Urethane Steering Rack Bushings?

I was looking for something to do on my '04 Xtracab. It has 150K miles, so I was wondering about the steering rack bushings. Has anyone done this, and if so, where did you buy a kit for this? How difficult a job is it? I am wondering if I should flush out the system with new fluid while I am at it???

 

this is what I was told about when and where to use rubber vs poly bushings.

poly bushings are hard and don't absorb vibrations worth a crap so they are good for sway bars but for things that receive road vibrations (which is just about everything else) they will make your truck ride rougher and feel more road bumps so using rubber helps absorb road vibrations and will give you a smoother and more comfortable ride.

this is one of those areas where new tech materials are NOT the best thing to use

use poly bushings for your sway bar and end links but use rubber for everything else or it will make it ride worse because they are too rigid

 

OK, good advice. Are you guys using "prothane" bushings for the sway bar?

 

The 1st gen rack mount bushings tend to get sloppy as mileage and abuse accumulates. It is very common for folks to change them out for poly and be happy with the results. They are not available separately from Toyota. Energy Suspension is the favorite brand.

Look at the rack while a helper turns the steering wheel back and forth rapidly about a half a turn. If the rack shifts back and forth more than a total of a quarter inch (approximate number) you may benefit from the upgrade. This falls under the category of a "judgement call" and of course if there is no high speed wandering and the steering "feels" tight enough to you there may not be any noticeable difference.

 

I am very happy with my ES bushings. I put them on the same time I changed the rack so it was easy for me to remove the old bushings. But even with it on the truck it shouldnt be too hard.

 

+1 on ES. IMHO less give in the rack translates into better on center feel. Lasts longer, to me, means less work. I prefer polly and did UCA/LCA's and rack. Both rear leafs have polly as well. Rear shocks are rubber. Its a truck, not a caddy.

 

I used the ones from Toytec, they feel great. I'm pretty sure they are poly. The only time I get rattles is when my sway bar is attached on wash board.

 

I used these

 

+1 for the ES from Wheelers off road.

 

if you find that the vertical bushing sleeve that is provided are either too big or too small, there is another option for you. You can burn the rubber off the oem bushing and then insert that sleeve into the bushing and it will fit like OEM.