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Comments
in 215/45-17 it depends on how high you can go. if you can afford / cost justify $145/tire, then the Firestone Firehawk SZ50 EP would be a great choice for a tire that actually delivers on the dry, wet and handling promises made by the Dunlop SP9000.
anticipated response #1: "it's a firestone!"
yeah, maybe. but it's made in Japan at the Dunlop plant (they own firestone).
anticipated response #2: it's only an 'ultra-high performance' tire and the SP9000 is 'max performance'
Firestone for marketing purposes gets exactly one good performance tire and this is it. The tread pattern is only slightly changed from the original SZ50 and is modeled after a rain racing tire Firestone had a lot of luck with in CART a few years back. they also wear a lot better than your average summer tire-- 15k for sure even for hard drivers, those on an easier pace can double that.
I've driven 'em back to back, trust me on this one. When I sold my Impreza it had a set of SZ50 EPs on it. Someone inherited a great tire, great suspension, and serious overheating problem. ;-)
-Colin
Greg
The manager of the shop blamed the design of the wheel and the lug nut. There's no depression in the wheel. It's metal against metal. The lug nut itself doesn't have any "lip." He suggested two things: 1) Get a 19 millimeter socket with a teflon insert and ask techs to use it for every tire rotation or 2) Swap out the straight lug nuts for lug nuts that have more of an edge or lip on the end. He will remove the wheels and spray paint over the scratches. I am not sure how well it would blend in, but he seemed to think that it would blend perfectly.
-Brian
okay, sorry for the mix-up. you guys are right. but the SZ50 *is* made in Japan.
at a bridgestone plant, apparently. ;-)
-Colin
I've no safety concerns with them.
The $$$ is pretty pretty up north, will see how my budget pans out.
Thanks Colin
-Dave
bit
-mike
Will let everyone know what happens.
Still researching the 225s possibility, but I'm not churning up anything concrete.
Max. recommended width for the wagon is 215s.
And I thought tire fitment for the OB was limited.
-Dave
We had a two day heat wave this past weekend (upper 40's/lower 50's F) and I installed Mobil1 10W30. This morning temps were in the teens and the difference at start-up was amazing!
I just ordered P1's with Firehawks SZ50 EP's in 215/45/17. Thanks to Colin's posts and a lot of positive posts on nasioc (Luke rated them #1 for a UHP). They uses a similar technology to the SO3 (SZ50=UNIT-AQ / SO3 = UNI-T AQ II) and have a higher treadwear rating. I was willing to give up a little grip in the dry for the higher treadwear. I'll put them on when we have a thaw.
-Dennis
I personally wouldn't bother with an all-season 215/45-17, Dave. I presume you have the stock wheels with real winter tires or at least all-seasons; plus, a 45-series tire is probably going to result in a bent or scuffed rim if you encounter anything...
-Colin
Haven't changed any wheels. Still have the 16s and RE92s on. Won't be getting 17s just yet; the need for more lighting for night driving comes first for me. Tires won't do me any good if I can't register what's ahead too well.
Given that the recommendation comes from you, I'm giving the SZ50 EP favorable consideration.
Should have a set of 17s by April.
-Dave
I'd paint the whole wheel, or at least the outer face of it.
-juice
Craig
-juice
Started off as just 'liking' to watch all the check lights come on on the dash and off. Oh, the chimes too :-)
-Dave
utahsteve
Dennis - What was the difference with the 10W-30? After your post, I might change my oil ASAP. Thanks.
Greg
Alan
98 OB Ltd 64,700 miles
I started doing the 5 second fuel wait after reading about it here last winter. :-)
My engine was fairly quiet to begin with but does seem a little smoother and quieter now. That could just be from new oil or all in my head.
My previous oil was whatever the dealer put in at my first free oil change (conventional 5W30??). I wish I had 10W30 to put in the wife's OB but I have GTX 5W30 for that this time. The OB is definitely the noisier of the two. After Alan's post, maybe I'll stick with a conventional 10W30 for the OB.
-Dennis
I know that my dealer has been using the recommended 5w-30 dino for the 27k miles I've had my Outback so far.
