Perrin steering damper lockdown on 3.6R

Perrin steering damper lockdown fitted to gen6 3.6R.

My forum searching skills have failed me on this one. I can find posts relating to that damper fitted to a gen5 Legacy but not to a gen6 Legacy 3.6R.

This website nor this website under 'Compatibility' doesn’t confirm fitment but I can’t see why it wouldn’t fit. I measured in excess of 13.35mm where stated on the photo, but it looks like it all has to done from the top due to the CAT underneath.

If someone has fitted one to gen6 Legacy 3.6R (especially a RHD Liberty 3.6R) would they mind answering the following:

* How difficult was it to fit (especially loosening/re-tightening the bottom nut down near the rack)?

* How much difference did it make to on-centre steering? In other words was it worthwhile?

* If fitted for a considerable time has the rubber bushing shown any sign of degradation since being under more compression?

... I can’t see why it wouldn’t fit.

Thanks. Yes, that’s one reason why I was after feedback from someone who has it fitted to a gen6 Legacy/Liberty or even a gen5 Outback.

It has been fitted to an SJ Forester XT which has electric assist power steering with what appears to be a successful outcome; see Fate’s two posts on subaruforester.org here and here.

Those two posts are fairly lengthy & discusses a 19mm rear sway bar as well as the steering damper lockdown.

Our SJ Foz XT had electric power assist steering & although the steering ratio was different to our Liberty, the on-centre steering was similar with that slightly vague feeling on the highway.

* How difficult was it to fit (especially loosening/re-tightening the bottom nut down near the rack)?

Easy. The steering rack & pinion uni-joint clamp bolt was a bit difficult to access.

* How much difference did it make to on-centre steering? In other words was it worthwhile?

9.9 out of 10, that’s how good it is on this car. The vague & rubbery on centre steering is almost 100% gone. Also appears to be better in cross winds on the highway. No negatives at this stage. I can now understand why the WRX STi has a solid link there instead of the rubber.

* If fitted for a considerable time has the rubber bushing shown any sign of degradation since being under more compression?

I don’t know, but I can’t see any reason why anyone would ever want to take it off once they tried it.

I'm very interested in this... I'd like to see how invasive the install would be.

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I'm very interested in this... I'd like to see how invasive the install would be.

By invasive do you mean any long term detrimental issues caused by fitting this lockdown? If so, I don’t know what long term affect it would have on the rubber dampener due to it now being under more compression, but I don’t think it will make a lot of difference. Without the lockdown the rubber dampener flexes as the steering wheel turns & with it it hardly flexes at all, so is that better for the life of the rubber or worse? You can see the difference in compression between the 2nd image & the last image in the install instruction pdf download here.

The WRX STi doesn’t have this rubber dampener but I don’t know what differences there are between the steering column & the rack except for hydraulic assist instead of electric assist.

One concern was additional kickback through the steering, but when driving over our goat track roads it didn’t feel like there was any more, but if there was it was only very minor.

My main concern was how my better half would cope with the now precise steering on the highway. After she had driven the car for a while I asked the question “would you prefer that I removed the dampener lockdown” & got a quick rather stern “Don’t you take this off, it makes the steering just right – I like it” reply.

Some information on the install that may be helpful to anyone fitting this:

Keep in mind I fitted this to the RHD version of the USDM LHD Legacy 3.6R so it may be easier to install on the RHD models - I gained more access by removing the air filter case to throttlebody hose pipe. I did the install from the top, the cat on the 3.6R inhibits access from underneath – the service manual actually says to remove the cat to replace the steering uni-joints.

The top steering column uni-joint clamp bolt was easy to access & there was plenty of room to fit the dampener lockdown. I found the bottom steering rack uni-joint clamp screw the hardest to undo & re-tighten due to the limited space around that bolt & the way the shape of the uni-joint inhibits fitting a ring spanner to the bolt in the in-line direction. A short socket & small 1/4” drive ratchet wouldn’t fit in the available space so the steering had to turned to just the right position so the spanner & socket could be worked sideways.

The engine needed to be running to turn the wheels for bolt access & left/right half turns prior to the uni-joint clamp bolt tightening – a couple of pieces of cardboard under the front wheels helped the wheels to turn on the garage floor.

I followed the install instructions exactly except for the following:

By applying grease to the two halves’ outer mating surfaces of the lockdown & to the thread of the M6x70mm install screw made fitting the dampener easy. A 3/8” drive M5 hex bit socket with 3/8” to 1/4” adapter & short 1/4” drive ratchet worked much better than the supplied M5 allan key. One half of the dampener caught on the rivet head & started to pull in at an angle when partially fitted, so this required pulling back into line with my fingers so that both sides were pulled in straight with the install screw. I cleaned the grease from the internal threads of the lockdown half with isopropyl alcohol before fitting the shorter M6x60mm screw with the supplied thread locker.

