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Subaru Crew - Modifications II

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Comments

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I played with that "black box" when installing the hitch. You have to remove it and put it back on. Just looks like a box with a bunch of rubber hoses attached.

    Miss one, though, and you'll get a CEL.

    -juice
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    CEL? One acronym I don't know...
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    I'm surprised you've missed this one. CEL = check engine light - the bane of many late model Subaru owners (not me yet, thankfully).

    Ed
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    C'mon Loosh, remember the intake tube 30 minute crisis?

    -juice
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    Oooh, repressed memory, repressed memory, Where's my therapist!?
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    just take a seat, I'll be with you in a few minutes. Think I'll start with hypnosis in your case.

    Ross
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    juice, Loosh:

    Was that CEL when you did the snokusectomy and forgot to reattach the vaccum hose?

    Ken
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Not mine, but someone else I know...

    -juice
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    That was me. During the course of the snorkusectomy I unknowingly unplugged the vacuum hose, resulting in a CEL and a dead car. I got pretty panicky, as my worst fears about taking a wrench to my car appeared to be realised. Worse still, because the vacuum hose was out of sight, and not readily recognizable as the source of my problem.
  • rwr1708rwr1708 Member Posts: 34
    I know this was a while ago, but I want to thank everyone who responded to my previous post about my "desire for more power".

    Juice,

    Good idea about the tires, but I just put some Goodyears on and don't want to spend that much for a new set. But if these are anything like the the Goodyears on my Dad's Jeep, then I'll be buying new ones pretty soon. I'll DEFINITELY keep your idea in mind when I buy tires again. Thanks again.

    I think I'm going to try a K&N filter and see how that works.

    One more question for now....has anyone played around with the stereo? (new speakers, subwoofer/amp., tweeters, etc.) I'm thinking that maybe later this summer, I'll play around with that a little. Thanks!

    Rich
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    I got tired of waiting for the STi rear mounts and Cusco front camberplates that I will eventually use with my Tein HA coilovers, and it was really nice this weekend so I decided to do a little work on my RS. (I'll provide a few pics whenever photopoint decides to add them to my inbox... any time now, hurry up!)

    First of all, for anyone in the snow belt have a good look at your suspension. Nasty, eh? Everything on my car had a nice coat of sand and salt corrosion... With this in mind, I new that the Teins weren't going to stand up well to the elements since they have an aluminum threaded spring perch (for ride height adjustment) and a painted metal helper spring that rides on it. In fact, the original owner of this suspension provided 3 extra new perches because one of them rusted to a spring and had to be cutaway.

    So anyway, I shopped around for corrosion protectants and found something great. It's a bit like powdercoat, except it's not designed to be pretty it's loaded with protectants. Apparently it's used on aircraft-- anyway, it was free to me. ;-) I followed the instructions and applied it liberally to the perch, threaded collar and helper spring. Thanks to the Kansas wind, I oversprayed a tiny bit on the strut rods, but since they're inverted struts and that's not the real strut rod, I wasn't worried.

    Removing the existing suspension-- stock RS springs and KYB AGX adjustable struts-- was pretty easy since I'd done it before, except the right rear corner lower strut bolts were really stuck. Broke a 19mm impact socket trying to get it free... what finally did it was a 19mm forged wrench with a 1 1/4" forged wrench looped over it as a cheater bar. Even with ~2' of mechanical advantage it was very challenging to break the nuts free.

    Everything else went smoothly, and just to see how low it could go we installed the suspension at the lowest position. The rear was really super low, like you couldn't even stick one finger in between the fender lip and top of the tire. (whoa!) I thought to immediate raise it, but my buddy Terrence really wanted to stick to the plan, so I went along.

    Next the front, and when we lowered it back down it actually was so low that the jack was slightly stuck under the engine crossmember. I'd estimate it was 3-3.5" lower than stock... absolutely in the weeds. It was obvious that you couldn't even turn the wheels much without rubbing, so immediately back up it went. Raised the perches about 1.5" and brought it back down... much better. Raised the rear about 1" and bled the brakes, now time to give it a whirl.
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    The car is obviously lower than stock, perhaps 2". Surprisingly in my testing thus far, I have no tire rub. (the stock/AGX combo rubbed the rear tires in hard corners) This no doubt has something to do with the 7kg/mm front springs and 6kg/mm rear, that's about 391 and 335 lb/in, versus the stock springs of 150lb/in. ;)

    First, handling. It is simply awesome. Body roll is reduced a great deal, and cornering limits on my AVS S1 are high, sufficiently so that corners can be taken at more than enough speed to terrify passengers without so much as chirping a tire. (To be honest, this was mostly true with the AGX as well, it's just that there was lots of body roll.) Handling is very sharp and direct. I am drooling with anticipation for the next autocross...

