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Subaru Crew - Modifications II

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Comments

  • bat1161bat1161 Member Posts: 1,784
    Thanks for the input. I kind of figured it was overkill, especially considering the weather up till this year. After hearing some of the horror stories concerning the regular tires, I was considering it. Thanks again.
    Mark
  • hammersleyhammersley Member Posts: 684
    "to each their own" - the Michelins on my 97 OB wouldn't work in the winters here in Eastern Washington - too much ice from regular thaw/freeze cycles, plus I *have* to get to work when nobody else is supposed to be able to (firefighter). I've used Toyo Observes (studless) all winter here and been very satisfied with them - factory siping on the cleats of the tread, directional tread pattern allegedly facilitates keeping the snow out of the tread, softer rubber bites better etc etc. I'm putting the Michelins back on tomorrow... IF I can get to the tire store to buy wheels... my to-do list is getting out of control!

    Cheers!
    Paul
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    i got a short throw shifter on wednesday and just put it in today, sorry bitman : ( i went to my local modification shop, the places that only sell honda/acura stuff. i found some bushings that fit and were nice and stiff. i put it in today and tested it out. long story short i messed something up. luckily i tried it out before i even left the parking garage. when i shifted into third something happened and my shifter would move in ANY direction. apparantley i didn't tighten something down right. i got back into it and fixed everything. looked it over and now finally it's ok. took it for a drive and it is sooooo much fun.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Who manufactures that shifter? Just curious. Also, how much was it?

    -juice
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    i think my message wasn't too clear. i bought it from a guy who lives in my home town, not the local rice-out shop. it is an STi kit, and cost me $125 plus i had to hook him up with a girl that i'm friends with.
    my friend with the accord went out and bought one today, we're putting it in later. he drove my car last night and loved the throw too. we were comparing the throw of his stock shifter and my stock shifter, his accord is probably an inch longer than my sooby, it was interesting.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Seamus the match-maker! LOL!

    -juice
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    are there any shops on the west coast that make catbacks for soobies? i don't really want to buy one from cobb, shipping costs among other reasons. not that i think they make a bad product. i could pay an arm and a leg for a custom made one here in seattle but i don't feel like doing that, i like my arms and legs.
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Why would it be an arm and a leg? There is nothing esoteric about welding up exhaust. If you can't find a good price you're not looking in the right places. I think Rallispec does a great job with theirs but 1) it's price, even considering the materials and labor, 2) why pay shipping when it can be done locally?

    -Colin
    (who 2 years ago paid $580 including shipping to Paul Eklund for a Borla catback exhaust but later realized it could be done locally for much cheaper. Nothing at all against Paul-- he's great but this is simple economics.)
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    man... has it been that long since we had out catback Borla done up? time flies...
  • malusomaluso Member Posts: 9
    Hi folks. I'm the happy new owner of a '99 Forester L. I got a great deal and can't stop grinning.. what a terrific vehicle. It's my 3rd Subaru and by far the best of the bunch. Only one problem.. the sound system. I've got the stock Clarion C116 am/fm/cassette head unit and the add-on Clarion single CD player. Even with a lot of tweaking the sound (especially midrange) seems really flat to me. I'm looking for a lowish budget fix. So here are a lot of questions:
    First, can anyone point me to previous posts on this topic.. I couldn't find much.

    Is there an online set of directions for popping off the speaker covers so I can see what I've actually got in there?

    Do any of you know of any component speakers that will fit in the back (5 inch?). All I can find are some 2-way Polks. I sure wish that was able to take 5 1/4" woofers.

    If I wanted to replace the Clarion head unit with another head unit, does anyone know of one that is compatible with the Clarion cd player?

    Lastly, if I have the tweeter grills in place, do I necessarily have tweeters in there? Did the Forester come with the grills even if they didn't have the speakers installed?

    Sorry for so many questions.. I can't find much archived except people liking their Polk speaker upgrades.

    Glad to be here,

    Diane
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    There is a nice article in the March issue of Sport Compact Car on the SPO/SYMS modified 1997 GT wagon. It's the issue with the WRX on the cover.

    bit
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    IT is my guess if you have the tweeter grills you also have the tweeters, your clarion Cd unit will not be compatible with any other head unit, lastly any afermarket speaker will be an improvement on the cheap junk that is in there right now.
    Check out www.crutchfield.com for an excellent selection of audio stuff they will also tell you what will fit in your car as well as supplying instructions for installation.
    Cheers Pat.
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    I like Crutchfield and in fact I bought the Blaupunkt CD receiver that is now in my 01 GT wagon from them. But don't count on too accurate information on Subarus when it comes to the "What Fits My Car" guide. They insisted the Blaupunkt Nevada (DIN) would not fit my 00 GT wagon. I contacted Blaupunkt's customer service department for more reliable information and the receiver fit perfectly. Even now Crutchfield doesn't even list the 2001 Legacy in the fit guide despite the fact it is nearly identical to the 2000 which they do list.

