TiC steering rack bushings review

[mokinbird87]

I looked at the awesome DIY on the forum for the installation. pretty easy install. the best part is the positive snap you get when you put in the new bushings!

previous experience: I remember doing this mod on my bugeye wrx and it transformed the steering feel on that car. steering weight got heavier and the feel was more direct; it became almost BMW-like (the BMs in the E46 years) with just a $50 part so it was a no brainer for me to do this on the BRZ. I was hoping for a similar result on the BRZ, as I personally wanted a bit more feel through the steering.

Verdict: To be honest, the bushings didnt transform the car like it did on the WRX. I could really feel the difference of how soft the stock bushings were vs the Whiteline bushings. My BRZ only has 30k miles so I guess it`s still relatively new, but the stock bushings are not that much softer than the TiC ones. I`m sure over time it will become soft like gum though. When I took the oem bushings out I could push down on it with my finger nails and it would deflect maybe about 2-3mm. Not much, but there is play in there for sure.

However here are a few critical things I have definitely noticed after the installation.

On the BRZ, I dont necessarily have an issue with the quickness of the steering ratio but the lack of feel on what kind of surface I`m driving on. With the TiC bushings, I can feel more of the road texture. this is really nice especially when driving on wet surfaces as you need to know how much of your tire is touching what. It`s also a distinct feature that often gets filtered out on cars with electric steering.

Bump-steer is almost gone! with the oem bushings, the steering angle would change a bit when you hit a bump in a mid-corner, and this is completely mitigated with the new bushings. On-center feel on bumpy surfaces is very solid now and the result is that you have more confidence on public roads with dips and undulations.

I felt the need to get the harder bushings after getting bigger wheels and stickier tires, and I got exactly what I wanted. I can only imagine how much more steering feel I would get after I start doing more serious suspension work.

I think it`s worth the time/money to invest in these bushings if you are a sensitive driver (which I believe most FRS/BRZ owners are), but I can see some people saying it didnt make that much of a difference.

I really like mine and just wanted to share my experience.

thanks TiC!