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Long time, no talk. I've been working away on my doctoral dissertation, but that's almost done and I hope to return to the discussions as my life gets back to normal. I got married and bought a house too, so you get the idea . . .
In the meantime, I have a question about tires on my 00 Outback that only the Subaru Crew can properly address. My drivers's side rear tire got sliced by a piece of metal (the firewall VIN tag from another car if you can believe it) while I was driving yesterday, and it's damaged well beyond repair. There is a cut from the sidewall around down to the base of the tire, and some steel cords are sticking out. I am still running the original Firestone Wilderness tires with about 21K miles on them, and the other three tires are in good shape with even wear.
My question: knowing how the AWD system works, it would seem that I can't just replace this one tire, and it doesn't make sense to replace a pair either (as I might do in a 2WD car). I have a sinking feeling that I need to replace all four. Any comments or suggestions? Anybody know Subaru's recommendation in this situation?
I really don't like the Firestone tires, so I won't be sorry to see them go, but I don't want to spend the $400 it would require to get 4 new tires either. I have also noticed that Firestone has either discontinued or renamed this model of tire, so I'm not sure if it's even an option to get a matching replacement.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Craig
P.S. What kind of tires are on the new Outbacks?
IIRC, Subaru recommends no more than 1/4 inch difference in the measured circumference of any of the tires on the car. At 21k miles, there's a chance that a new, single tire (or pair) would be outside of that spec. You might consider salvaging at least one of the current tires as a full-size spare, if you don't already have one.
Wish I could be more specific, and with better news, but here & now, that's the best I can do. Mike (paisan) & Juice will no doubt chime in within a day or two & either elaborate upon or refute my info with far more expertise than I have.
Cheers!
Paul
If I had that happen to our OB, I'd probably bite the bullet and get some new Michelins (or just use it as an excuse to get rid of the Wildernesses). The Firestones on our OB have been pretty good in dry and wet (rain), but I'm sure snow traction suffers. I've also heard good on some Dunlops, but I'm sure others will chime in with more suggestions.
You may be lucky enough to find a used Wilderness at a junkyard or a tire store. That may just help buy some extra time to decide at least!
-Brian
I have an '01 which has the Wilderness, and I believe the '02s have the same. I feel the same way re the Firestone tires - not wild about them, but don't want to spend $400+ on new tires. (My car only has <12Kmiles. My sister's '96 OB came with (and she put on a second set of) Michelins. When my Firestones are spent, I am going to look into Michelin. Unfortunately I think you do need to change all 4 tires at this point - if you can. Hope that helps. Congrats on wedding and house.
-OB165
Some tire stores carry used tires. You may want to check around to see if they have any used Firestones that match your current treadwear. That probably would be the cheapest solution.
Ken
The replacement for the Firestone that came on my '02 OB's is the Bridgestone Potenza. Even though the brands are 'cousins', the tread pattern and govt rating are different between the two.
Many tire stores that sell to the competition market have equipment to shave a tire. If you found a new OEM replacement, you could go that route to match diameters. But I would imagine that the overall cost of going to this much trouble would put you further ahead if you went to a volume discounter like BJ's / Sams / Costco.
I was curious in Sams last week and saw BF Goodrich Comp/TA Touring in the requisite size (225/60-16), but I am not sure if these had the H or S speed rating. I think they were $77 plus M/B. I had them on a Camry wagon and they were pretty good in snow, decent on dry roads.
Steve
-mike
The most interesting car I have ever owned was a 1979 Datsun 810, two door sport coupe. Basically a Z-car with a more sedan-ish body. Forerunner of the Maxima, known for a time as 'BlueBird' in Japan.
Fiancee` and I went to a Datsun dealer near Ft. Worth, TX in early 1980 to test drive the new 200sx model, when we spied a leftover car on a pedestal out front. She fell in love with the styling (although I thought it looked a bit odd), but I was overwhelmed by the engineering. L24 overhead cam 6 cyl with a version of Bosch L-jetronic port fuel injection (modernized version of the 240Z engine), semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension, reclining buckets with lumbar support, etc. All things virtually non-existent on American cars of the day.
