Subaru Crew - Modifications II

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  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Ken, I brought mine up to max height too and now find that many other drivers find them blinding. I don't know if your fogs are like mine--I think they are smaller lens&reflector, but are they an H3 bulb. They work great for driving lights and by my eyes still function fine for fog.

    I never leave them on all the time, only as driving lights on deserted roads and fogs when necessary.

    -Colin
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Colin,

    The Forester also uses an H3 for the fogs and I think they are roughly the same size as those on the RS. Perhaps the reflector design is different since mine don't seem to bother anyone even at their max setting.

    I also only use them in poor weather or dark mountain roads.

    Ken
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    i went by the local sooby dealer to see if they had any WRX's yet. no dice. i did however see something that caught my eye. a 2001 impreza RS, 4 door (i'm not looking for a rally cross car). i talked one of the nerdy dealer guy into getting the key and opening it up. this was my first time in an impreza. i must say that i liked it. the back seat sucks but i never really have more than myself and a passenger in the car anyway. he would let me take it for a spin however. unfortunately for me they were closing, it was just after 7:00. so back i go tomorrow. he did say they would be getting wrx's in the next couple of months, but that they would not be for test drives. he hinted at the fact that i am "just a kid." dealers suck!

    i will try e-mailing rallispec again. i didn't realize that it was only a couple of guys.
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    Yea they do, by and large. Especially when the "kid" is looking at an RS. But he should know better; you never know where the next sale is going to come from.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Lucien wrote "No way Foresters are running 16X7", but he means *stock* Foresters. They are indeed 16"x6.5". With a smaller offset 7" wide wheels do fit - I have a set.

    Dan: sounds like a good list. I have most of those.

    My Forester's fogs are aimed uselessly low, even at the highest setting. An interesting mod would be a wedge that re-aimed them a bit higher. I haven't bothered because the Hellas are pretty good by themselves.

    seamus: glad to tell you the 2002's rear seat is more accomodating, the wagon even more so.

    -juice
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    i wasn't too impressed with the RS sure it was quick and handled really well, but it was just too small (i am 6'1" and 215lbs). i think i will go for a legacy GT same engine right? i can fix the suspension and body roll. i saw a 98 in the area for sale, it was black.

    the dealer guy was still a jerk today, he was a dick when i told him i wasn't impressed and wasn't going to buy the car. he just got back in and parked it back where it came from.

    i'm sure the WRX would be nice. it looks a little funny though, and the price is beyond my range.
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    You'll be happy with the GT, all right. Lots of stuff out there for the suspension, too.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The 2nd Generation Legacies I feel are far better handling than the current version. I know my dad's '97 legacy L feels far more nimble than the 2000 GT, and he only has a 2.2l engine in it, and 14" tires.

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The last gen was lighter, that may be why you prefer it.

    The WRX wagon is $23500 retail, and it invoices about $2 grand below that. Locally, one dealer is already selling for $1 grand over invoice, which would mean $22500.

    Not bad. That's in line with GT Limited pricing.

    -juice
  • kleinkidkleinkid Member Posts: 5
    When these tires wear out would the Goodyear Aquatread 3 be good tires to go to? I will only use Goodyear, so if the Aquatread is not a good choice please give me an alternative Goodyear tire to choose. Thankyou.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Haven't tried any aquatreads.

    I did own some Eagle GT+4s, and they were fair, but not great. They are expensive so I felt they were not worth the price, and later replaced them with Yokohamas, which were about the same performance for less cash.

    Check out Tire Rack's customer surveys. That ought to help.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Personally I find them over priced for what you get. I like Bridgestone, Pirelli and Yokahama.

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Michilen's are great too.

    -mike
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Your replacement tires really depend on the type of driving you do as well as the road conditions.

    For general purpose all-seasons, I've read good reviews about:

    Yokohama Avid H4
    Michellin X1
    Dunlop D60A2 JLB

    Micheliins are nice, but they too tend to be pricey.

    Ken
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    I have Michellin MXV4 on my Accord Wagon and I have found them to be a really fabulous all around tire I am really impressed and would use them again, I origionally got them at a price I could not refuse, because I will be selling my wagon in the spring and I did not want to spend a lot of money but at the same time have a decent tire to get through the winter, well these are definitely way better than just decent.
    Cheers Pat.
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    are the one thing I never worry about. As far as I'm concerned tires are the #1 safety factor (after driving style) in a car. I will generally cut corners or do without in other areas, but not tires. I replaced the stock tires on my Golf after only 15,000 km in order to improve performance and I do not drive hard, I just want all the safety margin I can get. I'll probably do the same with the Yoko's this summer although they aren't too bad.

    Ross
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Ross, the MXV4s are not cheap tires I just got a hell of a deal.
    Cheers Pat.
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    I never meant to imply that they are not great tires (I haven't tried them). Your post slipped in while I was writing mine! ;-) My comment was meant as a generic one.

