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DIY Daizen Steering Rack Bushing

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Old 11-11-06, 07:26 PM
  #46  
GSteg
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I did not notice any degrade ride quality as far as steering. If anything, it got rid of the slop (due to worn bushing) and make the steering tighter.
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Old 11-12-06, 09:53 AM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by lexforlife
actually the lower control arm bushings do not degrade the ride

the steering rack bushing imo actually improved the feel of the car giving me the sensation of more smoothness and comfort for the car tracks truer
Actually the hard bushing on the control arms do degrade the ride quality as far as soft ride. The rubber bushings are there to dampen and absorb bumps transmitted to the body. I know a few people who have them and they transmitt bumps to the body of the car. " Degrade " is a relitive term !
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Old 11-13-06, 01:21 AM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by chuckb
thanks for the write ups guys. I wonder if my car would benefit from this yet? it only has 35k miles and still feels tight with no vibrations.
that's one test todd wants to do on my sc430. it only has 20k miles, brand new, and it has coilovers, sways, and wheels. he *thinks* it should help steering still even with the stock bushings so new, since the new ones wont have any plays in them.

so let's see when i will have the chance to bring the car in
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Old 11-13-06, 03:31 AM
  #49  
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I'm debating if I should do this or not. My car only has 18k miles right now. Does this new bushing get rid of ALL the slop in the steering? I have about 1/2-3/4" of play either way on the steering wheel. When I try to turn the wheel while the car is parked with the wheel at dead center...the first half inch or so does not do anything. It's only after that first half inch that the wheel on the ground will start turning. I know this is probably nothing compared to some of you guys with 100K+ miles on the clock, but it still annoys me for a "sport" sedan to have steering like this.
Old 11-13-06, 04:41 AM
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Originally Posted by jgscott
Actually the hard bushing on the control arms do degrade the ride quality as far as soft ride. The rubber bushings are there to dampen and absorb bumps transmitted to the body. I know a few people who have them and they transmitt bumps to the body of the car. " Degrade " is a relitive term !
actually they did not , i had them in my lowers the only thing they did was not give any tolerance for bad roads in terms of tramlining within crowns and ridges
Old 11-13-06, 06:52 AM
  #51  
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GSteg, you are the man. I just did these on sunday. Your instructions were perfect. The only thing I did different is that the top bushing, I took it out the same as the bottom. With the same scredriver, except hitting it from the front, toward the back. Took me exactly an hour to do, only because I thougt that I was slick and would just do this on ramps, then midway through removing things, I realized that jack-stands would be better. So I had to re-elevate my car. Which wasted some time. The stock bushing were as soft as the weather stripping in our doors.

The feel is superb. This is the first suspension upgrade I have done so far, so my differences from before might feel extreme. But steering is 100% more linear. It now requires a lot less steering corection while driving, and the response to steering input is instant. And one more strange thing happened, my road noise decreased, a lot. I mean before, my tires would **** me off, i would raise the volume to drone them out. Now they are barely noticable, I only have windnoise on the highway now. Thanks again. Great find.
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Old 11-13-06, 10:48 AM
  #52  
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Originally Posted by lexforlife
actually they did not , i had them in my lowers the only thing they did was not give any tolerance for bad roads in terms of tramlining within crowns and ridges

As I said quality is a " relative " term.

Anyway back on track. GSted great write up. This will be my next mod. I had read about this at Peter Scotts site but I don't think he used the different bushing. Thanks !
Old 11-14-06, 07:46 AM
  #53  
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ordered mine last night.

Can anyone post pictures of where to put the ramps under the car?
Thanks
Old 11-14-06, 08:02 AM
  #54  
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Great write up GSteg... ordering mine today.
Old 11-14-06, 10:02 AM
  #55  
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Originally Posted by STONER
ordered mine last night.

Can anyone post pictures of where to put the ramps under the car?
Thanks
It's best to put the car under jackstands. I forgot to add in my original post, but the wheels needs to be able to move, otherwise you wont be able to move the steering rack assembly (makes it much easier for install).
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Old 11-14-06, 12:56 PM
  #56  
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Originally Posted by GSteg
It's best to put the car under jackstands. I forgot to add in my original post, but the wheels needs to be able to move, otherwise you wont be able to move the steering rack assembly (makes it much easier for install).
Agreed, read my previous post. Ramps suck *****. You will not be able to work under there. I tried and it is not worth the effort to even try with them. Maybe if you are like 100Lbs, and don't use a creeper, you might be able to do it. But why waste time to even try this? Use jackstands lift that sucker about 2 feet up (frame, not the wheels), and go to work. It is very simple under there when it is higher up, plus you can use a creeper.
Old 11-14-06, 12:59 PM
  #57  
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So anyone get a chance to answer my question? My car has 19k miles, but there has always been that 1/2" to 1" of play in the steering wheel (even when brand new) before the actual tire moves. Does this bushing kit solve that?
Old 11-14-06, 02:00 PM
  #58  
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Originally Posted by JeffTsai
So anyone get a chance to answer my question? My car has 19k miles, but there has always been that 1/2" to 1" of play in the steering wheel (even when brand new) before the actual tire moves. Does this bushing kit solve that?
I think it will. See the bushings still look nice at 100k miles. The only thing is that they are crazy soft. You will see an instant difference in your steering. It really is suttle if you are looking at one area of problem. The overall effect is deffinatelly there. This is what I have been experiencing for the past 4 days.

1. Less Slack in the wheel
2. Much easier to keep the car straight
3. A **** load less tire noise than before. I guess the rack doesn't move around anymore.
4. Instant steering responce.
5. Steering wheel stays straight. We have crowned roads everywhere, and my steering was always a littl to the left. Now it is pretty much straight.
6. Superior steering feel than before. Every time I start driving I notice it being better.

You can't go wrong for $50 and an hour of your time to install it.
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Old 11-14-06, 02:18 PM
  #59  
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Order...Hello!! I can't wait for them to arrive and to install em.
Old 11-14-06, 05:19 PM
  #60  
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Originally Posted by slickgt1


2. Much easier to keep the car straight

5. Steering wheel stays straight. We have crowned roads everywhere, and my steering was always a littl to the left. Now it is pretty much straight.

I agree. Before doing this mod, my car would steer to the right if I had left my steering wheel straight. I thoguht I had an alignment problem, but then I did an alignment only three months prior and have only put on 500 miles since. These bushing corrected my steering and now my car goes straight.
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