Subaru Crew - Modifications

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  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    I hadn't thought of the legal issue, that blows! As an OB owner who broke my car in during the HUGE snowfall of last winter, I can tell you I doubt very much you will need chains. I never ever got stuck, even in 18" of unplowed powder. Granted, I have 70 tires and more clearance, but it is unlikely you will encounter 18" powder on the roads. I had to go looking for it...:)

    Juice's site has pics, but my screwy login here at work won't allow to to check his profile and track the url down for you.
  • crashton6crashton6 Member Posts: 245
    Juice : Go to www.miata.net & look in the marketplace. You can get Hella E/codes & plug 80/100 watt H4 bulbs in them. You will love these lights. They're what I run in mine.
    Chuck
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    Here are the reviews for the Hella e-code lamps mentioned by Chuck: http://www.miata.net/products/lights/hella.html

    Get the e-code version (I wouldn't worry about the legal issues as most people can't tell), as well as the Phillips +50% H4 bulbs (that Ken has) in the 80/100 watt versions and you'll be all set!

    Drew/aling
    Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yep that's what I have on the XT6. They rock! Now if I could only get E-code assemblies for my other cars!

    -mike
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    Why can't you? You just have to import them from Europe, just as you brought the brushguard from Australia.

    The e-codes generally have a much sharper cut-off than the DOT lights (which scatter light upwards to illuminate street signs, etc.). Interestingly, the halogen headlamps that my ML has are approved by the DOT and yet are e-codes.

    Drew/aling
    Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    i have winter driving questions. i just put on my h&r springs not too long ago. will there be any negative effect on handling/driving in snow or on ice. i frequent a lot of the mountains here in washington as well as in oregon, so this is a major issue.

    winter tires are in my future for sure.
  • francophilefrancophile Member Posts: 667
    I read some of the Miata stuff with interest. I used to run Cibie replacement headlights in my old Saab 95 (no, not 9-5, go baaaack in time a bit further). They were called Z-beams because of the stepped output of the low beams. They were fantastic headlights - bright white halogen output, lowbeam cutoff as sharp as a knife - at a time when US headlights hadn't even gotten around to being halogen. The relevant part is that even in PA, which at the time had two vehicle inspections per year, and at a time when every legal headlight in an American car was either round or rectangular and not very bright, I never got stopped or questioned about those Z-beams.

    Regards,
    -wdb
    (who would love to hear about e-codes for his '00 Legacy GT)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yeah I have to find a good Holden Dealer in Europe or Australia that could send me the assemblies. That shall be my next endeavor. That and putting some Hella 4000s on the Nudge Bar! :)

    -mike
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    Ordered Trey Cobb's short throw shifter, an adjustable rear sway bar and front strut tower brace today. Shifter is BO'd so will get everything in a couple of weeks. Can't wait! 10k now on the ODO of the GT and time to mess around. Going to try Red Line gear oil in the tranny. Starting with 75W90 but may need more friction and will then go to the MT90.

    Bit
  • bg18947bg18947 Member Posts: 184
    M&S really doesn't mean all that much like someone else said. The new symbol to look for is the snowflake which designates a true winter tire. The drawback is, they will wear away quickly if left on in normal weather because of the softer tread compound required of a real winter tire. All-Season tires are "jack of all trades, but master at none." Not totally true, but you can't have it all, unless you have the Mach5.
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Yeah, the snowflake means it's certified for severe duty winter use... Whatever the DOT means by that.

    -Colin
  • francophilefrancophile Member Posts: 667
    Check Tire Rack for comparisons of winter tires. They are a veritable wellspring of information, plus I'm certain they'd be happy to sell you something .

    Cheers,
    -wdb
  • dzartmandzartman Member Posts: 112
    So what's the word on your cam's performance these days, Colin?
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Anyone recently check the i-club under the Powertrain topic? Trey Cobb has some very interesting results with his N/A engine build up using various modified parts. He dynoed the Impreza and estimates it now gets about 222HP at the engine!!

    Ken
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    that's on a RWD converted RS. Less drive train loss. Can you post the dyno graph of that? I don't remember 222hp for an N/A RS.
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    222HP is Trey's estimate at the crank. Check out the acutal topic for graphs and data:

    http://www.impreza-rs.com/NonCGI/Forum24/HTML/000400.html

    Ken
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    thanks for the refresher. It sure has alot of stuff done to it. For that I'd just go with a turbo. I bet with all those stuff it ain't cheap either. Mind you that is not AWD hp. It's RWD so it would be less with AWD on tap.
  • texsubarutexsubaru Member Posts: 242
    I'm not yet in the market for new tires, but want to thank Francophile for the Tire Rack link: that does look like a potential wealth of info.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    seamus3: do springs affect handling in the snow? You bet. Particularly if you've lowered the car at all, giving up clearance.