    Ross
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    No offence taken i did not mean to convey the impression that the MXV4 was a cheap tire and after reading my own post I see it could be construed that way.
    Cheers Pat.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Pat: I thought your daughter was getting the Accord?

    All tires have trade-offs. The grippy ones with soft compounds don't last. The knobbier ones are great in snow but are loud as heck. The long-mileage ones are hard and don't grip.

    Some balance these virtues, but don't excel at any particular one.

    -juice
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    i have yokohama avid t4's right now and i like them a lot. they're much stickier/softer and handle better than the michelin's i used to have.

    the only problem with buying a legacy GT is that i need to find a 5 speed.
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Juice my daughter is getting my 89 LXI. (this is my baby sob) not sob as son of a b sob as in cry,I still have my 93 Accord wagon to sell actually will have no trouble moving this car it is very sought after and usually sells as soon as it is advertised. also has a premium of about $2500 over the car.
    Cheers Pat.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Those are good wagons. Not sure why Honda abandoned that market. I think it's a better vehicle than the CR-V by far.

    -juice
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Juice the 90 to93 accord wagon was in my opinion the best thing Honda has ever done, you very rarely see one for sale and when you do they all have astronomical milages people love them so much they just drive them to death. mine is mint condition with only 60,000 miles so I know people are going to be in line to buy it.
    cheers Pat.
  • bg18947bg18947 Member Posts: 184
    Does anyone have one of these on their Legacy? I previously had a Greddy unit on my Accord and found it too loud, if you want to have some quiet and didn't want to attract attention. Is this unit a cat-back system with larger diameter pipes or just a less-restrictive muffler? Is there a web site with more details on this muffler? I'm curious to find out if it is a stainless steel unit.

    Thanks.
  • tlimatlima Member Posts: 124
    I've been considering aftermarket wheels in either 16x6.5 or 16x7 with 215x60s (i.e., a plus 1) for Forester L. If it becomes necessary to use the 15x6 (205x70) spare, would any diameter differences be significant enough to stress the AWD sys?

    Thanks,

    -Tony
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    i-club is the place to find that out: www.i-club.com

    Check the Legacy Forum for info on your car.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Right under my nose @ a local junk yard. Had I thought to go there in the first place I would have saved a ton of $. Anyway, I'm getting an alternator for $50, windshield for $75, and 2 front struts, springs and mounting hardware for $100. :)

    The XT6 should be back on the road this coming weekend! Yippie!

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Sweet, Mike, looks like you hit the jackpot.

    Tony: you can do a Plus One and still keep your spare. If you use 215/60R16s, they are nearly identical (0.5% smaller) in circumference, so you're good to go.

    Also, since you have the L model, both front nad rear axles have open differentials. I went with 225/60R16, which is about 1.3% bigger, but that's certainly within the tolerance of an open differential.

    On the other hand, those with an S model should stick with 215s. You would not want to ruin that limited slip rear diffy.

    -juice
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    What a find! Glad to hear you'll have your machine back on the auto-cross circuit.

    FWD XT-6.. funny, I was just thinking about the demise of FWD on Scoobies. I am so glad we had to buy the 00 GT with AWD or I would have missed out on the, um, beauty of all wheel drive.

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yep, I'm just thankful that the FWD version of the XT6 had std. shocks/struts. They are quite rare from what I've been told (only about 1000 sold of the fwd version) I called a few auto-parts places yesterday to try to get new front struts for the XT6 FWD to replace the actual struts that I'm getting (so I'd hav new instead of 100K struts) but unfortunately they don't even make em! So now what I'm gonna try to do is use the RS struts that I got with 8K miles on em which was my original plan. If I do get the Impy ones on there, I'll likely go back the junk yard and buy the other XT6 rear setup, and try to sell off the 4 XT6 struts to someone who needs to replace their XT6 air-suspension. So far I'm about $600+ in the hole with all the extra rear mounting hardware I've bought for the XT6 so I figure I should be able to recover some of it.

    Next I may have em pull the electric power steering pump off the XT6 just to have it cause if it goes, it would be impossible to replace. Any other parts you think I should try to get out of it before they trash the car completely? I'm thinking of an extra rim cause one of my 14" ones are dented (the junker only has 2)

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The real value of what you're doing is the experience. Take photos and you'll save a few XT's lives down the road.

    -juice
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Juice whats the word on the miata? are you getting a complete paint job/ when will it be ready?
    Cheers Pat.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    $1400 damage estimate. One new OE quarter panel and door skin, one quarter panel repaired, plus one alloy wheel cap. They paint only the new parts.

    I tried working with them, but they have to return it to pre-accident condition. They wouldn't even paint the side sills white, which is silly. They have to paint it white, then paint the lower portion black over the white. So they could've just skipped the 2nd step! Less work, happier customer.

