Rubber or poly steering rack bushings
 

Long story short I'm in possession of 2 steering rack bushing sets...one Whiteline poly set and a Napa rubber set. I was originally going to go with poly just because I didn't think rubber sets existed but yesterday I came across this rubber set at Napa. I've heard poly can create some weird steering response so I was wondering what people think of the 2 options.

Rubber = more give less vibration , feel and feed back. Poly = rigid, more feel and feed back.

I've been happy with the poly bushings I used when I replaced my steering rack. I know there are a couple of others who have been unhappy with poly bushings.

I gave @Arn24 my new OEM bushings that I pressed out of my new rack and replaced them with poly bushings. If he has swapped the bushings, he may be able to give feedback on the differences between the two as someone who was unhappy with poly.

If you can post the Napa part number, I know that @nissanh is unhappy with his poly bushings and is actively looking for replacements, but Toyota doesn't sell the two steering rack bushings which are pressed into the steering rack as separate items, only as part of the complete rack, and hasn't been able to find aftermarket bushings.

The Napa part number is 274-9360. They're split bushings with sleeves just like the polyurethane kits. The manufacturer is Ramcoa.

Interesting. Looking at the Napa website, that part number corresponds to two different bushings one of which doesn't give a material type, and the other is identified as thermoplastic. Part number 2749367 does claim to be rubber though. However the image for 2749367 is missing the shorter bushing.

Hmmm...the pictures for the 2749367 kit look exactly like the parts in mine but the box says 2749360. I also opened the bag the parts are in and they feel more plasticy to me than rubbery. They're definitely stiffer than the Whiteline bushings. I wonder if the parts got put in the wrong box? I think I'll be taking the Napa set back and installing the Whitelines.

If it's between aftermarket rubber or poly, I'll go poly. Between OEM rubber or poly, I'll probably go OEM. I currently have a lot of poly bushings throughout my suspension & don't have any complaints but when they wear out I'll probably replace them with whatever OEM rubber that's available & keep polys for parts that don't have an available OEM replacement.

My experience with non OEM rubber hasn't been good because of the inconsistent quality & it doesn't seem to last very long. Polyurethane isn't perfect either but the quality, for established brands, seems to be more consistent & has lasted longer than aftermarket rubber bushings.

Sorry for the delay. I did install the OEM bushings, and have mixed feelings about the results. They definitely helped with the harshness that I complained about with the poly ones, but now I feel like I'm all over the road. Not really sure what to attribute this to. The install seemed pretty easy, just lubed them up with some soap (glass cleaner, 'cause it's what was handy....) and pressed them in by hand (had to pry the last little bit out with a screwdriver). Maybe they went in too easy... I thought I read somewhere that Toyota doesn't sell these as we aren't able to install them correctly? Maybe that's true. One thing that I did notice after installing them was that my steering wheel was way off center (I had just had it aligned a couple of hundred miles before this). I had to loosen all the bolts and crank the steering wheel all the way over and hold it while tightening the bolts, and it's still not perfect. This makes me suspicious of a correct install.

I will likely go back to poly bushings, but I've recently moved across country into an apartment with no garage, so I'll be living with it for a while....

Hope this helps, but it probably won't...

i would say rubber. I have poly in my car and it is a little stiff

I prefer poly because it won't crack or wear out easily.

I installed a poly set and then 2 weeks later I had to replace the whole rack so I went back to the OEM rubber bushings that came pre-installed. I can't say I noticed a huge difference between the 2. They were both better than the old worn out rubber ones. Maybe the poly felt a little more "grounded" but it wasn't night and day.

when I switched to poly, my steering stayed centered....wonder what happened

btw....i had no complaints about the poly and I live on gravel roads

I think a big part of the poly vs rubber war has to do with where you live. hot vs cold.

in the summer I love the poly - more responsive and better feeling but not harsh IMO. In the cold months of the year I hate the poly, it's like a rock.

not sure why somebody has not come up with a compromise? rubber and poly mixed?

Poly is great for summer and rubber is better during colder months.