When you find a part that can improve your vehicle’s capabilities it is hard to leave your car alone, especially when it comes from the manufacturer. As the title states we are talking about the 13:1 quick rack that resides in 2015-20 Stis. This is a great upgrade to the 04-14 Sti’s that only have 15:1 rack. If you are an 08+ STi owner you are in luck… it is a bolt in affair. But for us GD chassis owners (04-07) you will need a few modifications to fit it.

The star of the show! With a little bit of work we can fit this into to the older Subaru’s that deserved it.

If money isn’t a problem you can spring for the JDM LHD 13:1 rack that does in fact bolt right in. This typical runs you around $3000 plus the Jdm power steering pump to run it. This is not an option for most of us.. so its the 15+ STi rack to the rescue of our wallets!

Upper is the factory 05 STi rack. Lower is the 15+ STi rack. A lot of similarities and a few differences.

At this time I would like to include this warning about using your stock power steering pump and lines. After installing this set up, I found that a little less than a full turn the steering would tighten up, it works but you definitely have to muscle it a bit. A little dectective work found that the stock 05 Sti pump can’t provide the higher pressure the 15 STi can. For this you will need custom lines for the +08 pump pressure side to rack due to a side exit versus the stock top exit. This will be covered very soon an another installment.

The 08+ Sti pump fits into the factory 05 Sti bracket but just needs a custom line to feed the rack due to the output being in a side location.

Over the years the Sti like most cars has gotten longer and wider. This width change has a bit of an effect on installing it in an older STi. But with enough time, patience and unwillingness to fail you too can have this rack and pinion inside your older Sti. After many years of contemplation I took the plunge and decided this was an upgrade my car deserved. So enough with these words let’s see what this project will take!

If you are following along at home and have a SG Forester or 02-07 Wrx you will find this is your factory rack. You can still follow along with this guide. Your install will be slightly easier as you won’t have to cut as much and you won’t need as m… — If you are following along at home and have a SG Forester or 02-07 Wrx you will find this is your factory rack. You can still follow along with this guide. Your install will be slightly easier as you won’t have to cut as much and you won’t need as many spacers.

Time Frame

I spent a good three days getting this completed, I wasn’t working on it non-stop but here and there. Taking breaks, getting parts and tools as needed. I would expect I spent a good 5 to 7 hours to complete this project. I had a lot of trial and error to figure out everything so hopeful this guide makes your install quicker!

Tools

Just like every other car project your standard sockets, ratchets, wrenches and power tools will be necessary. We will list those and then get to a few of the more specialty tools that are necessary to get this done.

Parts!

As expected we will start our parts list off with the 15+ Sti rack. After that there are quite a few different ways to make the inner and outer tie rods and we will touch on them all here.

Well you are definitely going to need a rack for this project! Hontai 2015+ STi rackPart number: 34110VA121 — Well you are definitely going to need a rack for this project! Hontai 2015+ STi rack
Part number: 34110VA121

Installation!

Starting off we need to drain the power steering fluid. If you have a brake bleeder you can suck a majority of the fluid out of the reservoir. Your next task will be lifting the vehicle in the air and properly supported on jack stands. You will want to have the vehicle supported high enough to allow yourself plenty of access when working on it from the underneath. Once you have it in a good location you can slide underneath and remove the lower plastic splash shield.

You can also find any of the hoses down below and break them open and let it pour out. If you are pouring it out, this is a great project to start the night before your install so all the fluid is out of the system by the next day when you start working. Take a moment to lock your steering wheel dead center, I found a bungee cord wrapped through the center of the steering wheel and attached to the seat

Now is the time to loosen up your power steering line brackets that reside on the passenger side right next to the upper coolant tank. This will allow the power steering lines to be moved easier when you break them free from the rack.

One nut holds the upper coolant tank on and a bolt behind the coolant tank holds the hardlines in place. Remove both of those to allow the hoses to freely move about.

Your first victim will be the U-brace, you will need this removed to release the steering rack from the car. There are two small 14 mm bolts that hold the front up and then six bolts on each side that connect it to the unibody and subframe. If you are doing this by yourself you can use extra jack stands or boxes to keep it from falling down once the final bolts are removed. Then you can set it aside.

If you didn’t remove the jacking plate to remove your P/s fluid, you can now remove it. It is held on with two bolts and nuts up front and two bolts on the rear. Next you will need to remove the four nuts that hold the rest of it up and you can move it to the side.

If you haven’t already removed it to release the fluid from the rack. Take off the jacking plate to expose the rack and swaybar.

