Anyone used PSB poly bushings?

Hey all,

Has anyone used PSB poly bushings before?

https://psbushings.com/product/2x-sequoia-tundra-front-lower-arm-bushing-small-only-01-07/

Looks to be a South African company. Couldn't really find too much info on Google about their quality and couldn't find anyone that had them on a Tundra/Sequoia. The cheap price makes me think they are Chineseium but there's not many options for poly bushings for the 1st gens with stock arms. The only other ones I've seen are Daystar and Siberian. Everyone seems to be out of stock on the Daystar ones and they are back ordered from Daystar. And I've read some bad reviews on the Siberian bushes, also don't trust the Russians lol

 

What's your reason for wanting to go with poly bushings vs. OEM rubber?

 

No experience with those, but they're poly. Probably ride stiff and wear out fast. Oh, and squeeeeeeeeeeeak. New OEM LCAs are the typical long term fix as most are getting 150-200k+ miles on they're originals. Aftermarket LCAs come with cheaper bushings which wear out fast.

 

Yea I've seen that everyone puts OEM arms in. I put a new set of Moog's in last year knowing that they are Chinese junk but I figured I'd get a few years out of them. Well ...the bushings are already toast which put me out of alignment and started wearing my tires. I think I will never buy Moog anything again, it's all Chinese garbage now. I don't particularly love poly bushings as I've used them in the past and am aware of the pros and cons but I'm afraid the OEM bushings will wear out premature also from the extra load due to the larger tire size. At this point it's either poly bushings or OEM arms but I figured I'd try $75 poly bushings before I spend $600 on OEM arms.

 

Also from the looks of the PSB bushings it looks like they press right into the arm instead of burning out the old bushings.

 

Buy once, cry once.

 

You still have to get the old bushing out, so how are you going to do that without burning it?
I don't have experience with those bushings but I have used poly bushings on other vehicles and have been very happy with the results. In my experience, they are a little stiffer, but last a lot longer, and the install is super easy. If I needed to replace the bushings on my truck I'd give those a try -- they look good.

 

You still need to get the old bushings out of the control arm, which could be a PITA. Another thing to consider is without a dedicated grease zerk, eventually a poly bushing is going to get dry, even with generous installation grease. And as mentioned you'll have creaking noise when that happens. I suppose you could drill and tap a grease zerk into the LCA, which is what needs to happen, IMO.

 

I just put the arms in new last year so I'm hoping the bushing press out without issue. I'd already planned on adding a grease zerk in the factory arm to be able to grease them. I guess I'll be the guinea pig and try these. They will be going in a modified set of factory arms and the combo should work nicely.

 

Let us know how it goes...

 

I'm in the exact same boat. I pressed in some AC Delco LCA bushings ~1.5 years and ~12,000 miles ago and just found out via an alignment check that they're toast. I like the look and advertised rotation function of the PSB's and am strongly considering them over rubber or other poly's. All high end control arms come with very similar style bushings, so I cannot find a strong reason not to go with them. To make the job quicker I'm currently trying to source non-crappy (read: non-Chinese) aftermarket LCA's to swap in the new bushings before tearing the truck apart. Lesson learned from the last round is to have a second set of LCA's ready to go or else the job takes considerably longer.

What's your plan for adding a zerk? I've also heard/read that lining any squeak-inducing surfaces with a single layer of teflon tape keeps poly/steel moving and squeak free.

 

I'd guess it'll be something like this: https://www.tundras.com/threads/solo-stock-length-lca.105150/page-3#post-2799305

Essentially pop out your bushing, drill an appropriate sized hole for your chosen zerk, tap it for the threading of the zerk you intent to use, install the zerk, pre-grease your hole, install your bushing, install your part, then grease liberally thru the zerk.

Just make sure you install the zerk mid-shaft, and in a place that's not going to hit a rock or get clipped when your part rotates, but will also be easy for you to reach with either a straight or right-angle zerk. Example on an a shitty aftermarket brand UCA:

 

Thanks! That process makes perfect sense for a simple solution. The 90 degree zerk is clutch. I'll let you know when I screw up and install them on the wrong side and can't access them

 

I'm not denying the fact that the aftermarket part supply is shit, but when you do the final torque on the LCA alignment cams after pressing in rubber bushings, it is imperative that they are in a weighted, tires on the ground position. If they are torqued in a no weight position, they will "twist" when weighted causing them to rip prematurely.

 

I can only image, with that UCA as an example, someone making the stupid mistake of installing on the bottom in that same position. Then the first time they jack up their truck and the wheels droop, the zerk gets sheared off.

Sometimes we unintentionally shoot ourselves in the foot by not thinking through what we're doing and how it'll operate in the real world

 

Yeah, I've seen similar with poly bushings. Except poly doesn't twist. When you overcompress or don't torque poly at the correct time, it shears. Not saying that's what happened here, but this is what the carnage looks like with uppers, specifically.

​

 

I totally agree and after racking my brain for what could have gone wrong, I think what you describe may have been a culprit. It's an annoying lesson learned.