Drove it until '91 and retired with about 170,000 miles on the clock. Gave it up when the cost of replacing the two piece drive shaft (welded in u-joint cap bearings had turned to dust....) exceeded the value of the car. It was also pretty badly rusted from spending most of its life in NY.
So what does this have to do with Subarus? Nothing, other than it was my first Japanese car, and began my love affair with their advanced technology and solid engineering.
Steve
-mike
Thanks so much for all the feedback! I did tests yesterday and it did indeed chirp. I set it and then kicked the tires and it chirped. I hit the palm of my hand against winshield and it chirped. Also hit steering wheel and same. So I suppose it is working just fine. Again, thanks for all the feedback.
For the people that use MOBIL1. How often do you change the oil and how often do you change the filter. With Dino I did it every 3K miles. I suspect I can go the recomended 7500 with the synthetic. But do I need to still change filter?? Thanks
But my Mazda dealer charged me something like $28 for a gas cap for the Miata. They have odd sizes so I could not find one at local auto supply stores (Pep Boys, Trak Auto, even NAPA). The woman in front of me in line paid almost $9 for her oil filter, too.
Craig: you disappear for a while and your only excuse is you got a PhD? Marriage? A new house? That's it? ;-) Congrats on all three counts!
My wife has BFG Comp T/A tires, but they are VR4s. Still, $77 per tire sounds pretty good. You could keep one of the three good ones if you wanted a full size spare, and buy a steel rim for it. Maybe a couple of tire swings for the kids you'll soon have? Sorry, just tryin' to help.
-juice
-juice
I will definitely keep the three good Firestone tires, for use as spares and to give my garage that motor-head look. It's too bad the spare tire well in the OB isn't big enough to accomodate an inflated full size spare. I could barely get the deflated flat tire in there. Maybe roof-mount is the way to go, for the authentic safari look.
I was trying to use this episode as an excuse to get a WRX or an LL Bean wagon, but my wife debunked that dream within seconds. Dang!
Craig
..Mike
..Mike
Try measuring diameters. Mark the tires with chalk, and have your wife drive forward a few feet. Mark it again after one full revolution, then measure. Then visit a dealer and ask to test drive one with new tires. Compare the two, and see if the difference is more than 1/4". If the tires have not worn much, it may not be.
To be accurate, you may want to measure 5 revolutions, and make sure you are going in a perfectly straight line.
-juice
When it comes to tires, I always take the safe road. You have a beautiful new wife to protect, although I understand your position (Honeymoon + New House + Degree = No $$$)
I just installed four new Yokohama's on my Sienna. Total cost = $260. I ordered them from Tirerack and had them installed at Costco for $9/tire. Worked out great and I saved a bundle. You might want to check this route out.
Good luck,
Greg
Ross
I run my HVAC just about all the time, so I'm a bit surprised.
-juice
Bit,{user name origional bitman)has already gone this route in his GT wagon.
Cheers Pat.
Was at the dealer for a C.E.L.rough idle knew it was probably a vacuam hose but I am still too bloody sore from the surgery to check it myself.
Anyway the mechanic comes back from a test drive and asks have you done anything to this motor sir, alarm bells start to go off and I say no why? well he says that it runs better and pulls stronger than anything he has seen in along time.
So we get a 2001 legacy l demo and take it for a run, sure enough the Titan would run rings around it, the Mechanic said every once in a long while you get one that has been put together like a swiss watch everything is in absolute sync. and it looks like I got one, this is definitely a keeper.
I origionally test drove a legacy and when I drove it I was happy enough with how it ran after all, I went ahead and ordered the Titan, but I remember thinking when I got mine that it seemed to run much better than I remembered the demo. running.
I put it down then to my imagination after all you tend to be biased towards your own car but now I have compared it to another one and it is one sweet running car.
Cheers Pat.
Oops, of course mine isn't exactly stock, but the engine is.
-juice
Sam's won't warranty the Michelin X1 tires since they have a lower speed rating than the Outback OEM tires (T versus H). The BFG tires look OK, but there was a 4 hour wait for installation with no appointments. I may go back tomorrow.
Since my local Sube dealer is down the road from Sam's, I stopped in and test drove a VDC. Boy, what a smooth ride. It was like butter compared to the somewhat rough/athletic feel of my 5-spd OB. I did not like the leather seats though -- too sticky for the humidity around here. I could probably overlook this if I was in position to buy one (more likely a Bean model). It's about impossible to find a high-end vehicle without leather these days.
