Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

p0926 · July 2001

reefaroo- The subwoofer sits of the floor under the passenger seat.

-Frank P.

lark6 · July 2001

The factory subwoofer in my '00 S is located under the driver's seat. Anomaly?

Ed

leo2633 · July 2001

My subwoofer is mounted on the floor under the driver's seat, and my amp is mounted on the floor under the passenger's seat.

Len

pearlbluesoul · July 2001

I was reading about this on the Subaru Canada website tonight. This Sport package seems like a great value (except for the lack of side airbags). What I would like to know is if there is a noticeable change to the suspension compared with the other models? Or is the Sport badge mainly there because it looks sportier?

armac13 · July 2001

is purely an appearance/convenience marketing package. The mechanicals are stock.

Ross

p0926 · July 2001

Whoops, my mistake. IIRC the subwoofer on the Outback is under the passenger seat.

-Frank P.

rsholland · July 2001

the mesh "Canadian" Forester Sport grille better than the stock grille, and much better than the "American" Forester Sport grille.

Bob

armac13 · July 2001

didn't you realize that we get the best of everything? :~)

Ross

drew_ · July 2001

Except side airbags, Ross! Grrr....

Drew
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jplas · July 2001

Juice, wound up buying continentals,touring contact AS tread wear520 ,A,B .Yoko's didn't seem to be that good overall in handling, noise and snow. The continentals cost $ 65 + tax , including mounting, balance, valve and old tire disposal. They are suppose to be 80,000 mile tires. Will see.

jbogusz · July 2001

We bought a 2001 S in February. The visibility is my favorite thing about the vehicle. The field of vision is so much better than our Honda Accord. My wife and I are quite happy with everything but our gas mileage. With about 8000 miles we have averaged 20.6 MPG (range 18.8-23.5). This is with mostly highway driving. I was last at the dealer around 3500 miles. Then the service manager said the mileage would improve with more breaking in. He was also sure to point out the Subaru does not come up with the sticker mileage estimates - that is the work of the federal government. He also said that he did not believe Internet stories of Foresters regularly getting 26-27 MPG. I plan on going back to the dealer next weekend. Has anyone else had a similar mileage problem resolved? I would like to hear from the other habitual mileage trackers on there MPG. Is an average of 24+ MPG unrealistic? We do have the rear window deflector... does this generate a significant amount of drag?

Jeff

ron3805 · July 2001

Have a new 2001S with 8500 miles on it and have been getting much better mileage than you. I have kept very careful mph records and get in the 28-29 range on steady freeway driving (65-70) using cruise. In city driving I get about 24-25. I have a manual and live in the Seattle area where we don't have the accursed mileage sucking, clean burn fuel..but even taking those factors into consideration your mileage sounds too low. I don't have a rear window deflector but that shouldn't have any significant influence..probably the roof rack with the cross bars is a worse gas sucker that the deflector. I don't know what part of the universe you live in, but maybe you city/highway driving conditions are different enough from mine to account for it..but I doubt it. I have seen other past posts here that would indicate you should be getting better mileage.
I would agree with you about the wonderful visibility..I traded in a Honda and it's a whole new world with what I can see.
Ron

s

kate5000 · July 2001

I average 20-21 mpg in stop-and-go commute traffic, and 24-25 in normal hwy driving. The best I ever got was 27 mpg on long freeway stretch downhill. My MPG did slightly improve over time (my 2001 Forester S+ has 14300 mi by now); when I bought it, I could not get better than 23 mpg even on the freeway.

joseph50 · July 2001

Got my 2001 S in January. Average mpg in the high 24 to 26 range for mixed driving; disappointed if I don't top 30 on long highway trips. Also love the greenhouse view, and the nimble, sure-footed driving feel. What a kick. Should have gotten one years ago.
joe

tlima · July 2001

I have an '01 L auto - essential the same as an S, only slightly lighter. You didn't say if yours is a manual or automatic.