 

I dunno, the Moogs have an absolute shit reputation with other members here who've had their chubber bushings fail within 1-3 years: https://www.tundras.com/threads/1st-gen-parts-corner-of-shame-oem-minus-or-plus.122591/

 

I actually called Moog this morning to get some clarification between CK and RK part numbers. I asked specifically about our lower arms that have an RK number but the replacement bushes have a CK number. The guy said that all the bushes are the same and the difference between the CK and RK is the type of steel used. This would definitely affect Ball joints more than anything but I'm not convinced. If you look at pictures of the bushes in the arms they look different than the replacement CK model. Either way I no longer trust Moog, if they are going to make it that confusing then I'm going to stay away. And I always tighten bushings with the suspension under it's own weight but even if I didn't, the bushings would unload as soon as the alignment guy loosened the cam bolts for adjustment.

Those pictures of the broken poly bushes isn't a good representation of our arms. On leafs and bar style arms like the ones on the rear axle they see a twisting motion as the axle compresses and droops which starts to pinch the bush at the outer edge. The front control arms don't really see this type of load aside from the misalignment of the bushes from having the alignment done. Will they wear out over time? Yes, everything has a life span but I'm just hoping to get more life out of them than rubber since they can rotate freely on the bushing sleeve during articulation rather than flexing like the rubber ones that are bonded to the sleeve.

I don't have an exact plan of where I will put the zerk yet but it will be something very similar to those already shown.

 

Memorial Day sale is likely imminent from Toyota Parts.

OEM lasted this long. I know @FirstGenVol was able to get two brand new OEM LCAs for around $500 (shipped) during a sale. If you're not living in Alabama, you could potentially get a similar/same deal if you can hold out a few days or a week to see if they do the typical holiday sale.

If they don't do one for Memorial Day, they'll have it at Independence Day. Hell, they may have one at both.

 

Doh! Wait! They have a 15% off sale going on now! Just started today. https://autoparts.toyota.com/

If you order from this dealer specifically (and you're not in the state of Alabama), they do free shipping (up to $250 in freight, I think?) and no tax. https://autoparts.serratoyota.com (Just make sure it's their Birmingham dealership, NOT their Decatur dealership which has a worthless crook working for them)

 

I'm not so concerned about the price as I am the longevity. My biggest concern is that even the OEM rubber won't hold up to larger tires and off roading. Off road is where they get the most abuse due to the suspension articulation, especially with the front bar disconnected.

 

I still think OEM are your best option for longevity, even with bigger tires. I'm running 33's.

 

Any update on the PSB's? Curious of the install and performance.

After a lot of thought, research, discussions here, and discussions with local 4x4 shops, I decided to go with OEM LCA's and bushings. The primary reason is to ensure the steel quality of the arms are as good as it can get (read: not crummy Chinese steel). Plus, the recent Memorial Day sale and pricing deals from the Birmingham, AL Toyota dealership brought the cost much more reasonable at ~$220/EA shipped (thanks, @Shifty ` ). I plan to run the OEM bushings but have them checked every 6 months or so. If/when they fail, I'll likely replace with PSB as their claims and lifetime warranty are very appealing.

A few tidbits I learned that may help others navigate this process:
- PSB confirmed via email that "Our bushings are made to the same durometer as the original OEM bushings, but due to the different design we incorporate into our bushings, it produces more stability in handling, which may be thought of as a firmer ride. The OEM bushings are usually rubber, so our Poly bushings are stiffer, but do make for a comfortable drive."
- Dorman confirmed that their "CA" series LCA's are manufactured in Taiwan, while the other in China (as evidenced by the "made in China" stamp).
- Dorman also confirmed that both "CA" series LCAs are exactly the same, despite the price delta. Likely a marketing thing to pay more for a "premium" arm.

 

No updates yet. Will be ordering the bushings in the next few days. I was out of town for a long weekend and didn't want them sitting on my front steps. Still trying to get my hands on a used set of factory to experiment on so this will be a longer project but I will post back as things progress.

 

Update,

Got the bushings in, first impression? Meh. The bushings themselves are ok aside from one end of the bushing being sanded due to the manufacture process. The sanded end is slightly shorter which I kind of don't mind because this allows me to shift the arm forward a tiny bit. My dislike with the bushing kit is the sleeves. Not sure why but they choose to make them out of aluminum. I'm concerned that the ends will get damaged over time since they are mounting to an elongated hole, but I guess we'll see how they work out. I drilled a hole in the arm and added a grease fitting so that I can hopefully grease these without removing them. I also cut some slots in the sleeves to allow the grease to hopefully spread evenly.

Also for those looking for a way to press out their bushings, I ended up just using my factory jack to push out the bushings. I have a press but this was easier than trying to hold these while trying to operate the press. Just be careful as the bushings can go flying out.

 

More pics

 

Where do the zircs lead to in this setup?

 

Nice job with the machine work on the sleeves.