Subaru Crew - Modifications

locke2c

Glad you didn't take offense to my "junk" bit WDB.

I personally was underwhelmed, but I have never been one to question others if they liked a product. Educate, perhaps. Sometimes people are content with something because they haven't heard / seen / driven (insert verb) better.

But if you listened to a lot of speakers and still bought the plastic ones... well, surrounds aren't very important anyway.

-Colin

syeo

IN 2001 Forester, the subwoofer mounts under driver seat. My personal opinion is that it sounds horrible - I think it's made my Panasonic. But I'm used to high-quality home-theater subwoofers such as Velodyne, NHT, Cambridge, etc. Even the bose subwoofer in my wife's 1999 TL sounds quite a bit better...

-Simon

dzartman

Just installed a K&N filter into my 2000 OB at 17,000 miles. The old was quite dirty, so whether due to that or the advertised high CFM rating of K&N, the difference was noticeable.

I stoped in at the home of
http://autocaresubaru.com

more of a repair shop, few perf. items in stock (despite what their web site shows) one can see that when they receive an order for a performance part, they in turn order it from their supplier and ship it to the customer upon receipt. They had a few goodies in stock, though. I checked out the Cusco and SYMS strut tower bars (heavier than I thought)...the titanium STi shift knobs, which she told me wouldn't work on Legacy sticks??!!, some STi emblems, K&N filters etc.

I also stopped by Mike Shield's
http://www.spdusa.com

HQ. His trick Impreza was in the driveway, the door was open but no one was home/answered the door, so I never got to meet him or check out his goods. Will try again sometime in the future.

Dave

amishra

WDB: Could you give me more details on the sub located under your passenger seat -- like as to how it's attached, and where the !@#$%@#!$ wiring harness is. I almost took apart the seat and still couldn't find it!

What I really need to find out is if the pre-out signals are alive even with my aftermarket head unit.

thanks, ash

proulo

The wiring harness comes with the sub woofer. You won't find it under the seat. I installed one in my Forester and got an Alpine head unit with CD player and it works fine. I had to get an adapter kit from Tweeters at a cost of $15 to connect the receiver.

Phil

bigelm

Well...It soon will be time to change my air filter on MY00RS. I'm thinking of investing in an air intake while I'm at it. I know you guys have posted alot about the K&N Filters and the
Weapon R Intake. But I've been doing some research because I've heard of something to be better than K&N. Yep, didn't think so until I ran into this site at MRT Rally. Check it out http://www.mrtrally.com.au/frames2.htm

Is anyone familiar with this? Or knows someone who has it?
I emailed MRT Rally and they responded with this...
The Rampod "Kit" contains all you need to replace the factory intake and air filter on your car. In other words, it comes with filter, custom bracket, inlet plenum, instructions, etc. Cost for the entire kit is around AU$400. We can supply you with a kit to fit your 2.5 RS.

Plus they claim it to be better...Does anyone know anything about it? I'd appreciate any input/info you guys may have.
By the way....AU$400 = US$214 (Rounded).
Thnx!!!

ateixeira

So I guess the sub goes under the driver's seat for the Impreza and Forester, and passenger seat for Legacy and Outback. OK, glad we got that straight.

Dave: the shifter stalk on the Forester is the same as the Impreza, so my bet is the same knob will fit the Legacy and Outback. In fact, it may be industry standard, since it also interchanges with my wife's 626, an Escort, a Probe, and a Miata.

Question: how often are you supposed to change/clean the air filter? What about the fuel filter? I'm about to hit 30k, and just planning ahead as far as what to do.

-juice

qsubaru

You need to change the air filter, fuel filter and p.v.c. valve at 30K.
Also recommended is the gear oil and anti-freeze.
You can do all of this yourself without voiding your warranty. Just keep records of the date and mileage.

Darlene

ateixeira

Darlene: can you guess what my next order is going to include?

Anyone do any of these? How's the fuel filter to get to? Air filter must be simple, PCV usually is too.

-juice

locke2c

bigelm, that ram pod probably won't fit on your MAP-equipped 00RS. It does fit my '99, but I never bought one because of the rampant '99 MAF failures. I seriously considered it though.

