Subaru Crew - Modifications II

ateixeira

Painful. Sorry, bud.

-juice

bluesubie

Wow, what a story. A local guy (not a shop) is charging $200 for the entire install. He even comes recommended by Shiv so I guess it's worth it.

A few months ago I went for a test drive in a wagon. I was checking out the car and noticed a dent about the size of yours just below the "D" pillar. I let the salesguy know right away so he wouldn't blame me (not that he would).

He was shocked especially since there were no marks at all and it looked like someone just leaned against it.

Patti in the Dungeon - Please note our comments!
You may now return to the dungeon. :-)

-Dennis

barresa62

Well..I just got back from Dent Wizard in Bellevue. It's going to cost $285 for the left fender for the two dents and $99 (std fender rate)for the small dent on the right side. I've got an appt for tomorrow at 8am. It's about a 2hr job.

Stephen

lark6

Not money you'd want to spend but better than the alternative. Do take pics and let us know how it goes - they have a great reputation.

I may be headed back out Seattle way later this year - maybe for a guest lecturer gig at the U of W - so hopefully there can be more Subie time then.

Ed

ponm

When I was looking at purchasing a wrx, the subaru dealer tried convincing me on buying a silver wagon on the lot that had a dent in the identical spot as stephen's wagon. They were sure it was vandalism, but it may seem someone may have been just leaning over. I have leaned over on the side of mine to look in the engine comparement. MAn, never again. Sorry stephen about your car, I'm sure everything will work out.

jimmyj1945

Am I to understand that only the WRX has this problem, or do other (all) Subarus have such thin metal?

Jim

hypov

Apparently, the Imprezas are more susceptable.
Didn't someone swore it dented by staring at it
There's a dent on the edge of my '99 OBS when I palmed it to braise my fall.

-Dave

paisan

This is common of most cars today. They are trying to lighten them up as much as possible. I put a palm sized dent in the tailgate of my Rodeo in 97 when I tried to push it out of a rut. And that was a darn tuff truck.

-mike

hypov

hypov May 28, 2002 5:50pm
edge of the roof that is. =D

-Dave

kens

Stephen,

I feel your pain. I pinched my fender on a snowbank last winter, but had it restored by a body shop. All is well now.

Good luck,

Ken

ateixeira

It's cool, Stephen, I guess it could have been a lot worse. She'll be lookin' fine in no time.

I do all my own work and never created a dent by leaning on my fenders. Maybe those flares on Foresters add strength? I'm not a light weight, I assure you.

I might get the wife's rims mounted today. They're the ones I got from Jim's Legacy Turbo, and after a lot of cleaning they look great.

-juice

barresa62

for the kind words. I got my car back from Dent Wizard this AM. They did a good job. You can't tell anything ever happened on the right side. On the left side (the one of the pic I posted) you can still see a bit of a vertical crease but you would have to be looking for it. The only way to eliminate it would be to get a new fender. I'm already getting good at not noticing it. :-)

Stephen

barresa62

Stephen...one happy, albeit, poorer camper!

declansdad

Stephen - Wow! They did a great job. I'm impressed. Sorry about your entire hassle. Your pockets may be a little lighter, but I'll bet you'll be sleeping much better.

Michael

ateixeira

I can't notice it without first having referred to the older photo.

Didn't get the rims mounted, could not even get Costco Tire to answer their phones.

-juice

jimmyp1

hypov

OK, I've got someone offering to sell his OEM '00 RS rims ($550) with stock tires which I won't need. But I'm interested in the rims. What/How y'all would think it will look on the '98 OB?

Stephen-
looks like they did a very good job.

-Dave

paisan

Although seems a wee bit high. I'd offer $500 and see if he bites.

-mike

ateixeira

The price is high. I checked a while back, before deciding on Jim's rims, and found some WRX rims sans tires in the $400 range. Keep shopping. Those are older so I'd value them at $300-350.

Just one opinion. Keep in mind I paid $75 per rim for new rims on my Forester.

-juice

paisan

The RS rims are far more desirable than the WRX rims. There is a glut of WRX rims on the market and they don't fit the 4-pots whereas the RS ones do fit the 4-pots.

-mike

hypov

I'm still thinking, somehow today I just couldn't picture how those rim would look on the '98 OB. I guess maybe I had too many years seeing it with 5 beefy spokes and can't relate the 6 slimmer spokes.
Mike is right about them being more desirable over the WRX, and they are rarely for sale.

