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Group N or OEM STI Mounts?

Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 1:54 am
by kimokalihi
I just got my Group N engine/tranny mounts in the mail today. Unpackaged them and saw they had a Subaru logo and part number on them and looked to be factory mounts. This worried me because I bought them used from a guy on NASIOC for $175 shipped. Said they only had 5K miles on them and they came off his 2008 STI.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthr ... st27767197

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So I looked up the part number on google and came up with this thread about the same thing but this guy ordered them new from a website.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=530759

So according to that thread and the response from Subaru of America these are the correct mounts they just use the same molds to make the Group N parts and thus it has the same part number. Seems pretty stupid to use the same part numbers for different parts but that's just me. There are seperate part numbers for these mounts that are NOT printed on the mounts themselves next to the identical STI OEM part numbers.

RST-4100 STi Group N Engine Mount Set $120
RST-4101 STi Group N Gearbox Mount 5MT $75
RST-4102 STi Group N Gearbox Mount 6MT $75

http://www.rallispec.com/prod_mount.htm

The picture on the rallispec site is too small to get a good close up and see if there's any difference in the mounts I got and the Group N mounts pictured on the rallispec site.

In the NASIOC thread everyone kept saying,"Just check the hardness of your STI mounts VS the Group N mounts and you'll see the difference." But I don't have an STI or OEM STI mounts to compare with.

So what do you guys think? Are these Group N or OEM STI? Anybody have a set of these mounts lying around in both OEM STI and Group N to compare and contrast?

Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 3:40 am
by 93forestpearl
Try and compare the flex of the stock mounts to the Group N's.



Those mounts in my car are significantly stiffer than stock STi stuff, and they look identical. The durometer of the rubber is what's different.


The only way to really know is to look at a new set that is still in the box, which will have the true part number on it. They could very well use the same mold, since molds are very expensive to make, and all they do is use stiffer material.

Re: Group N or OEM STI Mounts?

Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 3:21 pm
by PRT
kimokalihi wrote: Seems pretty stupid to use the same part numbers for different parts but that's just me. There are seperate part numbers for these mounts that are NOT printed on the mounts themselves next to the identical STI OEM part numbers.
Seems pretty stupid to you because you don't know the Group N rules and philosophy.
Group N = Stock class.
The parts needed to be like OEM. No better way to make an "upgraded" version than casting it from the standard mold.
So that to Tech inspector eyes, it looks stock.
That's all.

You should of seen the GrN VW exhaust hangers.

Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 3:43 pm
by kimokalihi
I never said it was stupid to reuse molds, I just said it seems like a stupid practice to use the same part number when it's clearly not the same part. That's just confusing to the consumer and makes no sense.

I don't care if you can't tell it apart visually, as long as it has the group N part number on it to tell the difference.

Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 4:06 pm
by PRT
You still didn't get.

GROUP N parts were not intended for the "general public".
Those were racing parts that were made for going around a specific rule. Hence CONFUSING tech inspector.
If they would put a different part number just for you, then the rally car that would get caught with it would be disqualified.

...don't worry, when you buy them new, the box have the right STI part number.

I never said it was stupid to reuse molds, I just said it seems like a stupid practice to use the same part number when it's clearly not the same part. That's just confusing to the consumer and makes no sense.
PS; I never said "it's not stupid to reuse a mold". I said it looked stupid to you because you didn't understand the purpose of "GROUP N parts". The intended consumer for this product needs it to have the OEM part number on it.
Now, do you understand ?
Group N is not a fancy commercial name, it's a rally class just like Group A, Group B, Group F, WRC, S2000, 1600 etc with its specific set of rules dictated by FIA.

Feels like I just repeated myself.

Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 4:29 pm
by kimokalihi
I understand now. Thanks