CB-0002 – Subaru Roll Center Correction Kit

2008 - 2021 Subaru WRX, WRX STI

Congratulations on your purchase of the COBB Tuning Roll Center Correction Kit! The following instructions will assist you through the installation process. Please read them BEFORE beginning the install to familiarize yourself with the steps and tools needed. If you feel you cannot properly perform this installation, we HIGHLY recommend you take the vehicle to a qualified and experienced automotive technician.

Parts List

Extended Ball Joints

Outer Tie Rod Ends

(4) Cotter Pins

Tools Needed

Sockets

1/2"

1/2" ratchet
1/2" 6" extension
1/2" 14mm socket
1/2" 19mm socket

Hand Tools

Needlenose pliers

Wrenches

14mm combination wrench
17mm combination wrench
19mm combination wrench

Stock Swaybar Removal

Many of these components are a common spot to collect rust, so going through and hitting them with a penetrating oil the night before you plan to do the work can make things much easier when it comes time.

Park your car in a flat, level area and allow it to cool down properly.
Using a 10mm wrench, remove the negative terminal of the battery.
Jack your car up and support it properly, either using a lift, ramps, or jack and jack stands.
Lay a blanket or cardboard down under the car, or grab a creeper. In this case his name is Andrew
Remove the front wheels of the car to get easy access to the areas we'll be working on.
On the bottom of the spindle straighten the cotter pin and remove it from the ball joint/castle nut.
Break the nut loose using a 19mm socket but leave it installed loosely for now.
Mark where the tie rod end/nut are installed on the inner tie rod. This should speed up installation of the new one and get it somewhat close to where it needs to be.
Loosen the bolt for the outer tie rod end by holding the tie rod still with a wrench, then using a second wrench to break the set nut loose.
Bend the cotter pin straight and remove it from the castle nut / tie rod end.
Leave the nut installed and using a removal tool (or carefully using a hammer) remove the tie rod end from the spindle. Typically hitting the side of the spindle can help break any rust loose in the connection, however sometimes tapping the nut direction can help. Typically we recommend using something else in between the tie rod end/nut and the hammer to avoid damage. Leaving the nut installed can keep the tie rod end from shooting out with force when it does come free.
You can go ahead and remove the outer tie rod end from the inner tie rod end. Leave the set nut in place.
Now that the tie rod is out, undo the 14mm nut and bolt holding the lower balljoing into the spindle.
With the nut still holding it inplace on the bottom and the bolt for the spindle removed gently tap downwards on the control arm to remove the ball joint from the spindle. In some cases if it's fairly rusty (ours was) it can help to pry the notch in the spindle for the ball joint apart with a pry bar. Eventually it should come free. Now is a good time to clean out any rust in this area and coat it with a thin layer of lithium grease or similar to prevent rust in the future.
Carefully tap upwards on the lower ball joint to remove it from the control arm. Using a pickle fork to remove it can help as well, particularly since we won't be reusing them.
If the tapered cone came off with the ball joint you'll need to remove it and transfer it to the new ball joint. If you purchased new control arms it sometimes comes pre-installed on those and won't need to be removed. It can be a pain to remove these if they're rusted to the ball joint so using a pry bar, pickle fork or hydraulic press can help.

Installation

Install the tapered cone from the old ball joint in the same orientation onto the new one, then install it into the lower control arm and loosely install the nut.
Eyeball the orientation of the ball joint as closely as possible to match up with the spindle then gradually move the ball joint up into the spindle. Similar to removal, small taps of the hammer and prying the spindle slightly further apart can help ge this into place. Make sure not to directly hit the ball joint itself, and keep an eye on the balljoint's orientation so that it stays lined up. Putting it in crooked may cause damage to the balljoint or spindle.
Once it's installed reinstall the set bolt and tighten it back down.
Spin the new tie-rod onto the inner tie rod and get it as close as you can to the same location the old one was.
Loosely install the tie rod into the spindle and add the nut to hold it in place hand tight.
Tighten the ball joint pinch bolt to 37 ft-lbs.
Tighten the lower ball joint to 22 ft-lbs, if necessary tighten it slightly more until the hole in the bolt lines up and you can slide the cotter pin through the hole and castle nut, bending it to stay in palce.
Tighten the tie rod where it goes into the spindle to 22 ft-lbs as well.
Holding the tie rod with one wrench, tighten the set nut up against the tie rod.
Reinstall the lower shields, and wheels.
Take your vehicle to get an allignment before any hard driving or driving at speed.