STi hard rubber top mounts

By Dave

Almost immediately after installing my coilovers, i was struck by the bounciness of the car. Subsequent modifications to the setup yielded some noticeable improvements in the ride, but some of the loping remained.

When upgrading a suspension to such a stiff spring/shock setup, it's important to address other parts of the system that might suddenly be inadequate to deal with the improvement. In my case, my stock top mounts were very inadequate.

Several options were available, from replacement OE units to full camber adjustable solid mounts with pillow balls. Prices ranged from $30-40 for each stock replacement to $250/pr for CUSCO's beautiful parts. While i needed the camber adjustment the CUSCO parts would afford, the price was daunting. The OE replacements would be slightly better, but my philosophy in replacing parts is that they should be a marked improvement over what i replaced.

STi offers both hard rubber and pillow ball mounts, but the pillow ball versions are noted for being noisy, besides being hard to come by, even at STI Tokyo! While in Tokyo this fall, i had the opportunity to visit STi Tokyo and look through their selection of parts. It was there that i purchased a set of four hard rubber mounts. It may seem silly for me to buy car parts in Japan that are available in the US, but when the price i paid was almost half what it is here, the decision makes more sense.

Installation

This is where most people will get frustrated. Having installed new struts in two Legacies and one Impreza, i have learned to hate spring compressors. Luckily, coilovers are a cakewalk. Pneumatic tools don't hurt either.

This is simple, just remove and replace the mounts, then reinstall the unit.

Impressions

Immediate.

Even backing out of the driveway i noticed a difference. Previously i'd been able to visibly see movement in the mount with the hood open and pushing down hard on the fender. Now, almost nothing.

Just driving down the road was impressive. Taking corners and going through dips was a much less dramatic affair than previously encountered. The 2nd movement was much less pronounced and there weren't any 3rd movements.

Conclusion

For anyone installing upgraded suspension components, whether they're KYB AGX with lowering springs, or a set of coilovers, upgrading to at least these units is a very worthwhile investment.