Subaru Crew Photo Gallery

subearu

that's a sharp color. keeping all 4 wheels on the ground?

-Brian

c_hunter

I'll say one thing, that car has a lot of separate bulbs/lenses, front and rear! That must set some sort of record -- almost as much as the wagon queen family truckster in National Lampoon's Vacation!

paisan

-mike

locke2c

lol. it does appear to have one more than my Evo. I can only assume that the headlight cluster is (from the center moving outward away from the car): main beam, twin high beam, turn signal. and then the lower bumper is a fog/driving light.

my car has main beam, high beam, foglamp, turn signal up top, but nothing in the lower bumper.

sidemarkers.. check. 3 bulbs for each rear corner... check.

so, what's the problem?
~c

rsholland

Very nice Elm! I do like the color too.

Bob

ateixeira

Looks very clean but it's just begging to be lowered. Seems like quite a bit of wheel gap. You should photo-chop that.

-juice

bigelm

Thanks guys... sorry for the response (I've actually been very busy - that's a first, lol).

To answer the bulb thingy, Colin is close, except for the MS6, the the second beam from the inside - center, is a dummy lens where Mazda normally has the fog lights on the regular 6's. Since they place lower fogs on the MS6, they just put a chrome tip lens to make it seem it is functional.

Looking to put some gold rims on next week. I think it'll go well with the color of the car I got rid of the 10 foot antenna and put a functional shark fin antenna... looks very nice. When I put the rims, I'll take some pics and load them up. Next mod would be tints and intake. Looking to get tail LED's in a couple of months.

Yes, eventually I'll lower it but I'll probably wait till Spring for that

Had to put the clearbra on it and was well worth it; especially on this color paint.

More to come soon. Enjoy the holidays and be safe!!!

hondafriek

I had all the brackets under the hood powder coated, they were starting to lokk a bit ratty to me anyway Oh and I polished all the aluminum A/C pipes.
Here are a couple of pics.Hard to believe the Titan is almost 6 years old, I picked him up on 16-3-2001">

See more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com
See more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com
See more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com

Cheers Pat.

smittynyc

You could eat a five-course dinner out of that engine bay!

Nice work, Pat.

kens

Minimum 20HP increase.

Nice work, Pat!

Ken

leo2633

I detect a bit of dust on that air filter housing. Ten demerits!

Len

bigelm

Well, I should say very dark red... but here it is:





I didn't notice the flash was on till after... :-p

It really needs a drop now... lol!

subearu

unfortunately, if one is not a member, we can't view the pics. post 'em to a carspace album or imageshack and then link 'em for us non-mazda6 folks.

-Brian

bigelm

Here it goes:

subearu

any plans to tint the rear windows? I think I see some dust on the front quarter

-Brian

rsholland

Looks good. I like the wheels!

Bob

bigelm

Thanks for the replies

c_hunter

Snapped a couple shots while skiing today:





Need to get that dealer sticker off the back!

css1

Craig,

Nice color, good luck with it.

My wife and I are going to test drive an RDX (among other cars) this weekend since Subaru screwed up our B9 order.

Any tips or suggestions for dealing with Acura??

Charlie

rsholland

Love the color! Craig, did you get the Navigation package? Also, do you plan on getting the optional roof racks?

Bob

c_hunter

Charlie: I don't know if I have any tips, but you should know that it's a buyer's market for the RDX right now -- which is why I finally jumped in after 4 months of thinking about it. Inventories are good, the latest financing rate is quite low (2.9% up to 36 months, 3.9% 37-60 months), and nice deals can be found. I paid $475 under invoice for a base (non-tech) RDX. At $30300, it seemed like a good value to me.

RDX sales are about half of what Acura projected, so they are working hard to balance supply and demand at this point. Once that settles out, I think they will go with 20,000 units a year (versus the projected 40,000) until the burgeoning sport-lux CUV market grows like they expect. Right now, I think the RDX is a great vehicle but the market is not there yet at the levels Acura hoped. I believe the Mazda CX-7 ran into a similar fate.

Good luck!

css1

Thank you

ateixeira

Pat: schweet, as always.

elm: now it really needs a drop. Will look great once that's completed, though.

Craig: love it except that grille. I'd powder coat it black if you could. Or body color.

-juice

css1

Nice Wheels

Did you ever get my e-mail??

