Rear top hat orientation (updated)

kazmo · 2025-10-13T03:00:23-0400

Are the rear top hats meant to be oriented in a certain way? My factory rear top hats (strut mounts) were rusted and cracked, so I got KYB equivalents. (SM5243) Part number was the same for both sides on the KYB parts. It looked perfectly triangular to me. Also I didn't recall the service manual calling out it was directional anyways.

*I noticed the old ones say "4WD" but not sure if this is meant to indicate directions.

For context, someone before me installed Tein Street Basis for 02-07 Impreza, so everything aside from the top hat isn't OEM.

SleepySubie · 2025-10-17T10:24:06-0400

triangles don't matter

silverton · 2025-10-17T13:02:22-0400

I might be wrong, but I think some models have rear top hat orientation while others don't. since you have no obvious marker dictating which side is "out" I don't think it matters in your application.

kazmo · 2025-10-17T14:24:23-0400

Thank you both! First time taking apart a strut and my setup isn't OEM, so I wanted to be cautious. Diagram in this post conflicts with what I'm seeing but maybe that belongs to another model and only the OEM perch orientation matters afterall.

Rear strut mount indexing, '95 Impreza

I am replacing rear struts on a '95 wagon (both totally busted at 118K miles, by the way). On this model, upper spring seat and strut-to-body mount are separate parts. My question is about the rotational position of the mount relative to the rest of the assembly. FSM shows the mount indexed to th...

www.ultimatesubaru.org

silverton · 2025-10-17T17:47:26-0400

I think if you were to buy OE you would need them clocked a certain way like that manual page references; it seems as though KYB's are any which way that fits

Rear top hat orientation (updated)

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Rear strut mount indexing, '95 Impreza

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