Febest steering rack mounting bushings

[2001LC]

Has anyone used them. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R97XBIA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_12?smid=A6JK0PO3GJYXY&psc=1 Edited 8/12/18: Sent these back, poor quality.
They're rubber just like the OEMs, which I prefer over the stiffness of poly.

But I've concerned with:
Quality?
Fitment?
Rubber being as stiff as OEM?
Hardness of inner steel bushings?
Or whatever?

 

[2001LC]

Please anybody use them or have anything to say about Febest stuff?

I'm about to order, hate to waste my money if they're junk. Not to mention it's a very big job to remove old steering rack bushing in 03-07, and I'll need to press in making even more difficult and time consuming. But if good quality, then a better choice than ploy. As it keeps in-line with Mr T design.

 

[2001LC]

Bump

 

[bwell]

I used them for my front diff mounts. Seems like they're pretty good quality IMO.

 

[2001LC]

Thanks, I'm going to try diff's also. How long ago did you install them?

 

[mattafact]

Just my opinion but hard to change parts seem to be a terrible spot to use parts that are of unknown quality.

 

[2001LC]

That's why I'm asking. That is, to see if we've any history that would indicate good or bad quality

I've spoken to Febest. Naturally they claim to be as good or better than OEM made to extract fitment specs, 75% rubber 25% synthetic for strength and durability. I called and spoke with a few of the reps. They all beat the drum "we're a German Company and build the highest quality standards" When I asked "so are the parts manufacturer in Germany or China"? CHINA! Not surprised, but still that doesn't make them bad.

As stated in OP, the main reason I'd like to give a try, is to match OEM rubber. Mr.T designed with rubber for reasons. I imagine, feel is one reason. Feel transmet to drives hands via the steering wheel. Rubber also absorbs road shock. It reduce shock to front end components ( rack & pinion. TRE, ball joint and control arms). It's also the only bushing we can buy that are designed like OEM.

Poly bushing has been only option I've used in the pasted. They are nothing like OEM. They lack the steal sleeve and center oblong bushing. They are just shaped poly,. Poly's stiffness is felt by. It also reveals marginal components. Addition it may reduce lift of components. The one benefit to poly, they as so easy to install. Just pop in and bolt down. No need to press in like OEM.

I've purchased poly form Whiteline (online). I've also purchased from Slee. Slee doesn't use poly, for what they said to me. Slee just puts in a new rack. Which os best. But I've no intention of replacing/tossing a perfectly good rack

The situation I have currently is I've not driven the rig to get the feel. Doing static inspections, they look good and only ~10 yr 127K on it, from mild no salt environment. I'm being proactive to get the new car feel for next 10 years. But experience tell me within 3 to 5 years steering will be noticable sloppy.

For the diff I'm ordering both OEM & Febest for the from bushing to compare. But I will be installing OEM. I'm may install the side and rear, it depend what I see and learn before install.

As far as difficult. Well, I'm pulling rack & diff, doing both on bench. Easier and less chance of damage that way.

I did see one thing in rubber, it opens up a bit while turning steering wheel back and forth while stationary. Now this doesn't mean bad or that driving will be sloppy (wondering on HWY or lag in turn return). In-fact there is nothing in the FSM to call this out of spec.

 

[Julian Stead]

My opinion is that on the steering rack they would be the better compromise as long as you can press them in. I changed nearly all of my rubber other than the steering rack, mine still looked good and the steering is fine so I elected not to change them and just changed the tie rods as they had some wear.

Febest is a compromise as they don’t isolate vibrations as well as oem, but poly doesn’t either. I bought a load of them and quickly realised that the build quality is good but the function isn’t up to task. I still have Febest rear UCA’s fitted as Toyota’s lead time to supply them was 2 months and Febest have done the job pretty well.

I put a Febest rear engine mount on and it was garbage, I might as well of used some wood with all the vibrations I got, so I got OEM. I tried a rear diff mount and just couldn’t get it pressed in, I gave it to a Work shop and they damaged the new bush. I gave up with trying to use Febest as the Idea is good but it ended up wasting too much of my time and the function was a lottery so I just bought all OEM in the end.

Old OEM can be better than a New piece of junk. So I would recheck the steering rack bushes to see if holding off until possibly a new rack is needed.

 

[Julian Stead]

Ps, When pressing something new in is harder than getting the old rusty ones out it makes me concerned. I am not sure how Toyota or there supplier get there rubber bushes in place but they must use heat or a jig or something. It might be why they don’t sell the rubber bushes separately. The ones they do, like the chassis front lower control arm bushes are tapered slightly to aid installation and are fairly straight forward to replace.