Charlie

c_hunter

Nope, no Nav for me. For the extra $3500, it was not worth it for something I would only use 3-4 times a year (and in those cases maps still work just fine). There were a couple aspects of that Tech package I would have liked (Bluetooth phone link for instance), but the rest was not important to me.

I will probably order the Acura roof rack side rails at some point, in order to mount my Yakima crossbars and ski/kayak/bike attachments. I am waiting to see if Yakima comes up with a mount adapter for the RDX directly, to avoid having to spend $320 just for the Acura side rails! If I have a beef about the RDX, it's that I just spent $400 on body side moldings, mud flaps, and a cargo tray -- stuff that was standard on my Outbacks. Another $320 for the roof rack would take me over $700 in accessories needed for "parity". And these are discounted prices for parts only -- someone paying dealer prices with installation would be spending over $1200.

c_hunter

You know, I ended up choosing a dark color so the satin-metal grille (which is really the intercooler scoop, oddly enough) the gunmetal wheels, and the minor chrome details stood in contrast. I generally prefer light color cars and was going to get Silver, but all of the metallic details on the RDX sort of got lost with the silver paint. So I guess my tastes are probably opposite to you -- you may have preferred silver so that everything blended! In person, blue ties the metallic elements, the clear lights, and the red tail lights together pretty well -- that's what overcame my general preference against dark colors. Ask me again in the middle of summer what I think!

hondafriek

Hi Craig very nice, good health to enjoy as they say in Ireland, I missed something somewhere, what left to make room for the new addition? BTW. you change cars about as often as I change shirts

Cheers Pat.

c_hunter

Thanks Pat! I sold my Outback to make room for the RDX.

Craig

bigelm

Nice Wheels

Did you ever get my e-mail??

Charlie

Thanks!!!

Ah yes.. I haven't gotten back to you yet since I'm finalizing the business plan then having it submitted to the banks (biting nails here).

Once I get a clearer picture of the outcome, I'll be getting in touch with you. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten... I can use all the help I can get

Yep Juice.... the market is starting to open up for springs on the MS6... soon enough

css1

Great - good luck

lucien2

the wheels and tires off of Q's BG5:

See more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com

subearu

Wouldn't display for me until I took off the last portion of the url. Try this one: http://www.carspace.com/lucien2/Albums/lucien2%27s%20Album/DSC_0190.JPG

-Brian

lucien2

ok.....

so again... :-)

The GF with the wheels/tires off of a BG5. now with 100% more image!!1!1one!



weird, because the original was lifted straight off of CarSpace's "embed image" link.

ateixeira

Those tires look big in there. I kinda like it, they fill up the wheel wells and look beefy. No rubbing?

-juice

lucien2

I've gotta hit a dip in the road pretty hard to rub. Or have passengers. But not enough to be a bother for the relatively short time they will be on the car. And then the tires will likely be toast, anyways.

c_hunter

Here are a few pics from my ski trip last weekend -- these are shots from the Alleghany mountains in Virginia, as I crossed into West Virginia on route 250:









This is one of the most beautiful parts of the country I have traveled through, and it's a fun trip -- I crossed about 4 major mountain ridges, with elevations close to 4000 ft. The roads were mostly clear for this trip (except for some crazy drifts), but in the past I have driven the route in with snow coming down, and it can be quite an adventure. In fact, one trip a couple years ago took every bit of AWD capability my Outback could muster!

The RDX ran like a champ -- I really appreciated the sharp handling on the twisty mountain roads, and got to enjoy SH-AWD coming out of turns. With a little throttle, it really brings the rear end around. Over the 510 mile round trip, I got 21.5mpg; 19.6mpg heading out (uphill) and 23.4 coming home (downhill). About 70% of the miles were interstate, the rest were country/mountain roads.

Craig

rsholland

Looks good Craig. Now that you've had the RDX for a while, how would you compare it to your old Outback? Where is the RXD better than the Outback, and vice-versa? Any regrets or wished-for items on the RDX?

Also, what sort of speeds were you doing to achieve those mpg results?

Bob

c_hunter

Bob,

I was doing 72-75mph on the highway, and 45-55mph on the back roads to get that gas mileage. Actually, I had to crawl through some of the turns in the mountains, or when I encountered a snow drift, but it was 45-55mph for the most part.

