Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

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  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Here are a few bands juice:
    Natalie Imbruglia, Midnight Oil, INXS, Angels (fun band I saw in Melbourne in the 80's. Didn't hit it that big over here though), the Church, Divinyls, Hoodoo Gurus, Hunters & Collectors, AC/DC and some other recent female band that I can't think of right now.

    I don't recall if the Croc films had a theme song.

    Dennis
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    There is of course Midnight Oil, replete with political-activist, frighteningly tall, bald lead singer. Harder edged stuff by and large, at least by pop standards.

    Warmer and fuzzier but arguably more talented are the brothers Finn, known more popularly as Crowded House. Technically though these guys are Kiwi, but the band itself is a mix.

    I don't think Silverchair counts, at least not for this demographic.

    Graham, help me out here. Most of the stuff my Aussie neighbor plays for me is shyte, but I can't help feeling like I am missing someone major...

    And don't forget the Outback isn't the only car in the lineup, so we don't have to have just Oz music..
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Bob, I'm not certain because that particular tire only comes from Bridgestone Japan. It's not available at retail outlets in North America from what I can tell.

    I believe it carries a treadwear comparable to the RE92 (which is only 160 in V rated form). On the highway both tires should last similarly, but driven hard, the RE011 summer tire *should* last longer. The tread blocks will chunk and tear away on the RE92, not to mention even if they got similar life, the smiles per mile would be incomparably higher on stickier tires.

    I'm not saying they should equip the cars with an expensive top-of-the-line summer tire like a Bridgestone S-03, but I am saying that a comparably priced summer tire would be a smart, simple move to make.

    EDIT for Dennis: I don't know what SOA may or may not do, but I do believe they SHOULD put a summer tire on the WRX instead of an all-season. For starters, if you live somewhere that actually does see snow and ice, the RE92 is not going to be adequate anyway. Yes you can fumble through the winter and hope for the best, but let's be real-- a Miata on winter tires will whoop [non-permissible content removed] on an all-season equipped Subaru. (Trust me.)

    -Colin
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    DUH! AC/DC! Perfect for the Rex-set.

    DUH! INXS. Loses points for intellectually questionable lyrics and unquestionably ill-advised cause of death.

    DiVinyls are o.k.

    Ah...The Church. makeout album of my freshman year. How could I have forgotten

    Gotta put my foot down with Natalie..No freakin way. Her big hit is a cover she stole off some still-struggling US indie band. She can't sing her way out of a paper bag, and her musical career has been completely manufactured by her handlers in the wake of her defunked soaps career. I was reading an interview about being on the road with her and Adam Duritz. Adam was like, "Well it is tough to keep my voice intact all the time, but now that we've been on the road for 3 years straight, I am strong enough to get by even on the rough days." Natalie: "um, well, like, I never really sang live before and, like, singing at the Lilith Fair was fun, and I like the bus..." Yeesh. I could just picture Sheryl Crow seething at that, entirely capable of sucker-punching her for that. Courtney Love would have just smashed a guitar over her head.
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Loosh - haha. Thanks for the commentary. I didn't say I liked all of those bands, just giving examples. :-)

    Colin - In one of the interviews with Mike Wheelan (I think it's on Larry Ganz' page), he said they used the RE92's because they're all seasons. Yep, doesn't make much sense for performance though.

    Dennis
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    For liability reasons they have to put all-season tires on the cars...

    -mike
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    paisan - Are you insinuating that the U.S. is lawsuit happy or something? :)
    Do ALL cars come with all-seasons?

    Dennis
  • bg18947bg18947 Member Posts: 184
    Tires make a big difference. I've witnessed a '99 Honda Odyssey with traction control on touring Michelin Symmetry tires outperform my '00 Legacy GT Ltd on RE92s on slippery stuff. I've gotten a pair of Blizzak MZ-01s for winter now. Can't wait for the RE92s to wear away so that I can replace them. I bought a '00 Odyssey also as a result of what I saw and can say that it drives well in rain and snow with Symmetry tires. The Odyssey handles rain on black top better than a SUV with 4WD.