The install instructions didn’t mention the order the two uni-joint clamp bolts should be re-tightened. I found the re-tightening order & the adjustment of the steering column tilt position very important. After fitting the dampener lockdown I re-tightened from the two turns undone position the top steering column uni-joint clamp bolt first & the bottom steering rack uni-joint clamp bolt last with the steering wheel/column in my preferred tilt position. This caused a clicking noise in the steering column as the steering wheel was turned to the right when driving forward after a left lock in reverse (two clicks that sounded like it was coming from the blinker cancel mechanism).

I found the solution to this in the service manual. The service manual cautions that when the uni-joint clamp bolts are tightened after replacing the uni-joints, the top steering column uni-joint clamp bolt should be tightened last with the steering column tilt adjustment lever locked with the column in the neutral downward tilted position. By undoing then re-tightening the bolts following this procedure I totally eliminated the clicking noise when the steering column was back in my preferred tilt position. So it is very important to follow this tightening procedure as part of the install instead of tightening the top bolt first with the column in the preferred tilt position.

Thanks. I would be interested how you go & what you think of the way it changes the steering on your car (different suspension & different weight in the nose).

Depending where the CAT on the driver’s side is located on the 2.5i you may find you can access the bottom steering rack uni-joint clamp bolt from underneath which could make it a bit easier than from the top.

To test for the clicking noise I experienced; I found after I reversed out of my driveway onto the street using left lock, I heard the clicking noise as I straightened the car by turning the wheel to the right as I was starting to drive forward down the street. This was repeatable.

Thanks. I would be interested how you go & what you think of the way it changes the steering on your car (different suspension & different weight in the nose).

I can confirm fitment on a RHD 2.5.

I got a shop to install it for me because I was due for an oil change and brake flush anyway. Didn't need to remove the airbox becuase my Takeda intake gives way more room to maneuver than with the stock intake. But still, you need long arms to get at the dampener, either from above or below. My mechanic used a mixture of above and below access.

I'd agree with most of your post-install impressions. Straight line stability is improved at higher speeds. Fewer corrections are needed in the middle of bends. Steering response is more immediate, and my car seems to obey my intentions more whenever I pick a line. Everything's sharper and more predictable. In some ways, it almost seems like the steering is slightly lighter because all of the rubbery slack is gone, and though I prefer heavier steering, that's not a criticism. It's everything I hoped it would be, with none of the harshness or vibration I feared. The harder you drive, the more rewarding this mod is.

To me, this dethrones a thicker rear sway bar as the most bang for buck upgrade you can do to your 6th gen. Thank you for telling us about it.

Straight line stability is improved at higher speeds. Fewer corrections are needed in the middle of bends. Steering response is more immediate, and my car seems to obey my intentions more whenever I pick a line. Everything's sharper and more predictable. In some ways, it almost seems like the steering is slightly lighter because all of the rubbery slack is gone, and though I prefer heavier steering, that's not a criticism. It's everything I hoped it would be, with none of the harshness or vibration I feared. The harder you drive, the more rewarding this mod is.

My thoughts exactly. Since installing mine I had a ball driving the Liberty recently on a fast bumpy very winding road. I kept thinking; why doesn’t the car come from the factory like this, it is so much more rewarding to drive. No negatives at all so far after roughly 3,000km.

To me' date=' this dethrones a thicker rear sway bar as the most bang for buck upgrade you can do to your 6th gen.[/quote']

I agree. As for the rear bar; I went back to the stock 16mm after doing back to back tests with the 19mm & on the above fast twisty bumpy roads the car is now much more stable, more predictable & better handing.

Will this work/fit on 2.5L 6th gen Legacy US?

I don't see why not. I'm just flagging that I can only confirm fitment on a RHD 2.5i-S. But unless the steering columns and dampeners are startlingly different, I wouldn't think that there'd be compatibility issues with LHD 6th-gen Legacys. In this thread, we've already confirmed fitment for both RHD 2.5 and 3.6, and Perrin suggests that the steering dampeners on most recent Subaru models are similar and will work with the lockdown.

Do any of you all that installed this have eyesight? I want to know if there is anything in the way that would be blocking the access to install this that may deal with the steering assistance.

I don't have Eyesight.

Do any of you all that installed this have eyesight? I want to know if there is anything in the way that would be blocking the access to install this that may deal with the steering assistance.

