By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
in that case, i would get the trailer hitch ($300 retail from subaru) and the bike hitch ($200 retail from subaru). that sound about right? i know it might be cheaper from qsubaru, but then could i bring the parts to subaru and have them install it?? i am not great at doing it myself!
now...you mention u have the rear hitch. but u just got the ball?? u lost me on that one.
-James-
Some comments/questions: is your friend's tint 35%? Looks lighter than yours. Also, why didn't you do the front side windows?
The bulbs look remarkably similar, but against the garage door you notice the Xenon bulb is clearly brighter.
guxx: I'd still buy the parts from Darlene. The difference is significant, her price for the hitch is under $200 on the Forester, and the bike rack is also much less. Then just take it to your dealer and say you were not able to install them yourself.
Let me clarify. The hitch comes with everything except the trailer ball. That means you get the square frame, the full wiring harness, and the hitch extension (called a receiver) with a 3/4" hole in it for the ball.
There are different sizes for the ball, so those are sold seperately. I got one a Trak Auto for $6.50, so no big deal, and now I have a complete setup for whatever I want to do.
ramon: got an URL for those bushings? For that supercharger you mentioned in another topic, while you're at it?
James: the catch with tinting is the Forester is a car, so the limits are much lower. Most folks assume it's a truck, so you can tint to your heart's content in most states.
Just don't arrest yourself!
-juice
uh, now all you ned is a trailer right?
guxx:
Fisher likes long top tube geometry, which makes for a long bike. Perhaps that is the issue; in fact I 'd bet on it. Does that model have disc brakes? I don't think it does, but that would force the issue; it isn't recommended to use a fork mount roof rack on disc brake bikes. Plus you would have to carry the front wheel inside, as it can't mount to the wheel holder up top.
FWIW:
I keep pining about potential mods to two autoX/race instructor types I know, and fretting over the cost (remember, I have a less-than-track-friendly OB, which we acquired BEFORE I got the driving school bug). One says, "$5000 will get you an E34 325is from '87 or '88, and a lot less hassle." the other says,"you could get a well cared for 944 for $6000 and have a fast car for a lot less hassle." *sigh*
Hopefully Costco will carry one, it's very seasonal there.
I don't know about those used cars being less hassle, though. Those Bimmers were before they got their reliability act together, and the Porsche requires much babying.
My $5 grand budget would go towards a Rimmer supercharger/intercooler ($3295), a set of 16" MB6 wheels with tires ($743), and the other grand or so on minor suspension and brake improvements.
Rimmer claims 230hp. Sweet!
-juice
Unfortunately I have no idea what the website is for SS bushings.
Thanks for the compliments. The whole idea behind upgrading your air filter is to allow your engine to "breathe" better. Products like K&N and Amsoil claim that their designs allow for a less restrictive flow of air while maintaining a good amount of filtration compared to traditional paper filters. The other bonus (which I was more attracted to) is the fact that they're reusable, pretty much for the life of your vehicle. You simply wash and re-oil them.
I personally can't tell the difference, but I've read anecdotal posts on the web about people claiming their engine revs more freely or that they feel a small power gain. Just go on your favorite search engine and do a search on "Amsoil air filter performance" or some combination to find more articles.
juice,
Yes, my friend's Silverthorn S is tinted a lighter shade. His gets darker as you go to the rear of the car -- something like 45%, 40%, 35%. It looks good.
I didn't get my front windows tinted because CA state law doesn't allow anything more than 88% (which is pratically clear). I may get just a clear UV film in the future though. My left arm always tans more in the summer.
< $1000 on suspension and you're good to go.
Yes you will need to spend more on tires (another set of wheels and R compounds would be a good idea) but I don't count that because no matter what car you use you'll be paying that.
The only reason to avoid using the OBS is if it's automatic (sorry auto owners!).
-Colin
I'm too dark to be legal in MD, too, just don't tell anyone
Here are the trailer
photos I promised. Thanks to Bob for coming by and lending a hand (and a trailer).