-Colin

ateixeira

Well, I haven't been to the AutoX yet, but these new rims and tires sure as heck perform sweet.

Check out the data, some of it is very surprising. Despite the lift, handling is way, way better. The old tires were crap in comparison. 70 series profile is just too tall, with bouncy, flexy sidewalls.

The new ones are still 60 series, but they're firmer, grip much better, and communicate early with a light whine that increases with speed. The biggest difference, though, it they are QUIET! Oops, I should whisper, q-u-i-e-t. Sounds levels were already acceptable, but are down at least a few dB's. Ride is also, surprisingly, better, even with the lower profile.

They came mounted, balanced, with all needed hardware, delivered for $643 (it was a special). Kudos to Discount Tire Direct for getting everything right the first time, delivered on time. And they fit - BARELY! There is about 1/8" clearance to the front mud guards. Way to go, guys, they said the 225s would fit with the right offset, while Tire Rack said they could not. WRONG!

Like Colin, the tread on these 225s measured a full inch wider than the OE 205s. They are much taller, more than numbers would suggest (see photo of tires side by side). My ground clearance shot up a full 1.25" in back and 0.75" in front, though I cannot explain why it's that much, nor why the front and rear were affected differently.

The tires are 0.3" taller in diameter, but that means ground clearance should be up only half of that (radius). The tread was worn, which explains maybe another 1/4", but that's about it. Tire pressures were all 33 psi, and I did measure that day.

The only other thing I can think of is deflection. The 60 series tires probably have less deflection. Still, though, how does that add up to 1.25"?

Oh well, I'm happy as a kid in a candy store. I waxed them before mounting them, and just cleaned them yesterday for the first time. The water actually beaded up and rolled off - sweet!

Let me know what you guys think.

-juice

ramon

I think it looked nice and snazzy. Looked like a Merc ML320! What was wrong with your old 16" Alloys?

ateixeira

My Forester L had 15" steel wheels. Only 6" wide, too. The S has 16" alloys, 6.5" wide. I wouldn't have replaced those.

-juice

locke2c

I think it could be sidewall deflection. If you still have the old tires, look at the load rating. Should be something like "89H" if the stock load rating was 89 and the tire was H rated.

Looks good though, like I said in the other topic.

-Colin

ateixeira

Thanks.

Yep, the old ones were 85S and the new ones are 87H. So both the load rating and speed rating are higher.

The sidewalls even feel noticeably stiffer, if only because the Bridgestones were so soft.

-juice

gtdriver

Please post a link to your new wheels pix. I'm too lazy to scroll back and find one. Thanks.

ateixeira

Here's the URL:

http://thejuiceman.homepage.com/plus.html

-juice

ateixeira

Here's the strut tower brace.

The same page has a full shot of the Forester.

No complaints so far. I took a curve yesterday that almost made me slip out of my seat. The Mountaineer following me fell so far back it was ridiculous.

Gotta rememeber to put the left foot on the dead pedal before entering the turn.

-juice

locke2c

Pretty soon you'll be complaining about knocking loose the window controls with your left knee, trust me.

-Colin

kens

juice,

Wow, so what's next? Modified exahust? Stiffer springs?

I did some reading up on strut tower bars and found stuff that seems to indicate that a rear strut bar would probably offer more bang for the buck on Foresters/Imprezas. The reason being that the front towers already are relatively well supported vis a vis the rear ones.

http://www.egr.unlv.edu/~simon/2.5RS/FAQ/strut.html

Of course, the draw back would be that you would have a metal bar running across the cargo area.

This led me to do a little more reading on anti sway bars:

http://www.cobbtuning.com/forester/suspension-swaybars.html

Do you or anyone else know anything more about anti sway bars?

Ken

jres

Ken,
I just checked out the Cobb page for legacy suspension parts, I find it interesting that they list a rear strut tower brace for the 2000 legacy.
One of the improvements for 2000 was a non strut rear suspension. If there are no struts they can't be slaved to work together to improve handling.
I guess any cross-member will help increase overall body stiffness but this particular one smells like a fairly usless add-on to me.

