Another nod for these as a value option. I have the NT460 touring tires on my Forester. They are quiet, much, much more than the Duelers that came on the Forester. They are better wet or dry, but worse in snow (the only achilles' heel).
They also last forever. I have 24k miles on them already and they look almost new, I seriously think they'll last long enough that I'll have to replace them due to age, not wear.
You'll have to auto-x them a bit, or let me take it for a back-roads drive! Speaking of which we need to do another one in Lancaster, that was a blast with you as my co-driver in the XT6!!!!
The lady at the Coach store told me about these and thought I’d pass it along for what it’s worth (but you have to go to a sporting goods store to find them.)
These are the gloves worn by major league ball players to increase their batting grip. Made of a special light-weight Cabretta leather, they are very stylish and won’t shrink. (The ones I got are a medium grey leather with black fabric inserts and expansion X’s on the knuckles).
When you try on a pair that fit (the large size felt just right on my medium size hands), your first thought is that your hands have died and gone to heaven-- they really feel terrific wrapped around that Momo wheel and shifter— and the improved grip definitely enhances the Rex driving experience another notch or so.
The perforated section of my steering wheel has no stitch marks on the four spokes. Unless momo got the two legs of some small creature, it looks like that section might not be leather.
My radio's been acting oddly recently, and I wonder if anybody's had similar experiences.
I normally keep the volume between 5-7. Some days, this doesn't seem very loud at all, whether I'm listening to radio or CD, and I need to increase it to 8 or 10 to hear things clearly. Other days even going to 6 makes pedestrians stare at me while I'm driving down the road.
Second, from time to time the volume will start changing of its own accord, either up or down. If I touch the knob the volume will either "snap back" to its original setting or else stop changing.
Last, the reception is still terrible. I've mentioned this before but haven't counted it serious enough to warrant a service visit. Together with the first two issues that have come up, it is serious enough.
I have an appt for the dealer to look at it, so I'm checking to see if there's a history of these things.
After only 1 and a half months, my '04 arrived. Much better than the anticipated 3 month delivery schedule! WR Blue, performance package and armrest extension included. My wife works for the steel company that provides steel for Subies and we got the invoiced discount.
The car is great! Love the '04 interior and gauges.
My only complaint was with the dealership. I ordered the car with the upgraded security system and they forgot to add this along with my options. The difference with an aftermarket system was 50 dollars that they would not refund. I couldn't walk away from the car so I settled. I didn't feel I should be responsible for the difference.
They said it would take them several hours and that it would be more costly in their labor vs. sending it to a contractor to install. The alarm system is an Audiovox. It works with the original remote and protects the trunk, interior, and engine compartment. I wondered if it was as good as the alarm system coming from the port.
I was interested in picking up a Forrester turbo but will not be returning to this particular dealership.
I have a lot of respect for you guys / ladies who can hack it out the entire 1000 mile break in period. I've gotten on it a few times just to see what she's got but plan on taking it easy the rest of the way out. I was surprised that they said no cruise control for the first 1000 also. Anyone know why?
With cruise, you would be driving at a steady speed and rpm for a certain period of time, and this is not good during break-in. If you used cruise for 2-3 minutes, it would be harmless, but anything over 15-20 minutes is not desirable.
I had fun with my WRX during the first 1000 miles, even while sticking to the sub-4000rpm rule most of the time. I would say it's OK (perhaps beneficial) to get on it once and a while, as long as you're not redlining or driving around with the tach bouncing off the rev limiter all the time. In my humble opinion, 4000rpm is somewhat arbitrary (Subaru uses the same number for all their different engines) and going to 4800rpm or 5200rpm is not going to destroy the engine. Just be gentle, don't beat on a cold engine, and don't drive at a constant rpm for too long and you'll be fine. Have fun! I did!
The idea during breakin is to vary the engine speed and load a lot. This is not compatible with cruise operation. You want constant variation in RPM and load, without overheating small areas of the engine parts that are self machining. City driving is best for this.
Breakin is when the engine parts self machine themselves by actually rubbing. This can generate excess heat, which can "burn" small parts of the rubbing or touching areas. Bad news. So, to avoid that, you operate the vehicle at much less than full output. If you operate at a constant load or RPM the engine wears for that load or RPM, and not for others. It's rare that this will cause problems, but it can - e.g. ridges can be worn into cylinder liners. BTW, this necessary friction or rubbing between parts is mostly prevented by synthetic oils, which is why most manufacturers don't recommend putting it in until after the breakin period.
