Subaru Legacy/Outback

ateixeira

Correct expect it is fitzmall.com, no "s".

-juice

outback165

Jason, congrats on your purchase. Is this your first Subaru? Your first AWD? Don't live in snow so can't comment on first hand experience with the OEM tires, but peterson's "report" made a lot of sense. You'll love your car. Timberline green is beautiful.

I'm intrigued by that 1lb difference F/R.

ateixeira

For the Forester it was different. IIRC they recommended 29f/26r, unless it was loaded, then you'd use more pressure in the rear tires.

I guess they are trying to get the rolling diameter of the tires identical. Since a little more weight is on the front tires (unloaded), that would make sense.

Personally, I find those pressures too low, and prefer about 32psi all around.

-juice

rangerron7

You are running the same PSI all the way around on your Forester and no problems with the diffy? That's what I'm doing on our OB and Forester. I generally run with 32 or 33 in the fronts and the rear tires.
The only reason I ask is the issue that Craig raised regarding the psi difference between front and back.
Thanks,
Ron

ateixeira

Yeah, and I've used 29/29 and 32/32 and never had a problem. I've even used 32/32 on my 15" and 16" tires.

Honestly I don't think 1 psi makes enough of a difference to even matter.

-juice

rangerron7

c_hunter

I think the 1 psi must matter for Subaru to specify it, just like that 1/4" tolerance in tire circumference must matter. I have to qualify this by saying that such variations seem unpractically small to me. In fact, I doubt most tire pressure gauges are accurate enough or even calibrated correctly to deal with the 1 psi difference properly, never mind the absolute inflation numbers. Then there's the effects of temperature, which also impact pressure beyond our control. So, I don't know what to say. The engineer in me says to follow the specs but take them with a grain of salt.

I think this is a good question for Patti to answer. So how about it, Patti: why the 1 psi difference?

OK now onto my OCD's anonymous confession. I did something terrible to my Bean this morning, and it's all the fault of OCD. I won't mention the details in order to avoid aggravating any potential ulcers, but let's just say it involved a crooked piece of trim. I fixed it real good -- now the trim is crooked with scratches and dents!!

I think I need to have a beer at lunch today. It's a good thing I am not designing commercial aircraft anymore . . . .

Craig

bkaiser1

I personally don't feel like the microscopic difference in rolling circumference between the 1psi spec would affect the AWD one way or another -- if it does, there would be ALOT of screwed up subies out there because the vast majority of drivers don't bother to look at their tire pressures until one goes flat. None of my cars (FWD or otherwise) have ever specified equal tire pressures all the way around; manufacturers specify different f/r pressures for "optimal" handling and ride characteristics. I'd be real surprised to learn that the 1psi difference would affect the AWD mechanicals.

Incidentally, my dealership fills my tires up to their MAX pressures everytime I bring it in for service -- retards. I bring it to their attention every time, but they clearly don't get it. So much for the "professionals." 43psi -- good god.

paisan

Hmmm when I'm racing the XT6 AT I run 52psi in the front and 32psi in the rears. On my Trooper with AWD I keep 5psi higher in the rear than the front that's what the manual suggests, most likely for loads. The PSI differences aren't going to make the circumference greater than a 1/4" IMHO.

-mike

nygreg

I don't think it matters that much. Adding pressure effects the center of the tread more than the ends (it pushes down). Also, I found a 0.5 PSI difference between both of my new digital pressure gauges and my old pen style pop up (yeah, I actually ran the test). Of course, I did not account for the minute air that escapes the tire during the measuring between the gauges. ;-) But, if you use the same gauge on all tires then the difference noted should be valid within a range. I run 33 PSI all around.

Greg

hammersley

32 all the way around for me, if anyone's keeping score. I never have enough of a load for long enough to make much difference.

Can tires be sufficiently different in pressure to approach the magic quarter-inch tolerance mark?

Found a cut on the sidewall on one of my summer skins - dealer replaced it no charge, and since the other three just went on in August, I doubt there's enough tread gone to bump up against the dreaded circumference difference limit.

