We start with a stock hub and have a company disassemble them and take out the OEM grease,” says Mike Allen, MAZDASPEED specialist at Mazda North American Operations. “We remove the ball bearings and replace them with a much better, more precise, more round ball bearing, which gives a lot better life and a lot better wear. The grease we put back in is a high-quality, synthetic lube that tends to stay in the hub a lot better. But really it’s the ball bearings that really improve the durability of that front hub.
“The more precise the ball bearing is, the more you can have consistent sphericity and it’s more of an even load distribution. If you have one of those bearings that is slightly larger than the others, it’s going to be taking most of the force. In addition, now pre-load on the hub bearings is being adjusted for tighter tolerances.”
The hub comes in two configurations, regular and endurance. The endurance hub has longer ARP studs to aid tire changes in pit stops.
Although Mazda Motorsports does not offer a heavy duty rear hub flange or bearing – the rear doesn’t take quite the same forces – it is a piece that needs to be looked at and replaced on a regular basis. So Mazda Motorsports does offer the stock rear hub flange and bearing for the Miata, which are separate pieces.
All registered racers get a substantial discount through the parts support program. Find more information here.
Part numbers
FRONT HUBS (1990-2005)
0000-04-5HUB-01 Heavy Duty With Standard Length Wheel Studs (Non ABS)
0000-04-5HUB-S1 Heavy Duty Enduro Spec With 2.25” ARP Wheel Studs (Non ABS)
REAR HUB FLANGES / BEARINGS (1990-2005)
B01A-33-060A Rear hub flange
B455-33-047D Rear wheel bearing
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