    Subaru should drop those RE92s. They are an embarrassment.
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Why wait? I put less than 2000 miles on my RE92s before replacing them. ;-)

    -Colin
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Subaru uses Yokohamas on Forester S models. I think it's the only exception, though. They used to have Michelins on the Outback (pre-2000).

    Dennis: great list, thanks. I'll pick the most relevant ones.

    Loosh: have you ever recorded anything? Got anything on MP3? I could toss in a sampling and you'd get your 15 minutes to boot!

    -juice
  • hammersleyhammersley Member Posts: 684
    And if you need to put in a commercial... Fosters?

    Cheers!
    Paul
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    Oh excellent idea. I just took a break from recording to chrck the boards. Sadly, I think I fried the phantom power on our pre-amp...over-enthusiasm=not thinking a signal chain through=fried phantom power :( Rats.

    ColinL- what tire did you switch to?
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    I don't think it's a requirement to have all-season tires on cars sold in the US. I can't recall the brand (was it the Lexus IS300?), but here are some companies that gave you the option of choosing between summer tires and all-seaons tires as standard equipment.

    Ken
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yes the Americans are sue happy. Most cars come with all-season, not all, but most. I personally feel the RE92s are a decent all around tire, quiet, soft, not great at anything, but not particularly bad overall. Most of the complaints I've heard come from people who drive shall we say, enthusiastically...

    -mike
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    forum - please excuse the duplication.


    Attached is a "preview" site that our Web Group is working on. They said it was okay to share with my Edmunds friends. Do you like it? It does have sound and you can "take the car for a spin" by holding the mouse over it.


    http://bzproductions.com/buzzmail/subaru.com/llbean/

  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Loosh, I switched to a set of 205/55-16 Yokohama Nexus. They are no longer available, but offered great grip and response but wore badly in the offset rain groove and were noisy. I replaced them last year after 12,000 miles and ~12 autocrosses in favor of a set of 225/50-16 Yokohama AVS S1. (These too are no longer in production, I seem to have a knack for this.) Overall grip is about like the Nexus were, but they are better in the rain, quieter, softer riding, but not as responsive. They currently are a bit more than half worn after ~10,000 miles and 10 autocrosses and should last another 10,000 since I don't autocross them any more.

    If I were to buy a summer tire right now it would be one of 3:

    Kumho 712 --cheap and good enough for the money!

    Bridgestone S-02 --great tire, on sale since the S-03 debuted.

    Yokohama AVS Sport --great tire, favors performance over ride quality, wears well

    -Colin
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Overall, I like the site. It would be nice if you had one of these for each product and link them through the subaru.com site replacing what you have there now (I don't care for it). Listening is more effective that someone reading through the info. It needs a little more tech info when talking about the engine or AWD to really sell the Subaru technology. Why do you want me to spend 30K? Maybe some links to good reviews. You could also post Juice's phone number. ;-)

    -Greg
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Speaking of sue-happy, a friend witnessed a pretty wild scene. A woman went to a parking garage with valets, and asked for her keys, though she didn't have the ticket. Though she worked nearby and could easily have gone to get them, she got angry and started screaming at the attendant. He was nothing but polite. Her fit ended in a broken booth window and a cut hand.

    Can you believe she's suing for the injury? She should have to PAY for the window! C'mon!

    Sorry, back on topic now.

    I like that LL Bean site, and agree that they should have something similar for at least the WRX sedan and Forester S Premium. I would refer people to something like that rather than the regular Subaru site because it just seems more informative than brochure-style sites.

    BTW, I've almost, almost sold my co-worker on a Forester L. If that site had the Forester, it could be the clincher for someone on the fence like she is.