My average MPG is in the 25-26 range on my normal commute (65%hw, 35%city). On a 300mi trip, with 4 people and gear aboard, I got 29.5mpg. I have gotten as low as 21 during cold winter months.

There are some others on this message board that have complained of mileage worse than yours. Dealers tell them it's normal, also.

One of the main reasons why I bought the Forester was for it's mileage - I would be disappointed if I could only achieve 20mpg.

-Tony

kens · July 2001

Jeff,

Your milage sounds a bit on the low side, but may not be completely out of bounds. The EPA sticker figure is based on very ideal conditions. I don't remember exactly how they do it, but it's something along the lines of driving at consistent 55mph on flat ground.

Lots of factors can affect your gas milage: What are your tire pressures set at? The recommended pressure by Subaru tends to be biased towards comfort. You can get better handling and gas milage by increasing them. I use about 32 psi all around. Do you drive aggressively? The boxer engine loves to be pushed, but you do pay a penalty in gas milage. What type of gas do you use? Our engines are designed for 87 octane. Using too high or too low an octane can hurt fuel performance.

Also, your Forester engine is still new at 8000 miles. I saw my gas milage average improve by 1mpg over the first 30K miles or so.

As for myself, I own a 98 Forester with a manual tranny and average about 24 mpg with 90% highway driving. My best tank has been 29mpg and my worst, 21mpg.

Ken

tbmarks · July 2001

Hi. I just got the 2002 Forester S Premium Package in Platinum Silver and am having probs with people hitting the bumpers when parking and paint chipping off. Anyone else have that prob? I just ordered the "bra" and rear bumper thingys.

Any other suggestions/comments?

Tamara

raybear · July 2001

Don't park there?

tbmarks · July 2001

Don't have much of a choice since it's where I live. Does the "bra" look silly?

raybear · July 2001

and it looks a heck of a lot better than the scratches!

ateixeira · July 2001

I've said this over and over, but I just love the teflon-like bumpers and cladding on my Forester L. For an S you could get a rhino bar up front, but they add weight and cost a few hundred bucks.

Judy: Contis sound good. Hope they do last. 80k miles? I'd be impressed if they actually do last that long.

Jeff: 20.6mpg is a bit below average, but definitely within normal variations. If you bought in February it's still new and not yet fully broken in. I get about 2mpg better now than I did in my first year, so hope for 22.6mpg, which is about right.

-juice

elim · July 2001

To armac13 and others, I'm shopping around for a Forester for my father-in-law. Would you be able to recommend a dealership for buying and servicing Subaru's in the lower mainland?

Thanks!

armac13 · July 2001

I have been extremely satisfied with Docksteader for both sales and service. I bought from Susan Weeks and she was quite knowledgeable, low pressure and we worked a good deal with minimal fuss. You get a "free" picnic basket too. :~) The only problem I've had so far with my 2001 Forester is a noisy hatch latch. The mechanic who worked on Rufus said that he wasn't sure if it was perfect after the adjustment and that if it wasn't, just let them now and they would order a new one. "For what you paid you deserve a perfect car." It wasn't, they did, now it is. Service has always been polite and on time with no hidden charges. In all I am very happy with the organization. Richmond refused to drop the games even when I said they had one more chance to give me their best deal (there was a trade involved). Their "best" was $2300 higher than Docksteader's but "come in and we'll talk more". I wanted to take a shower after that experience. Good luck and feel free to email me if you wish.

Ross

gossamar · July 2001

on our 3000-mile vacation a month or so ago, because I think I eliminate 1/4 of the mosquito population in Minnesota on our last trip!! I ordered the full-bra set for our 01-blue "S" sube, installed in about 5-minutes, and it does look pretty good. The fit is snug, and it helps to leave the bra out in the sun for an hour or so to soften the leather on the first installation. One thing to keep in mind is to take off and clean under the bra every week or so. I use a soft brush and shop vac to clean. Grit/grime get underneath and can act like sandpaper on the cars finish, this is especially true for the hood protector piece. I even use a protector on the surface of the fabric to make the clean-up of bugs, road grime that much easier. I second raybears comment...move downstate, although down here in bloomington-normal you half to watch our for door-ding gnomes!!