Here are some cool pics for DZ, Ramon, and Colin, of the i Club @ Dave & Busters.
The exhaust photos came out lame, but I got a full view of a full intake kit for a '98 Phase I engine like mine. Tempting....
My photos show cosmetic mods too. Though to his credit, the "GOT STI" owner did have several functional mods.
I doubt there was a single bone-stock RS there.
-juice
Did you get any more details about the intake-cost, performance gains?
I think the intake was $200-300 or so, typical high tuner prices. He said he noticed the change, with a big smile on his face.
ramon/Colin: you guys recognize the kit? I'll go on i Club and get details.
-juice
Not cheap, but they are great guys.
-Colin
And I spent ... what $45 on the AMSOil filter and two hours of my own time.
-Colin
http://www.escribe.com/automotive/european/mbmc/m7971.html
Drew
P.S. Juice, the pictures with the trailer really show off your great wheels! I see you haven't had a chance to install the fender flares or the rear dust deflector yet.
I spent only 75CDN for my K&N and 45 minutes to remove my fender snorkus. Oh yeah replacd the 2nd air box filter with a gasket. No loss in low end pull.
Colin: wot's your prob with OBS in autoX bud?! I take mine out on Solo IIs and I am happy to say it does just fine. Why, I won my class too!
I think all autos no matter what car in autoX would be hard challenge manuals.
-Colin
Drew: correct, the fender flares have arrived but are not yet on. It's either been raining, or I've been busy with the hitch/bike rack/i Club event.
I don't have a dust deflector. But you know me.
I had a K&N in my Escort, and it went 107k miles without any powertrain problems. Ok, the clutch was toast, but it never burned oil and ran well.
Perhaps in very severe cases they could create noticeable wear, but certainly not in my experience. I think the clogged filters before lunch is baloney, though. I mean, how dirty is the air there, Jeez!
I believe all trannies should be the way God intended, manual shift and with a proper clutch. However, the auto Forester S I drove at Edmunds was nearly as quick and fun, and towing and perhaps even off road an auto is better suited.
So I'll stick with the stick, but can understand why people would choose the auto.
-juice
Nice webpage, but where did you get the bulbs?
-Bryan
An auto tranny vehicle is indeed much easier to drive off-road since you don't have to worry about stalling the vehicle and losing control. Pulling someone out is also a lot easier since you won't have to worry about slipping the clutch and wearing it prematurely.
Oh, BTW, did you read the Motor Trend article (in the latest edition) about the Escape in their extreme test? The poor thing ran out of power (no low range) in several off-road situations and would just sit there spooling its torque converter :-)
Drew
Bryan, you can buy the whole assortment of Hella bulbs here.
Thanks. Bought 'em right here:
http://catalog.com/susq/hella/bulbs.htm
Drew,
Thanks. It's hard getting good photos of headlights at night. All that glare messes up the exposure readings.
Interesting that yours came tinted blue -- the Optilux do have a purplish tint. Doesn't Hella outsource all their bulbs anyway? Wonder if they are Sylvanias in disguise.
Are you thinking of modifying the intake to your Forester? I haven't heard about too many who have -- definetly let me know if you plan to.
I hear you on the 5-speed, but yes, for off-roading a clutch becomes one more thing to worry about.
Ken
Yeah, the headlamps mess up the exposure settings on my cameras too, so getting good comparo pictures is difficult.
What basic suspension mods do you recommend? I assume stiffer struts/shocks, like KYB or TOKICO or bilstein?
Also, should I think about a stromung muffler? They're pretty expensive and I have not heard anyone say they definitely make a difference. I don't care about sounding cool, I just want to get faster for not too much money. If a few hundred is better spent on going left and right dfaster than going straight faster, so be it. Thanks for the input; I am a complete (and fairly broke) newbie at this.
I think a muffler probably does give around 5HP, and compiled with a cold air intake is a fairly easy modification. There is some additional noise, so if you're against that...