-Dave

paisan

Hypov and I tested the XT6 last night. With the WRX wheels and tires (5% larger than stock) we were turning 3K RPMS @ 70mph. This is with the 3.90 gear ratio diffy in 5th gear.

-mike

subearu

you have the gearing (RPM/Speed-wise at least) of the Legacy GT now, IIRC.

-Brian

ponm

I was reading an article in RACER amgizine and they talked about the price of the rims used in WRC. Each manufacture is estimated to spend around 5,500 dollars on each rim. Times that by four and you have the price of my wrx wagon.

-scott

ateixeira

So get rally rims and double its value! LOL

-juice

ponm

My wife is already mad at for me on wanting to upgrade to 17" rims. I told her I spent 5,500 a rim, she would shoot me. LOL

heatherbean

Hi! I love my GT! Oh I love it!!!!!!!!!!! Never been happier. Now I am into tuning her for optimal performance and handling. I am running stock wheels. 2002 GT- 205/55/16 and 2002 L.L. Bean Outback- 225/60/16. I do not want to change the wheel size. I love the stock wheels on both cars. Besides that is too pricy!

What I want is better handling in a safe way- not at the expense of safety and not causing oversteer issues. I like the handling of the GT a lot, but I test drove a GT sedan which had less lean on corners. I know everyone says start with good tires. I put Michelin Pilot XGT H4's on BOTH cars in stock sizes.

Next everyone says that a rear roll bar is the next choice. My question is do I get a conserative 18mm or a more aggressive 20mm? What is the difference in feel and handling? And is a 20mm too much on the stock suspension- will it cause oversteer? I did go ahead and order the BSR12XZ 20mm adjustable rear swaybar already. But if it is too much I will not risk tryin git. Please advice!

I want to be 100% sure before we mess with the suspension! I am asking about adding a rear swaybar to our 2002 L.L. Bean and 2002 GT wagon. The Bean has massive body roll and lack of steering response compared with the GT. It currently has a 21mm in the front and a 15mm in the rear. If I put on the 20mm in the rear, what effect would result? Would it turn less sloppy? Would it have less lean in corners? Would a 20 or 18mm rear sway bar do this the best? With it set to 20mm in the rear and 21mm in the front, would it give the desired results, or would it be too much?

I want better handling, not anything dangerous with a 2 year old in the car! Or would an 18mm rear bar be a better bet in combination with a 21mm up front? How would the handling vary between these two setups? How about the GT wagon (manual) with a 20mm in front would a 20mm in the rear be too much? Should I get the 18mm bar? I DO NOT want oversteer! I am trying to gather as much info as possible to make an educated choice that will result in the handling we want without any unforseen problems. If you feel I really need to upgrade the front too, then please speficy why and at what setup. Or should I leave well enough alone? A bit scared of changing it, but excited about improving it!
Thank you, Heather

ateixeira

Go with Whiteline adjustables, which let you have both. I think they are in the $120 range, anyone have a link for her?

I'd start with a conservative setting, maybe 18mm, which ought to give you slightly reduced understeer, with flatter cornering. 20mm would probably feel neutral to maybe even a tad oversteer in some situations (drop throttle).

My Forester had a 13mm rear and I went to 18mm (20mm was also available), and I'd call it about neutral. It'll oversteer in snow if I push it, but it's controllable, and wags the tail back and forth, never swapping ends. Unlike my Miata, which will swap ends in a blink if you drop the throttle.

The Legacy is bigger and heavier so you can probably go to 20mm and it'll feel more or less like mine.

-juice

ateixeira

I put a link in MTM, but here I'll paste the photo of the rims:



-juice

locke2c

Looks pretty sharp!

-Colin

ateixeira

Judges have deliberated, and technically, swapping the donut for a full-size spare qualifies as a modification (just barely). So here goes:



I used one of the 4 steel rims and put a new Potenza tire on that, RE910 I think, full size was 205/60R15 H-rated. Load rating is actually higher than the OE RE92s, so it ought to be safe.

This photo compares the donut side-by-side, see if you agree it would be unsafe to use for more than a few blocks:



Looks tiny, no? Diameter is off by an inch or so.

-juice

heatherbean

I like your new wheels! They look great! Are they Subaru wheels? They look just like the wheels on the 1997 Outback Sport. I have the postcard from Subaru of that modle infront of me. I still love my GT! I don't even miss my OBS too much anymore either. Thanks for the swaybar advice too!
Heather

ateixeira

Yes, in fact they were Jim's (from Texas) rims, basically factory Legacy Turbo wheels.