Cheers!
Paul

mrk610

I also run 32 on all 4 tires . Patti any ideas from Subaru on this .

mike k

ateixeira

43psi is rock hard. I'd complain, too.

-juice

ateixeira

Haven't seen Patti today, BTW. Vacation?

-juice

eric102

I pulled the drivers seat on my 3 week old Outback today, easy, 4 bolts and 3 wires to unplug. I drilled out 1 rivit and drilled 2 new holes in the rails and gained 1 3/4 inches of seat travel. No new parts needed. Everything under the seat is very stout, shouldn't effect saftey or put any additional stress on the rails. About a 2 hour job. Wow! what a difference, I'm 6'3" and probably won't use all the travel. There is still plenty of forward travel for even the shortest person. I looked under the passengers seat also, it would at least require cutting some new notches in the rails for the manual adjuster. Maybe next weekend.
Also installed the rear gate bar (exterior grab handle). Fairly simple also, 2 holes to drill through the rear hatch and the hatch liner needs to be removed. The template supplied was off by about 1/2 inch. Double check before taking drill to new car!

Eric

ateixeira

That's great, a lot of people ask about that. Did you manage to take photos? I'm sure those would eventually come in handy for really tall folks. I would even be willing to host them for you.

Question: was the rivet you removed limiting rearward travel? If so, does it have another one to stop it, or could the seat roll all the way back and off the track?

I modified my Miata's seat track by putting spacers under the front to raise the front of the seat for more thigh support. The Subie seats are different, though, because the front anchor appears to be at an angle, so it would be hard to raise the seats at all.

-juice

eric102

The rivet (one of three) is holding a bracket above the seat rail, which didn't seem to have any function, it's not the seat stop. The bracket is still held on by the other two rivets. Maybe it's a common part that has a function on a different model. I didn't take any photos, but could if there is much interest, the seat comes out in a few minutes and I do have a digital camera.

ateixeira

Tell you what, if you do get to the other seat, could you pop it off and just take a snap shot?

This isn't even for me, but I'm sure there will be countless others that will thank us both.

-juice

c_hunter

Cool. I would be curious to learn more details, but don't take the seat back out just for pictures!

Do the rails bolt onto the seat? Did you just move the rails forward on the seat and re-mount them?

Craig

eric102

There is an outer rail (that bolts to the floor) and an inner rail (attached to the seat) that slides inside the outer rail. The inner rail has the electric jackscrew and a carrier that is bolted (2 bolts) to the outer rail. All you have to do is take the 2 bolts out. Slide the outer rail off. Drill one new hole in the outer rail (an existing hole works for the second bolt) and put it back together, thats it. The rivet mentioned above is on one of the outer rails and needs to be removed so the jackscrew carrier can slide forward to the new position. Its really a fairly easy job. I think the bracket that has the rivets might be a stop for a manual seat, maybe a Legacy? If you do this, make sure the seat is not fully back or fully forward, otherwise the lower rail won't come off the inner rail because of the position of the jackscrew carrier. I wasted an hour before I figured that one out, had to put the seat back in the car to hook up the power to move the seat forward. Live and learn. Now I need a telescoping steering wheel, it's a longer reach.

ob11

Like bozman9 I purchased a winter wheel/tire package. I looked pretty hard for snow tire inflation pressure in the manual but I didn't find any. I bought the Dunlop Graspic DS-1's in 215 width. Any suggestions or should I just call tirerack and see what they say? By the way, I felt silly removing the Potenza RE 92's after 500 miles, but the wheels look great. The stuff they put on the roads to de-ice around here tore up my Honda's alloy wheels in a very short time. I couldn't let this happen to the new Subaru.

outback165

I agree- take every opportunity to wash and wax the wheels. I did it on Sunday and got off a lot of brake dust and some tar or something sticky. (I used Simple Green). I swear the steering wheel is a little smoother at highway speeds!

Also, anyone ever installed one of those plastic hood deflectors? I'm planning on getting one, and just want some feedback on whether it's worth it, and whether it's easy to install if I order from Subaruparts.com.

