Anarchy919

iTrader: (4)

Look on Car-part.com you can find a PS pump for 50 most times out of an 08 TL-s. And a Rack for about 200 to 300, and you don't have to have the PS cooler.

Kennedy

iTrader: (2)

Not taking sides here, but I replaced the 28K miles rack on my 2006 with a 26K miles rack from a 2007 TL-s. The result was much firmer steering effort, less drift at high speeds... felt more controlled.
It's a legit mod.

I undersdtand your perspective in replenishing old worn parts too, but just wanted to chime as the second adopter of this mod that it is worth the investment IMHO.

I hear ya on the add a screw 20 butt HP too though theme around here too. Mods make us feel good.

Opel

I never suggested the TL-S rack wasn't worth it!!!! this is what you guys are not getting.....

But for some, that WOWWWWWWWWW effect is way over exaggerated, just like everything else that they do.

Never intended to shoot down this mod, never intended to discourage anyone from doing it.

Buda

iTrader: (1)

Was about to pull the trigger and start ordering in parts to do this mod when over the weekend I was greasing the bushings on my Progress RSB (which I hadn't done in way to long) and noticed that the End Link Bracket connected to the lower arm on the RR had broken and the end link was just hanging there. From the looks of everything I'm betting it's been that way for a while. That will definitely cause handling problems. Part gets here on Thursday so I'll have it in that night. I'm now going to wait to see if that corrects a lot of the problems I've been having with the steering/car handling. If it doesn't correct it enough then I'm still going for this mod (and may still do it regardless). I know after driving Steven's Type-S a year or more ago that I really like the steering in that car much better than mine.

melvin2816

iTrader: (4)

This is grabing my attention

Buda

iTrader: (1)

The bracket came in a day early so I got it on last night and definitely one heck of a difference (at least on the short drive I took). I do feel the steering is still to loose for my taste but need to wait for a windy day with a good cross wind on the highway to see how it handles with the bracket on. Since I live in KS I shouldn't have to wait to long for that to happen. I'm still leaning toward doing this mod but may wait till spring now if the bracket really has helped enough (need to get some more driving done to confirm).

-MiG-

iTrader: (3)

I drove my buddies type S and I loved it, his breaks are so much more responsive and all but man,

I LOOOOOOVE my steering on the base, sorry Ill stick with the smooth chilling steering

Steve5.9

I went to car-parts.com and called those numbers and the first two numbers aren't answering, the canadians don't wanna ship to TN , and no one else has them. I don't wanna shell out 500 to get one on acuraoem.com. WHAT DO I DO?!!

KN_TL

iTrader: (3)

I checked Rock Auto and they have a remanufactured unit for 176 plus 125 core charge.

jr27

sounds like an interesting mod. i have tought about doing something to change my steering feel at high speeds, i was thinking about putting in the type-s sway bar, but this sounds like it might correct the issue too. good job pointing this out OP.

I hate cars

You guys have it all wrong what this does. It's not a suspension member. It does not change the way your car handles.

It is a quicker gear ratio for the steering and nothing else.

For example if the base rack needs 3 turns of the steering wheel from lock to lock, the TL-S rack might only need 2.5 turns of the steering wheel.

I'm going to do this if/when my rack needs to be replaced. I tend to get the car sideways fairly often and it would be nice to not have to turn the wheel so quick to catch the rear end. It won't make my car handle any better but it will reduce the amount of steering input on my part.

Steve5.9

Yeah I was confused for this one because it is the same part number as for a 05 base TL, so I'm not sure if this is for a Type-S or both...

Anarchy919

iTrader: (4)

Well to this point it's the best MOD I have done to my Car, But time has come and My Wife and I are looking to Buy Two new Cars She is going to trade Her 08 RDX in on a 2011 ZDX with Tech and I'm looking at the 2011 TL SH with Tech.

Steve5.9

Mod complete.... such a sweet difference. Steering is nice and tight, just the way I like my ladies

KN_TL

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, you're right. If you start from the beginning, there are two listed.

The $176 one goes with all different models of Acura and Honda's.

There is a 2nd one for $212 that just lists the 07/08 TL-S.

Both have a $125 core charge.

Steve5.9

Yeah that's what I thought. I got mine through a guy I know who runs a shop out here in TN. It's really an awesome upgrade! We'll see how it does parallel parking

The-Chemist

Bringing this one back (though it wasn't too deep in the archieves).