He got a set of Plus Ones, Konigs I think? That's what the boxes said, and then I bought his used rims (used but in good condition) for a nominal fee plus shipping. I'd rather not disclose the exact fee but let's just say he gave me a friendly price.

If my wife drove the way you did, I'd probably get her sways, too. But she drives at 6/10ths or less, so there wouldn't be much benefit. We usually take Sandy when we're together.

-juice

paisan

WRX wheels actually

-mike

jimmyp1

The boxes were purely for packaging OCD.



Jim

kens

juice,

Nice rims, buddy! I'm glad to know you're spreading your modification dollars to both Sandy as well as your wife's new L.

So, wait, did you plus one the tires?

Ken

jimmyp1

those 1994 Turbo Legacy wheels are 15", so he used the tires that came with the L wagon.

Jim

ponm

I just purchased a 20mm sway bar for my wrx wagon from a gentleman who had it on his sedan. When installing the sway bar, do I need to torque the bolts to a certain foot lb or just tighten them until they seem tight. I do not have a torque wrench(probably should have one). Second, do I need to grease or lubricate the sway bar in any way. Also, if anyone has any tips and have done the 17mm to 20mm conversion, please offer any tips, I would appreciate it.

-scott

kens

Scott,

I've done a similar rear sway bar upgrade on my Forester. I didn't use a torque wrench -- I just hand tightened using a socket until it was quite snug.

You should use some lithium grease on the bushings to prevent squeaking.

Ken

ateixeira

So Jim, which car has the Konigs? Or where did you get those boxes? Where they from the WRX owner that sold you his rims? If so, those boxes have traveled quite a bit!

Same OE tires, Ken. Since they were 60 series and the same width as the GT tires (205), we decided not to swap them out. They really aren't too bad at all, with a shorter sidewall than your and my Foresters.

-juice

ponm

jimmyp1

a discount tire up the street. I wasn't sure how I was going to ship them to you until the last second. I thought about just taping two konig boxes together and sending two separate packages, but the the rocker-glider box appeared above me in my garage rafters like a gift from heaven, so it became clear what I should do. It was a masterful packing job, was it not?!

Jim

ateixeira

Yes, and that reminds me of something HILARIOUS.

My wife and my nanny both thought I was getting them a new recliner, since baby #2 is on the way. They were delighted!

I had to break it to them - sorry, they were wheels. Nanny was bummed. Wife was bummed - until she saw the wheels, that is.

-juice

jimmyp1

I thought about using my Dell 21" Monitor monster of a box. That probably would have excited you!

Jim

ateixeira

Flat LCD? Cool! Oh...rims! Even better!

-juice

jimmyp1

just the 21" "television" that Dell has been offering for 3-5 years.

Jim

ateixeira

I have one of those. Nice thing is the 21" and bigger can take two CPUs at a time, with a switch right on the front panel.

-juice

ateixeira

OK, 3 more (minor) mods coming up for the new Legacy.

Got proper lug nuts for the alloy wheels. The existing ones were gold colored, and meant for steel wheels. For a cleaner look, the new lugs are chromed and cover the ends of the bolt. Should look more tidy. It was $5 for each set of 4, so I got 4 of them for a total of $20. I realize that's only 16, and not 20, but read on...

Also got alloy wheel locks. $12 for a set of 4, to complete the set of new lugs. They were also chromed and came with a key you need to remove the wheels. Should at least make a thief think twice.

Finally, got a leather steering wheel cover. Have not put it on yet, though. I found a nice one in stock at the Pep Boys near where we visited yesterday, so I just bought it rather than mail ordering one. It was $20.

That might be it for the Legacy. Just wanted to get it looking nice, without going overboard or spending too much cash. Seems I'll be able to accomplish that goal.

-juice

ateixeira

So I go to swap the lug nuts, since the existing ones were meant for steel wheels (open, gold colored). Bought a set, plus alloy wheel locks.

So I remove the old ones, replace them with the new ones, using the torque wrench and all. 20 off, 20 on. When I'm done, I put the wheel "key" with the spare, and decide to try the lug wrench. The new lugs are too big! DOH!

Luckily, I had a spare set, so it turns out I didn't even need to buy the new lugs. So I go through the whole process yet again, except for the alloy wheel locks (which fit the lug wrench fine). So 16 off, 16 on. Looks great.

But made myself go through double the work, and now I have to return the lugs. Good news is I get $20 back, and they look great.

-juice

kens

juice,

Talk about elbow grease! Well, at least you got some exercise. ;-)

Ken