I would do the school and *then* evaluate what you want to do. If you truly are broke (or like me, just a big tightwad) then I don't recommend either of your friends' suggestions because parts and labor for each vehicle are expensive. Fantastic German quality aside, things will break.
$5000 can get you into open track and autocross right now, today. Many options are open to you but it if were me I'd choose a Fox chassis 5.0 Mustang. (And I'm a Chevy guy! 5k can't buy a Chevy worth having though.) Cheap parts, fast enough, and --live axle be damned-- handles good enough.
I would actually consider an e30 3series to be a valid consideration for this type of use, but only the M3. (2.3L inline6, 190 HP) A sound one and spares runs about twice your budget ($10k).
Like I said, have fun and then decide. If it becomes obvious your OB (or any subaru) isn't in the cards I'll happily take it up the discussion elsewhere (there's a topic just for picking a racecar in Sportscars, for one).
-Colin
I have a split personality. One side is practical and realizes this is our family hauler, the one we take on trips, and does the brunt of the work for us. So it has to be quiet and efficient, like it is now.
The other side is dying for that Rimmer supercharger, a cold air intake, and a Stromung. Maybe some braided steel brake lines, better brake fluid and rear discs. Finally, a nice and fat rear sway bar with firm bushings. Noise=communication with the driver=a good thing. Gas is relatively cheap.
So I'm trying to do the mods that at least can appear practical.
-juice
Gee I bet that Stromung sounds awesome!!.......Uh, Darlene, how much for those little rain protectors for the front windows?
We have a sport wagon and a sedan, and are considering a minivan or the 2004 "larger Forester".
Colin and his wife race an RS and a Miata on a regular basis.
BOY we're lame!
I went in to the wrong career, too. I should be in the automotive sector, in some way at least. Gotta pay the bills, though.
Maybe I can get a go-kart on that trailer.
-juice
In your opinion, which intake offers the best bang for the buck for the Phase I DOHC? I've tried doing keyword searches through the i-club website, but there's just way too much info there. JC Sports? Minnam? Weapon R? I'm confused!
juice,
I hear you. Practical vs. fun is a hard one. You wish list of mods is similar to mine. I would add the possibility of a sinlge stage brake booster, however. I heard that it's relatively easy on the 98s.
But if you buy one, don't buy the Minnam or Weapon-R kits. Both have filters that are troublesome, to be polite.
-Colin
Rallispec is too expensive
JC Sport...well I dunno. I heard good performance but u will lose low end pull and not sure about their customer service either
Cobb tuning?
Trust me, go with the stock air box with a replacement filter and remove that snorkus. it works better and cheaper!
Yes, I've read about the problems with the foam element on the Minnam and Weapon-R on the Cobb Tuning webpage (great site!).
So, are there any gains to be made from modifying the intake from the factory filter box? I noticed that the aftermarket intakes all replace the second air box and plenum.
Also, I've read that removing the silencer doesn't do much in terms of performance. What's you take?
ramon,
Thanks for the link. I'll check it out!
A lot of people with the intakes that replace everything upstream of the throttle body have complained about a loss of low-end torque.
With the setup ramon and I use (and a lot of others too) there's no low or mid loss and possibly some top end gain. I say possibly to be scientifically correct-- I'm pretty sure there is a gain but I haven't measured it.
-Colin
So the consensus is to swap the filter and remove the silencer snorkus-thingy?
If I do any mods, I have a hill nearby that is steep about 1/8 mile long. There's a light at the bottom of the hill, so I can measure the trap speed at the top (there's a big yellow phone box there), before and after, to measure any changes.
It'd have to be the same day, though, since temp and conditions can change a lot.
-juice
At about the 3k mile mark, I gutted the 2nd filter (the gasket is $35!) and silconed it back in place. (The frame was pretty floppy without the filter media to support it.) Not one problem since, and the engine seemed to rev a bit easier in the higher RPM ranges.