    Legacys start at 6.3" nowadays (pretty good), though earlier models were 5 1/2" or so.

    bit: that bracing sounds good. Glad to see you're working on that before going for more power. Gotta keep the chassis balanced.

    Please take photos if you do the tranny oil swap. Also, if you do the rear differential, though that looks like it would be easy enough (looks like the drain and filler hole are on the back side of the diffy).

    Thanks for the lighting tips. I'll have to search around and see if the budget fits. So I'd need E codes and bulbs too, eh?

    Does autobulbdepot have both? Also, will the higher wattage mess up the fuses or harness?

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yes the Sealed beam replacements will give you an E-code reflector and lens with a spot for an H4 bulb. So you need the E-code reflector/lens and H4 bulbs. I run 80/100w bulbs in the XT6 w/o a problem thus far.

    -mike
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Dave Z,

    Nothing new to report really. I missed the last two weekends the dragstrip was open and my pal with an extreme geez! accelerometer threw his back out so I don't have any sort of measurements to share.

    Did have a chirping develop that had me a bit worried but it turned out to be a loose AC belt. (The belts recommended by Unorthodox with the underdrive pulley are too long.)

    -Colin
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Colin: I thought you used different belts?

    -juice
  • dzartmandzartman Member Posts: 112
    I hadn't been to the Challenger Deep site for awhile, but they have some realy great stuff, especially for Legacy and Forester.

    For Forester there are sweet body parts that are way hard to find in the US, as well as perf. parts. Same with Impreza.

    For Legacy, wow, some people here were talking about front push bars and light bars, check their bars for Legacy. Also B4 and Blitzen body pieces and engine pieces (the chrome radiator cover is my fave).

    http://www.challengerdeep.com
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Juice, I had trouble finding belts shorter than the unorthodox recommended ones but long enough to fit. It took 2 tries for the alt/ps pulley and many more for the AC pulley. Until I found the right one for the AC pulley it was slipping and making this chirping / chattering noise.

    -Colin
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    I never had any problems with the pulley belts other than occasional re-tensioning. I forgot the numbers tho. Also I noticed in the winter time when it's cold, the belt does chip on startup.
  • francophilefrancophile Member Posts: 667
    B4 or Blitzen grille and air dam for my Legacy, yowza! Too bad the web site is pretty broken. For those with the patience, careful attention to capitalization will yield *some* of the pages that won't come up otherwise; however the pictures still don't appear. Again, patience will yield them too.

    However I think a note to the webmaster might be the best fix ;-)

    Cheers,
    -wdb
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    I particularly like the Blitzen grill... and bumper/air dam. Is this the same Blitzen that does Mercedes stuff?


    bit
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Personally, I always feel unless you actually have what's being shown on the outside under the hood, you should leave well enough alone...

    Like those guys who used to have dodge darts with huge hood scoops, and a slant 6 under the hood(not that the slant six was a bad engine)

    Just my opinion that people who put that stuff on are posers...

    -mike
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    I could agree that the tack on aero stuff is cheezy... but that Blitzen grill is very nice and clean.


    bit
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Went out driving with a good buddy of mine to compare the difference in handling of a Forester S with a 18mm vs. stock rear sway bar. We drove through some backroads where there are plenty of 30mph turns and little traffic and switched vehicles.

    My vehicle: 98 Forester S 5-speed, 18mm bar
    Buddy's vehicle: 00 Forester S 5-speed, stock bar

    Both with stock tires inflated to 32 psi all around.

    The verdict:
    After screeching through a whole bunch of turns, there is a pretty notable difference between the two. My Forester felt "tighter" through the twisties. The back-end seemed to come around quicker in the turns. While my vehicle was still understeering, it did feel more neutral compared to my friend's 00. I believe I didn't have to angle my steering wheel as sharply to get through the turn.

    He's placing an order for an 18mm bar today. :)

    Ken
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Maybe the loose belts are what cause the light diming on some UR Pulley applications. Seems like something simple for them to fix...

    Ken: it's awesome to have a reference point for comparison.

    One other difference - his has the rear viscous limited slip diffy. Less slip in the rear could mean less tendency to oversteer in his case, so the bar may not be as fun for him.

    -juice

    PS SNOW! Yeah baby - time to test that sway bar. Too bad it's not sticking...
  • dzartmandzartman Member Posts: 112
    I disagree, Paisan. Putting tasteful, high quality pieces from Blitzen (yep, the same company that does work for Mercedes, Ferrari and Porsche) on your Subaru simply makes your Soob stand out--makes it look damn good! It's not like the Honda kids putting a huge wing on their rides, not realizing that not only does it look ridiculous, it actually hurts performance! I do like the grilles and body pieces, and did anyone see those front push bars?! Wow.

