Anybody tried the Apex Steering Boost Kit?

[5280Sapper]

How do you like it? Is normal driving any different in the way the steering feels? I should have mine Friday

I noticed more power to my ram.. I have a ported steering box and a psc ram and the apex boost and cooler. My buddy Adam “Sage8JL” on Instagram has the same build set up as me UD60’s Nitto TG 40’s but he has only the boost and cooler and no ram assist. And he noticed a much easier steering assist. And he still has the same set up.. mind you it’s not hydro assist and never will be but it works well on sticky red rocks that we wheel on regularly.

Sponsored

 

[Glamisfan]

I’m glad I stumbled on this thread! I wasn’t about to spend PSC money but this thing is easily attainable!

 

[track.n.trail]

I'm very interested in this! Seems like a very cost-friendly alternative to hydro assist for those of us running sub-40" tires

 

[2019 JLUR]

One of the reasons for doing the hydro assist is to take the load off of the steering box shaft so it doesnt start to leak at the bottom seal. This would not do that and so it will still be a problem with running large tires.

 

[Jeep&dogs]

I will say one thing for sure. This is pretty the worst aftermarket part install I have done! Trying to get this thing to fit with a stock steel bumper, warn winch plate, and warn evo 10 winch is interesting to say the least it won’t fit with the way they recommend, when I get it so it will all fit the hose fittings are almost hitting the radiator on the driver’s side, and the AC condenser on the passenger side. They need to include 90 degree hose fittings on this thing so you can rout the hoses away from rubbing on everything. I have 3 hours into trying to get this thing to fit and modifying brackets to get it to clear the winch. Haven’t even started to work on anything else. I need to head out tomorrow and try to find some 6an 90’s to get this thing to work. If I wasn’t this far into it I would probably scrap the entire idea.

 

[Jeep&dogs]

After getting it mounted to where it will clear the winch there is no way you are getting the hose ends on without switching to 90 degree fittings.

 

[Jumpinn Jeep]

@ Jeep&dogs Have you called Apex about the fitment? I had almost no wiggle room but managed to get the cooler mounted with plenty of clearance to the barbed fittings. I have it mounted behind a warn Xeon 10S which has a very large footprint, the back is touching the grill. As you can see in the picture I posted the cooler is as far back and up as I could get it.

 

[Jeep&dogs]

@ Jeep&dogs Have you called Apex about the fitment? I had almost no wiggle room but managed to get the cooler mounted with plenty of clearance to the barbed fittings. I have it mounted behind a warn Xeon 10S which has a very large footprint, the back is touching the grill. As you can see in the picture I posted the cooler is as far back and up as I could get it.

I am also using the warn winch plate. I did call them and they were really not a lot of help. I just picked up the fittings so I’m heading back out there now.

 

[Jeep&dogs]

So two days later, half a dozen trips to the parts store, $130 in an fittings and line and it fits. There are a lot of things I would do again on this thing but putting this cooler on is absolutely not one of them.

 

[apexdesignsusa (Vendor)]

Hello everyone! Thank you for your interest in the Steering Boost Kit!

We would like to make 3 points:
1. The reason for pulling the power steering pump for installation is, if you pull the pressure set plug spring & plunger, there is a small spool valve that is not much larger than the lead in a pencil. There is an oil column above it. This oil pressure could cause the spool valve to fall out. If this is lost or damaged (which is likely), the pump is junk and you will need to buy a new one for $500. This is noted in the instructions and needs to be followed.
- The bracket above the pump has to be trimmed anyway, so there is no work saved by not removing the pump

Watching their video I somewhat felt it would be possible leaving it in the Jeep. Where did you end up mounting the cooler?

2. This product is not intended to replace the use of a ram, which is used for extreme four-wheel-drive applications. The Boost Kit will improve the steering force applied on any application of tires. If stock is 0% and a ram is 100%, you can expect this to be around 70%.