Thanks all and have a good day!

mikenk

I installed the hood detector. It was easy to install; about 15 minutes or so. I think it looks fine on my wintergreen OB. It does get dirty behind it which is a little frustrating when washing, but it seems to do a good job of protection where needed.

Mike

subaru_team

Well, we chatted about it a bit here at work, and our technical "experts" do not think it's something to worry about or even concern yourself with. With the yaw (y'all) sensors, etc. there are enough electronics in the vehicle to make it a "non-issue", while we can see where the thought process would make you think it had some value.

Patti

c_hunter

Eric: thanks for the details, I may try this seat mod on my Bean.

Patti: thanks for the opinion on tire pressure. I have some lecture notes somewhere on tire design, and will dig them out to see if 1psi would even matter from a technical side. That will satisfy my rocket scientist tendencies. If the 1 psi difference really doesn't matter, Subaru should take it out of the specs!

Pete: I put a hood deflector on my first Outback, and have been pretty happy with it. Beware -- the first deflector I got (from a Subaru dealer) was not the official Subaru deflector, it was an aftermarket unit. Apparently Subaru deflectors were scarce for a while, and some of the dealers started selling the aftermarket units. Long story short, the aftermarket deflector was junk, and came loose while I was driving. The dealer exchanged it for the "real" thing, and that one is much nicer and more secure. Installs easier too. Make sure you get the real one, which has a small silver "Subaru" logo near the upper driver's side corner of the grille.

Craig

ateixeira

A thought - perhaps Subaru put the 1psi difference to make sure that dealers check and adjust the pressure each time they rotate the tires.

-juice

hypov

The last time I had my tires rotated and psi checked by an ex-dealer, I knew they rotated them. Front psi was 30 and Rear 31 >:-\
Checked?.... NOT

-Dave

eric102

You will also have to cut the plastic trim at the front of the seat, door side, for the rail to clear it. I used some tin snips, they made a nice clean cut, almost looks original. The easiest way to get the seat out of the car is to tilt the seat back to about 45 degrees, take the head rest off, and then take it out the drivers side rear door. My seat is from a base outback with weather package, I would assume the Bean has the same rails.
Eric

mortpeaberry

i have the five speed - I had to feather the clutch a little but not bad at all - as though you were trying to start on a hill w/o over reving the engine.
great car - I'd be sold on one if i didn't already own one (only one set of payments allowed at any time).
-steve-V

aka5505sic

My 1997 Outback Limited seems to be losing more of its interior lights (on the heater/defroster buttons, the seat heater buttons) every day. Anyone else having this problem, and is there a reasonably easy way to fix them? Or is the fix a dealer-only remedy? It's getting annoying playing russian roulette with the heater buttons in the dark......

paisan

My dad and my uncles '97 Legacy L and '97 Outback had the same problems. It's about $80 @ the dealer to get the bulbs replaced ($3 bulb + labor)

-mike

ateixeira

I would suggest changing several at once. If they are all lasted about the same amount of time, put new ones in all around so you don't have to keep replacing them.

My 1998 hasn't had any bulbs blow at all.

-juice

hondafriek

The seat heater switchs have the lights built right into the switch at least on my 2001 GT.

It looks like you have to replace the switch if the indicator light quits working.

Cheers Pat.

grahampeters

G'day

If you are having multiple bulbs go in a short period of time, there may be an issue with voltage regulation rather than the bulbs. Get it looked at by your dealers auto electrical specialist.