The overwhelming thing I like about the RDX is the roominess inside, the higher seating position, and the general comfort when cruising on the highway. It feels like sitting in a lazy boy with the wider, softer seats and cushier feel, despite the firmer suspension. This is the biggest thing I notice compared to the Outback. Next on the list would be the handling and the SH-AWD, which makes it very fun to drive (the suspension could potentially be a negative aspect for some people, since it is very firm). Finally, the RDX interior layout is better ergonomically, and the auto climate control works much better than what I had in the Outback. It ends up being a lot more pleasant inside.

The Outback was superior for utility; in fact where the RDX is better for passenger comfort it's worse for cargo space and general utility. The Outback was 8-10" longer behind the front seats, which was better for skis and other long items. The Outback also has a better folding rear seat arrangement -- one step compared to two steps in the RDX -- and the RDX wastes the rear footwells by stowing the seat bottom there. That was usable space on the Outback. I like the Outback's rollup cargo cover far better than the hard shelf in the RDX.

Powertrains are on par, and can't really say one is better or worse than the other. The RDX engine is a bit smoother, but the XT engine was more lively. The RDX has less turbo lag, but the OB XT felt stronger down low before the turbo kicked in. I do think the sport mode on the OB XT 5EAT was better than the sport mode in the RDX. On paper, the 05 OB XT would be better in snow but in practice the RDX seems to do fine. I am sure in very deep snow, my 05 OB XT was better just because it can theoretically put 100% of the power down with slippage via limited slip diffs (ironically, I believe the new 07 OB XT with VDC can theoretically only put 50% power down with slippage because it uses brakes to stop spinning wheels, like the RDX). The SH-AWD impact on dry handling in he RDX is impressive, and is something Subaru could stand to copy -- it really works wonders.

Those are the main points that cross my mind at the moment.

Overall, at the $30K street price for the RDX and the $29K street price of the OB XT Ltd, I feel like the vehicles both offer decent value. We know Subaru has struggled to get the value/premium/luxury/pricing mix worked out, and I find it interesting to see OB XT Ltd pricing nearly overlap with a similar Acura product. Acura is a near-luxury premium Honda product. That seems to be where Subaru was trying to head a few years ago.

I did have a hard time deciding to sell the OB XT and get an RDX, and it took me 3-4 months to figure that out. I was happy with the OB XT and it was like an old faithful dog. That said, I can't remember a new car that I have been so pleased with as the RDX. It has met or exceeded my expectations in every way, and I don't miss the OB XT much at all.

Craig

paisan

Not sure what makes you think only 50% of the power gets down whith VDC (or the SH-AWD system for that matter)

Also the dry-handling of the SH-AWD, how is that accomplished? Just curious.

-mike

rsholland

Mike, SH-AWD has the ability to take all the power that's directed to the rear wheels—of which is 70% of all the power sent (30% still goes to the front wheels), and shift it to the outside rear wheel when accelerating through a corner. So, when you combine both of those factors (full-time AWD with a RWD bias & all rear wheel power going to outside rear tire), the handling really benefits.

Craig, am I right?

Bob

paisan

How is this accomplished, if it's via braking a wheel, then it's not going to be good performance wise. I saw an AMG E55 have to come off the track due to overheating rear brakes becuase it uses a brake-style rear lsd rather than a viscous or mechanical one. Fairly embarassing for the MB corporate guys at the event.

-mike

rsholland

No, it's not via braking. Here are some links that can explain it better than I can.

http://www.acura.com/index.aspx?initPath=RDX_Learn_FeaturesOptions_Performance_S- HAWD_SHAWDOverview

http://world.honda.com/HDTV/news/2004-4040401a/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SH-AWD

Bob

c_hunter

Bob has it right. SH-AWD "overdrives" the outside rear when cornering (via gear multiplication). The outside rear wheel spins faster and steers the back end through the turn, offsetting the inherent understeer in the vehicle. It works very well, and feels cool. The catch is that you need to power through corners to kick it in, and it takes some experimentation to find the sweet spot. It's very similar to modulating throttle to control over/understeer on a RWD vehicle.

Regarding VDC-AWD, I believe it does away with limited slip diffs, instead using open diffs and the application of brakes (traction control) to clamp down on spinning wheels. As you probably know, the benefit of a LSD is that it mechanically transfers power from a spinning wheel over to the other wheel on the axle, thus conserving 100% of the power that goes to the axle (it all goes to the wheel with traction in the event that one wheel slips).

