Timkin vs. Koyo Wheel bearings
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Well, I said that regarding availability of original Toyota part number with Timken bearing. Nevertheless, the idea itself seems to be working, and the official specs for these bearings partially proof it, in coupe with EPC information I used at the beginning. Who knows why Toyota stopped using Timken bearing.... May be the reason was, that Timken relocated consumer part production into the China, and Toyota was not satisfied with the quality or something else.... But the years of Timken relocation and end of sale of Toyota's old number are in a same span.
Anyway, if there still is an opportunity to by the US-made Timken bearing, I would definitely choose that. May be Timken still produces these bearings inside USA for domestic market and some of us still have this opportunity.
Anyway, if there still is an opportunity to by the US-made Timken bearing, I would definitely choose that. May be Timken still produces these bearings inside USA for domestic market and some of us still have this opportunity.
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Ok. So there might be a disconnect because of language in comprehension.
All parts for Toyota are based on contracts they have with suppliers over the life of manufacture and then service parts support. These are agreed upon contracts that Toyota has with suppliers that are based on projected manufacture needs and overall lifecycle service parts support needs.
Toyota doesn’t care where the part is manufactured just as long as the supplier matches the engineering specifications, cost agreements and delivery schedules. Toyota compensates suppliers based on these parameters for long-term supply chain stability and product consistency. Toyota assumes that the supplier adheres to all OEM engineering needs and specifications. And then allows them do what they need to do to meet the contract goals: this is called the “black box” theory of automotive supplier tier system.
Within those agreements are regional agreements for procurement that have nothing to do with a part number designation; part number designations are constructed and applied by part/supply chain engineers in Toyota City.
According to Toyota Engineering Standards, parts numbers follow sequential patterns and then secondarily are designated by internal supplier codes which indicate who manufactures the part.
Part numbers have nothing to do with actual operational/applied part specifications or actual inherent engineering qualities. So looking at part numbers and trying to come up with engineering logic is not the correct method to understand internal engineering specifications.
In the instance of a standardized part like a bearing (bearings are considered “standardized parts” and are assigned standardized part number nomenclature) information is already present online for deduction of engineering specifications.
The other factor involved is that Land Cruisers are a global vehicle per Toyota vehicle planning. Ergo, they will use many different regionalized parts for procurement as long as they meet engineering specifications for that vehicle for that market. And this regionalized parts procurement tends to lead to differentiation in part numbers due to supplier and not necessarily an engineering change or specification.
Hope that makes more sense.
In the end, any quality bearing is going to do just fine in a Land Cruiser.
All parts for Toyota are based on contracts they have with suppliers over the life of manufacture and then service parts support. These are agreed upon contracts that Toyota has with suppliers that are based on projected manufacture needs and overall lifecycle service parts support needs.
Toyota doesn’t care where the part is manufactured just as long as the supplier matches the engineering specifications, cost agreements and delivery schedules. Toyota compensates suppliers based on these parameters for long-term supply chain stability and product consistency. Toyota assumes that the supplier adheres to all OEM engineering needs and specifications. And then allows them do what they need to do to meet the contract goals: this is called the “black box” theory of automotive supplier tier system.
Within those agreements are regional agreements for procurement that have nothing to do with a part number designation; part number designations are constructed and applied by part/supply chain engineers in Toyota City.
According to Toyota Engineering Standards, parts numbers follow sequential patterns and then secondarily are designated by internal supplier codes which indicate who manufactures the part.
Part numbers have nothing to do with actual operational/applied part specifications or actual inherent engineering qualities. So looking at part numbers and trying to come up with engineering logic is not the correct method to understand internal engineering specifications.
In the instance of a standardized part like a bearing (bearings are considered “standardized parts” and are assigned standardized part number nomenclature) information is already present online for deduction of engineering specifications.
The other factor involved is that Land Cruisers are a global vehicle per Toyota vehicle planning. Ergo, they will use many different regionalized parts for procurement as long as they meet engineering specifications for that vehicle for that market. And this regionalized parts procurement tends to lead to differentiation in part numbers due to supplier and not necessarily an engineering change or specification.
Hope that makes more sense.
In the end, any quality bearing is going to do just fine in a Land Cruiser.
Caught up on this thread… my decades old response remains the same 
Interesting stuff!
Just to echo what has been said, it really comes down to personal preference and budget, the Timkens are a little easier for us to source than import Japanese bearings so the price reflects that. Both are fantastic bearings and are use OE by Toyota, yes, Toyota uses USA made bearings in many applications.
This is our official stance:
"FAQ: Timken versus Koyo wheel bearings? Which is better? Both are a fantastic bearing and due to customer demand for both options we stock them both. Timken bearings are made in the USA, Koyo bearings are made in Japan. Both are used OEM by Toyota in older Land Cruisers and various new models as well. We are 100% confident in either option for new and old Land Cruisers alike."