Anybody else have thought on a rear strut tower brace in a car without rear struts?

ramon

yeah front bars are pretty much useless for our stiff Imprezas. rear tower bars are much much better. I'm gonna get one too from Cobb one of these days.

locke2c

Ken, if you buy a larger rear sway bar, get the whiteline adjustable bar from Rallispec. That way you can set it to 18mm for snow / ice and 22mm for spirited canyon carving.

Fits my Impreza, should fit the Forester too.

-Colin

ateixeira

Colin - how did you know?

What's next? Pay the bills for the wheels, of course. The other accessories I'm getting are not performance related. Well, does the rear diffy protector count? It's in the SPT catalog, which surprised me.

I burned my entire line of credit on the brace, the rear diffy protector, and a hitch and bike rack for the hitch.

So I'm waiting for the rest of the stuff, and back where I started (i.e. broke). But look at it this way, if I had charged a fee, the wife would have spent it on something else!

Good point about the brace, jres. The new rear suspension eliminated the strut towers, which is why the cargo area is bigger.

-juice

kens

Colin,

Thanks for the feedback. I'm still learning about suspension mods. I guess I'm looking for ways to reduce the body roll on my Forester a bit so a sway bar is what I should consider -- right?

A couple more questions for you (and anyone else with experience with sway bars):

-Did the Whiteline sway bar change the handling on your Impreza? Is there noticeably less understeer?
-Why would you want to set it to a lower setting in snow/ice?
-Is a DIY installation? I noticed that the Whiteline bar comes with bushings too.

dzartman

A lot of after market companies offer a SYMS and Cusco rear bar for the 2000MY Legacy. Although it may not be a true "strut" bar, there are bars that bolt to the rear towers of the 2000. You have to cut the top of the interior cloth, however!

http://autocaresubaru.com
http://www.flatlineracing.com
http://home.att.net/~teaguesauto

ramon

Not sure wwhat foresters are but imprezas we have a stock 13mm rear no roll bar. It is better than nothing. However our cars still push for understeer under load. Bigger rear bar would make the car's tail to swing out aiding in turning in. It's quite easy to lose the tail on snow. I have an 18mm for my OBS and my tail swung out once when i overcooked it on a slushy corner last winter.
Another alternative albeit more expensive is to go for better shocks and springs. Not sure what's out there for Foresters as I believe the shocks are actually taller.
for low cost suspension upgrade I suggest the no roll bar and a rear tower brace. That would strengthen your rear section of your Forester alot and there will be noticeable difference. now finding a rear strut bar would be a challenge. I really don't know where. Maybe have a custom made one?

ateixeira

I'm not sure a rear brace will reduce understeer, since that means the front wheels were pushing. It should adjust the behavior of the rear, though.

In snow or off road, you probably want MORE play in the suspension, not less. If you were to venture onto those trails, you may even want to consider removing the braces (at least it's very easy to do).

Underneath, the Forester has anti-roll bars front and rear standard. Even though the upper brace fits, my guess is the lower ones will not - track is wider on the Forester. I could be wrong, though.

You can get lowering (or lifting) springs for the Forester, but IMHO lowered Foresters look kind of silly. Given that you wander off pavement on occasion, no way I'd lower it.

-juice

locke2c

Ken, the reason behind less sway bar in the winter is that most people want understeer. You expect to slide around some, but keeping the rear end behind you is very important.

A larger anti-sway bar will control body roll on the axle where it is installed and cause more load to stay on the axle OPPOSITE of where it is installed. So installing a bigger rear bar will decrease body roll in the rear and keep load on the front tires, which decreases understeer / increases oversteer. (remember that tires with more load on them have more traction.)

-Colin

hammersley

Subaru's own, Yakima, or Thule?
Looking for a roof rack that will hold at least 2 bikes, easy on/off, that my altitudinally-challenged wife can use without a stepladder...
any good/bad/indifferent opinions about any of the above options?

Thanks in advance, gang...
Paul

hsimon

Has anyone tried the little refrigerator--it plugs into the power outlet--that Subaru sells? I've also seen a similar one for sale through REI (Recreational Equip. Corp.). I'm assuming neither will keep food cold (also does warm) without the car running, without running down the battery. Has anyone tried any of these gizmos?

