Steeda RLCA bearings & diff bushings on

[Bluemustang]

You'd probably see almost zero performance degradation but an improvement in NVH with the red inserts. Nice write-up!

Thanks BmacIL. I always enjoy reading your posts on this forum.

We'll see how it does but so far I'm pretty happy with the result and the advantages seem to far outweigh the disadvantages.

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[BmacIL]

Thanks BmacIL. I always enjoy reading your posts on this forum.

We'll see how it does but so far I'm pretty happy with the result and the advantages seem to far outweigh the disadvantages.

If you're happy, that's all that matters!

This and [MENTION=26233]Rebellion[/MENTION]'s direct feedback to me is giving me a firm push to do the LCA bearing. I'm inclined to go the route of the pre-installed, though. Seems like a great deal.

 

[Bluemustang]

If you're happy, that's all that matters!

This and [MENTION=26233]Rebellion[/MENTION]'s direct feedback to me is giving me a firm push to do the LCA bearing. I'm inclined to go the route of the pre-installed, though. Seems like a great deal.

The LCA bearing changes the car. Even with the springs and shocks and cradle lockout pieces, it just isn't the same now. The mushiness in the rear end is gone. I don't have any bad NVH from it and most cases it's actually better.

Do it, it really changes the car. And I would recommend going the BMR route with the LCA bearings pre installed using [MENTION=9985]BMR Tech[/MENTION]'s contact. The shop mechanic told me it was really a pain removing the stock bushing. Usually he never says anything to me and the fact that he brought up the difficulty I think means something.

 

[BmacIL]

The LCA bearing changes the car. Even with the springs and shocks and cradle lockout pieces, it just isn't the same now. The mushiness in the rear end is gone. I don't have any bad NVH from it and most cases it's actually better.

Do it, it really changes the car. And I would recommend going the BMR route with the LCA bearings pre installed using [MENTION=9985]BMR Tech[/MENTION]'s contact. The shop mechanic told me it was really a pain removing the stock bushing. Usually he never says anything to me and the fact that he brought up the difficulty I think means something.

 

[Rebellion]

OK now to the real review. I got the push the car a little bit on some back roads to see more what it could do.

Now to me this feels like a sports car or semi race car like. The car is super tight and has a lot of road feel. Suspension feels pliable and articulate at speed. Instant communication with the ground now and fast vehicle reaction time.

Here is full mod list now:

Steeda bumpsteer kit, Steeda LCA bearing*, Steeda black diff inserts*, BMR cradle lockout, BMR vertical links (Delrin/spherical), BMR sway bars on full soft front and rear, BMR adj toe rods, BMR camber bolts and Ford Racing track springs and dampers. Gibson cat back and Lund FF tune running 93.

These last two mods has made it feel like a complete package of handling. Power delivery is more immediate and the car feels completely planted and nearly unflappable in throttle and shifts in the corners. On the bumpier sections of road, the car ate them up at higher speeds and it was glued to the road. The understeer is gone and the car feels very balanced and predictable. Bumps are less upsetting the chassis overall, which has led to more stability. I feel every imperfection in the road which when going slow is not as comfortable. But at higher speeds and corners it's amazing and fun as heck to drive.

It's a busier ride and a far more engaging driving experience for many reasons. More road feel, more direct shifts and power delivery, all of it combined. After a little while I struck a connection with it and learned what the car wanted me to do. The communication with the road and all of that. Just learning the setup and the car. I did not notice any wheel hop, only wheel spins from my crap tires.

Now onto the downsides really- the NVH has in fact increased. I did not realize it first, but now I do. There is noticeable gear whine at certain RPMs, around 2500-3000 rpm I noticed it most. Winding through the RPMs, with the Gibson Xpipe it feels like the car is roaring to life. With the radio on it is fine, but if I were to have the radio off all the time the gear whine would bug me a little bit. But honestly I don't think it will be a deal breaker for me. I imagine aluminum diff inserts would be even worse. I didn't notice any other vibrations though.

In addition, there is also a slight clunking noise on certain occasions on downshifts and at idle throttle with the drivetrain loaded and unloading. Not every time does this happen though. I assume it is coming from the differential. I saw a couple other posts of people on here that had the same thing happen. I'm attributing it as a characteristic of the more solid differential connection to the rear of the car.

And the NVH from the LCA bearing I think is just feeling more imperfections in the road and vehicle reaction time being quicker. But in some ways it's actually a positive and more desirable NVH. But even if that's a negative to some, the car is better in every other way and is working more freely.

The Steeda diff bushings I think are adding the more NVH into this equation in the form of noise. The gear whine is kinda cool in a way especially with the exhaust. Just sounds beastly. But the more direct shifts, traction and jump off the line -has made a very nice difference. I could not get wheel hop in 2nd or 3rd gear. With my auto paddle shifters and Lund tune I can shift very quickly and firmly so it's important to me that I have some control over the car during those hard shifts.

Great review! :cheers:

I've been contemplating about the diff inserts, but gear whine and having to lower the subframe is sort of keeping me from getting them.