I picked up my car from the dealer today after an alignment and the recall work. they said my steering rack was "leaking internally and couldn't be repaired". Their quoted price for parts and labor was 1450 bucks . So, after some research on here I think I will put in the TL-S rack (05 AT). Anyone who has done this and had it on the road for a while have any complaints??

For those of you who did it yourself, would you recommend a novice mechanic take this on? What is the difficulty level? I'm not sure I could get this done myself and I am considering letting an independent mechanic handle it, but, I enjoy working on my car.

If anyone in the Pittsburgh area wants to help, I'd be happy to return the favor

Opel

If you need to replace your rack, which seems like you do, and you enjoy working on your car the way you say you do, and if you can follow instructions...a service manual along with your motivation will set you a long way...don't let the dealer touch it....1450 is a lot to throw when you can do it yourself. And replacing the rack anyway, you should definitely go with the S rack.

Steve5.9

Agreed. But I only paid 200 for labor so I went with a mechanic to put it in. If I had the tools I would love to work on it myself but this work was fairly inexpensive.

Opel

^^^^Yes I can imagine...a trurstworthy decent mechanic should be able to do it for way under $1450

tjmoneybags

So glad to see this mod. I am a vette nut, and sold them ending up with my wifes 04 TL...that I think handles like a pig....in the steering area especially.

Currently PS pump is groaning, and this is so timely for me.

I can't thank you enough.

Let you know outcome.

Anarchy919

iTrader: (4)

Well the time has come to trade in the TL on a new ZDX for the Wife and I'm going to take Her RDX and still to this Day this is and was the best thing that I could have done to the car. The person that gets this car someday will be Happy.
Maybe someone would like to take over the Car note or Buy it for $12K

skh

So this mod is very interesting to me. I just got a new to me TL (2004 6MT wNavi) and one of the two things that I don't is the steering (the other is the Navi it is never right/outdated???)

My concern with this mod is most places that sell re-manufactured parts don't tell you if it came from an "S" model or not. So I started looking into what the differences are. From OEM part stores there is a difference in part numbers: Type-S and BASE. So there must be a difference right? Well I was unable to verify if the steering ratio actually is different. See here. And after further investigation it looks like from these pages Type-S and BASE the only difference is the valve housing. So there is a difference but it is not the ratio that changes it's only the valving.

Can someone who has done the mod and/or someone with a 07-08 Type-S See how many turns lock to lock is, so we can see if the Type-S has a quicker rack? If the rack is the same it looks like we can just buy a new valve housing for $45 and be on our way (granted it will probably be a little more difficult than just a straight swap...)

It does not look like you can change the valving in the PS pump though, that one we will have to buy as a unit.

Thanks

skh

^ Anyone...

I hate cars

WTF... I'm finding 2.8 for the S from 10 different websites. Only found one for the base and it said 2.77! Going to check my base right now to confirm. Maybe Type S owners should upgrade to the base rack lol. Results in a few.

I hate cars

I got just a hair over 2.5 turns so the 2.77 looks to be right for the base. This really sucks as it was one of the mods I was looking forward to. It looks like all you get with the Type S rack is harder steering.

Ricky Pounds

Hey ANARCHY919, man I do want to thank you for all your help in disasembling and assembling back the shifter area! SO far so good! It is not shifting on it's own, after I go from 1st to 2nd. Now it is holding from 3rd to 4th to 5th when I do the shifting, sweet again!! Thanks Bro!!

RJNN TL

I had an 05 Base TL 5AT before my Type S 6MT. And I gotta say. It is a lot more firm than my base. I'd consider it a good enough upgrade for any base owner. I loved my base though, even if it has this "sloppy" feeling. It wasnt THAT bad, but I can see why people would mod it. It's like an OEM mod though!

Buda

iTrader: (1)

Ok guys I'm pulling the trigger on this mod this month on my '06 TL. I've found some parts via car-parts.com but am leery about getting them through a junkyard. Although 1 place does look promising as they have quite the facility (warehouse for storage) and rebuild cars for sale as well. However their cost on pump is $150 and $300 for rack (no mention of core swaps online) so maybe the higher cost will translate to better quality/warranty?

Talked to my parts guy at the dealership and he is not to keen on getting junkyard parts and wants me to go new on the PS Pump and Re-manufactured on the TL-S Rack (new rack way to much and it is not full assembly). Not sure what labor would be for the install (doing the FSB as well). I'm trying to keep the cost semi reasonable as it is also time for a brake upgrade (probably a kit from Heeltoe Auto). I have a 2k budget to work with to do Rack swap and brakes (will probably DIY on brakes).