At about the 19k mile mark, I got the AMSOil filter and removed the fender silencer. Again it seemed to improve top end without impacting low-speed performance. There is also no change in noise except for a vibration / resonance from ~3500-4500 rpm at wide-open throttle.
My cost so far-- the AMSOil panel filter (I think $45) and about 2.5 hours of labor.
-Colin
So removing the silencer has no ill effect under 3500rpm? Now we're talking, I rarely visit that range with the baby strapped in back.
-juice
My 2nd air filter had oil on it and so did the inside of the airbox. I believe it comes in through the breather hoses during hard cornering and this is why my RS uses a little oil between changes.
-Colin
-juice
From what I understand, only the 99+ models have the second air filter. I believe the second air box is empty in our 98s.
So, are you taking out that snorkus/silencer?
Ken
taking out the snorkus is loads fun and you can boast that you DIY! ;-)
1. The two bulbs differ very noticeably in brightness.
2. They are not the same color. The brighter bulb produces a very pale blue beam. The dimmer beam is purplish.
I do think the light from the PIAAs are an improvement over the stock halogens, but I'm concerned about the difference between the two bulbs. While driving around tonight (I live in a fairly dark, wooded area) it was almost as if I was driving with only one headlight. The difference was that great.
My question to the lighting experts is, is this sort of discrepancy typical (i.e. within acceptable parameters)? (I'm inclined to think not.) If not, should I try to exchange the dimmer bulb for one that matches the brighter bulb? (If I could achieve this, I'd be more than satisfied with my investment, btw.) Or would I be better off exchanging both bulbs for a set of Platinum Superwhites? Any experiences with the relative consistency across the two products?
Incidentally, I have poor night vision and my main concern re bulb replacement is to optimize my view of the road. I'd be happy with one blue bulb and one purple one if they emitted the same amount of light.
Any thoughts or suggestions welcome. Thanks!
The Superwhite bulb has a pale purplish lens, whereas the Super Plama (pale bluish beam) should have a split reflective (mirror-like) coating on the top half, and the purplish tinted section on the lower half. Even if you did receive a Superwhite bulb, the difference shouldn't be this great. I wonder if you received a defective bulb? FWIW, in my experience the Platinum Superwhites were a huge improvement over the stock H4 bulbs in my car. The beam wasn't purplish either, but a fairly intense white (relative to the stock bulbs, which were rather yellowish). There was no purple unless one looked directly at the headlamp (only a slight purplish spot in the middle).
I suggest that you phone up or e-mail Autosupermart and get them to send you a replacement for both Super Plasma bulbs. This time, make sure that they verify that both bulbs in the PIAA box are identical.
Good luck and let us know how it works out!
Drew
I also need to do the oil/filter, fuel filter, air filter, PCV valve, coolant, ... what else?
-juice
Thanks again.
Theresa
I will be hiding each of my next posts to make things better for the casual low-bandwidth user. These images are <75kb but I still want to be polite.
-Colin
Under the hood, don't forget! I'd love to see the plumbing job.
Oh, and the new tires. All mods, actually.
-juice
Glad to know my website helped. I think Drew might be right. It sounds like one of your bulbs was defective or a different type. The light output shouldn't be noticeably different between the same type of bulb.
One other possibility could be that the bulb didn't get mounted properly. I've found through my experiences that the metal clips which secure the bulb can pop out after you've put the entire thing back together. This could cause the bulb to point downward and alter the beam.
this is what my intake looks like. you've probably seen a 99 2.5RS before, but maybe not with the type of intake I'm talking about.
Note the professional plug for the fender hole-- no, that isn't cardboard and scotch tape it just looks that way.
This is the silencer thing that used to reside inside the fender.
The two holes on it connect to the bottom of the filter box and the spot now covered by cardboard.
Air comes in here:
Sorry, not a great picture. I removed that vent and below the orange turn signal is the resulting hole that feeds air into the fender. It's reasonably well sealed and the only real way for air to escape is through the intake.
If your Forester (or other Scooby) has a way for air to enter the fender like that, use it!
-Colin