    As you might expect with more than doubling the spring rate, bumps are certainly harsher. Individual bumps are not bad, but undulating or severely broken pavement is fairly punishing. I've ridden in heavy duty trucks that were worse though. ;) Expansion joints are actually better than the AGXs on 2/4. Fortunately, we have fairly good roads here for an area that does get ice & snow.

    Too early for anything definitive, but I'm pleased so far.

    -Colin
    (still waiting on photopoint... grrr)
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    Sounds great, Colin. Oh please, someone make something for the Outback! Oh right, DMS Gold for $3K.....
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Rich: yank the speakers. That'll be the quickest and cheapest improvement for your stereo.

    Colin: what was the name of that powdercoat stuff? Would it work on high heat components, like brakes? I'd like to clean rusty brake components and paint them flat black.

    Also, I make a great terrified passenger, if you ever wanted to prove your theory. ;-)

    -juice
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Loosh-- they do make teins for the Legacy chassis. Does your OB have strut or multi-link rear suspension?


    Juice-- um... it doesn't really have a name, it has a part number. Like I said, I acquired it from someone who uses it in their job on exposed aircraft parts. If you have a similar "source", I can get you the part number. This is what they looked like after coating:



    It's not suitable for high temps though-- you can buy VHT spray paint or use a Folia-tec kit specifically intended for painting brake calipers.


    This is the final result.

    image

    The car is absolutely filthy, it's just that silver hides dirt so well you can't see much of it except that huge soot print on the lower door. That's where the camaro launched a spitball at my RS about 3 weeks ago... yep, haven't washed it yet. After I wash it I'll post pics to the SC pictures topic.


    If you're interested in seeing the whole album, click here.


    -Colin

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Loosh has struts. The multilink rear came in 2000.

    -juice
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Then they definitely have Tein HA coilovers for him. He will have to run GT sized tires or shorter, and probably won't be able to reach stock ride height even with the perches at the top. Loosh, Kevin in Chicago with the 99 GT wagon w/DMS Gold suspension previously had Tein HAs. They're cheaper than DMS Gold, but the higher spring rate makes them harder to live with on broken pavement.

    -Colin
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I'll e-mail him the guy's number. He can't miss this chance.

    -juice
  • stevekstevek Member Posts: 362
    Looking for aftermarket wires (maybe a nice set of ACCEL or better) for my 2001 legacy GT Limited and it is not listed. There listing for the Impreza, do the Legacy and Impreza 2.5L take the same ignition wires?
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    Rats, I need something in the 17-65-15 range. Those are going to be too small for the Outback I think. Perfect for the RS, though. Thanks anyway, nice to know someone is on the lookout for me!!

    BTW, I have a source in PA that has 16-62-15, which is still closer than 14-62-15. He runs 17-65-15 on hard dirt though, and may have a set coming available in the near future. Fingers crossed, propaganda campaign at home under way.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Good question, Steve. It is the same engine, so I would guess that they are. The Legacy started using the Phase II SOHC engine in 2000, and the Impreza started using that in 1999. So anything later should be similar.

    One suggestion - visit a dealer and pop the hoods.

    -juice
  • richterjrichterj Member Posts: 1
    I apologize if this question has been addressed previously. Please feel free to direct me back to the archive if it has.

    I recently purchased a 2001 2.5 RS. I'm very happy with the car, but wish I had gotten the keyless entry option. I'm wondering what my best option is now that I've had the car a couple months. Do I take it back to the dealer to have it installed? Do auto shops do this work? Are there compatible aftermarket products?

    I don't really have the time to install anything myself, unless it's ridiculously easy, so I'm looking for advice on the best/cheapest way to have this feature installed on my car.

    Thanks for your help!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I think if you buy the accessory you can actually program it yourself. Check with www.subaruparts.com.

    -juice
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Well of course since I installed my Tein coilovers last weekend after getting sick of waiting several months on the top mounts, the mounts arrived yesterday.

    Since my gracious employer gives us Good Friday off, I pulled the suspension back out and put on the rear STi mounts and the front Cusco camberplates with the assistance of 1.5 friends (Tim showed up after we were already done with the rear). This is what the camberplates look like:
    image

    First of all, let me speak about the purpose of these things. What you see is all that locates the top portion of the strut & spring assembly. When you corner hard, the stock rubber mount flexes, allowing dynamic camber change. (bad) Being of aluminum, this mount won't flex, the spherical bearing reduces friction, and the camber adjustment allows you to set more static camber than is possible by using the camber bolt at the hub alone. The camberplates are machined aluminum and use a spherical bearing. The rear mounts I have look about like stock from a distance, but they're not. The STi mounts are billed as "hard rubber", but they felt like some kind of urethane to me.