With the open diffs in VDC, the brakes clamp down on a spinning wheel and there is no mechanism to transfer that wheel's power over to the other wheel. Thus, only 50% of the power going to the axle can get put down to the road when one wheel slips. Now, VDC has some smarts, and it will hunt around for traction by braking/releasing slipping wheels. But in that situation, no more than 50% of the power going to an axle gets to the road compared to the 100% an LSD can manage.

Craig

paisan

With the open diffy, when the spinning wheel is braked, 100% of the power from that axle goes to the other wheel. That's the difference between the traditional LSD and the ABLS, at least in the VDC implementation on my Armada that's how it works. I can't vouche for the implementation on the subarus however. The downside is that it's slower to engage and in a "performance" situation it will overheat the brake fluid as it did on the AMG E55 on Pocono East when they had it there at one of our HPDEs. The SH-AWD seems cool and I'll definitely check out those links.

-mike

c_hunter

I guess I am not sure how ABLS works on your Nissan -- on any system that uses "only" brakes to clamp down on a spinning wheel, you automatically lose the power going to that braked wheel unless something else is there to transfer it. All braking is doing is preventing 100% of the power from leaking out of the spinning wheel, but it cannot send that wheel's power to the other wheel (so at best, braking saves the other wheel's 50%). A mechanical LSD uses a viscous coupling, planetary gearset, or clutches to re-route power from the spinning wheel to the other wheel. So if ABLS is sending power from the spinning wheel to the other wheel, it must have additional electro/mechanical components that function like a LSD. That would not be surprising, as modern AWD systems are quite sophisticated nowadays.

As far as I know, Subaru's diffs are open with VDC-AWD and there is nothing else to flip power to the other side.

The reason the simple braked systems do heat up is that the brakes are resisting some or all of that 50% power to the spinning wheel. I guess that's a good way to categorize the systems. If they don't heat the brakes, then some other mechanism is transferring the power away from that wheel. If they do heat up the brakes, then the brakes are eating that wheel's 50% power.

paisan

Hmm weird because I was under the impression with an open diffy 100% of the power could go to either side, and would take the path of least resistance, ie: 100% would go to the slipping wheel rather than the gripping wheel.

-Mike

c_hunter

In an open diff setup, either wheel can get up to 50% of the max torque sent to the axle, but the wheel with the lowest friction sets the ultimate level to both wheels. Both wheels always get the same torque. What happens is that the wheel with the least resistance (the slipping wheel) sets the torque level to both wheels. So they both get power but it's extraordinarily low (and as a result the non-slipping wheel remains stationary because it doesn't have enough torque to propel the vehicle).

With no traction control intervention, a single slipping wheel will cause almost none of the torque to get to the ground. In that sense, it leaks out all of the torque. What does get to the other wheel is not enough to move the vehicle forward.

When traction control clamps down on the spinning wheel, it artificially raises the level of resistance on that axle which then allows an equivalent amount of torque to go to the other gripping wheel where it can bite and rotate.

Here's an explanation that's written far better than I could do:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_(mechanics)#Loss_of_traction

Craig

paisan

Thanks craig, never realized that at all. I guess on high HP/Torque vehicles like the Armada, there is plenty of extra torque to compensate. For offroading, the ABLS has really been great on my truck, on all my previous Mechanical LSDs, they wore out offroading by 70k miles with a $500-$700 rebuild whereas my brake pads run about $150. Also almost no trucks come with a front LSD or Locker from the factory so the ABLS on the front helps too.

-mike

c_hunter

Yeah, I think the braked systems are quite good, in fact they are potentially better than a mechanical LSD, with some computer smarts. I have seen a demo of VDC on rollers, and the computer actually alternates braking among all the spinning wheels as it hunts for traction. Pretty cool. It's an intelligent way to move the power around, and the braking is quite brief -- so the power loss is a small tradeoff for more intelligent traction control. I have no doubt this is better than a LSD when multiple wheels are slipping.

Craig

kens

Craig,

Nice pics! The RDX looks fantastic. I've seen quite a few in my area and I like the looks -- a more taught balanced version of it's bigger sibling.

ken