ducktapeguy · July 2001

this is my first post to edmunds, hope it works. anyway, this question has been posted over and over again, but I still haven't found an exact answer. A lot of people have asked about the maximum tire size for the forester, and for mine (2001 S+) it seems to be about 225/60/16. However, what i wanted to know was if having the stock moonroof affects the tire sizes. From doing some research, it seems the forester S w/moonroof has a slightly wider wheelbase than the regular S model, is that due to the alloy wheels being a different offset or something different in the suspension? Just curious, in case i do decide to go with slightly larger tires.

Also, are there any subaru forester owners in california participating in rallies? I was thinking about going to an entry level one just for fun, but don't know where to start. I just want to find some dirt roads to drive on, anyone know any good places to go in northern or southern california?

I have some pictures i want to post, i'll try and figure out how to put them up. thanks

forester owner

2001 S+
25,000 miles since november
avg 24-25 mpg 70/30 highway/city driving
K&N filter
possible 18 mm swaybar upgrade in the near future
uh..that's about it

stever · July 2001

Nice handle, ducktapeguy:-). Check the Town Hall Help link on the left navigation bar for info on pic posting. And welcome.

Steve
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ateixeira · July 2001

IMO Rufus would be perfect with a light-pressure turbocharger. Go back and have them put one on for you! ;-)

Tires? I'm not 100% sure that 225/60s would fit on the stock rims. I have that size tire, but my offset puts the wheels 15mm further out from the body of the vehicle, to allow clearance for the rear spring base.

On the 15" rims, I've heard of 215/70, 205/75, and even one case of a 215/75 tire fitting. Keep in mind there may be variations from one manufacturer to another, so just because one fit does not mean another will.

For stock 16" rims, some 225/60 tires could rub the rear spring base, some may not. 225mm is the section width, not the tread width, so it will depend on how the tire is built (square will rub, rounded will not). I'm guessing, but you could probably squeeze in a 215/65 tire in there, maybe.

If you want a little more room, though, do what I did and get a different offset. My rims are 16"x7" wide, while the stockies are 15"x6" or 16"x6.5". The 225/60R16s fit, but 235/60s would probably begin to rub at the front mud guard. Of course you could trim it back, remove it, or use a heat gun to mold it, but then you're getting into customizing it a bit.

Another consideration is gearing. A much taller tire will give you taller gearing, and you definitely do not want that off road. You lose major leverage, and effectively, torque.

Instead, consider slightly taller tires and get a lift. You can get taller springs for about $400 a set, and get a 2" lift.

You could even go a step further and get a lift kit. That give you another 2" for about $360, but with a 4" lift you'll have some teething issues with your transmission that is common to the Aussie boys.

Stock clearance is stated at 7.5", but it's closer to 6.8". My tires gave me at least a .75" lift, don't ask me how, I just measured. Maybe they deflect far less. The math didn't explain my results. So I'm up to about 7.5". Toss on taller springs and you've got a very capable 9.5", and a vehicle that is still manageable.

If you go beyond that, you could get to 11.5", but at that point you're really sacrificing driveability. That would be a beast in a big way.

-juice

thecat · July 2001

Anybody heard of this?

I took the Forester back to the dealer today because after the new Aqua Treds - 30k service and a 4 wheel alignment I've noticed a slight pull to the right. Plus, the car feels "nervous" on the highway. They confirmed the alignment is ok and the tech. said he thought it was "radial pull". (Pulls to the right stronger when power is applied.) I've never heard of this .. He said normally he would switch the tires (side to side) but couldn't because these are directional.

Kinda sounds like a load of bahwanna to me. You guys heard of this before?
- hutch

ateixeira · July 2001

I haven't. Even so, with AWD?

Was it pulling before? If not, it was something they changed.