BTW, SubaruParts.com delivered the air filter and oil filter & gasket today! I ordered it Sunday afternoon! Incredible service! And I choose standard delivery!
-Brian
Thanks for the info.
tallgrass1776
Mobil did switch forumations from Tri-Synthetic to Supersyn last year. Could it be that the 5W-30 was with the older formulation?
Ken
Dennis did say that the OB is noiser than his WRX. One factor could be that the exhaust is louder on his WRX (even if it's stock vs. stock-- but certainly if he's upgraded the rex). Another certainly could be additional mileage on the OB. And a third possibility could be that the SOHC's roller-tipped rockers are just loud.
-Colin
To get to this location, I had to remove the front part of the air intake. I also wiped off any coolant spots I could find. I'll keep an eye on things the next few days and see if I managed to stop the seepage.
While I was at it, I popped in a new air filter. Not only do you have 3 clips to undo on the air filter box, but you have to remove 1 screw. Filter wasn't bad, but it was fairly dirty.
And that snorkus is quite silly looking in real life. I've read about it here and have seen the pictures, but seeing it in real life really sticks out. Amazing how the engineers knew to design it that way - even the air intake has channels in it.
-Brian
the vehicle will most definitely illuminate the malfunction indicator light when the vehicle speed sensor (VSS) malfunctions or is disconnected. you almost always will encounter a fuel cut at a given RPM also if it is completely disconnected and not just out of range.
I would've thought any VSS problem though would trigger a hard code. That's one that won't go away until cleared by a scantool or resetting the battery... but you say it has gone out twice, hmm.
Time to take it in! Not that I suspect you'll attempt self-repair just based on what I've said, but FYI the VSS is in the tranny.
-Colin
-Dennis
If you have startup noise that is related to oil, I would say to twiddle with the first number, say 5W to 0W or 5W to 10W, depending on what kind of noise you are hearing. But keep the nominal viscosity at 30 unless you know it's Ok to change.
Craig
Yeah, in the case of my wife's OB, it's just at start-up on cold mornings.
-Dennis
But actually, ODBII stores the CEL codes, so the dealer can get the info even if the light has turned off. That plus the symptoms you describe should help them sort it out.
If it's out of warranty, is it NAPA auto parts that does a free ODBII scan? I thought I'd heard that somewhere.
-juice
Steve: you could probably go to 225/50, the lower profile keeps the overall diameter identical to stock.
I bet 225/55 would rub, anyway.
-juice
Steve-
The GTs has 16x6.5 +53mm wheels, and wrapping it with 215s shouldn't be a problem. 225s however, I'm pretty certain you'll have to plus one or go for OB/Forester wheels with +48mm offset.
-Dave
If it's a cold startup issue, I would be tempted to try 0W-30 or 10W-30, depending on what kind of issue it is (assuming you're using 5W-30 now).
Craig
Greg
Greg
Unfortunately, my schedule is probably not going to allow me to get to this this weekend.
-Brian
Craig
-juice
when attaching the air box back together, make sure to fit the lower part into the 2 'slots' before snapping the 3 clips back on and securing everything with the screw on the driver side.
</mental note>
On the drive home I notice a bit of a moan with moderate to full throttle, albeit a cool noise to hear from a NA engine. Turned out I had missed the 2 slots on the bottom part of the air box, which was causing a subtle leak. All is fixed now.
Coolant seepage update: (knock on wood) so far my adjusting/tightening seems to be working. No new leaks/seepage. Unfortunately, the plastic engine shield on the bottom has collected a bit of the seepage prior to my fix, so you can still smell and see some coolant. It needs to rain or I need to get it to a car wash with an under spray to help rid the remaining seepage trails.
-Brian
-Brian
-Frank P.
Just pour a glass of water in there to rinse it, but then be sure to mop up the mess so outdoor pets don't lap it up, it's toxic to them.
-juice
Do a compression test. My guess is the piston rings are not sealing up well at all, and the leak would explain how gasoline can end up mixing with oil.
The catch is the plugs aren't easy to access.
Are you losing power? If it's running on 3 cylinders you should be able to feel it.
-juice
-Frank P.