Having the jacking plate removed you now have an open view of the steering rack and more of the sway bar, which is the next victim for our removal. Remove the bolts/nuts that hold the endlinks to the lower control arms and then you can rotate it forward and out of your way. Or if you are like me and want a little more room to work with you can take off the two bolts and nuts that adhere them to the subframe. The sway bar can now be moved elsewhere.

Jacking plate removed! You can now see what lies beneath…. looks like a rack and pinion and swaybar.

The next item on the list is rack and pinion prep for removal! If you didn’t already straighten and lock down your steering wheel, make sure this is completed… if not you can easily damage the clock spring if the steering wheel is rotated too quickly. I usually mark the rack and steering u-joint to know where the center point on each is, after that is completed you can also remove the 12mm pinch bolt that holds the two together.

On to breaking the jam nuts free if you are reusing the inner/outer tie rods. If you aren’t using these or worried about the old rack, you can skip this step. But it is easiest to complete it in the car, the passenger side will break free rotating towards the rear. The driver’s side is the opposite and will be pulled toward the front bumper and this is done. I recommend leaving them close to the outer tie rods so you can measure and set your new rack to make your alignment less of a disaster.

If you are reusing your outer or inner tie rods, it is best to break your jam nus free. Doing this outside of the car is a pain.

Having that step completed we can now remove the outer tie rod nuts to remove them from the knuckles. If you have castle nuts you will need to pull the cotter pins out and now you can use your 19mm and remove the nut. If you have nyloc nuts you can just power them on out. You can use the special ball joint removal tool if you are struggling with them. Now I put the nuts back on the outer tie rod to hold it place for the next step.

Here is our outer tie rod castle nut, using a good pair of pliers you can remove the cotter pin.

The next area of attention is removing the power steering line connections from the rack hardlines. My technique was to drop the rack down by removing the six bolts that hold it to the subframe. I found that using a crow’s foot socket on the hardline connection and a wrench on the lines. You can now use an extension and your favorite ratchet to take them apart.

With the lines removed we are ready to pull the rack out. Remove the outer tie rod nuts that were holding it up and then give it a pull and see if the shaft releases from the steering u-joint. If not you can use rust penetrant to help reduce friction. If it still won’t budge a couple strikes from a pry bar can help rattle it loose. Your old rack should now be removed!

Rack down! Finally removed and ready to switch places with the new rack.

Next up is transferring over any parts you need for the 15+ sti rack. I had already installed SuperPro rack bushings, so I took this time to pop the old bushings out and back in with the SuperPro units. If you are replacing your outer or inner tie rods, this is the time for removing them. Let’s take a look at the many different ways to

If you are using rack thread adapters or replacement inners this is for you. We will start by removing the inner tie rod boot with a pair of side cutters to take care of the metal clamp. Then using a pair of pliers you can slide off the small clamp in the middle of the tie rod. Now you will take the appropriate wrench or pipe wrench to undo the inner tie rod. Once it is removed you can take you your thread adapted inners and install them. Using a touch of loctite to keep everything together.

For my install I went with 1988 Subaru GL outer tie rods. They are plenty shorter than the factory 15 STi outers and allow you to just bolt them on and go. I measured my old rack and put these as close as possible to help keep the alignment as close to possible. These are easy to install, with the jam nut broken free you can spin the old outers right off and the new outers can take their place.

Now to the…. fun part? Chopping up the subframe to make this rack feel at home in the GD Sti subframe. There are two ways to go about this… One is the smart way is to set jack stands with soft supportive wood on the transmission and oil pan or if you have a support hoist, now is the time to use it. You can now remove the two lower control arm bolts, the two motor mount nuts and the four subframe to unibody bolts out and you can now cut away on your subframe to your hearts content at a work station.

You can also use a 08+ Sti subframe here to save yourself from chopping up your subframe. But you will no longer be able to attach the lower U-brace. You will also need to widen the mounting holes to the unibody and use longer bolts, 03-08 Forester subframe bolts are longer and can be used.

But if you are me you will lay upside down and stare up at the subframe and cut away with a cutoff wheel and carbide burr bit while metal rains down upon you. If this is your plan, make sure to wear full sleeves, safety glasses, face shield, ear protection, gloves and possibly a mask. Metal will be flying everywhere and you don’t want to spend hours pulling out metal splinters from yourself.

I placed these nits on the studs to keep them from being damaged while cutting out the above area.

The cuts you will need to make will mimic the those of a 15 STi subframe shown below, so it is time to get your cutoff wheel or burr bit out and start removing metal. In my mind I visualized a C on the outside of the opening and cut accordingly. I won’t lie but I got a bit lazy and did more of just notching for the passenger side since the hoses only needed a bit of extra room. Also I was tired of laying in metal chips and getting splinters everywhere.. That would be why removing the subframe is a better way to complete this.