-juice

kens · July 2001

I'm not sure about the maximum tire size, but I'd also worry about getting tires that are too tall and affect gearing.

The Premium S rear track was widened in order to compensate for the weight of the huge moonroof. I think it's more than just the offsets, but not 100% sure.

Hutch -- I have heard of radial pull and the rememdy usually has been to try swapping sides with the tires. Not exactly sure why it occurs, however. Are the tires brand new? If so, the "squirminess" may just be that they haven't broken the mold yet. If all else fails, I'm sure Goodyear (?) has some kind of warranty.

Ken

leo2633 · July 2001

Hutch,

I just put a set of Goodyear Aquatred 3's on my wife's 2000 Honda Odyssey van. They are unidirectional, so they can only be rotated front to rear (and vice-versa) on the same side. If you look on the sidewall, you'll see an arrow showing the rotation direction. I haven't noticed any more torque steer on the Odyssey since I got them last week, but the steering feels a bit more "positive" compared to the Firestone Affinity's it had before. (I don't know if the previous generation Aquatreds are also unidirectional).

Len

thecat · July 2001

Juice,Ken, & Len

Thanks for the response. Yep, they're new "3's" and no it wasn't pulling before. It's difficult to assess blame when several new things happened at the same time. New tires .. new alignment all within a couple of days.

I'm gonna check Goodyears website to see if they can provide any insight. Thanks.
- hutch

asplundh · July 2001

I too agree with axteria i have a 2002 L and love the bumpers and cladding. especially with all the car door jockeys around

aerojack7 · July 2001

Just bought a new 2002 Forester S a couple of weeks ago. Really enjoy it, but found out this morning that transmission comes close to red-lining when you punch accellerator (was at 50mph, trying to get to 60 plus in a hurry). I live in Southern California, so being able to get in and out of traffic is a safety issue. Anyone have opinions?

kate5000 · July 2001

I live in the bay area, and also have to merge on a freeway from those traffic metered lines... did not even come close to the redline. My Forester (S+, auto 2001) seems to have more than enough pep. I can blow away most of the cars from the stop.

scirocco22 · July 2001

hutch-- Many years ago, I bought a new car (the name won't be mentioned for fear of being laughed at) and, like you described, pulled strongly to the right. Not only did it pull upon acceleration (it was fwd) but also if the steering wheel was let go on a level surface (with no crown), it veered to the right. After many trips to the dealer for alignments and centering of the steering wheel (they actually centered the steering wheel so that it would be centered when pulling *argh*), I took it to several independent shops that also did many alignments with no success. I finally thought that the frame could possibly be bent. It wasn't until I took it to a body shop and once again had the alignment and the frame checked that they determined that one of the Goodyear Gatorback (unidirectional) tires was "out of round" and defective (they rotated the tires front to back and the problem subsided but did not entirely disappear ...that's how they concluded it was a tire problem and not an alignment/frame problem for both alignment and frame checked out within factory specs). The offending tire was replaced by a Goodyear dealer under warranty and the problem was finally solved. It was quite an ordeal but I learned a lot from it, lol.

--'rocco

nygreg · July 2001

Safety comes first. But as a word of caution, Subaru recommends not exceeding 4K RPM for the first 1K miles as break-in.

Kate - I'm in your neck of the woods on a business trip. My rental - Mercury Sable! My poor OB is at the airport. Can't wait to drive her again....and wash her as my apology. Kinda like buying flowers for my honey after I did something stupid. :-)

Greg

ateixeira · July 2001

Hutch: you can have the tires remounted, if they are directional. Costco charges $7 per tire, last time I checked, to mount and balance them. Or have the dealer double-check the alignment first, and have them rebalance or remount the tires if that doesn't solve it.

Jack: if you floor it, that's normal. It'll rev all the way to redline, which is fine if you need maximum power. There is a rev limiter that will cut off fuel to prevent damage to the engine, and most likely the tranny would shift a bit before then anyway.

To shift sooner, ease off the gas a bit. But don't be afraid to rev - the engine is designed to safely go to redline (but not beyond) on a routine basis.

