Centara tyre review and steering rack bush replacement for Proton Persona

New tyre and changing steering rack bush

• Do you understand the steering rack and pinion system on your car?
• And do you know how good is your car handling?

I was at last year when I had my brake system serviced where the mechanics told me that the rubber bush on the steering rack mounting was worn out and need to be replaced. He showed me the exact location where the bush was loosening and it will affect the handling of the car. What he said is actually true as the car handling is getting worsen for the past 2 years where the steering wheel did have some play during stand still and the car also did turn like a lorry during cornering. Compared to my Axia it feels different a lot.

Last 2 months, I decided to get a new set of shoes for my car and replace the rubber bush for the steering rack at the same time. Searching for the best tyre promotion and also some recommendation from my friends and finally I get to this tyre centre located at Machang Bubok where they are currently selling China made tyre for only RM120 per piece. 

“That’s pretty cheap though…”

I also told them that I wish to change the steering rack bush to get it all done together. Without wasting time, they immediately jack up the car and opens up the lower engine mounting rack in order to get access to the steering rack mounting to remove the bush.

When the bush was removed, I can see it was broken but however I feel it still retains its elasticity when I touch it.

 

They took less than 10 minutes to remove all the necessary items such as the engine lower mounting rack and the steering rack bush  

 

At first, they wanted to replace the bush back with the same type as the original bush but I insisted on a better type of bush which is made from silicone for more durability. Cost wise of course silicone bush will be a lot higher compared to the original rubber bush.

I have waited more than thirty minutes for the silicone bush to arrive from the spare parts supplier and then the mechanics directly install the new silicone bush back to the steering rack mounting.

Next, they assembly the lower engine mounting rack back to its original place. The whole process actually took only less half an hour to complete but unfortunately it took more than an hour for the arrival of the silicone bush as they did not stock any in their inventory.

Meanwhile, waiting for the silicone bush to arrive they are doing the tyre exchange for my car to the new China brand Centara with Vanti Touring line up in order not to wasting more time. Balancing and alignment is free with the new tyre and I also requested to change the engine oil as I only use Castrol Magnatec 10W-40 for my humble Persona when I observed they are also an authorised dealer for Castrol oil. Total damage for this day is RM720 including the new set of tyres, pair of silicone bush and some service with Castrol Magnatec engine oil.

Now it has been 2 months with the new tyre and my impression with this China brand tyre is quite good and it exceeds my expectation. The noise level is on par or if not slightly better than those well known tyre and it absorb bump very well. Handling wise is controllable with normal grip for daily drive.

Centara Vanti Touring

Noise    : ★★★

Grip       : ★★★

Dry         : ★★★

Wet       : ★★

Comfort: ★★★

Wear     : ★★★

Price      : ★★★★

I enjoyed back driving my Proton Persona now with its superb Lotus Handling after fixing the steering rack issue with a new set of tyre. Thanks for reading and if you anything to say then please feel free to leave it down in the comment section below.