ESMRace Spherical Review
08-23-2016, 04:41 AM
#1
ESMRace Spherical Review
Hey guys! I found this company a few months ago and hit them up to ask a few questions about their products as the idea of a spherical setup for a bit more than Powerflex bushings got me excited to have another option besides the pricey Kingpin route. Having a background in design and machining I had a bunch of questions that they were more than willing to answer about fit, finish, bearing tolerances, range of motion, etc. All the bearings are FSK or Aurora and blueprinted to the bearing sleeve that pressed into the arms.
I haven't gotten to installing them yet but I measured all the arm I.D's and compared them to the sleeve diameters. Everything is between 0.010-0.005 which is perfect without the need to machine anything. I will be cleaning up some of the arms with a brake cylinder hone but overall the fit is perfect. I know of one other person that has already installed his and they went in with ease.
Overall I feel this is a good DIY alternative to the pricey kits out there that are more of a turn key service for the same type of bearings. Will be updating this thread as I get these installed and on the car.
I haven't gotten to installing them yet but I measured all the arm I.D's and compared them to the sleeve diameters. Everything is between 0.010-0.005 which is perfect without the need to machine anything. I will be cleaning up some of the arms with a brake cylinder hone but overall the fit is perfect. I know of one other person that has already installed his and they went in with ease.
Overall I feel this is a good DIY alternative to the pricey kits out there that are more of a turn key service for the same type of bearings. Will be updating this thread as I get these installed and on the car.
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robrob (05-03-2018)
08-23-2016, 05:31 AM
#2
Installed ESM sphericals and aligned my car Saturday 8/20/2016. As of today 8/23/2016 ive put 116 miles on them and still feel the exact same.
Ride quality felt great, I was expecting to be really harsh on the street and it didn't feel any different than my worn out factory bushings except at low mph less than 10mph
Steering is super responsive. (Note: 8/23/2016 Tons of feedback throughout the steering and seat of the car.)
... There was an issue with the rear arms we had to get different inserts shipped to us. ESM was very helpful and overnighted to me from Canada.
My overall review
Packaging:
5/10 ( really plain white box with a dyno label maker type label. I expected more for a purchase of that size )
First impression when opened boxes 6/10
They had front labeled and rear labeled. For someone that's not sure what they are doing they might spend a little more time figuring out what bushing goes where.
Plain clear iron sealed bags ( I'm sure most don't care about this at all )
Quality of bushings: 10/10
Very straight forward install, bushings pressed in and sleeves set in. Tolerances was very tight between all moving parts. No complaints at all.
Ride quality is amazing. Over all I rate it a 9/10 between packaging, service, quality, and install.
Franklin at ESM, his customer service is great and gets extra points for this.
I'm very happy i went this route. The mono balls are completely rebuildable and require little maintenance.
Very happy.
Here is my potato photography:
Ride quality felt great, I was expecting to be really harsh on the street and it didn't feel any different than my worn out factory bushings except at low mph less than 10mph
Steering is super responsive. (Note: 8/23/2016 Tons of feedback throughout the steering and seat of the car.)
... There was an issue with the rear arms we had to get different inserts shipped to us. ESM was very helpful and overnighted to me from Canada.
My overall review
Packaging:
5/10 ( really plain white box with a dyno label maker type label. I expected more for a purchase of that size )
First impression when opened boxes 6/10
They had front labeled and rear labeled. For someone that's not sure what they are doing they might spend a little more time figuring out what bushing goes where.
Plain clear iron sealed bags ( I'm sure most don't care about this at all )
Quality of bushings: 10/10
Very straight forward install, bushings pressed in and sleeves set in. Tolerances was very tight between all moving parts. No complaints at all.
Ride quality is amazing. Over all I rate it a 9/10 between packaging, service, quality, and install.
Franklin at ESM, his customer service is great and gets extra points for this.
I'm very happy i went this route. The mono balls are completely rebuildable and require little maintenance.
Very happy.
Here is my potato photography:
08-23-2016, 01:00 PM
#4
Moderator
Would like to know if your alignment walks after driving around a while. In for long term review 
08-24-2016, 04:21 AM
#6
08-24-2016, 08:21 AM
#7