Thanks.

Harvey

hsimon

In addition to ease of use, I think you should consider wind noise. In fact I just posted a note about this on the general maintenance list. The wind noise is so loud with the Thule (w/o wind screen, admittedly) that I go to the not inconsiderable trouble of removing the Thule when I'm not using it.

Harvey

kens

Thanks, everyone, on the sway bar & brace info. It's been helpful.

Paul -- Subaru's bike racks are actually made by Yakima so it narrows it down to two manufacturers. Between Thule and Yakima, it's really a toss up. Both are well made so it really boils down to preference. I went for Yakima because 1)they make stuff for Subaru and 2)it just seemed like more stores stocked their products.

If you're looking for a easy-on-easy-off bike rack that you can put directly on your factory rack, check out the Lockjaw or Anklebiter from Yakima. Yakima sells plastic adapters (Mighty Mounts) that allow the racks to mount to your factory rails.

If your wife is really height-challenged, you may want to consider installing a rear hitch and getting a hitch mounted bike rack. They're a little more expensive but you don't ever need to lift a bike over your head. Both Thule and Yakima offer hitch mounted racks.

ateixeira

Paul: I believe Subaru resells a Yak-rack. QSubaru sells them for $170 (for Foresters, anyway) and throws in free brackets and shipping. Lucien brought his to the Rocks event and it looked nice and sturdy.

I've ordered the hitch and the bike hitch rack, but you wanted the roof mount anyway. It's more cash (around $300 or so for both), but I can use the hitch for other purposes too.

Harvey: the fridge isn't usually recommended (she's honest). Even the wholesaler listed above admits it's overpriced. Get a good cooler instead.

-juice

yellowbikedon

Paul,

I've been using the Subaru (Yakima) rack on my '96 Outback for nearly five years now with no problems. I am 5'8'' and find it easy to lift the bikes onto the rack without assistance! Of course, I do have to step on the door sills to reach up!

As long as speeds are under 60-65 mph, the wind noise isn't too bad. I did consider a wind deflector but found I could easily carry two bikes (with wheels on) behind the front seats and still have enough space for soft luggage, if packed carefully.

With bikes on the rack, I've managed to get over 26 mpg at 60-70 mph with A/C on.

Hope this helps.

Don

jrbelknap

I recently installed the Yakima setup that replaces the factory crossbars with the Yakima round ones, using their Double-Cross feet that mount to the factory side rails. To this I used the new Boa mounts which use a front fork mount (which I prefer to ones that leave the front wheel on the bike) and a rear wheel cup mounted to the rear crossbar. Excellent setup - solid, nicer looking than ones with the full length rail, and very quiet at speed. I run 75 on the fwy and can barely tell the difference in noise unless I'm into a headwind, then it is a bit worse. With bikes I cruise at 65-70. Total cost w/ tax at REI was $350.

ateixeira

I don't know, you must be body builders.

Bikes vary in weight a lot I guess, anywhere from what? 26 to 40 pounds?

But mine is totally accessorized (who would have guessed with my Forester the way it is), including a child carrier, toe clips, bell, handle bar extensions, water bottle, kryptonite lock, etc. I store it on a rack in the shed and lifting up there takes an effort.

So I guess I'm glad I ordered the hitch rack. It even tilts down for mounting, and whatever wind noise there is will probably be so far behind me I wouln't notice.

So, out of curiosity, why the general preference for roof racks?

Once the gear arrives, I'll share photos and mounting instructions as usual.

-juice

jrbelknap

Juice, roof racks are great when you are a frequent biker, skier, etc., because it's such a useful spot to put stuff. The Outback is easy to access due to lower roof height, compared to many SUV's, like my old Jeep GC, which was a stretch, but doable. My road bike is 20 lbs, mtn bike is 25, so not bad to put on and off. Gives a little upper body to go with the leg workout.