Cheers

Graham

gdeegan

I've been reading some complaints by Subaru owners that they can't figure out why Subaru Outback do not come with tinted windows. Some say that makes it awful hot after parking in the sun in summer. Also limits effectiveness of A/C. Problem is the Outback Limited has a huge antenna built into the rear left side window. I was about to check out aftermarket tinting - metallic - which affects reception. But then I looked closely at the windows and they DO seem tinted a reasonably significant greenish hue. Newer Toyota windows resist heat/greenhouse effect. Does anyone know if 2001 Outback Limited's have anything like that? Also how good is the factory tint in summer for keeping the heat out (I bought mine in October)? Thanks.

kmclean

Gene -

I have a 2K OB wagon purchased in March 2000 and had metallic tint film installed on the "back five" windows a week later. Absolutely no effect on radio reception, and a signficant improvement in both privacy and heat resistance during summer weather. Film has held up fine so far. I could see if you had a rambunctious pet that you carried around in back the film might take a beating - but other that that, no problem. Go for it!

Ken in Seattle

mrk610

I installed one also it took about 15 mins and looks great . It also really keeps the bugs of the windshield and helps with stones flying off of other vehicles. It is very easy to take off when washing and waxing . It takes me about 1min to take off and 2 min to put back on . Very good investment if you ask me .

mike k

gam2

For what it's worth, I raised the front of the seats on my '00 outback by an inch or so. I used
5/8" thick barstock. Drilled one hole and tapped the other. Needed slightly longer bolts for the
bottom hole. The thickness is needed to compensate for the gap created when lifting the seat. I can give more specifics if anyone is interested.
GAM2

moonsage

Would love to do this before summer - about what should I expect to pay to have it done on the back 5?

c_hunter

Where did you hear all these complaints? I have been following the boards for about 2 years here, and haven't heard anyone gripe about the tinting or heat.

I live in tidewater VA where it gets pretty damn hot in the summer (95+ on a regular basis). My Outback doesn't get any hotter than any other car I have owned, and in fact it seems cooler than I expected. Certainly much cooler than my wife's black Mazda 626 (my Outback is dark green).

One thing that helps is the light interior. No matter how much radiation gets through the windows, the lighter the interior, the less of that radiation will be absorbed by the car as heat. If you have a real light interior, the exterior color of the car probably is a bigger issue than window tinting (though tinting will still be beneficial).

I do think aftermarket tinting would be good to have (and I may get it done one of these days), but the factory tinting seems reasonably effective to me. Then again, I have never owned a car that stayed cool in the summer, so maybe I am missing something!

Craig

ob11

Thank guys, actually I waxed the wheels as soon as I drove the new car home from the dealer. What have you folks used for wax, and which brand-type seems most effective at making the brake dust mess an easy clean-up? Has anyone replaced the standard stereo speaker with the upgraded models? I was considering a tweeter kit also. Is it a fairly simple do-it your self job?
Thanks.

cptplt

I have always been told that to use your alloys in the winter is not a good idea as they may corrode and if you have winter tires to put them on steel wheels. Maybe I'm just weird or unlucky but this theroy is the total opposite of my experience. The steel wheels I have used are all rusting, some quite extensively, while alloys I have used through the winter are in great shape still. I have 4 cars to validate this observation with!
Both sets of steel wheels which I bought from Tirerack (for two 92 legacies and a Venture) as well as original Ford steel wheels I had for a minivan are all in a pretty sorry state after anywhere from 2-10 seasons. On the other hand alloys I have for my 98 GTs snowtires (actually they are Outback alloys) are great after 4 seasons while alloys from an older legacy LS which I haven't usually changed tires on in winter are still doing quite well despite some 5-6 winters and 10 years.
Did I just get real cheap steel wheels?? I can understand the Tirerack ones for the Legacies/Venture may have been less than OEM standard but for my Windstar when I got the snowtires there were no alternative wheel suppliers and I had to buy a Ford wheel (which actually is the standard steel wheel from a Taurus but sold as the optional full spare steel wheel if you buy a Windstar but you pay a cheaper price if you order it from the Taurus parts numbers and not the Windstar!! - go figure that one!). I don't wax them like some of you folks but it seems my alloys are doing a whole lot better in the snow and salt!

outback165

First, thank Mike for the additional info. I'm definately getting one.