About the Steeda LCA, if there is something I could add is that it makes the car feel "light". Maybe not Miata type of light, but definitely a lot lighter than stock.

It is a very unique feeling that cannot be replicated otherwise, even with the super stiff springs and dampers I have. Kelly has stated something about LCA making the spring rates be effective...after driving around, I can definitely agree with that.

It seems to eat up the vagueness in the stock system and the small zone of hysteresis (I believe) that happens when the suspension transitions between ups/downs. Before, you could feel the suspension actually turning ON when at speed, now it's ON all the time. The suspension now is behaving more like it's supposed to be (theoretically).

I'm not sure it actually gives a net handling advantage (in terms of sharp turns at speed), but it does give the driver a lot more of confidence and feedback...so much that it actually helps reveal other weaknesses in the system (in my case, tires and rear sway bar). Thanks to the confidence and feedback, I have been pushing the car almost on a daily basis, getting more chances to feel the inherent understeer.

On the other side, the effects of the FR knuckle bearing was barely noticeable when I put it a month ago, the car turns easier and it's more eager to turn. I believe there is some interaction between this and the LCA, probably a multiplicative or additive effect.

This "light" feeling that the LCA gives is definitely missing from the car and it's not possible to quantify or describe accurately until you have the done the mod. If I had known this, the LCA would the first mod to the car, along with the CB005 and FR knuckle bearing. After that, you go on and decide if you want springs, dampers, and sways.

Like you said, there are no performance detriments, the only possible con being cost and difficulty in installation.

 

[Rustang]

Got my set in the mail the other day, just need to carve out some time to put them in and enjoy. I have the red diff bushings in and do have very slight gear whine but I only hear it when accelerating, not present at speed.

 

[Bluemustang]

Good point Rustang. I only hear it when I am applying throttle. Honestly it's not that bad the way I usually drive. I am listening to sports radio at half volume or playing music and I don't hear much of anything except a faint whine. But the engagement of the power and throttle response I think may be worth it.

I think Rebellion is onto something about the light feeling. This LCA bearing makes it much more nimble. Maybe it's not a mod that will net you so many g's of force but I think it helps to rid the understeer a bit. In the corners on the throttle it helps the rear tires to bite instead skip around because of too much deflection and geometry change. The tires stay on the ground instead of fighting against something in the IRS that is moving.

And I think for me to notice this big a difference despite the other mods I previously put on(which was several)- It's saying something to me about the importance. The cradle lockout is good at what it does and helps in a number of ways but it's not enough by itself if you want the suspension to handle like it is capable of. And I'm sure my other mods helped as well, but I did notice an incremental and noticeable improvement w/ this bearing and bushing inserts.

I agree with Rebellion - I would've gone back and started with the LCA bearing, CB005 and then toe bearing. Stabilize the IRS first I say. Then think about springs and sways all that.

 

[EricSMG]

Awesome input! It sounds like the bearings really didn't increase "harshness" or "noise" over sharp hits....which has been my fear with them. You mention the car is ready to pounce - inside traction greatly improved?

As for the diff whine - I'm not surprised the blacks increase whine over my virtually silent reds. That said, the reds aren't quite stiff enough in my opinion, so I'd gladly take a little more whine for less driveline rock. The reds are good, no doubt, but I think the sweet spot is just a tad more stiffness to really feel like a proper sports car.

Sadly, I've lost almost all interest in this car and will likely be moving on very soon but your post has given me a glimmer of hope.

 

[Rustang]

Thats how I am attacking it. Have the diff bushings and CB005, swapping LCA bushing and next maybe toe to knuckle and links. Since I am not track star I figure I will benefit more from tighening up the IRS then I would anything else.

 

[EricSMG]

Thats how I am attacking it. Have the diff bushings and CB005, swapping LCA bushing and next maybe toe to knuckle and links. Since I am not track star I figure I will benefit more from tighening up the IRS then I would anything else.

Agreed, except the car desperately needs better shocks but really, from a suspension point I'd say it really only needs:

1. Diff bushings inserts
2. LCA bearings
3. Shocks
4. IRS inserts (Steeda of BMR Lockout)

Anything more would be counterproductive for my purposes.

 

[Bluemustang]

Awesome input! It sounds like the bearings really didn't increase "harshness" or "noise" over sharp hits....which has been my fear with them. You mention the car is ready to pounce - inside traction greatly improved?

As for the diff whine - I'm not surprised the blacks increase whine over my virtually silent reds. That said, the reds aren't quite stiff enough in my opinion, so I'd gladly take a little more whine for less driveline rock. The reds are good, no doubt, but I think the sweet spot is just a tad more stiffness to really feel like a proper sports car.

Sadly, I've lost almost all interest in this car and will likely be moving on very soon but your post has given me a glimmer of hope.

No, no noise from them. Harshness is subjective but to me no. It is more abrupt but not what I would call harsh. Most of the bumps are actually better in fact because the rear stays flat and even. Nothing is getting upset, it's solid. There's nothing about that's not befitting any other sports car. But what I feel is more even and predictable because things aren't moving around. But it does make it a bit stiffer imo so if you don't like that. No lies about that.