All this is quickly becoming moot, however, as the newer production machinery is "micro-machining" most of the parts, so final "breakin" is no longer needed. It's still a good practise, so it's still recommended.
Jake- Kinda coincidental that the OEM remote would just so happen to work with the aftermarket. I can't help being weary but ask for the receipt from the contractor used by the Dealer and all paper work that comes with the Audiovox system. i.e. warranty, registration, etc...
Took a short trip over the weekend in the WRX. It was relatively warm and quite humid. Turned on the air... temp control cold, and fan speed low. After about 20 min. The air conditioner "froze" again. Air would not come out the vents at all, even when the fan speed was turned all the way up.
Remedy.... Turn off the air, turn up the temp control to midway, allow it to thaw out, then run the fan speed on at least med when turning the air back on and turning down the temp control.
If I had not already experienced this, (on at least two other occasions) I would have thought there was a serious problem.
The wife has a tendency to try to control the ambient temp in the car by using the fan speed. (If she gets cold, she turns down the fan speed so it don't blow so much.) This does not work when the humidity is high and the air conditioner is set on a cold temp setting. The temp should be controled by the temp control, and keep the fan running at higher speeds with the air on.
The air conditioning worked great the rest of the trip.
So, if any of you ever experience a "problem" with your air conditioning, it's probably just operator error.
Have a great day, and hope this will help if you ever have this experience.
Are you sure there isn't a problem? This doesn't sound right to me. I use the AC all the time with the temp set to the coldest setting and the fan set on "1". Never had a problem on any of my Subarus doing this.
Are you saying that the fan is seizing up? That definitely shouldn't happen.
The air circulation switch was set for outside air. (I smoke a pipe, and with it in this setting, I just crack the drivers window a little and all the smoke just blows right out, and the wife don't complain as much.) I assume, and I could be wrong, but since this happened on a previous car I had, I figured the coil got plugged with frost, thus no air could circulate through the vents. (even on high, and yes, I could hear the fan running.) The "other" car that did this was a '65 Chevelle Malibu SS with "add-on" air. When it defrosted the water poured all over the floor, since the whole unit actually mounted below the dash.
But with the circ switch set to outside air, I figure the high humidity (80+ %) had a lot to do with it. If I have my system set at the coolest setting, it really gets cold. It just stopped blowing any air at all. No setting would work, not even the defrost settings.
I know it sounds weird, but that's exactly what happened. Once it had defrosted, and the fan on high, I figure the air moved across the coil fast enough that the frost could no longer build up.
I don't believe this is normal, but rather a situation where all the conditions were right for it to happen. I'll have to see if I can make it do it the next time we're out for an extended drive. I said in the previous post that it was about 20 min, that was just a quick estimate, it could have been a little longer than that, I don't remember at which point we turned on the air.
the a/c should be able to "figure" out that the condensor needs to turn off for a short period. I had an Integra years ago which did this, they needed to change the ECU to fix this problem and it was going to be over a grand so I just got into the habit of turning off the a/c button for a few minutes every quarter hour or so! (Side note, when I traded it in to a Ford dealer for our first minivan - he saw the little post it note I had put on the dash to remind the wife to do this , so he said the a/c wasn't functioning and took several hundred bucks off the trade in value and was being a general jerk about it. He checked the engine out by just looking quickly under the hood and missed the cafe au lait in the radiator cap since he never took it off. Since he was being a total jerk, I didn't give any details, just answered his questions straight! That will have cost him a whole lot more to fix than the a/c!)
Hey, thanks for the bulletin. I thought I knew what it was doing from experience. Had no idea there was a bulletin on it. Now I wonder if it's still under warrantee. It's over a year old, and has 16xxx on it. I kinda doubt it's still covered. But I guess it would be worth a call. I'm not sure that I would pay to have it fixed though, since I know how to get around it.
Anyway, thanks a lot for the information, at least now I know I was correct in my thinking.
It's amazing what a person can find out, if they just ask the right people.
In the recirc mode, the compressor doesn't cycle on and off. On the SVX you could only leave recirc on for 15 min, then it automatically turns itself off and you need to re-engage it.
Also heard that too much refrigirant can cause ice-up.
After reading the procedures of what has to be done to fix a minor occasional inconvenience, I have elected to do nothing. My thinking on this is that, if I would happen to get an imcompetent mechanic doing the work, it seems to me that there are way too many things that could cause future problems if they didn't follow the procedure or took a short cut. If you read what all is involved you'll know what I mean. I don't think it's worth the trouble that could arise from breaking so many factory seals, it's just too many chances for future leaks and problems.