    bit
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    first thing first, some idiot hit me yesterday. he pulled out across a lane of stopped traffic and hit me as i was going by. i'm soooooo mad, my sooby looks like i#$t. he killed the right rear door.

    before that i was visiting some of my local mod shops and was that an experience. i've never had so many people laugh at me. three of the local shops said they had never heard of anyone modifying a subaru. other said they just don't carry the parts and wouldn't order them for me either. there was one shop where a guy was on the phone for about 45 minutes trying to help me out. unfortunately he didn't have the numbers of any companies that produce something that would fit my car. he did give me the number of a guy in portland that does cat backs at a reasonable price, under $500. as soon as my car is fixed i will find the time to head down there.

    i was going to take the sooby on a road trip on wednesday to texas (spring break).
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    Seamus, sorry about your accident. Hope you're ok. Welcome to the small but growing world of Subaru mods. Grab a copy of Sport Compact Car; lots of mail order parts (not that it helps you locate a local facility buy you never know).

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • logger2logger2 Member Posts: 31
    Hi, ive got a 98 Forester and I was wondering where I would get a set of drawings for the skid plates. I lost the front plastic one in the woods and would like to replace it and add a rear diff protector. I have access to a metal fabricator and aluminum stock to make them but i need some plans. Has anybody else made them or know where i can get them from? Thanks.

    Jason
  • kleinkidkleinkid Member Posts: 5
    Can anyone suggest brand of strut tower brace and a source for one in the Puget sound area of Wa. state. Mail order would be ok. Also looking for a rear anti-sway bar, reccomended size and source. Thanks.
  • hammersleyhammersley Member Posts: 684
    Loosh: How difficult is that strut tower brace install... as easy as it looks in the pics? Does it make a noticable difference? (Of course, it must, or you wouldn't have done it, right?)

    GONZAGA - SWEET 16!

    Cheers!
    Paul
  • crashton6crashton6 Member Posts: 245
    Just make up some cardboard ones & use them as templates to get your measurements off. I would use T6 aluminum for the plates. Steal would be a bit heavy.
  • logger2logger2 Member Posts: 31
    I was looking for the dimensions and where the holes go etc for installation and access to oil filter etc.

    Jason
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    *phew* Happy St. Patrick's everyone. What a weekend....

    Seamus- Cobb Tuning is in N. Texas....too bad, you could've stopped there for an exhaust!

    Paul-
    Super easy. There is this lil' peice of metal on the right tower, doing nothing as far as I can tell, that had to be bent slightly. The brace had a notch to accomodate it, but it still didn't quite fit. After that it was cake. I will have someone make sure torque on the nuts are o.k., but I made sure not to tighten them too hard.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Subaru carries its own SPT parts. The metal front brace was $113 from Darlene, so you'll probably pay $120 or so now, plus shipping. The rear sway bar with bushings (rubber) was $82 for 18mm, $78 for 20mm. Again, they'd cost a little more now.

    That's still reasonable, though. Most cost $180 and up.

    -juice
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    Not only do they not have our 2001 vehicles up there, but they don't even list my 2000 Outback wagon!

    So, I emailed them about what speakers would fit. In the 2000 Outback wagons, 6½" speakers with no more than ½" top height fit in all 4 locations. I'll probably be trying this upgrade sometime this spring.

    -Brian
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    All my mods are now up on photopoint:

    http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=1400062&f=0

    Finally. I was sick and tired of poor service from homepage.com.

    The photos are bigger than before, so I guess it was worth it after all.

    -juice
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Your instructions for taking the dash apart were right on, I took it apart last week and installed a JVC. mod. kwxc770 cassette cd unit along with 4 Infinity reference series six and a half speakers I also put in the Sube subwoofer and tweeters it makes a really sweet system, was not cheap but worth it in my opinion.

    Cheers Pat.
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    my stock clutch is still OK-- chatters a little bit when cold but otherwise fine, but I'm going to take the plunge and get a Clutchnet six puck disc and heavy-duty pressure plate for B-Spec. It's sprung hub and has 3 copper pucks and three kevlar pucks. Kevlar likes to slip, copper likes to grab fast. Should be a great clutch, a bit balky compared to stock but a lot more clamping force.
    image
    Looks pretty mean, eh?

    I promise to actually document the install this time and you guys will love my unusual approach to a clutch job. Planning on doing this 3/30-4/1 assuming Byron can get me the clutch that fast.

    I also should *finally* be receiving my camberplates in the next 7-10 days so I can install the tein coilovers I've had since november.

    -Colin
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    Colin, I think it's growling at me! Schweet!