Craig
-mike
Costco mounted the wife's tires when we bought them from Tire Rack. The only catch is they don't offer lifetime balance/rotation if you do not buy the actual tire there.
-juice
Unfortunately, it makes it more difficult to buy an upper line model these days. When we were looking for a minivan a few years ago, we couldn't locate a Chrysler T&C without it. Ended up going one trim level down from our target on a Windstar to stay in cloth. Same on my new OB wagon. Wish mfgrs. would give more options. Oh well, could add seat cover, but who wants to do that????
Steve
Both of our leather seats are not heated and that's unfortunate. Perforations would help on hot days, too, but then you lose the easy-to-clean ability.
-juice
I just got back from Firestone, and decided to buy one Wilderness HT tire for around $100. Except for the "HT" designation, it looks identical to the OEM tires on my OB. Based on the tread depth, the new tire is barely 1/4" in diameter greater than the old one, so I figured it was OK. I know the new tire will wear down faster than the older ones in the near term, so that 1/4" will likely get smaller and smaller as the miles pile on.
In the end, it was the $$ factor that steered me back to the Firestone tire, even though I don't like them (mostly for ride quality reasons; I have no specific reason to question their safety). The way I look at it, I saved $300 that can go towards a new LL Bean Outback, or a dining room set according to my wife. I am half thinking that I can get a Timberline Green LL Bean model (same color as my current OB), hair-dryer-off the LL Bean badges, and have it for 1-2 weeks before my wife would notice . . . How to pay for it would be another thing!!
Craig
OK, 225/60R16 has a diameter of 26.63". Circumference would be Diameter * Pi = 26.63" * 3.14 = 83.62".
Now, if diameter were 1/4" less, you would have 26.38". Circumference would be 26.38" * 3.14" = 82.82".
I hope the 1/4" tolerance was for diameter. The circumference is off by 3/4".
-juice
Thanks, Dan
-juice
Warren
Nice flat, level ground is key.
-Colin
-mike
Craig
I am wondering, the shim kit fixed the squealing of my brakes. Hurray! But does that mean that when I replace the pads I have to replace the shimms? I am not exactly sure what shimms are and how they go on etc. I always did my own brakes though.
Also, anyone know if the shimm kit was applied to all 4 wheels or just the front?
And finally, I am considering buying a Cabrio. Anyone know anything about them. I think it would be a great second car and great for the nice weather.......
I am wondering, the shim kit fixed the squealing of my brakes. Hurray! But does that mean that when I replace the pads I have to replace the shimms? I am not exactly sure what shimms are and how they go on etc. I always did my own brakes though.
Also, anyone know if the shimm kit was applied to all 4 wheels or just the front?
And finally, I am considering buying a used Cabrio (98). Anyone know anything about them. I think it would be a great second car and great for the nice weather.......
-juice
Greg
-juice
Greg
-juice
Interesting arrangement with the sliding cover in the lower engine shroud. I used a 4"x4"x2" detailers pan from Lowe's paint department under the filter (after loosening it) to catch the oil runoff. Didn't spill a drop......
I was ready, however, to get out the impact wrench for the drain plug. Overtightened & painted in place. Started out with a 3/8" drive 17mm socket, graduated to a conventional length ratching 1/2" drive, then got out the 17" long SK breaker bar! With a deep grunt, it gave way with a real 'pop' sound. Put it back about half as tight.....
Did someone mentioned a fast drain valve? Has anyone replaced the crush washer with the nylon style washers used on many other mfgrs drain plugs?
Steve
http://www.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=87450&referrerid=767
There are also a few people here on Edmunds that use it as well, IIRC.
Dennis
and I noticed that it comes in contact with my paint.
Does anyone know of a rubber backing I can
install to the back of the plate to protect the
finish under the plate?
(I hope this doesn't qualify me for the OCD gang!)
Thanks in advance!
-Dave
William: I bought some round rubber grommets from a hardware store, and put them between the plate and the paint (threading the screws through the plate holes and grommets). Worked great.
Craig
-juice
Greg