    By the way I'd LOVE to have a B4 hood for my 2000 OB. That smooth hood scoop is way cool.

    Dave
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I'm on the fence on this one. It really depends.

    For example, I like the Outback spoiler but not the Forester's.

    I dislike the new Forester grilles, which are chrome, i.e. to me they're gaudy. A body colored grille from Blitzen blends better and would look sweet.

    To my tastes, subtlety is better.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    It's fine to like the body parts, but to actually label it "blitzen" puts out a false impression. It would be like re-badging a std. Benz as an AMG w/o actually having AMG do the work.

    Then again you are talking to the same person who would buy a pea-green WRX w/ Chocolate Brown interior. I'm a go, not show type of person!

    :)

    -mike
  • dzartmandzartman Member Posts: 112
    That's the problem. REAL Subaru perf parts are a bizatch to get. SYMS and Zero/Sports make a chip, AXA International sells new perf. blocks and racing pistons, Zero/Sports and Tanabe make some serious exhaust systems. Hell, anyone know of an imported twin-turno B4 engine residing in an american soob? If so tell me the importer! It's mostly suspension and brakes, with little stuff like pulleys, and air intakes for more power.
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    image
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    image
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    it came out. Duh.... check out hte kewl STi grille. It belongs to my friend's dad. My freind has the TS and his brother has a 99 OBS.
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    image
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    Wow, great picture of your friend's Impreza in the snow! I know juice will love it ;-) I bet they get around as usually when the white stuff flies.

    image

    Drew/aling
    Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    i bought a set of dunlop snow tires, non stud. just for fun i drove up to a local mountain to dilly dally in the snow. it was great. the few people that were around thought i was nuts. a friend of mine has pictures he is putting on some web site.

    my car handled so well but i understand what you are saying about ground clearance. i found out kind of the hard way. i did take the h&r spring out though for the winter time. i can't wait to put them back in for the spring. th handling is dramatically different.

    does anyone remember what post number the front sooby emblem mod was. i was thinking about doing that. but wanted to read the instructions again.

    seamus
  • francophilefrancophile Member Posts: 667
    ...reminds me of a holiday story ;-)

    I agree with Paisan that doodads that make your car look faster than it is are kind of lame. I don't knock folks that do it, but it isn't my thing. OTOH I think my '00 Legacy GT has a bit too much chrome up on the nose and I would like to reduce it. So another grille with less chrome is appealing to me. Therefore the Blitzen grille would make me happy if the "Blitzen" tag could be taken off. I ain't drivin' no reindeer ;-)

    Cheers,
    -wdb
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Chrome is nice(on my '74 olds 98), Plastic painted silver is crap! :) I'm with yah though on the monotone/black accents. One of the reasons I would never get an OB is cause it isn't available in monotone. That was a deciding factor in getting the LS model of my Trooper rather than the S or Limited. (If only my door handles were body colored too or black)

    -mike
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    I think what paisan is saying, and I concur, is that looks-enhancing parts are ok unless the B4 or Blitzen badge is on it, 'cause the car ain't got the go to back that up.

    Tasteful body parts= good

    B4 badges= rice-a-roni

    ...and I'm gonna go test drive an e28 535i that's for sale in the neighborhood on Sunday. Somebody STOP me!! aaaaaaaack....!!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Snow in upstate NY! Yippie, I can't wait to go up this coming weekend (Friday!) I finally get to use my AWD on my Trooper! Last year I had a ball driving my XT6 up there a bunch of times. Although one time I made a U-Turn on one of the roads and was coming through a nice puffy snow bank on the side of the road... didn't realize that there was a ditch on the side under the snow, and the XT6 just fell over @ a 70 degree angle...

    My buddy had just bought his 2000 RS Sedan (had 200 miles on it) was following me, so I got out and threw him my tow rope, he turned his car around and bam towed me right out of it.

    I have a really nice road up there, about 25 miles long, 3.5 carwidths, curvy, and snow covered... Can't wait for this winter!

    -mike
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    kewl! Just watch that COG buddy boy :)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    COG?
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    Center-O-Gravity. Sorry. :)
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Okay folks, I confess... I don't have a clue as to most of all the "electronic shorthand" stands for. Here's what I (think I) know, and what I don't:

    LOL laugh out loud

    BTW By the way

    :) Happy face

    :( Sad face

    ;) wink??

    :o) ??

    I know there are many others, which I also don't know, although I can't think of any at the moment.

    Is there a online dictionary for this stuff? How about even a resource book? I wonder what Webster has to say about all this stuff?

    Bob
  • wonpderwonpder Member Posts: 20
    Need Help. My 1995 Chev. Blazer has a battery drain. I have checked that no lights are left on all doors are closed and Etc. If it is not driven for about 3 days battery is complety drained. I put in new battery, same problem. Any advise as what to check?
    Wonpder@aol.com
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