What are your guy's thoughts on getting the parts via a yard or go re-manufactured? I'm pasted my 50k (in upper 70s now) but do have extended warranty till 100k. If I go through the dealership it will cost: $70 for FSB, 305 for PS Pump, and 456 for ReMan rack (slight chance I might get $150 back on core swap but he doubts it due to age of my rack).

Through dealership I'm looking at $900 and going through yard $520 to $670. I know there is a decent price difference but it's also a different level in confidence of parts. Also I could go ReMan on the wrack and get PS pump from a yard and cut the $900 to $750.

A couple more questions:
For the PS Pump, do you also need the pulley replace with the one from the type S?

Also trying to do this yourself, I'm assuming the subframe has to be dropped some which would mean at least having a cherry picker (I might out at my parents farm). Is this a feasible DIY project? I'm also assuming I'll need an alignment as soon as it is installed.

I appreciate any responses.

myron

iTrader: (4)

if the car the parts are coming off from has decent millage I wouldn't worry about the junk yard parts. I would not give dealership 900$ for those parts, no way.

I hate cars

After figuring out both racks have the same ratio, I would not waste money on this mod. The only thing you get is a wheel that's harder to turn without the benefits of a quicker steering ratio. You're spending $350-$500 in parts alone to make your steering wheel harder to turn with no performance benefit.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I found your findings the first time around and crossed this off my list.
Thank you, sir.

I hate cars

You're welcome.

I was really disappointed to find this out. This was on my short list to do. When I was testing the lock to lock turns I was turning slowly and hoping the wheel would keep turning but it didn't. When it stopped just past 2.5 I was like .

Buda

iTrader: (1)

What do you suggest then? My steering is utterly awful and feels completely unsafe at highway speeds. It is very sloppy and I no longer even push my car anymore because the steering just doesn't feel safe. Oh and the dealership says it seems to be normal yet when I drive a type S or a '09+ model it is soooo much better (type s more so).

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

if the rack and pinon go out, simply replacing it with a new one will get you that brand new tight feeling again.

its your decision to do the type-s swap or not....but as previously stated there are no performance gains from it.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

props to SKH as well.

I hate cars

If they're sure its the rack and not the commonly torn compliance bushings or other suspension components i'm sure a new rack base or type s would work. One thing I loved when my car was brand new was the on center feel and how it had no slop. Either will get rid of the slop equally it would just be a choice of how much effort you want to put into turning the wheel. I'm not bashing the guys that like the higher effort. I just wanted to stress that either one will equally fix the sloppy steering. I have to go with Opel here.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Opel was right all along.

skh

When I was looking into the differences in the two racks, I also started to study the steering section in the service manual. If there is slop in your steering (specs. on page 17-7) you can adjust the the rack guide (page 17-28). It seems pretty straight forward but you will probably need a calibrated torque wrench or just some trial and error.... or perhaps some

Good luck, also if you really want the stiffer steering you can buy the Type-S valve housing for ~$45 (I would suggest replacing the seals as well...) and in terms of inspection that is the only part the service manual suggests to inspect/replace during the overhaul.

mwadden

Reviving an old post here but wanted to give my two cents. I have been fighting this sloppy/non-confident steering issue for 2 years with my 05...almost at 120k now. The 405 freeway in LA and the roads beat the crap out of any suspension and it's very difficult now to keep the car straight without grinding your teeth at 80mph. I've had 3-4 dealer alignments done and 2 independents...so the TOE IS NOT the issue.

I started with the rack guide adjustment in May 2010...this helped a fair amount at the time but with the compromise of having 'sticky' steering on the freeway (not return to center without help). So I went on to replace the entire front suspension...mainly for compliance bushings...but also tie rod ends...sway bar end links...you name it...it's new. After alignment car did feel better and suspension was quieter.....yet still blah.

So after reading this thread (wish I had found it before!!!!!!) I totally believe that this sloppyness is due to the worn rack...and it's inherent design flaws...evidenced by the revisions made in 2007. My rack developed a slight clunk at 70k like others talk about but recently has become even worse now that the suspension and tires are new (probably because it is the only thing that COULD be making noise seeing as how everything is brand new). I am going to order the revised Base TL rack tonight...I'll report back with my findings. I love this car...and just want it to drive like it did 3 years ago (within reason).

Thanks to everyone for their information! And thumps up to Buda...the steering issue gives this car a very unpleasant/unenjoyable feeling on the freeway.