 

[BillZ260]

Interested in this, on the street my steering feels fine, but off-road at marginal speed over rougher than gravel trails, it feels like the frontend is bouncing back and forth a bit. No slop in the steering box on the road, but that's what it feels like off. I'm wondering if Bushings would help.

 

[DirtDawg]

Interested in this, on the street my steering feels fine, but off-road at marginal speed over rougher than gravel trails, it feels like the frontend is bouncing back and forth a bit. No slop in the steering box on the road, but that's what it feels like off. I'm wondering if Bushings would help.

That sounds like normal off-road behavior to me

 

[2001LC]

My opinion is that on the steering rack they would be the better compromise as long as you can press them in. I changed nearly all of my rubber other than the steering rack, mine still looked good and the steering is fine so I elected not to change them and just changed the tie rods as they had some wear.

Febest is a compromise as they don’t isolate vibrations as well as oem, but poly doesn’t either. I bought a load of them and quickly realised that the build quality is good but the function isn’t up to task. I still have Febest rear UCA’s fitted as Toyota’s lead time to supply them was 2 months and Febest have done the job pretty well.

I put a Febest rear engine mount on and it was garbage, I might as well of used some wood with all the vibrations I got, so I got OEM. I tried a rear diff mount and just couldn’t get it pressed in, I gave it to a Work shop and they damaged the new bush. I gave up with trying to use Febest as the Idea is good but it ended up wasting too much of my time and the function was a lottery so I just bought all OEM in the end.

Old OEM can be better than a New piece of junk. So I would recheck the steering rack bushes to see if holding off until possibly a new rack is needed.

That is really good infor @Julian Stead. Do you feel the Febest will hold up for say 7 years? how long you've had them in!

Based on your statements I'm going to CXL all but the Steering rack bushings. I'd like to see what they look like if nothing else. If I'm uncomfortable once seeing, I can just not replace, or run over to Slee and pick-up some WhileLine Poly. I've also asked Chris at CVJ in Denver if he can locate rubber rack bushings. They rebuild racks with poly, but he's checking around for me.

 

[Julian Stead]

I would say that they look solid and well made, the control arms I got from them came complete so I didn’t have to press anything in. I have had them installed for 2.5 years and they look no worse than the lowers that I fitted at the same time which are OEM. I do get a vibration into the body at the rear if my tire pressures drop to 35 psi, not saying for definite that it has anything to do with the Febest arms but I have my concerns. I run 40 psi and all is good though, the vibration is my tire pressure warning system. I don’t do crazy miles, about 5k a year as it is my second vehicle and not a DD. My concern is the rubber they use and not the build quality as installing the motor mount introduced a large hum into the cabin which wasn’t there before or after. Maybe they would bed in, but I don’t have the patience to give them a long test.

 

[Julian Stead]

I am not saying they are rubbish as I would probably use them on my corolla, but anyone with a 100 knows how sensitive they are to vibrations and drones. A ladder chassis is like a tuning fork for resonance and I am sure Toyota has had spent some time trying to get It right with different compounds and designs to eliminate this.

 

[2001LC]

Good info as always, my friend!

 

[bwell]

Thanks, I'm going to try diff's also. How long ago did you install them?

I bought them spring of 2017, but didn't install them until around Christmas time. I bought all three from them. If I was to do it again I would spend the money for the new drivers side torque arm from Toyota instead of just the bushing. It was a pita, the arm itself needs to be heated up in an oven and the bushing frozen and a press used. The time invested was not worth the effort IMO.

 

[2001LC]

I've used OEM for diff, I'll just stick with that for now.

It's the steering rack that I'm really interested in. I'll decide if I go with the Febest rubber or whiteline ploy after I see them.

 

[SmoothLC]

@2001LC - Which one did you go with? What looked and worked best? Thanks.

 

[2001LC]

Found some on ebay out of CA and the same ones locally at CVJ. CVJ said they get theirs out of CA, and is a change from what they've used in past do to issue in the 4runner racks they've seen. CA supplier is also a rebuilder and has used same supplier for 18 years, with zero issues reported. deltaap57 | eBay Stores

See more info staring at post #175: Scored a 2007 Unicorn. The holy grail of 100 series.

 

[kelly saad]

I installed my new Toyota rack and put in a urethane D bushing, left the other bushings rubber. Don't remember the name of the urethane, it was blue, that's all I remember. The big D bushing thiggy became loose, or worn enough that the rack was sliding side-to-side about 1/4" and trashed the other bushings. I tried cleaning the rack, degreased and sanded lightly, didn't work. Temporarily, I used a bike inner tube wrapped on the inside to tighten it up until I could replace it. I have now replaced with Whiteline urethane about 6 months ago, seems ok still but want to get rubber back on there sometime. Maybe if I had used all urethane it would have been fine, don't know, just sharing my experience.
Its just so much fun to replace these bushings though, can't wait to do it again.