    Now why didn't I get camberplates in the back too? Since the front tires do most of the cornering and the Impreza chassis exhibits more body roll in the front than rear, I felt that I didn't need more negative camber in the rear. (Stock rear is -1 deg, and I have camber bolts I could use if I want / need more.) Besides, the rear mounts are inside the cabin, so noises from aluminum on sheet metal are very evident.

    Anyway, we finished everything in about an hour and a half. Went for a drive and WOW, I'm impressed. Can I honestly say I could feel the limits of the stock rubber mounts on the street? Nah. But I have much more negative camber up front, and the ability to easily change it. The camberplates aren't noisy either-- I was expecting to hear the odd clank but so far all I hear is the swishing noise of the spherical bearings. It sounds kinda neat.

    I'll give an autocross report on Sunday night, and have pictures too. Gotta find time to wash my car tomorrow!

    -Colin
  • stevekstevek Member Posts: 362
    My 2001 Legacy GT came with 205/55 R16 tires. Wondering replacing all four with a set of bigger (215/55 R16 or 225/55 R16) will have a negative effect on the AWD system?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Colin: any deterioration in ride quality? Road noise?

    Steve: just keep all four tires the same size. Also, keep in mind there isn't a whole lot of room under in the wheel wells for more tire. I doubt 225/55s will fit.

    You may be able to fit 225/50, which have the same diameter as stock but are 20mm wider.

    Either of those will give you more ground clearance, but also raise your center of gravity. They'll also effectively make your gearing taller, which may slow you down a bit, but would also lower revs and possibly reduce noise at highway speeds.

    Other negatives? More rolling resistance, and slightly worse aerodynamics (since the tires will be wider).

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    OK, I know this is not a Miata topic, but this mod could potentially be applied to any car, so check it out:

    http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1400062&a=12600139&f=0

    I put washers under the seat track to lift the front up a bit (3/16"), for better thigh support. The Miata has zero legroom so this was a key mod. Now the front tilts up a bit more, like the Forester with the adjustment all the way up (though still not nearly as comfy).

    Why is this relevant? Well, some folks have wondered if the Scooby's tracks are similar. They are not, though - the front bolt comes in at an angle, so forget about lifting it there. If you did, it wouldn't be very secure.

    Instead, on the track itself there is another bolt, and that looks like it could be rigged to lift the seat up a bit. If you did it front and rear, you could probably lift the entire seat about 1/2" or so, while still being able to reach the shifter comfortably.

    It's definitely not as simple to do on a Soob, but it does seem doable, just from taking a peek at it.

    -juice
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    (bring back the message title!)

    re: 225/50-16 vs. 205/55-16

    aerodynamics are less than negligible, rolling resistance should be as well assuming you buy similar tire types.

    fender and suspension clearance could definitely be an issue. either have a local shop mount one tire and see how it fits, or find out from someone who has a similar car and has used a bigger tire.

    re: camberplates & coilovers

    Ride quality isn't that bad and I'm getting used to it all the time. The ride doesn't seem to have gotten notably worse with the sti rear mounts & camberplates than before with the stock mounts.

    The setup was absolutely awesome at the autocross yesterday. The car was SO different that I needed more than my 4 runs to learn what was going on-- my last run was my best by almost a full second and I blew the entry to a hairpin (no cones, just late braking and really bad exit speed). The car had a lot more to give, I personally could have come up with another 2 seconds with more familiarity with it.

    There is practically no body roll and braking performance is incredible. A local guy who's buying a WRX wagon (waiting on allocation) asked me if I had stock brakes. Yep!

    Next up, a divisional autocross 4/28-4/29. I'll absolutely have pictures from it, the big boys will be there.

    -Colin
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    hey colin,
    do u know a fellow autoXer by the name of Brian Priebe? I think he races a 98 RS or something....
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Haven't met him yet, but he won the 2000 solo2 championship for STS in his '98 RS... moved to Oklahoma recently.

    I'm sure I'll meet him sooner or later, although I did see his RS for sale. (probably wants a WRX, almost everyone does.)

    -Colin
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Stock brakes? C'mon, you must've changed the pads by now...

    -juice
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Nope, stock pads. I was looking at them the other day and still have plenty of pad. I don't drive like paisan on the streets, remember. I have a whole lot less traffic to deal with and I brake early & lightly.

    -Colin
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Cool. I'm still surprised the stock pads can take the abuse from autocross (2 seasons now?) and keep on ticking.