Your car will react a little quicker. Bumps and little dips in the road, it's very quick. Up, down. No mushy or unsettling feelings. It was a bit startling at first because I was not used to car reacting this way. It removes binding I think which as I said - makes the springs and shocks work easier.

Well if you move on do it for your own reasons. But yes, the inside traction greatly improved IMO. I can step away and turn the wheel and no wheel skip. Now I'm not full throttle when I'm doing this, but kinda hit it a good bit to take off and test it. The car just stays and slingshot around. It's impressive for a heavy car like this. And my tires are AS and have 20K on them now. They're not sticky at all anymore. I need tires right quick. Even with these tires the car handles well. It doesn't have that unpredictable behavior that it had before on certain occasions.

I was thinking about you and was trying to be honest with myself in reviewing it.
I was thinking that this is a piece worth trying for you. I think it may just solve your problem.

Now I have added a bunch of suspension pieces so no doubt all that contributes to the overall stiffness and harshness in general. And I have more NVH than stock - way more. But did the LCA bearing contribute harshness to it? To me no not all. I like how it feels. And I know the car is gonna go where I want it to go.

 

[Burkey]

I started out with Vogtland springs and BMR lockout. Good improvement.
Added BMR sways, EXCELLENT.
Then added Steeda RLCA, red diff bush, billet adjustable camber arms, FR toe knuckle bearing and BMR toe rods all in one hit.
Holy shit! The car is just freakin unreal. Totally predictable and stable no matter how ridiculous I get.
Can't comment directly on what did what exactly but this is certainly the path to success.
Toe rods and billet arms are a bit of a wank factor, you'll see the same or very similar results without them. Cheers guys.

 

[Bluemustang]

I started out with Vogtland springs and BMR lockout. Good improvement.
Added BMR sways, EXCELLENT.
Then added Steeda RLCA, red diff bush, billet adjustable camber arms, FR toe knuckle bearing and BMR toe rods all in one hit.
Holy shit! The car is just freakin unreal. Totally predictable and stable no matter how ridiculous I get.
Can't comment directly on what did what exactly but this is certainly the path to success.
Toe rods and billet arms are a bit of a wank factor, you'll see the same or very similar results without them. Cheers guys.

I've got all that except the billet camber arms. That's probably the only other stock piece in my IRS now.

Thanks for the comments and I agree :cheers:

 

[Volstang]

[MENTION=26233]Rebellion[/MENTION], don't be afraid to lower the rear cradle. I have done it a few times putting my car up on jack stands and using a jack on the differential to lower the cradle. You just don't want to take out all four of the big blue cradle bolts. To get the front differential bushing inserts in you will have to loosen the big blue cradle bolts and completely remove the bolts on the front and then lower the cradle. I had to even pry just a bit to get bushings in place. After that it is simply screwing the bolts in and tightening. When doing this job it is a great time to also other things like cradle lockout kit, springs, or alignment bushings. I highly recommend doing the alignment bushings, not only for their intended purpose but also to act as a guide to keep your big blue bolts lined up properly so you cross thread them as you put them in. It is easy to do and they are self-tapping bolts and will try to grab and go any direction so these bushings really help. Doing these jobs yourself gives you good knowledge of your car and the satisfaction of doing it yourself. Break open that toolbox and git-r-done!

 

[Rebellion]

[MENTION=26233]Rebellion[/MENTION], don't be afraid to lower the rear cradle. I have done it a few times putting my car up on jack stands and using a jack on the differential to lower the cradle. You just don't want to take out all four of the big blue cradle bolts. To get the front differential bushing inserts in you will have to loosen the big blue cradle bolts and completely remove the bolts on the front and then lower the cradle. I had to even pry just a bit to get bushings in place. After that it is simply screwing the bolts in and tightening. When doing this job it is a great time to also other things like cradle lockout kit, springs, or alignment bushings. I highly recommend doing the alignment bushings, not only for their intended purpose but also to act as a guide to keep your big blue bolts lined up properly so you cross thread them as you put them in. It is easy to do and they are self-tapping bolts and will try to grab and go any direction so these bushings really help. Doing these jobs yourself gives you good knowledge of your car and the satisfaction of doing it yourself. Break open that toolbox and git-r-done!

Not afraid...been there, done that already! :cheers:

I'm just a bit OCD about perfect fitment and alignment, wanted to avoid taking the subframe down for one mod only. I might get them the next time I have to lower it.

Frankly, as of right now, with the Steeda LCA, FR knuckle bearing, CB005 and my rigged up spring/damper combination, I feel the IRS is just about perfect for my driving style. Also added the BG diff/trans oil plus the Steeda spring...and I'm pretty satisfied with my modding results.

With the exception of the MGW, which I got locally for cheap but haven't installed, I find it hard to justify any further IRS and driveline mods since the car is behaving almost exactly as I envisioned. I do have a bunch of other mods installed, just that the biggest impact has been the 5 mods mentioned above.

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