Though Greg is right - try to take it easy over the first 1000 miles. Once isn't going to kill you, though.

-juice

thecat · July 2001

Juice - before I spend any of my "hard earned" I'm waiting to see what the good folks at Tire-Rack have to say on the matter. I didn't purchase from them but I have posed the question "what is my next step" to their experts. The alignment was checked today to confirm the job was done right. It was.
- hutch

ps - I should just restrict my driving to the WRX and .... nah .. never mind.

thecat · July 2001

Was it Yogi Berra that said "If it's not something, it's something else" ?

- hutch

ducktapeguy · July 2001

juice and kens,
thanks for the feedback. I was thinking about a slightly larger tire to give me just a little more ground clearance without having to lift it. i know this will affect handling, which is why i was also gonna get a 18 mm sway bar. As for the taller gearing, i know it'll be a little slower at the low end, but may improve my gas milage since i spend most of the time on freeways.

hutch - had the same problem with my car, a slight pull to the right. but it seemed to disappear when i rotated my tires. Did they replace your tires before or after the 4 wheel alignment? If they double checked the alignment, I think it might be your tires. try switching the tires side to side temporarily (don't keep it like this) and see if that fixes it. then you can narrow down the problem. maybe try putting on the spare on each wheel one at a time if you have a full size spare.

drew_ · July 2001

Hey, I thought the picnic basket was limited to Volvo owners only? ;-) Did yours come with those Swedish tidbits (some of which were weird and not to my liking!).

Topic: July 24th: "What is the stupidest thing you've seen someone do while driving?"

armac13 · July 2001

Yup. Smoked salmon, funny Swedish tidbits, wafers, thin breads, etc. Docksteader's other brand is Volvo of course so they probably just give the same basket to us "non-luxury" types. :~)

Ross

ateixeira · July 2001

Hutch: let us know what Tire Rack says. Did the tire shop just check the alignment, or did they also check the wheels for balance?

I saw something on MotorWeek that was interesting. Newer shops have a treadmill-style machine to balance tires that actually puts a load on the tire itself. It could be worth it to check if they have one of those.

Most shops just use a cheaper machine that spins the tire and balances the weight only. The newer ones make sure none are out of round as well.

-juice

kens · July 2001

juice,

The treadmill thing sounds cool but I wonder how compatible it would be with our AWD transmissions. You probably could only put a MT Subie on it if the treadmill spins all the tires at once. I don't think you could do it with an AT Subie.

Ken

bigfrank3 · July 2001

The segment I saw on MW, which I believe is the same show juice mentioned, did the balancing off the car. The machine put a variable-load roller on the circumference of the tire as it was being spun and balanced. That way it can map the true-ness of the tire while in a "loaded" position. The computer output showed how to index the tire/wheel so the highs/lows are best matched before actually specificing weight and location.

Regards,
Frank

thecat · July 2001

Here is the official response from T.R. to my "ever heard of radial pull ... what is my next step" question:
"This is possible...You should contact the people you bought the tires from and this sounds like a warranty situation..."

Well, ok, not exactly the words of wisdom I was looking for but they did provide direction. So, radial pull is for real. What the heck it is ..I have no idea. None of the major tire mft's websites offer any insight (of course, that's like asking Oscar Myer about rat hair). If anybody finds a sourse of info on the subject, I'm interested.
- hutch

originalbitman · July 2001

Well, here's an interesting site that mentions Radial Pull but does not define it. It does however actually compare the effects of bad camber and caster adjustments to that of radial pull. Nice info on alignment too.

http://www.geraldstires.com/Services/alignmnt.htm

bit

armac13 · July 2001

I'm not sure, but "radial pull" sounds like what this article http://www.babcox.com/editorial/tr/tr59746.htm

refers to as "conicity". Comment anyone?

Ross

bigfrank3 · July 2001

I was just going to say it is caused by the way the belts lay, but Ross's link describes it very well.

Regards,
Frank

Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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