My 2016 Liberty 3.6R has eyesight but has lane departure alert instead of lane departure assist (lane departure assist came in the later model I believe). So I don’t know how this mod would change the feel of lane departure assist feedback through the steering wheel. I don’t like lane departure warning or lane departure assist & have my lane departure warning turned off, but that is just me & I realise some people like that feature.

If the 2017 SJ Foz XT has lane departure assist, you could ask Fate on subaruforester.org forum if this mod changed any of the lane departure assist feedback. But I don’t know if the 2017 SJ XT had that option. See here for one of Fate’s posts on the steering dampener lockdown.

If you have a look down where the steering column uni-joints are on your car you should be able to tell what the access is like, especially the bottom uni-joint clamp bolt closest to the rack & pinion. That was the most difficult on mine to loosen & re-tighten.

Looking at my RHD engine bay & trying to relate it to your LHD engine bay I would guess that the engine bay fuse box could make access a little bit more difficult, but you won’t have to worry about removing the air filter case to throttlebody hose pipe. On my RHD 3.6R the CAT prohibited access from under the vehicle but I don’t know about the LHD 3.6R.

Just in case they changed the steering column un-joints between the RHD & LHD Liberty/Legacy (very unlikely IMO), check to make sure you have the required minimum gap of 0.53” (13.35mm) as shown in the last (10th) image at Perrin’s website here. If less than that, it isn’t going to fit.

There are a couple of YouTube videos about fitting the dampener lockdown to the current model LHD WRX that may also help.

Thanks for the info on this! I will just purchase it. $64 bucks is a steal for a mod like this. Worse case scenario is that I will sell it.

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Can someone explain the purpose of loosening the two bolts on the stock steering knuckle? ...

If done correctly it allows correct re-alignment after fitting the dampener lockdown. If not done correctly it can put side/end pressure on the steering column & possibly the rack.

Make sure you tighten those bolts in the sequence I mentioned here. The Legacy/Outback service manual states the correct sequence.

I'm checking with Perrin to confirm fitment. I don't know why 6th Gen isn't listed on their site...

I want it, but One forum member broke it and I don't wanna buy it and then feel like duh it doesn't fit !

Will this work/fit on 2.5L 6th gen Legacy US?

Yes, I have it installed on my 2.5L. Just took it to my buddy's Subaru shop and they installed it for me. You won't notice a difference in the straightaways but OH MY GOSH, cornering is soooooo much fun with that thing. I took a turn near my house that most people would have to sharply break for. It just ate it up. I still have my rear sway bar installed which I'm super glad that I kept on, because within 3 weeks of having it, a guy sideswiped me on the highway at 50+ mph at full speed. The way he hit me, the car should've spun around. By the grace of God and having those parts, the car just barely and I mean barely moved and stayed exactly spot on in my lane. It took me a couple seconds to realize someone hit me. I'm fine and I'm very thankful that the damage to my car or myself wasn't as bad as it could've been.

Huge thanks to surmiser for recommending getting it installed. Well worth the investment.

Yes, I have it installed on my 2.5L. Just took it to my buddy's Subaru shop and they installed it for me. You won't notice a difference in the straightaways but OH MY GOSH, cornering is soooooo much fun with that thing. I took a turn near my house that most people would have to sharply break for. It just ate it up. I still have my rear sway bar installed which I'm super glad that I kept on, because within 3 weeks of having it, a guy sideswiped me on the highway at 50+ mph at full speed. The way he hit me, the car should've spun around. By the grace of God and having those parts, the car just barely and I mean barely moved and stayed exactly spot on in my lane. It took me a couple seconds to realize someone hit me. I'm fine and I'm very thankful that the damage to my car or myself wasn't as bad as it could've been.

 

Huge thanks to surmiser for recommending getting it installed. Well worth the investment.

Did it affect any of the eyesight features?thats what I’m concern about.

Did it affect any of the eyesight features?thats what I’m concern about.

You gotta be kidding me right? That's like asking if changing a stock motor mount to a GroupN motor mount will affect EyeSight. Or if putting a seat cover on your seat will affect how your bottom side is cradled by the seat's shape. LOL!

Subaru engineers designed slop into the steering system to reduce noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) by de-coupling the steering column from the steering rack, so that the general public didn't feel small front wheel vibrations in the steering wheel. The resultant and somewhat unintended side effect of that introduces a level of vagueness into the steering wheel so that the driver can't feel exactly what the front wheels are doing, and in turn, that removes the sensation of quick, crisp, direct steering, making it slightly laggy and vague on turn-in. The steering damper lock down renders that slop useless by firming up the coupling in the steering shaft. It changes nothing with electronic nannies in the car.