    -juice
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    I'll take this opportunity to once again voice, as vocally as possible, my opposition to SOA's use of so much Flash. Why do your site designers insist on alienating so many people? I have a 56k dial up connection, and I had to wait close to 20 seconds for it to load. That's fine for an exciting preview site (the wrx site we all "hacked" into, or the www.miniusa.com site) but it stinks for a general info site. I tried using the main site while I was shopping, and it was very frustrating. Hard information is too difficult to get to.

    www.vw.com used to be my favorite; it is still better than the subaru site, although it too is getting cluttered. BUT, you at least have the OPTION of viewing a NON FLASH version instead of being FORCED to download Flash. Less is more, less is more, please tell the designers that for me.

    /rant off

    thanks :)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Sorry if I was being selfish with my T1.

    Yes, it should be optional, perhaps part of the "enhancements" available to those seeking it out.

    It was pretty cool, though! :P

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Kill the Flash!

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You modem users! ;-)

    That's what I have at home. DSL service just plain let me down, big time.

    -juice
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    I personally like the use of Flash. But what bugs me (and I'm a designer) are all the sites including the LL Bean that do so much gratuitous motion just because they can. Animation can be a great tool when used effectively. But just moving everything because you can only gets boring and chokes the playback.
    bit
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I agree, and I too am a designer, although I don't use Flash.

    Just because it's there, doesn't mean you have to use it. If it enhances the site, fine. If, on the other hand, it takes forever to load, and/or interferes with the message—it's poor usage of the program, and is actually counter productive.

    Bob
  • francophilefrancophile Member Posts: 667
    Give me the option. Really. Patti, I didn't even bother to visit the preview site you posted, because I knew it would have Flash content and I knew it would be a monster download. (With my 56k line I don't really even like visiting subaru.com that much, because of all the foo I have to wait for just to view a page.)

    But my big dislike is fat home pages. The only "flash" I want to see is the speed with which the home page loads even over a 28k dialup. Anyone using google knows what I mean.

    Don't get me wrong; when I had a fat pipe I downloaded and enjoyed all kinds of "broadband content". So I like the flair as well as the next fella. So make it optional, and have fun with it.

    But in my opinion an organization cuts itself off from a *significant* portion of the net community when its home page takes two minutes to load. "What? two minutes!" Yup. I just timed www.subaru.com; it came in at 2:05.

    Regards,
    -wdb
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Agreed. Time is too valuable. If they have to wait, they move on, and your story never gets told. As I said, it's counter productive.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    How 'bout a home page without any auto-loading flash? Make it user-selectable, so only those that choose to get a video view open it.

    -juice
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    image

    ...at 6-7pm Pacific/9-10 pm Eastern. Hope to see you there!
    http://www.edmunds.com/chat/subaruchat.html



    Drew
    Host
    Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    too flashy... too much Flash I mean. Make it optional. Put in a relatively small professionally done static graphics, and nicely looking clean set of hyperlinks. Change that annoyingly cheerful voice to something less resembling telemarketer.

    I should compliment Subaru on their product-specific brochures though. As compared to most of other manufacturers, Subaru's brochures are more informative, although lately I see more and more marketing hype creeping in... Still much better than most.

    --Kate
    Web developer by day, Subaru enthusiast by night.
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    ... in Santa Fe vs Tribute vs Forester topic.. Ooh aaahh mama mia. Everybody in a need of comic relief go there.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Been there. Done that. Hung/Tung/Dung is too much for me.

    Bob
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    All your base are belong to us!

    juice must have a high tolerance level to keep posting over there!

    Ed
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Remeber, power is NOT an issue! For anyone! Ever! SF = God!

    Funny thing is I think they are actually talking people OUT of getting a SF, because noone believes anything they say.

    -juice
  • pattim3pattim3 Member Posts: 533
    I have shared it. But.....I do think it was kind of cool that they wanted to share it here first. DON'T Shoot the messenger.

    I'm sure they'll appreciate the feedback.

    Thanks!

    Patti
  • pattim3pattim3 Member Posts: 533
    I logged on from here at home. We have a VERY basic computer with a modem (really inexpensive about three years ago). I am very limited when it comes to computers (I'm not even sure about it's size but I think it is a 486).