    -juice
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    I am surprised too, especially since I had some mild chirping from the front for a few thousand miles in December - January. It wasn't the end-of-pad squealers though... 31k miles and many autocrosses, going strong.

    -Colin
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Funny thing is I have at least 25K on the pads of the XT6 (got the car 25K ago) I'm pretty sure the people before me hadn't just changed the pads either. I've done about 7 auto-xs and tons of city driving + my daily auto-xing with it on the streets of NYC! I only hope the next set lasts that long.

    -mike
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    I ended up going with metal masters, and dumping the stock DOT 3 fluid for DOT 4. My pads were holding up o.k., but I was having lots of heat management problems at the track. Granted, that is a whole lot harder on the car than auto-x.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    25k of paisan-style driving is rather miraculous for pads. Are they OE? It would be worth finding that out eventually.

    Loosh's Outback is heavier than an RS, so the brakes have to work a little harder too. I doubt the swept area is any different.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I should find out what brand they are, I'm sure they can't be originals I mean 75K and 13 years would be absolutely amazing.

    -mike
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    Sheesh, Loosh, now I'm getting paranoid about my stock GT pads and fluid. Maybe I drive like an old lady at track. (oh how un-PC) I had no brake fade so I'm tempted to leave it alone. OTOH maybe I shouldn't tempt fate.

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Just keep going to FATT and pretty soon you'll need new pads anyway.

    I can imagine how much brake dust you shed after the last track visit. How much was it? 10k worth? Hit 106mph and then toss out the anchor and that's what you get...he he he!

    -juice
  • hammersleyhammersley Member Posts: 684
    Dealer replaced my front pads at 53k prior to purchase... Amazing Grace's van went 55k before getting new shoes on all 4 feet. I'm an old ambulance jockey, and contrary to popular opinion, we strive for smoothness... and I downshift a lot too!

    Cheers!
    Paul
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,891
    Hi all. Ok. I don't seem to be getting very far on the i-club board, so I've come here to ask some questions. I really don't understand turbos completely. This will be my first one.

    I'm trying to get a better grasp on it, so that, in the future, I will be able to work on it and possibly modify the car.

    I beg that you bear with me here, some of these may seem really dumb and basic. I assure you, I am no stranger to cars, just turbos.

    1) What exactly is the intercooler doing? I could probably answer this myself when I actually get my car, but I'm curious. What is it cooling? The air being forced into the intake? If so, is the intercooler itself just air-cooled? If so, has there been any thought to a larger intercooler? It probably wouldn't fit, but there is always a way.

    2) The blow-off valve releases pressure surges when shifting or decelerating, right? Does changing the blow-off valve do anything for you performance-wise? I've seen some aftermarket for sale and wonder what their advantage is.

    3) I understand about the oil running through the turbo. Does this car come with an oil cooler? Would that be a worthwhile addition? Is it even possible in this instance?

    I'll leave it as those 3 for now. I will have a lot more, though. Thanks to any responses.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    I've been putting this one off for some time, but I've gotten back the itch to get a short throw shifter for my Forester.


    I'm debating between the Kartboy and Cobb/ImprezaRS shifters. They're all about the same price but there are some differences:


    Kartboy:

    - Looks like a shortened version of the stock shifter

    - Shortens throws but also lowers shifter height

    - Lots of people have them and love it


    Cobb:

    - Straight design with solid bearings to replace stock bushings

    - Close to stock shifter height but reduces throws

    - Not as many people have it


    Which one folks? Help me decide!


    Ken

  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,891
    I'll be getting the Kartboy, personally. I've just heard better things about it, and the price is very reasonable.

    I would also like to hear some feedback about the Cobb one, though. It does look prettier. :)

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    The Kartboy is something like $105 w/shipping. The Cobb shifter can be purchased at Larry Ganz's site for $90 w/shipping.

    I like the Kartboy for it's popularity and positive feedback, but the Cobb shifter's solid bearing design intrigues me.

    Hmmmmm....

    Ken
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,891
    What is Larry Ganz's site (link?)

    thanks

    I'm always looking for Subaru parts sites to add to my collection.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    www.imprezars.com
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,891
    how do you find anything on that site? That is a mess.

    Anyway, are you talking about the sti replica short shifter? If so, how do you know that its a Cobb? It doesn't say much of anything in the description. And what about the bushings? No mention of those, either.

    thanks again.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    gbrozen, this should answer all your questions about turbochargers:

    http://www.howstuffworks.com/turbo.htm


    if you are rough (or worse) on your basic piston engine familiarity, look on the same site for how engines work.


    -Colin

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