The information is greatly appreciated though, and I would like to thank Jim for sharing it with me.
I agree that the AC is better left alone. Knowing the nature of problem should be enough to keep it from happening. As a GI Joe said, "knowing is half the battle!"
Better to keep everything intact than to invite the gremlins in for a romp.
I remember reading a while back someone found a place selling wrx my '02-'03 mesh fog light covers (sti replica) for something like $40/pair. I checked at NASIOC but haven't gotten a response. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!
I'm in NYC today and saw an ad in the Post. Auto Network Subaru in Queens is advertising 2004 WRX with 5spd, P/W/L, prem sound pkg., Electro Compass Mirror, AM FM CD, Armrest Extension, rear spoiler and more. MSRP $26,132--sale price $23,595. Includes destination and they deliver! They show a 2003 picture but the ad says brand new 2004.
I have a similar deal worked out in NJ on an '04 WRX which I sould be picking up tomorrow. Basically I'm paying invoice for the car and all accessories and getting a fair deal on my trade. To top it off I'm also financing through Subaru at 3.9% for 60 months (incentive runs through 6/30/03).
Sounds like that's what the Post ad is offering. It was a pretty easy deal to get -- I think the sluggish economy is working in our favor. At any rate, you should be able to get a similar deal just about anywhere (as long as the dealer isn't too slimey!)
It's a good idea to spec out the car with the options you want here on Edmunds and then expect to pay the invoice price they list (not TMV) for the car. I even created a printout for the dealer that listed the car and options and the price I wanted to pay for each item (the Edmunds listed invoice price). They said okay. It was easy.
Thanks for the info. I'm in Indiana so I'm just using that ad as a gauge for what I should pay. I'll work the local dealers and then head to Illinois or Ohio and go from there.
For possible wheel upgrade for my sedan WRX. Saw a good deal on 17x7.0" wheels. The problem is the offset is 42mm. On 215x45x17s there should not be any rubbing (so I was told). What about with 225s? Just curious, because ideally I would be interested in upgrading the tires to 225s in the future.
Finally, are 225x40X18s that much poorer riding than 225x45x17s? Just curious. I do a great deal of highway driving.
When I selected the profile, it was either an Impreza or a WRX STi, with no WRX option, guess which one I selected. ;-)
Also, since the offset is how far the holes in the rim are from the center of the rim, if a lesser offset fits, wouldn't this be fine? I guess what I am asking, besides rubbing, what do I risk with a lesser offset?
Thank you for the advice though. Your replies are appreciated. :-)
I have 48mm offset on my wagon and the front tires are close to the fender. There is a fit issue but the leverage on the bearings as well as the change in suspension geometry may be areas to think about.
Cobb update...I have either gotten used to the harsher noises or they have quieted down. The car is smoother and my last tank of gas was 24.77 mpg which is right in line with what I have been getting prior to the reflash. Considering that I have been driving the car harder leads me to believe some reports of 1 mpg improvement with the reflash.
In the engine compartment behind the airbox is a black plastic panel with two thumb screws. Under it you will see a connector (maybe 8 to 12 inches down) that you can disconnect. I didn't want to leave mine hanging so I have the male and female ends connected but not snapped in.
While driving home this morning(having been at the Subaru dealer shopping the '04 WRX, coincidentally), I happened to look at a car transporter in a shopping center parking lot.
What caught my eye was a couple of Forresters. On closer inspection, I saw 4 factory new STi's! I dove into the parking lot and sat there drooling. These were the first I've seen in Indy. There were two blue, one each silver and black.
There was no one around the truck. It would have been soooooo easy...TC
Went over to www.nasioc.com and was able to read a little on the wheel offsets. The problem with going with a wheel offset too far from the manufacturer's suggested (that means going with a 42 for 7" or 7.5" wide rim) could possibly damage the wheel bearings.
Also reading where unless you get very light 17" rims (ex. some SSRs) you loose performance (maybe gain a little in handling though) with the wheels.
This would be substantiated from magazines getting a 0-60 around 5.8 with 16" wheels, while getting 0-60 of 6.3 with the BBS 17" wheels that weigh the same.
In other words, the only reason to go to a 17" or 18" is for looks.
Kevin111...I am not sure about the 18" wheels but the 17's provide more than looks. The 215/45's actually lower (higher numerically) your overall gear ratio...and if you go to a lighter wheel than you will actually get better acceleration. As far as handling...there is no comparison to the stocks...the car feels like it corners flatter because the tires don't roll over onto the sidewalls and they stick so much better ( I know almost anything will stick better than the re92's)
As for an actual .5 second difference due to wheels...I don't think that much of a difference can be attributed to the change in wheels alone whether going to the 215's or 225's. Just my opinion.