Re Window Tint: Florida is probably one of the states where aftermarket tint film is on most cars. I had a 2001 OB Limited (with the antenna in the rear window) and had Titanium tint installed. No effect on radio reception. Re cost for Titanium tint (supposedly the best quality) for 7 windows and both sunroofs, I believe we paid $160 (dealer cost). On my regular OB, with 7 windows only, I think he charged me $100. Again, this was our cost, and this guy did about 3 cars a week for me. I think though you should expect to pay about that. The one thing you want to look into is the quality and warranty. I have had customers return to me when they did not tint through me and chose a "cheaper alternative" and wanted my guy to "redo" their tint. DEFINITELY tint though, it keeps the car a lot cooler when parked in the summer, and doesn't make the AC work as hard.

Lots of info- hope it helps.

Pete.

kmclean

Gene, Jillian & Craig,

I agree that the factory tinting on the OB wagons is pretty decent - but I was used to the "privacy glass" tinting commonly found on minivans and SUVs - which undoubtedly helps with heat, but also has nice cosmetic and "security" features. I didn't bother with the sunroofs (since you can close them off), but have really enjoyed the "back five" tint job. There's so much glass area on the wagon that I felt like I was driving in a fishbowl until I had the windows tinted. I've never regretted the decision.

Here in Seattle (which, admittedly, is not a place where concern about hot sunshine is prevalent), I paid $199 plus tax for the "top of the line" metallic film, 38% transmittance, with a lifetime (for my ownership of the vehicle) guarantee - a guarantee more expansive than for the lesser films. I'm sure that you could beat that price in regions less pricey than Seattle. Took them a couple of hours, and, as I've mentioned, it's been perfect for about 20 months now.

I say go for it!

Merry Christmas from Ken in Seattle

hondafriek

Check out posts numbers 568 and 570 in the photo gallery for pictures of my 2001 GT tinted, I have had no reception problems either.

This is a metallic film with a lifetime warranty, cost here in Ottawa was $250 Canadian.

I would also highly recommend tint both from a heat and privacy issue.

Cheers Pat.

mortpeaberry

Just a note (maybe an opinion):
For some people who break into cars - tinting often goes with better stereos, more value of contents inside, etc.
Limited visibility looking inwards does affect visibility looking outwards to some degree. If you live in the mountains, where it is dark at night (very few street lights), and/or park in parking garages, it is very hard to see what is behind you in a car that is already hard to see backing up.
I don't know any statistics but I would imagine that any vehicles that you cannot see through have more close calls with rear-ending, given the way society likes to follow too closely at any given speed.
-steve-V
Happy (post) solstice and days of the yule.

moonsage

Pat - nice looking GT! Yup that's the look I want. I have privacy glass on the van that I can't wait to remove from my driveway & wave bye-bye to, & that privacy glass is one of the few things I do like about it. The factory tint on the new OB's is probably OK for UV protection, but I'd really prefer it darker for heat & privacy.

Steve you may be right about visibility & appeal to thieves, but I feel that risk is so minor it's hardly worth thinking about (my opinion, of course).

Starting my tint fund savings now.

Jillian

scirocco22

Ken-- If you have the time, could you let me know where you had yours done ...either here or by e-mail. Whenever you get the chance, TIA.

--'rocco

hammersley

I, too am contemplating a speaker upgrade - most certainly the 4 in the doors, but can I get the tweeter kit after-market from somebody other than Subaru, or do I get the parts, and carry them to the stereo shop as part of the total upgrade?

I want to put a new deck in the dashboard, too, but until the dollars are available, the best advice I've gotten so far is that the speaker upgrade is the most economical way to make the current stereo sound better.

Cheers!
Paul

signalk

Thanks to everyone who gave me advice on this...particularly about Fitzmall.com. I ended up getting a base wagon (which is exactly what I wanted) at invoice from a dealer around the corner from my house (Westchester county, NY). I've never bought in my neighboorhood before, because the dealers here usually won't deal (I'm sure it's not my buying savvy that got the price, but more the time of year, the way the business is these days, the fact that I wanted a 5-speed, and the fact that they had one they wanted to get off their lot). Anyway, just thought anyone who's in the market would be interested. Thanks again for the help.