Cuts have been made and after many test fits it should now fit. A quick light sanding of the area and a splash of spray paint will help keep the rust away… for now.

As you are cutting you will need constant test fits will be necessary if trying to minimize the amount of material removed. This is where you will be getting your first test fits on your spacer setup. My 05 Sti uses four mounting points and so I decided to use them all, new bolts were in order as were the spacers. 3/8” was the size I found most others had luck using and so I went with that sizing too.

Once you find your rack is making it through the driver’s side and the lines aren’t making any contact on the other side you can bolt it all up. You will want to double check everything your clearances again and now you can test fit the jacking plate, the lower crossover lines like to sit lower, I applied a enough pressure to shift them out of the way.

While we are in the area we will check our hardlines to the power steering lines. The 05 Sti lines meet up in a very different manner, with this in mind we will either need to make our own lines or shift the hardlines off the rack to better attach to the soft lines to the pump and reservoir. My technique was to use a small screwdriver inside the hardline and then using a wrench on the nut you can easily shift to a direction of your choosing.

If you want a better fix for your power steering hoses making your own -An lines is a great answer that will save you a few dollars vs the factory hoses. A write up for those will be coming soon and will replace this placeholder as soon as it completed!

Now that you are ready to connect your lines, the steering shaft and outer tie rods to knuckles. You can use a jack to hold the rack up or just start the mounting bolts into the rack to hold it up. Then move towards the knuckles and get your outer tie rods installed, now these will help hold it up as you connect the steering shaft and lines.

Outer tie rods not bolted down but in to hold the rack so you don’t have to.

I had great luck pulling the soft lines down into the subframe and then bringing them together. You can also remove your downpipe to get plenty of addition room above the subframe. Find you matching hose and hard line and put them together. Make sure to rotate the hardlines fitting and hold the hose fitting still.

The lower bracket on the right holds the lines together. If you remove the bolt in it you can freely move the lines to switch their positions to meet the new rack lines properly.

After the lines are completed you can now connect the input shaft and the steering shaft u-joint. You will want to keep from moving the u-joint out of it’s locked position to keep the steering wheel from being further off center and giving you unequal turning capabilities from lock to lock. Once it is tighten the pinch bolt down.

Having the rack loose from the subframe you can move the rack to the steering u-joint and slide them in.

You can now hand thread the pinch bolt in, then you can go inside the car and check your lock to lock turns. Counting from dead center to max left and then right. You want these to be as close to same as possible, this lets you know the rack in centered. An off centered rack will give you more turning one direction and less in the opposite, so double check this before moving on!

with the pinch bolt hand threaded in you can now check the lock to lock to make sure everything is equal. If not, remove and try again.

With the lines in place and rack input shaft connected to the steering shaft, we can go about bolting everything up. You can use your extended bolts and spacers to to mount the driver’s side of the rack. Then you can shift to the passenger side and bolt up the two remaining bolts.

Rack fully installed, double check for clearance for the rack and the lines.

We will move to the outer tie rods and fully bolt them in. Line up your castle nuts and install your cotter pins to keep it from backing off. If you left your inner tie rod jam nuts loose this is a good time to cinch them up.

The moment of truth is coming up! With everything in it’s place and tightened down you can start filling the power steering reservoir. As you are filling it you might just take a quick look to make sure it isn’t pouring right out. Once you have it at the max level you can go ahead and start the vehicle and once again check for leaks. If any are found, stop the engine and fix the problem area.

Fill up the reservoir, and start turning the wheel to purge the air and fill the system. Keep checking your level and topping it off as you go.

Our next item will be bleeding the air, as the pump is running the air be purged when it enters the reservoir and breaks the top level of the fluid. As the air is purged the fluid level will drop, so keep it filled to help keep from inducing more air into the system. You can help speed up this process by steering slowly back and forth from lock to lock, while the fluid is traveling through the system the air will find it’s way to the reservoir and on out.

Vehicle on and slowly moving the wheel from lock to lock will purge the air.

With the air bled and the system leak free you can go about reinstalling all parts in reverse order.

After everything is installed it is time to put the vehicle back onto the ground. Now you can turn the vehicle back on and try steering with the vehicle on the ground to make sure the fluid is staying put within the system and you can slowly make your way to the street. You will want to steer around in a empty area to make sure everything is working properly. Sometimes a large air pocket can disrupt your ability to turn and could cause an accident. We do not want this. Once everything settles down we start driving further to make sure everything is works well, then on to your favorite local shop for alignment to get everything put toe in spec.