1994/5 Subaru Group A cars?

[TbirdMan]

I am doing research for a project and wondered if any of you could help me fill in some gaps. What I would like to know is weather the early Subaru/Prodrive 555 Group A cars were equipped with tubular front crossmembers and rear subframes. Also I wondered if the front control arms were STi Alloy peices or also tubular. lastly, were they equiped with upgraded custom hubs or factory peices. any information on this ro any other aspect of these cars would be appricated.

[grugsticles]

I *think* the early RA WRX's (ie. the lighter version of the normal road STi) had R180 rear ends - diff, drive shafts, rear hubs, brakes, suspension (normal STi had R160).
One would assume that Prodrive could only use the homoligated version, that being the WRX STi RA.

As for the front, the STi RA also had the STi alloy control arms, so I also assume they would have to be maintained. I guess FHI/STi would have developed then especially for homoligation reasons.

Im not really up to scratch with the FIA rulings but my basic understanding of the Group A era was that the car must be basically the same as the road going version. I am more than willing to be proven wrong or right.

[TbirdMan]

I *think* the early RA WRX's (ie. the lighter version of the normal road STi) had R180 rear ends - diff, drive shafts, rear hubs, brakes, suspension (normal STi had R160).
One would assume that Prodrive could only use the homoligated version, that being the WRX STi RA.

As for the front, the STi RA also had the STi alloy control arms, so I also assume they would have to be maintained. I guess FHI/STi would have developed then especially for homoligation reasons.

Im not really up to scratch with the FIA rulings but my basic understanding of the Group A era was that the car must be basically the same as the road going version. I am more than willing to be proven wrong or right.

Thanks for the info, this really helps me.

[janvanvurpa]

Thanks for the info, this really helps me.
Except its all wrong.
They did have tubular front subframes, steel tubular control arms, tubular rear subframes, huge front uprights, a MASSIVE rear differential look as big as Ford's 909 rear 9" diff, tubular rear links.
http://www.subaruwrcspares.com/resources/_wsb_434x323_Front+Crossmember.jpg

GroupA allows (the current "World rally Car" rules are a sub set of Group A) a massive amount of freedom in substitution of the standard road cars parts right down to swapping the weak stock crankshaft for a beautiful forged steel part---had to weight the same and be dimensionally same---alternate gearboxes----Subarus was in house designed but I believe the internals were made by X-Trac in Woking.

It is Group N which is supposed to be "virtually" a standard car although now alternate gear sets are allowed as long at the ratios are the same. It was Group N that the R180, the forged alloy lower control arms etc was done to be some sort of upgrade over base STI junk, GrA got this diff, and thats not R180 (it's about twice the size)
http://www.subaruwrcspares.com/resources/_wsb_529x393_S5++98+RR+Diff.jpg

Look here at some stuff a bit later, but just detail changes
http://www.subaruwrcspares.com/5.html

[TbirdMan]

Except its all wrong.
They did have tubular front subframes, steel tubular control arms, tubular rear subframes, huge front uprights, a MASSIVE rear differential look as big as Ford's 909 rear 9" diff, tubular rear links.
http://www.subaruwrcspares.com/resources/_wsb_434x323_Front+Crossmember.jpg

GroupA allows (the current "World rally Car" rules are a sub set of Group A) a massive amount of freedom in substitution of the standard road cars parts right down to swapping the weak stock crankshaft for a beautiful forged steel part---had to weight the same and be dimensionally same---alternate gearboxes----Subarus was in house designed but I believe the internals were made by X-Trac in Woking.

It is Group N which is supposed to be "virtually" a standard car although now alternate gear sets are allowed as long at the ratios are the same. It was Group N that the R180, the forged alloy lower control arms etc was done to be some sort of upgrade over base STI junk, GrA got this diff, and thats not R180 (it's about twice the size)
http://www.subaruwrcspares.com/resources/_wsb_529x393_S5++98+RR+Diff.jpg

Look here at some stuff a bit later, but just detail changes
http://www.subaruwrcspares.com/5.html

Yes, I have seen that site but I wasn't sure if the early cars, (i.e. the FIRST imprezas) were equipped with these parts. I know the later cars were but I can find no info on any of the cars from 1993/1994.

[TbirdMan]

I finally found an old video on youtube that showed a bit of the underside and it seems at the very least on the diff and likely on the other parts you are right.

[Robbied]

Yes, all the GpA cars had these parts. There was nothing standard about any mechanical parts!

The arms, subframes, diffs, boxes etc etc were all made for the Legacys to start with, than transferred to the Impreza when that was first built...

[grugsticles]

My appolagies for my information.