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Colin,

    That clutch looks beefy! So, why this particular model vs. ACT or other brands that seem to be popular with the i-club group?

    Ken
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    The most popular clutch (by my estimation) is the ACT Street. The only thing ACT about it is the pressure plate, the disc is the stock disc which is manufactured by Exedy. Not surprisingly, Exedy also offers an "aftermarket" clutch kit with that same stock disc and slightly uprated pressure plate.

    I wanted something that grabbed better than a stock organic disc but wasn't as wild as a 3 or 4 puck copper clutch. This clutchnet 6 puck seems to be the answer-- although it will need a pretty stiff pressure plate since half the pucks are kevlar. Kevlar needs really high pressure to keep from slipping, but once you're there it has excellent characteristics. It resists deformation but yet engages less abruptly than copper.

    edit: forgot to mention price. It's $389 for the disc and pressure plate, and I'll have to buy stock pilot and throwout bearings, which should be cheap. That's cheaper than any of the other aftermarket clutches I've seen.

    -Colin
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    ....31...... officially untrustworthy from now on....
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    All the drinks are on Loosh, he's buying! ;) Happy birthday!

    Bob
  • stevekstevek Member Posts: 362
    My 2001 Legacy GT will do for a tuneup soon. I want to do the work myself replacing the stock plugs with platinums and getting a very good set of wires. Where could I find a source to get all the parts (plugs, wires, PCV, fuel filter.....I think that is all I need, replaced the airfilter with a K&N already). DO I need to change the coolant at 25K?
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    At 30k you are supposed to do coolant, fuel filter and replace brake fluid.... along with the oil, filter, plugs and air cleaner.

    bit
  • mikezakmikezak Member Posts: 95
    Hi Gang!

    As you can see, I am anxiously awaiting my FIRST Subaru,(acutally my first non-BIG 3 Car) and am trying to learn everything I can.

    Reading through the Subaru Web Site, I unfortunately just found out the the cigarette
    lighter can not be used to power my cell phone on my 2001 Outback (I pickup the vehicle this week). This is somewhat disturbing as I travel for business alot, but I know this must be a common issue and someone must have bridged this before me...

    I have a US Celluar contract and Audiovox Car Phone. What solutions have been used, as well as where have people gotten their solution?

    My thanks in advance...

    Mike Zak
    Plover, WI
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    I posted a reply to this in General Maintenance & Repair II.

    subearu "Subaru Crew - General Maintenance & Repair II" Mar 25, 2001 8:09am

    -Brian
  • rwr1708rwr1708 Member Posts: 34
    Greetings all!!!!

    This is my first time here, but I do recognize some of you from the CR-V / Forester Topic. Remember Hondabro? I wonder what ever happened to him?

    I have a 1999 Legacy 30th Anniv. L Sedan w/ auto. At least for the time being, I'm not interested in getting involved in heavy mod's (i.e. exhaust, performance chips, etc.), but was wondering if there are any minor things I could do to boost engine performance. Are there any additives you recommend, new spark plugs, filters, etc. (or anything else on the smaller side). I love the car, torque is great around town, just wish it had a few more ponies, especially uphill on the highway.

    I was also wondering if anyone's used Castrol Syntec? One of my co-workers uses it in his Subie and raves about it. I have to change my oil soon (3,000 comes quick) and was just wondering what you guys might recommend?

    Thanks in Advance!
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    Welcome!

    I don't think you are going to get any hp gain from additives and such. You might gain maybe .5 to 1 hp by removing the snorkus from the air filter box, allowing the engine to draw cold air from the fender instead of warm air from the engine bay. Using a high flow filter will help- K&N or Amsoil. I have never read any real life, conclusive reports of fancy sparkplugs effecting any real gain in performance. Swapping in a lighter, smaller underdrive pulley will improve throttle response, but will not add hp by itself.
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Rick,

    Oh boy, what a blast from the past. Haven't heard much from Hondabro. I think the CR-V vs. Forester topic has become quite civil in the last year.

    As for mods for your 99 Legacy, I think Loosh covered the easy ones. Your 99 Legacy already uses platinum tipped spark plugs, BTW. The only other one I could think of is maybe an exhaust modification.

    Ken
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    If it's an "L" model it's probably the 2.2l, I'm sure there are some mods to help that crank out a few hp.

    -mike
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Oops. Forgot that the 99 Ls had the 2.2L. I'm not sure if they come with Platinum spark plugs -- they're in the 2.5L DOHCs.

    Ken
  • rwr1708rwr1708 Member Posts: 34
    Thanks lucien, ken, and paisan.

    Ken, Hondabro was quite the bitter pill, wasn't he?

    Yup, I have the 2.2L.