3. As stated in the instructions, professional installation is recommended. If you don’t think you can work in a shop installing aftermarket components, please have a professional do it. The install takes about 4-5 hours total but that can vary depending on your aftermarket equipment. There is a huge array of aftermarket options/modifications available for people so we cannot guarantee that all things fit, though we do our best. We have not run into something yet where it does not fit. We have the same setup in our shop Jeep (JLUR) and it does fit as per the instructions. It is imperative that the instructions are followed. The only issues we have encountered to this date are when the directions are not followed. Do not take shortcuts.

Here is a video install by Northridge.

@Jeep&dogs

We are sorry you’re not happy with the product, we take great pride in the things we do. The owner and designer of the products has been in this industry for over 20 years and was a Design Manager at Fox and was the Technical Founder of the Falcon line of products. He strives to create products that are innovative and useful to Jeep community. This is a product that fixes a known problem, but it requires time and attention to instructions.

We looked at your install photos and noted that the cooler is installed incorrectly. It needs to slide to the passenger side of the vehicle about 1.5” allowing the hose to clear the condenser core bracket. It is hard to install the hose nipples if the grill has not been removed per the instructions.

As far as us not being helpful, it was never brought to our attention that there was an issue with hose routing. We could have troubleshot this issue easily had we been aware.

We did receive one call from a customer who was quite irate because they noted an error in the photo where the measurement didn’t match the text (not a critical error). We immediately fixed the error and sent it back to him. They did not mention hose routing issues, instead chose to focus on how horrible the instructions were, leaving no path to true conversation.

Anyway, the solution to your situation is to simply loosen up the slide bolts on the brackets that fasten to the cooler and slide the cooler to the passenger side as far as it will go. No need for 90 degree fittings or hacking away at the product. The cooler does not need to be centered, it is offset. Please follow the directions. We would have offered you a refund but we can no longer after seeing the damage in your photos.

APEX

 

[4xFUN]

This product sounds very interesting...I am now just running 35's with 17"x8.5" wheels (5.2" backspace) and no complaints but will soon be switching to 37" KO2's and will see how she feels.
However, I have a Warn Elite front bumper with a Zeon10-S, Rigid 360's and this install looks to be a royal PITA...I really hate to do things more than once, especially when I take extra time to do things right to begin with...

 

[Jeep&dogs]

This product sounds very interesting...I am now just running 35's with 17"x8.5" wheels (5.2" backspace) and no complaints but will soon be switching to 37" KO2's and will see how she feels.
However, I have a Warn Elite front bumper with a Zeon10-S, Rigid 360's and this install looks to be a royal PITA...I really hate to do things more than once, especially when I take extra time to do things right to begin with...

Hello everyone! Thank you for your interest in the Steering Boost Kit!

We would like to make 3 points:
1. The reason for pulling the power steering pump for installation is, if you pull the pressure set plug spring & plunger, there is a small spool valve that is not much larger than the lead in a pencil. There is an oil column above it. This oil pressure could cause the spool valve to fall out. If this is lost or damaged (which is likely), the pump is junk and you will need to buy a new one for $500. This is noted in the instructions and needs to be followed.
- The bracket above the pump has to be trimmed anyway, so there is no work saved by not removing the pump



2. This product is not intended to replace the use of a ram, which is used for extreme four-wheel-drive applications. The Boost Kit will improve the steering force applied on any application of tires. If stock is 0% and a ram is 100%, you can expect this to be around 70%.

3. As stated in the instructions, professional installation is recommended. If you don’t think you can work in a shop installing aftermarket components, please have a professional do it. The install takes about 4-5 hours total but that can vary depending on your aftermarket equipment. There is a huge array of aftermarket options/modifications available for people so we cannot guarantee that all things fit, though we do our best. We have not run into something yet where it does not fit. We have the same setup in our shop Jeep (JLUR) and it does fit as per the instructions. It is imperative that the instructions are followed. The only issues we have encountered to this date are when the directions are not followed. Do not take shortcuts.

Here is a video install by Northridge.

@Jeep&dogs

We are sorry you’re not happy with the product, we take great pride in the things we do. The owner and designer of the products has been in this industry for over 20 years and was a Design Manager at Fox and was the Technical Founder of the Falcon line of products. He strives to create products that are innovative and useful to Jeep community. This is a product that fixes a known problem, but it requires time and attention to instructions.

