Any advice on making steering heavier? - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

shattered_memory · 10-23-2016, 08:03 PM

Does anyone have advice on making steering feel a bit more heavy? Are there any alignment settings or modifications that can do this? I have done several suspension mods to try and get a heavier steering feel. The mods have definitely improved overall handling, but have not helped in a more weighted steering feel. Below are my current suspension mods. I am looking into sway bars to see if this may help. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Current Suspension Mods:

Tein Flex Z (lowered 1.4 inch front/1 inch rear) 7/8 clicks from full stiff.
Grimmspeed Front strut bar
Energy Suspension Poly Front LCA bushings
Energy Suspension Poly steering rack bushings
17X9 +45 RPF1 w/ 245/40/17 Hankook RS3 (running 30 PSI cold all around)

Alignment Settings from the top of my head:
Front Camber: -1.5
Front Toe: 0
Front Caster: little over 6 degrees

Rear Camber: -.9
Rear Toe: Can't remember, but I know it is slight toe in.

swarb · 10-23-2016, 08:07 PM

More camber.

twag4 · 10-23-2016, 08:15 PM

Whiteline caster correcting bushings. KCA-434 is the part number.

guybo · 10-23-2016, 08:19 PM

Yeah up the caster a few degrees. I don't know exactly how much. But bear in mind, you'll be changing the front suspension geometry which will have effects on front end grip and you may end up over working the electric steering motor.

Changing caster is a fundamental change.

DAEMANO · 10-23-2016, 08:21 PM

Wider tires, wheel spacers.

Marat · 10-23-2016, 08:42 PM

Smaller steering wheel

gramicci101 · 10-23-2016, 08:44 PM

Air the tires out to 20 psi.

why? · 10-23-2016, 09:44 PM

remove the fuse for the electric steering.

Tor · 10-23-2016, 10:10 PM

Some of the other suggestion might help, but the most cost-effective would be slight toe-in at the front. It will make it stay in lane better too, but at the cost of turn-in.

Personally, I'll take a light feel (toe out) and good turn in over heavy steering feel.

With toe, we are talking miniscle differences with large effect. Try 0.05 inch deg toe-in instead of 0.

x808drifter · 10-24-2016, 05:26 PM

Go to a +35, or get 10mm spacers.
Cheap to try.

nikitopo · 10-24-2016, 05:37 PM

There are some bigger steering bolts and you can change also the bushings. Image of bolts:

After installation it is definetly heavier, but after a few days you'll get used to it ...

finch1750 · 10-24-2016, 06:51 PM

Drive a car with lighter steering for a few days and then swap back

SkAsphalt · 10-24-2016, 07:04 PM

50 pound wheels

Captain Snooze · 10-24-2016, 07:20 PM

Buy a tractor.

10-23-2016, 08:03 PM	#1
shattered_memory Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Drives: Satin White BRZ Limited Location: SOCAL Posts: 182 Thanks: 59 Thanked 60 Times in 40 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Any advice on making steering heavier? Does anyone have advice on making steering feel a bit more heavy? Are there any alignment settings or modifications that can do this? I have done several suspension mods to try and get a heavier steering feel. The mods have definitely improved overall handling, but have not helped in a more weighted steering feel. Below are my current suspension mods. I am looking into sway bars to see if this may help. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Current Suspension Mods: Tein Flex Z (lowered 1.4 inch front/1 inch rear) 7/8 clicks from full stiff. Grimmspeed Front strut bar Energy Suspension Poly Front LCA bushings Energy Suspension Poly steering rack bushings 17X9 +45 RPF1 w/ 245/40/17 Hankook RS3 (running 30 PSI cold all around) Alignment Settings from the top of my head: Front Camber: -1.5 Front Toe: 0 Front Caster: little over 6 degrees Rear Camber: -.9 Rear Toe: Can't remember, but I know it is slight toe in.

