subyguy2
08-15-2001, 01:55 PM
I purchased this STi Group N complete Drivetrain and Suspension Bushing kit (w/upper mounts) from Cobb Tuning at www.cobbtuning.com. The kit REPLACES just about every drivetrain and suspension bushing and mount with STi Group N hardened rubber ones for much less deflection in the suspension and much better holding of drivetrain components. The drivetrain mounts include the famous motor and transmission mounts that impreza owners rave about, the pitch stop mount that connects the engine to the firewall to stop the engine from pitching forward and backward, and four rear differential mounts. All of that plus the full suspension bushings which I can,t name all (cobb tuning has them listed in their website) and the upper strut mounts which are an option on the package. ALL OF THE PARTS ARE AVALABLE SEPARATE AS WELL AS A COMPLETE KIT WHICH SAVES YOU MONEY!
Alright, that is what you get for about $1,000. The price is worth the added feel and solidness of the car. If only that price included installation which ran me about $1,600 (about $60 per hour) because the shop has to basically disassemble the suspenision and drop the drivetrain. There was no way in hell that I was going to attempt to install this stuff myself.
Now lets put the price aside and talk about the performance. The first thing I noticed was when I started the car (heart pounding at about 1,000 beats per second with anticipation) was a now noticeable vibration through the seat, hell yea! (don't worry it is non existant during driving and is only mild when stopped, didn't affect comfort the least bit, you get used to it, I think it kind of makes the car feel as if there is alot more power under the hood than there realy is!!!). Drove off and noticed that the shifting felt more solid but not too much because I allready have a STi shift kit which made a huge difference. You realy notice the difference in shifting when driving hard. You don't feel like your tranny is going to fall out anymore, just a good solid feeling coming from the car. That was one of the things I didnt like about the car stock was the feeling like the car was going to break during hard acceleration and quick shifting (However, if you are careless and shift unmercifully, than you still get that bad feeling from the car). Since the drivetrain is heald together with such hard compound mounts, there is less power loss to the wheels from less driveline flex. This made the car feel more eager. As for noise, it is not bad at all, just minor increases in noise from the drivetrain, mainly the tranny which you can now hear whine under acceleration and cruising (awsome sound,like a rally car but much, much more muted) as well as gear lashing sometimes during engine breaking. NOT INTRUSIVE AT ALL!!!!!. THE DRIVETRAIN MOUNTS MAKE A FAR MORE NOTICABLE DIFFERENCE IN EVERY DAY DRIVING THAN THE SUSPENSION BUSHINGS!
Then the are the suspersion bushings which are also a very stiff compound offering better road feel and sharper turn-in as a result of lower deflection. A must if you want absolutely presice and responsive handling. Ive even heard that they help reduce braking distances because of the mproved suspension geometry (SPD Tuning). I didn't notice any real changes in road noise, maybe a little from the rear of the car, and a slightly choppier ride (no big deal). If you are serious about building a truly great handling car, get these bushings for that little extra sharpness and better feedback. It all comes down to are you willing to spend $600 on the suspension bushings alone and then installation costs for differences that are not too noticable unless you are on a track or good, fast, curvy roads. You can allways get just the upper strut mounts for improved response.
:D
Alright, that is what you get for about $1,000. The price is worth the added feel and solidness of the car. If only that price included installation which ran me about $1,600 (about $60 per hour) because the shop has to basically disassemble the suspenision and drop the drivetrain. There was no way in hell that I was going to attempt to install this stuff myself.
Now lets put the price aside and talk about the performance. The first thing I noticed was when I started the car (heart pounding at about 1,000 beats per second with anticipation) was a now noticeable vibration through the seat, hell yea! (don't worry it is non existant during driving and is only mild when stopped, didn't affect comfort the least bit, you get used to it, I think it kind of makes the car feel as if there is alot more power under the hood than there realy is!!!). Drove off and noticed that the shifting felt more solid but not too much because I allready have a STi shift kit which made a huge difference. You realy notice the difference in shifting when driving hard. You don't feel like your tranny is going to fall out anymore, just a good solid feeling coming from the car. That was one of the things I didnt like about the car stock was the feeling like the car was going to break during hard acceleration and quick shifting (However, if you are careless and shift unmercifully, than you still get that bad feeling from the car). Since the drivetrain is heald together with such hard compound mounts, there is less power loss to the wheels from less driveline flex. This made the car feel more eager. As for noise, it is not bad at all, just minor increases in noise from the drivetrain, mainly the tranny which you can now hear whine under acceleration and cruising (awsome sound,like a rally car but much, much more muted) as well as gear lashing sometimes during engine breaking. NOT INTRUSIVE AT ALL!!!!!. THE DRIVETRAIN MOUNTS MAKE A FAR MORE NOTICABLE DIFFERENCE IN EVERY DAY DRIVING THAN THE SUSPENSION BUSHINGS!
Then the are the suspersion bushings which are also a very stiff compound offering better road feel and sharper turn-in as a result of lower deflection. A must if you want absolutely presice and responsive handling. Ive even heard that they help reduce braking distances because of the mproved suspension geometry (SPD Tuning). I didn't notice any real changes in road noise, maybe a little from the rear of the car, and a slightly choppier ride (no big deal). If you are serious about building a truly great handling car, get these bushings for that little extra sharpness and better feedback. It all comes down to are you willing to spend $600 on the suspension bushings alone and then installation costs for differences that are not too noticable unless you are on a track or good, fast, curvy roads. You can allways get just the upper strut mounts for improved response.
:D