It takes less than 1 min to pop front wheel, lift bike on, clamp down fork and close rear strap. Rock solid, even in high speed corners. Doesn't impact entry to the rear, or add length, stays out of the dust cloud on dirt roads, and looks cool

-john

kens

Hitch and roof mounted bike racks all have their pros and cons. Roof mounted bike racks are great for the reasons John writes, but you do need to hoist stuff (more of a problem with us Forester owners) and you really need to have good memory when you're driving into the garage. Also, stuff on the roof tends to make more wind noise.

Hitch mounted bike racks are great because they are easier -- hands down. However, the bikes are not as stable, may get in the way of your rear view and have the potential of being a very expensive bumper.

As for myself, I'm a die-hard Yakima Steelhead fan. You do need to pop off the front wheel, but once it's mounted, nothing can shake your bike. Just gives me more peace of mind when driving through the twisties.

ateixeira

A-ha! A 20 lb bike without the front wheels weighs probably half what mine does.

The hitch rack does tilt so the hatch opens completely, and this also means you don't have to lift the bikes to mount them.

You got me on the dust. But I got you back on the ride home - a dirty mountain bike won't spill mud on my roof

I'll have to wait and see how sturdy it is, and how much it blocks the view. If it becomes a rear bumper, at least the other guy is paying for it!

I think they both look cool. I love to see a Subaru loaded with gear, knowing they're being used as intended, by my kind of folks.

-juice

ateixeira

One more thing - the bikes don't block the view out my moonroof!

-juice

jrbelknap

and conversely, if you do put them up top the moonroof is a great way to check and make sure they're still there....

p0926

Juice....nice set of wheels & tires!!!

I've got a Yakima hitch mounted bike rack. Rear visibility isn't a problem (although for Juice and his bike/RV it might be).

Kens' dead-on in his comparison...very easy to mount bikes but not as stable. I've never lost a bike but would hesitate before doing any high speed off road maneuvers (to avoid excessive flexing of the mount).

Frank P.

ateixeira

Baby girl is so big for her age, I'm not sure how much longer I can carry her on my hiking backpack or on my bike.

Hmm, off-roading AND mountain biking? I'm salivating!

-juice

lucien2

*ring ring* *ring ring* Here comes the Juiceman!! LOL

There is a kewl MTB area in Montgomery county, MD with a big mud hole between the access road and the park area. Cars park off the access road. Guess where I go? ;-) Yea buddy, that dirty roof ain't nothin' compared to the REST of the car!

jrbelknap-

whachya ridin'?

jrbelknap

Offroad - Stumpjumper M2 Pro
Onroad - Bridgestone RB1

lucien2

NICE. I just bought a Giant Rainier SE. I was tempted to go more, but figured this was a pretty good workaday bike with which to improve my technique. Maybe in a year or two I will be able to step up, monetarily and strength-wise, to something better. I hesitate to get on the trail on a Big toy until I know I can run with the big boys, ya know?...my friend's girlfriend has a Giant XTC SE1, but often gets stomped by my wife on a lowly Raleigh M80.

ramon

pardon my ignorance....but what's MTB? mountain bike?

jrbelknap

yes, mtn bike. A great thing to put on the roof of a subaru

lucien2 - nice bike! How do you like the disc brakes? I would love that if it didn't add too much weight. Out here our hills are straight up and down and brakes don't last long...

locke2c

Earlier this week I installed an AMSOil foam filter element in the stock filter box of my '99RS. I have perceived exactly zero difference thus far, but having raced dirtbikes I am confident in the filtration and the reusability is great. (Plus I still have all that old filter oil for the dirtbikes...)

Tonight (it's damned hot!) or tomorrow I will open up the front right fender and right what's wrong in there. For those who don't know, the '99RS draws air from the fender, but has a snorkel looking thing that brings it back into the engine compartment! You have to take out the plastic fender liner to get to the snorkel and then plug the hole where it (previously) entered the engine bay. I think the '00RS came with a plug in that hole, so maybe I'll refrain from cobbling together something myself and see what Subaruparts.com or QSubaru can come up with.

But anyway, I'm hoping to utilize what should have been a true cold air intake from the factory and draw from the fender. Hopefully this doesn't make my intake loud as hell...

-Colin