Underdog Motorsports - 2015 STI Steering Rack Swap

Will this rack work OK on the Outback? I'm assuming that there aren't any wonky spacers between the rack and crossmember on the Outback and that it mounts to the crossmember in the same way it would on the Legacy. I know the U-Joint in the column is longer on the Outback due to the body spacers.

How is steering feel with this rack? I find the OE rack to be a little too light and feel the car wanders too easily. I know the rack is quicker, but if the steering weight is higher I think that would help with straight-line tracking. Essentially I want it to feel "less boosted".

You should be fine using the OBXT u-joint. I've never actually compared the input shaft length on the OBXT vs. LGT racks but I suspect you will be fine. Worst case you could always cut the u-joint and have longer rod welded in to lengthen the center section.

My car was already heavily modified in the suspension/steering geometry department before the rack swap, but the rack has only increased the steering heft and return-to-center feel. Relative to the LGT platform it is communicative and engaging. For this reason a good quality fluid is recommended (I use Motul ATF) and possibly an external cooler if you plan on motorsport use.

Underdog please pm me with pricing for all the parts I would need. Might be interested in trying on a vdc car. My stock rack is on its way out.

It's like $700ish I think, if you do decide to swap it out I would be very interested in hearing your response with VDC.

All you need is the rack itself, everything else is an option. Part numbers are listed in the OP.

I generally don't sell the rack since you can buy it for less than my cost elsewhere on the internet. If you insist then my price is $640+shipping, but I would rather you keep some cash in your pocket than give me a sale with no profit margin. I can compete on Cusco/WL, but some OEM dealers seem to have no problem selling certain OEM parts online below wholesale.

How have I not stumbled upon this until just now!. This is so cool! Maybe be in the future aka well be.

Thanks for the great thread

I have searched around on IWSTI and Nasioc, it seems to work with no issues on those cars.

Only one reported issue on IWSTI and everyone else is confused cause it seems to work on all the VDC equipped STIs and WRXs. If our VDC system is different we might have a different result, I can't imagine it is though.

I am sort of curious if we call up Subaru of America and ask them what kind of answer we would get.

Later this year meaning in a few weeks?

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Sorry, I shouldn't have been so vague. By 'later this year', I meant more like within the next year. My goals to have it done by the end of winter. I work my summers away, so the only bit of build time I have is in the winter.

I bought the car two years ago, totaled with 86k. I did the necessary body work, rebuilt the engine with forged internals (not necessary) while adding and deleting anything that needed to be done with a BNR 18g, before getting a tune from Delicious.

Now I'm at 105k, refreshing the suspension and fixing the power steering leak it might have received from the crash... 'fixing' as in upgrading. I'm still trying to decide on the springs and struts though.

I'm trying to keep my daily driver fun yet 'reliable'.

Hopefully should have everything wrapped up on my build and aligned by the new year. Will keep you all posted

What car do you have?

I don't understand what the big deal is. We've already confirmed fitment and the WRX crowd reports no issues with VDC which has been available on certain BP/BL trims for a decade. Outback owners with VDC have swapped in quicker LGT racks and no problems have been reported. VDC is fully defeatable, however inconvenient, so it's not like the car is undriveable. If you guys are really worried about it then I can try installing one in my OBXT but I'd need people to chip in towards the cost, and if it works you would get a credit towards purchase of a rack, or if not I'll sell the rack used and distribute the proceeds equally.

In other news a NASIOC member dug up the specs for the pump on quick-rack equipped cars and it appears to be higher output than the early BP/BL turbo and all non-turbo modes (excluding 3.0R). The later-model BP/BL turbos share a P/N which according to the '09 FSM has the same output as the quick-rack equipped STI. Oddly the '08 FSM does not have the higher-output specs listed even though the P/N is common. I am investigating further but until then I have had zero issues with my original '06 pump.

What kind of problems would you expect to have if the pump couldn't keep up with the rack?

It looks like at least one person is going to try installing it with VDC so - no reason for you to spend the time on it yet. It's just the unknown. Although in the scheme of car modifications $564 (from Heuberger) is pretty cheap.

I would expect to hear the pump straining or to feel a significant increase in effort the further away from center or the quicker the wheel is turned. Your '08 turbo should have the higher-output pump. Feel free to PM me your VIN if you'd like me to check.

Last I heard Heuberger had upped their price. Haven't checked my cost in a while since they were selling below wholesale cost.

FWIW, I do not hear my pump straining on my 05. I try to make sure I'm turning while moving as well. I've run this rack for nearly a year and I've had no issues.

I'm also convinced that it helped me avoid a front end collision from an opposing driver not paying attention. It paid for itself that day!

Add me to the list fella's. Got a the new 13:1 sti rack installed in my spec (non vdc) over the course of the last week. Just a got to set the toe and a little more bleeding to go.

As always, thanks Rick for figuring this all out and for the write up!

I'm preping my rack for the install and I'm a bit confused. If there's that much thread left is it really essential to trim the inner tie rod? When I turn the outer tie rod on, it bottoms out with less than the supplied nut width left. Is it possible all you need is a thinner nut?

So I'm aligned and driving on the new rack. I wanted to provide some basic observations. They will be completely subjective, unfortunately, until I figure some practical ways to take some measurable data. I'm open to suggestions.

 

In the meantime, attached is a pic of the tie rod end. You can see there are still threads left.

 

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a5df38b3127ccee872204fc89500000030O00AauGzhs4cMWgPbz4U/cC/f%3D0/ls%3D00401886868520150119172345209.JPG/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

 

 

 

Turned out that when I actually got it back on the road, my steering wheel was off about 10 degrees left. It drove me nuts and I was concerned about the indexing, but it seemed to work out just fine as she drives straight and the wheel sits at 12 once again!

 

Overall, the steering is noticeably tighter feeling than before. It's also very responsive. In my old rack, I had a small dead spot at 12 o'clock, I now get immediate response from the wheel when turned. I don't exactly trust my observations because I've already adjusted to the new rack; I can't really recall the complete feel of the old rack.

 

Having said that, if you can suggest some practical ways to compare, I'd be very willing to hear them and provide any data possible. Just say the word...