10-23-2016, 08:15 PM	#3
twag4 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Drives: frs Location: The depths Posts: 749 Thanks: 355 Thanked 427 Times in 241 Posts Mentioned: 5 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	Whiteline caster correcting bushings. KCA-434 is the part number. __________________

10-23-2016, 10:10 PM	#9
Tor Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Drives: Toyota GT86 Location: Europe Posts: 919 Thanks: 369 Thanked 557 Times in 301 Posts Mentioned: 40 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	Some of the other suggestion might help, but the most cost-effective would be slight toe-in at the front. It will make it stay in lane better too, but at the cost of turn-in. Personally, I'll take a light feel (toe out) and good turn in over heavy steering feel. With toe, we are talking miniscle differences with large effect. Try 0.05 inch deg toe-in instead of 0. __________________ Build: T(h)or's GT86 hammer (Europe) - essential track setup Youtube: GT86 dude

10-24-2016, 06:51 PM	#12
finch1750 Undisputed El Presidente Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: Zenki 37J ZN6 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 11,593 Thanks: 9,403 Thanked 9,411 Times in 5,270 Posts Mentioned: 374 Post(s) Tagged: 33 Thread(s)	Drive a car with lighter steering for a few days and then swap back __________________ "Just like how a strut bar somehow enables you to corner 20MPH faster around a cloverleaf on-ramp, when the reality is, you can do it already but you just don't have to balls to do it." - CSG David

10-24-2016, 07:20 PM	#14
Captain Snooze Because compromise ® Join Date: Jan 2012 Drives: Red Herring Location: australia Posts: 7,817 Thanks: 4,047 Thanked 9,548 Times in 4,194 Posts Mentioned: 60 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Buy a tractor. __________________ My car is completely stock except for all the mods.

10-23-2016, 08:07 PM	#2
swarb Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Drives: BRZ Location: Los Angeles Posts: 3,052 Thanks: 1,773 Thanked 2,451 Times in 1,271 Posts Mentioned: 79 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	More camber.

10-23-2016, 08:19 PM	#4
guybo Huge E85 fan! Join Date: May 2016 Drives: 2016 Scion FRS Location: Tampa, FL, USA Posts: 1,850 Thanks: 539 Thanked 1,010 Times in 605 Posts Mentioned: 32 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Yeah up the caster a few degrees. I don't know exactly how much. But bear in mind, you'll be changing the front suspension geometry which will have effects on front end grip and you may end up over working the electric steering motor. Changing caster is a fundamental change.

10-23-2016, 08:42 PM	#6
Marat Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Drives: '15 Ultramarine FR-S Location: Ontario Posts: 107 Thanks: 52 Thanked 52 Times in 27 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	Smaller steering wheel

10-23-2016, 08:44 PM	#7
gramicci101 Off Topic Join Date: Feb 2014 Drives: 2014 Subaru BRZ Limited Location: Vegas, baby! Posts: 4,610 Thanks: 2,369 Thanked 4,243 Times in 2,170 Posts Mentioned: 43 Post(s) Tagged: 3 Thread(s)	Air the tires out to 20 psi.

10-23-2016, 09:44 PM	#8
why? Only happy when it rains. Join Date: Feb 2013 Drives: series.blue Location: Harnett county NC Posts: 1,995 Thanks: 5,698 Thanked 1,265 Times in 750 Posts Mentioned: 26 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	remove the fuse for the electric steering.

10-24-2016, 05:26 PM	#10
x808drifter LMGTFY Join Date: Mar 2016 Drives: 13 FRS, 91 Miata Location: Lava Town, HI Posts: 2,776 Thanks: 5,561 Thanked 3,650 Times in 1,625 Posts Mentioned: 15 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Go to a +35, or get 10mm spacers. Cheap to try.

10-24-2016, 05:37 PM	#11
nikitopo Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Drives: '15 BRZ RA Location: Greece Posts: 3,787 Thanks: 2,417 Thanked 1,947 Times in 1,263 Posts Mentioned: 29 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	There are some bigger steering bolts and you can change also the bushings. Image of bolts: After installation it is definetly heavier, but after a few days you'll get used to it ...

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