    I should have cashed out and found my own body shop. The problem with that, though, is that if something happens down the road (damage not discovered originally), I'm not covered.

    It's cool. At least they are using new OE parts. I'll look their work over with a microscope before I accept it.

    I drop it off on 2/19 and they said it will take 7-10 days. At least it'll be ready by spring, when top down season starts.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    It's hard to find a good one. My shop is a great one. I'd recommend it to anyone in the NYC area if they need body work. When I was in college and some stones flew off a truck and scratched my hood on the Rodeo, their insurance claimed it was a 1 hr. buffing job. I took it over to my place and they buffed it out in about 3/4 of an hour for me, then on top of it they didn't even charge me at all! Afterward I told my rodeo "see I take good care of you, on your left in the shop was a ferrari convertible, and on the right was a porsche 911 carrera Turbo."

    A bad shop on the other hand told my buddy to come pickup his car, and the paint was still drying when we showed up! They kept saying "it'll only be another 1/2 hr" for 4 hrs.

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You're scaring me. My poor Miata.

    After hearing about Kate's drama, I'm really afraid.

    -juice
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    I hear you all,after years of searching I found a fabulous shop one man and his brother operation, they did super work you could relay on them to do the job right first every time perfect paint match every time ,and then [non-permissible content removed] it he sold up and packed it in now I am back to square one. Finding a good bodyshop is like finding a good doctor.
    Cheers Pat.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Yep. A good car doctor.

    -juice
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    i have a set of OZ rims that this guy is letting me try out (i know him through a friend). he said i could put them on my car and give them a drive. i wanted to ask you guys what you think about the rubber he has on there. the tires are dunlop SP sport W-10, 215/45/17.

    if i buy rims i will buy a set with good rubber already on them.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You sure they'll fit? Are they coming out of another Soob?

    Subaru uses unique offsets, so odds are if it's a VW or Honda they will not fit.

    -juice
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    they are coming off of a 1998 RS i went and had them put on today. i went for a drive around the city. nice, real nice. i hit this road called lake washington boulevard. it is nothing but windy cement through a long park that stretches for a couple of miles, in other words, heaven. the tires performed wonderfully. the rims are just the right size, no off goading though, not even enough travel distance. the rims are OZ Prodrive 17x7's, or as i like to call them *%#@ing amazing. the rubber is actually bridgestone potenza's. i am getting the whole package for a good price, less than $1000.
    i guess this means the cat back will have to wait until the summer.
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    oh, I think a kewl Soob with 17" wheels will do a lot of off-goading. It'll be mostly civics that are goaded, I think. :)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Schweet.

    -juice
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Seamus, looks like a sweet deal, aint too many used aftermarket rims around for Subarus and to luck into a set of OZ well that is just too much, at that price don;t even think about it.
    Cheers Pat.
  • jackleungjackleung Member Posts: 79
    Ken,
    Since I also living in the bay area, is there any good tinting shop in this area? I saw yr car is using metallic film. Would it affect the defroster & the antenna? Also, I heard it's better to do the tinting in a hot and sunny day, is it true? Any comments will be very appericate.

    Thx,
    Jack
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    I searched for a good tint shop on the peninsula and found The Driving Edge in San Mateo to be highly recommended. Unfortunately it is not very close to Sunnyvale. They did my GT wagon... everything but the windshield including moonroofs.


    http://bitman.com/gt/


    Looks darker in the photos than it really is. They installed Autolux 50 on the front doors and 20 everywhere else. It is a metalic tint kind of smoke/neutral in color. No problem that I can tell with the antenna. Thier work is excellent. Nice folks.


    Bit

  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    As you know, I have been toying with getting wheels for the 1999 Outback wagon. Juice's opinion is that 16"=nice, 17"=rice, and I am inclined to agree. But then I went to TireRack.com and used the lil' feature that lets you see what it looks like and...well, 17" ain't half bad!

    Now I have found a set of Team Loco 142 (17X7) for sale for $300. 48mm offset. Theoretical Plus Two here would mean 225/50/17 tires. Any thoughts out there?
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    to me. I also wonder if the ride might not be significantly harsher with the 50 aspect ratio. $.02 Canadian.

    Ross
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    Good point. Your are probably right about that. I am inclined to believe that 16" is a better compromise between handling and ride. It is a little frustrating since I seem to be the only Outback owner on the planet who is tinkering with this stuff. Did you know there is not one single replacement strut for this car? No Bilstein, no KYB, no Tokico, no Koni. So there is no point in even TRYING springs (not that there is really anything there, either, although Whiteline Select Springs don't lower the car hardly at all).

    I think I'll be limited to wheels, tire, swaybar (done) and tower brace.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    That shot on the side of the road looks like a magazine ad!

    -mike
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