    I logged onto the site and it took about 12 seconds to load and navigation was easy. When I spoke to our e-business group in the past about commentary about "flash", I was told that most PC's folks are using today do not have a problem.

    Please, I'm not trying to stir up the hornets nest, I'm just trying to get a better feel for the issue. As I go back and try to implore folks to eliminate the change, I'd like to understand the problem better. Since I cannot seem to experience it, can you "computer whiz" folks help me?

    Thanks!

    Patti
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    Just had a scream reading through Hung and Tung.
    My take on it is that it is one great joke at the expense of the really serious guys who post there and get concerned that they can't understand what it is all about. The fun in this sort of performance art is watching the shocked reactions of the other participants.

    Mind you, the English is on the wackier end of grammatical, which is, I suppose, part of the fun.

    At least Hung and Tung seem to be enjoying themselves!

    Cheers

    Graham
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    Just had a scream reading through Hung and Tung.
    My take on it is that it is one great joke at the expense of the really serious guys who post there and get concerned that they can't understand what it is all about. The fun in this sort of performance art is watching the shocked reactions of the other participants.

    Mind you, the English is on the wackier end of grammatical, which is, I suppose, part of the fun.

    At least Hung and Tung seem to be enjoying themselves! I am not sure if i want Juice to emulate tham though.

    Cheers

    Graham
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    I'm embarrassed that one of them (Tung) lives in my area! I am half amused, but then my head starts hurting from banging it with a spanner, and then I choke on the foam coming from my mouth, and then aarrgghh!!!

    Ross
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I logged on to that test site just fine. It's the SOA site that drive me nuts. I can only log on via the Edmunds Subaru Community Page.

    Several of us have suggested that SOA offer a "non-Flash" site, in addition to the current "Flash" site. There are many companies that offer sites both ways. Also, there are a lot of folks out there in cyberland who have problems with Flash, not just me.

    So far, no response from SOA's web people.

    Bob
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    Mr. Tung's flower shop is about 5 minutes from my home and I pass it everyday (yes, his Sante Fe is there too) ;-) I'm sure he is a lot more mellow in person.

    15 minutes to the Subaru chat!


    Drew
    Host
    Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
  • yellowbikedonyellowbikedon Member Posts: 228
    Patti and Juice,

    As requested, here's the follow-up on the CEL problem I experienced last week.

    Wagon brought to Delray Subaru for service first thing Tuesday morning. Customer service called mid morning, saying on board computer was being removed and shipped via overnight mail to Subaru for checking. Offered an Enterprise loaner at no cost until LL Bean returned. Contacted Subaru at 1-800-SUBARU3 and was told dealer following proper procedure as all H6 engines are being closely monitored.

    Received a call from Delray Subaru early afternoon today saying computer was back and installed and wagon was ready for pick up. RO read "Customer states that Check Engine Light is on. Removed computer, sent it to Subaru overnight. Reinstalled both fuel senders, ECM and test drove. System OK now."

    I'm impressed! Patti, my thanks for your interest and Juice, hope this is the last word on any CEL problem.

    Don
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    Sorry we missed it. Stuff happens.

    Patti- the test site did indeed load up fairly quick, but I agree with Bob that the main site takes a dog's age.

    All your base- LOL!!! Oh Christ I'm on I-club again!

    Hung- "All your base are belong to us!"

    Juice- "Someone set us up the bomb!"

    ROFLMAO
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day Drew

    I actually was developing the idea that the two guys are actually performance artists or English Majors cultivating a rich joke on the unsuspecting Internet populace. Owning a flower shop is just about as creative. Wonder what the other guy does? They are worth a laugh
    Cheers

    Graham
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    Juice asked about suitable music for the Outback. I look guiltily at the CDs in the car and realize most are English or American, but there are a few "must have" Australian CD's.

