Federal-Mogul R&D delves into steel quality

Thomas Byrnes, Federal-Mogul's managers, Research and Development, says the quality of steel is key in parts quality.
Jan. 1, 2020
2 min read
Thomas Byrnes Federal-Mogul parts quality steel quality automotive aftermarket automotive parts

Motor Age: You spend a lot of time researching materials, and there is a science that goes into making quality parts. Why is the quality of steel important to the integrity of parts?

Byrnes: If you look at a suspension part, ball joint or tie rod, the most important part of it is probably the stud, and all studs are made out of steel. In today's global market, steel is coming from all over the world. And I think a lot of people assume that steel from anywhere in the world is all the same. But we've been doing a lot of testing here at FM and found that it's not. We've found there's a big variation in fatigue strength of steels from all over the world, not just from the United States like it used to be.

Motor Age: What does that difference mean for an aftermarket part?

Byrnes: We look at a stud as a safety item and we want to make sure it has structural integrity. So we do everything we can making sure that the geometry is designed right and that the material and the heat treat is correct so that it is made equal to or better than the OE, because the OE actually designed the car and they built the part to be used on that car and it has to have certain structural integrity. And we're sure that our part meets or exceeds that structural integrity.

Motor Age: When a technician looks at a part, they might not be able to see a difference. What can they do in the bay or when they're ordering a part to make sure they're getting a quality part?

Byrnes: That's where it is extremely hard, because you cannot see these things with the naked eye. So you have to trust your supplier. You have to go with somebody who you know is doing all the due diligence to make sure that all of this is being carried out. These are things that you can't see unless you do all kinds of testing.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Latest in Shop Customers

AdobeStock_445028983
Young driver
How shops can capture the attention of the younger generation
Oct. 27, 2023
AdobeStock
Customer service in the shop
Take a tailored approach to customer service and learn to work with all types.
Sept. 19, 2023
Scott Bolster
Scott Bolster
Good customer service makes potential customers turn into lifelong clients and want to tell everyone they know to do business with your shop.
July 7, 2023