    Thanks for the suggestions and if you think of anything else, PLEASE let me know. I know some of the basics about cars, but am not knowledgable about the many modifications out there.
    I'm only looking for about 10 more horses give or take. I've accepted the fact that my car is not, nor will ever be an indy car! Maybe down the road I'll jump into a WRX. But, for now, any ideas you guys have would be very much appreciated.

    Also, has anyone done their own rotors? Is it tough to do and is there anything "special" to keep in mind?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    My dad has a '97 L and it has been great so far. 70K miles and no major problems. I find the 2.2 to be great on gas and overall handles well, even @ 110mph+ :) Of course when you do that with dad's car and @ 110 tap on the brakes and hear a horrid grinding noise, you are then responsible for doing the pads on that car the next week....

    If I had a 2nd gen L, I'd upgrade the rims and tires, and suspension, then focus on HP.

    -mike
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    west texas sucks!!! aparantley they have some sort of strict noise ordinance in some little county, with no sign of civilization. i guess my intake doesn't pass. we were getting back on some highway and i was accelerating and the highway patrol didn't like the sound of my car. so i got pulled over. i thought that those backwoods cops only existed in the movies. he took over an hour to write my ticket out and do all of that stuff, then he followed us for almost 100 miles.

    i have a question about camber. i put new rims on my car and i also have H&R springs. right now i don't have a problem with my wheels but i wanted to knwo if i should do something now so as to prevent a problem?
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    That blows! Every time I start to miss the breakfast tacos, I remind myself of stories like yours....
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    With new wheels I'd get an alignment to make sure everything is within spec.

    Steve: 25k? Don't you mean 30k? Any how, I finally have all the photos up for my 30k service, so you can check it out:

    http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=1400062

    Go to album 14, Subaru 30k service. Photos and comments galore. There is a photo of the radiator coolant being flushed, too.

    You can get parts from your dealer, www.subaruparts.com, or even your local auto parts supplier.

    Rick - welcome back. Yeah, I remember 'bro well. People with a bias like that stand out like a sore thumb. I bet he traded his beloved CR-V in, too!

    To get up hills you really need torque, not hp. Upping displacement is out, but gearing could help. A simple way is to go with smaller diameter tires.

    Let's say you have 195/60R15s, just for example. Going with 205/55R15s would give you a 1.4% gearing advantage. 195/55R15s would yeild a bigger 3.2%, but you lose 0.4" of ground clearance (that may be good or bad).

    Also try the snorkus removal (see my photos under Intake Mods as well) if you don't mind a little induction noise.

    -juice
  • texsubarutexsubaru Member Posts: 242
    Well, yeah, in much of the emptier parts of West Texas, the cops frankly don't have much to do. What town were you in? Last time I was crossing the Panhandle I got stopped on U.S. 84 between Snyder and Post (translation: middle of nowhere, but not too far from Lubbock, new homeland of Bobby Knight) for going just over 70 mph. This is because it was after sunset and the nighttime speed limit is 65 mph -- which, I swear, none of us in Texas ever pay any attention to. Just a bored cop, I think. Hope it doesn't prejudice too much against our state.
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    good old marathon texas. the cop made all of us get out of the car and stand there while he sat in his car and wrote the ticket. at least it wasn't 100 something degrees out. all of us have tattoos and two of us have multiple piercings, not me. i have a bunch of tattoos on both of my arms, they were visible. i think he was a little weary of the three of us, i doubt he'd ever seen anything like us.

    i ask about camber because i have seen other cars where the wheel slant outward a little bit. i had my tires rotated and the alignment checked out, i thought it was pulling to the left, and everything was ok. i had been told by other people that you should get bigger(?) camber plates to prevent the slant.
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    I think it was Marathon I got stopped...mebbe not. I was on I-10 heading for El Paso. Good Ol' I-10 radio:

    shhhhhhh.....xchkhxckhcx.....pfffffffffffft.... (as you keep hitting the "search" button on the radio)
  • texsubarutexsubaru Member Posts: 242
    Nah, if you were on I-10, you never got closer than 50-60 miles to Marathon. If it was a really ugly and totally flat place of moderate size, it was probably Fort Stockton. If it was a fairly ugly place of moderate size with hills nearby, it was probably Van Horn. If it was a really dinky place, not of moderate size, well, there are a dozen possibilities.

    And Seamus, did y'all hit Big Bend on your trip? (Figuring that's the most likely reason to be near Marathon on a Spring Break trip, since it isn't otherwise exactly on the quickest route from the Northwest to South Padre Island.)
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    we are in south padre right now. i over indulged last night so i am taking a break right now.

    we were going to go to big bend to check it out but since the cop decided to take all day to give me a ticket we had to head straight to south padre to check into our hotel. we are taking off a few days early to check out big bend though, maybe hit the river. i'll make sure to keep the rpm's under 3500 ; )
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