    Midnight Oil are the band mentioned back a few posts. The singer, Peter Garrett is a lawyer, green politician, activist and seriously argumentative type. He was President of the Student Union when I studied my first degree and was pretty astute even then. His music has always been very confrontational and probably not the sort of thing to listen to when burning fossil fuels. He would be the antithesis of your new President on just about every score.

    More accessible is Cold Chisel, a late 70s and early 80s band who produced very memorable solid rock and roll. One of the best live acts I've ever seen despite me finding myself in the midst of a punch up at one of their shows. The lead singer, Jimmy Barnes has one of those voices you can't ignore. Best played extremely loud.

    I also really like Skyhooks, a 70s pop/rock band with very wicked lyrics and good bouncing tunes. Good value!

    You should be seeing something of Killing Heidi, a weird pop/rock band formed around a very hip brother and sister from the bush here in Victoria. The girl is about 17 and the music is pretty special. This would probably be popular with your kids but is bearable for adults. Its sort of music to be cynical to.

    There is a fair sprinkling of Aboriginal music which carries a rich tradition. Much of it centres on rhythm from tapped sticks and the droning sound of a didgeridoo. This works sort of like the drone of a bagpipe and works very well with rock guitar sounds.

    Weirdly, many outback aborigines have a thing about American Country music, usually of the grosser variety. Harry Chapin had a joke about every Country song needing a truck and motherhood. Does an Outback count as a truck (when I bought tyres this week, I discovered they are classed as Light Truck Tyres)? If so, fill in any maudlin American country song with references to femininity and you'd be right. My wife has kindly read this over my shoulder and pointed out that a sick child is mandatory.

    There are some lovely ballads and lullabies derived from aborignal songs, many recorded by a Northern territory musician, Ted Egan.

    The multi-cultural tradition has also meant there is a healthy mix of other music including Asian and European influences. Can't think of anything I'd like to listen to in the car, though.

    Of course the reality is that all parents listen to The Wiggles and Bananas in Pyjamas. One of the great joys of Australian Culture is that it presumes that children are intelligent beings and do not have to be force fed with Barney. The Wiggles are vaguely musical (originally starting from a Rock Band) and Bananas in Pyjamas are good fun. I guess they are obligatory driving entertainment for most Australian parents.

    The reality is though that I have been listening to Roy Orbison, Lou Reed, Elton John and Thin Lizzy. Guess music is international.

    Cheers

    Graham
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    I've only been here a couple of day-lights ago and these characters "Hung and Tung" y'all speak of leaves me in the dark...
    Did a web search and got me "2 Hung 2 Tung" or the likes.
    Someone, beam me there please.
    Speaking of "beam" (I know, I think I should be at "Mod") but since I'm here. Anyone knows the gauge of the OEM harness for the Headlamps? Has anyone gone higher on wattage without roasting it?
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Yes, Cold Chisel is another good band!

    Ed, I saw Midnight Oil when I was in Hawaii in the 80's. Some girl was screaming up front and Garrett started yelling at her. Hey, we're not Michael Jackson !!

    Graham, you forgot to mention he's a surfer. :)

    Dennis
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    David- Trust me, you don't want to go there.

    With all the publicity these characters are getting, how long will it be before we see them on Letterman?

    Bob
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    all the posters saying anything positive about Forester or Escape/Tribute (on the "vs" topic, mind you) are accused of being sneaky salesmen from Subaru, Ford or Mazda .. :-) :-)

    for unitiated, I refer to Santa Fe vs Forester vs Tribute/Escape topic ...
  • soon2bsubeesoon2bsubee Member Posts: 137
    Just spent the last 1/2 hour reading these 2 characters posts....a good way to spend a boring Friday morning at work(should I have been doing work instead???...oh, well).
    They must have been twins separated at birth, but have found each other..isn't love great!
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    I visited Hung's web site advertised by Hung, and read his impressions from Autoshow in SFO which I attended myself last November. Boy, this guy is on emotional edge all the time! Ross, what's the correct name for that disorder?

    You can delay answering until bruises on your head heal, and foam stops coming out of your mouth :-)
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