We looked at your install photos and noted that the cooler is installed incorrectly. It needs to slide to the passenger side of the vehicle about 1.5” allowing the hose to clear the condenser core bracket. It is hard to install the hose nipples if the grill has not been removed per the instructions.

As far as us not being helpful, it was never brought to our attention that there was an issue with hose routing. We could have troubleshot this issue easily had we been aware.

We did receive one call from a customer who was quite irate because they noted an error in the photo where the measurement didn’t match the text (not a critical error). We immediately fixed the error and sent it back to him. They did not mention hose routing issues, instead chose to focus on how horrible the instructions were, leaving no path to true conversation.

Anyway, the solution to your situation is to simply loosen up the slide bolts on the brackets that fasten to the cooler and slide the cooler to the passenger side as far as it will go. No need for 90 degree fittings or hacking away at the product. The cooler does not need to be centered, it is offset. Please follow the directions. We would have offered you a refund but we can no longer after seeing the damage in your photos.

APEX

I didn’t say I was not happy with your product it works great and is very nicely put together BUT it isn’t a straightforward installation. Like you said , you have not tried it with EVERY aftermarket product. I have a warn winch plate and unfortunately when I tried to “bend the mount” for the sway bar to your 5 3/4 measurements the sway bar disconnect hits the winch mount at a little over 5”. So in order for your cooler to fit it had to be mounted higher up. Also with the Warn EVO winch the wires come out the BACK of the winch which requires additional clearance, positive wires and metal coolers typically don’t play nice with each other.
So the fact I needed to mount the cooler higher than intended and also further back than intended did in fact make it necessary for 90 degree fittings. If I were to move the cooler further to the passenger side like you suggested it blocks the drain for the radiator on the other side. I didn’t feel it would be a good idea to require removing the bumper,winch,and cooler every time I needed to drain the coolant.
It is painfully obvious your product was designed using a Jeep without a winch and it was an afterthought to make it “work” with a winch, even in your original directions when you sold just the cooler before the boost kit was released there was no reference to installation with a winch.

I may not be an engineer but I have been in the automotive industry for 30+ And have built 4000 HP grudge race cars from a pile of tube. I do know a little bit about fabrication.

One bit of advice on your product, if you were to mill the coolant fins on the lower tube you could easily clear the sway bar disconnect WITHOUT bending the hanger, and you would not decrease the cooling capability at all. And if you were to move the inlet and outlet ports to the sides of the cooler and use 90 degree swivels you could easily rout the hoses to the sides of the radiator and clear the drain.

With that being said, it is a VERY nice product, you obviously take pride in what you do and it does show, having the torque specs right on the part is a nice touch. Every piece included in the kit is very high quality. You obviously went above and beyond putting all the items together. But I will still stand behind my comment that the installation is not something I would choose to do again. It’s in, it works as described and it actually got rid of the last bit of steering issues I was having with the Jeep and the feeling of the power assist cutting out when turning the wheel slowly.

10+ on the product and it’s design, not so much on the fitment with a winch, at least MY combination.

 

[Jeep&dogs]

On the Warn winch plate there is a bracket on the backside and you have about 3/16” clearance to begin with between the bracket and the sway bar disconnect. When you bend the mount like you describe in your instructions the disconnect hits the bracket at about 5 1/4. You can’t bend the bracket to get your suggested 5 3/4 measurements for the cooler to clear. I would be more than happy to let you use my Jeep with my modifications to get your cooler to fit without any changes and without blocking any important access points, and maintaining proper clearance between everything. I guarantee you won’t, I spent 5 hours trying to get everything to clear without having to change fittings and modifying anything.

 

[c20040215]

@apexdesignsusa I already have a steering cooler installed. Do you offer a kit without having to buy the cooler twice?

 

[5280Sapper]

I’ve installed about 30 coolers in many different vehicles with all different bumpers and winch set ups and I haven’t ever had issues that weren’t simply solved. If everything can move. So use your imagination.

Sponsored