Before I got my 17" Rota's on ebay, I researched the wheels and came to the conclusion that a light 16 x 7.5 wheel with 225/50 tires might be a good tradeoff of performance and ride. The cost of ssr's and good tires was too high for me but if I had the money that is what I would try.
I have seen Rota 17's (16 to 17 lbs) with a 48mm offset being sold for around 550 a set (subarustore.com)...will improve more than looks. Just make sure to get wheels that have 48mm or more offset.
Looks are important to me but I am primarily seeking performance gains and I didn't want you to end your upgrades with the conclusion that 17 and 18 inch wheels are for looks only.
Also, appreciate the constant updates on the Cobb reflash. Something for me to consider down the road. Will also look into XS since they are in SoCal.
"Looks are important to me but I am primarily seeking performance gains and I didn't want you to end your upgrades with the conclusion that 17 and 18 inch wheels are for looks only."
- exactly what I am looking for, though looks might be close to the same level as performance.
Comments
They also last forever. I have 24k miles on them already and they look almost new, I seriously think they'll last long enough that I'll have to replace them due to age, not wear.
-juice
-mike
These are the gloves worn by major league ball players to increase their batting grip. Made of a special light-weight Cabretta leather, they are very stylish and won’t shrink. (The ones I got are a medium grey leather with black fabric inserts and expansion X’s on the knuckles).
When you try on a pair that fit (the large size felt just right on my medium size hands), your first thought is that your hands have died and gone to heaven-- they really feel terrific wrapped around that Momo wheel and shifter— and the improved grip definitely enhances the Rex driving experience another notch or so.
I need gloves for my Miata for top-down driving when it's cold. I'll look for those, thanks.
-juice
I normally keep the volume between 5-7. Some days, this doesn't seem very loud at all, whether I'm listening to radio or CD, and I need to increase it to 8 or 10 to hear things clearly. Other days even going to 6 makes pedestrians stare at me while I'm driving down the road.
Second, from time to time the volume will start changing of its own accord, either up or down. If I touch the knob the volume will either "snap back" to its original setting or else stop changing.
Last, the reception is still terrible. I've mentioned this before but haven't counted it serious enough to warrant a service visit. Together with the first two issues that have come up, it is serious enough.
I have an appt for the dealer to look at it, so I'm checking to see if there's a history of these things.
DjB
-juice
-mike
The car is great! Love the '04 interior and gauges.
My only complaint was with the dealership. I ordered the car with the upgraded security system and they forgot to add this along with my options. The difference with an aftermarket system was 50 dollars that they would not refund. I couldn't walk away from the car so I settled. I didn't feel I should be responsible for the difference.
Jake
Craig
What aftermarket alarm system did they put in? The brand should be on the FOBs.
-Dave
I was interested in picking up a Forrester turbo but will not be returning to this particular dealership.
I have a lot of respect for you guys / ladies who can hack it out the entire 1000 mile break in period. I've gotten on it a few times just to see what she's got but plan on taking it easy the rest of the way out. I was surprised that they said no cruise control for the first 1000 also. Anyone know why?
Jake
I had fun with my WRX during the first 1000 miles, even while sticking to the sub-4000rpm rule most of the time. I would say it's OK (perhaps beneficial) to get on it once and a while, as long as you're not redlining or driving around with the tach bouncing off the rev limiter all the time. In my humble opinion, 4000rpm is somewhat arbitrary (Subaru uses the same number for all their different engines) and going to 4800rpm or 5200rpm is not going to destroy the engine. Just be gentle, don't beat on a cold engine, and don't drive at a constant rpm for too long and you'll be fine. Have fun! I did!
Craig
Breakin is when the engine parts self machine themselves by actually rubbing. This can generate excess heat, which can "burn" small parts of the rubbing or touching areas. Bad news. So, to avoid that, you operate the vehicle at much less than full output. If you operate at a constant load or RPM the engine wears for that load or RPM, and not for others. It's rare that this will cause problems, but it can - e.g. ridges can be worn into cylinder liners. BTW, this necessary friction or rubbing between parts is mostly prevented by synthetic oils, which is why most manufacturers don't recommend putting it in until after the breakin period.
All this is quickly becoming moot, however, as the newer production machinery is "micro-machining" most of the parts, so final "breakin" is no longer needed. It's still a good practise, so it's still recommended.
Kinda coincidental that the OEM remote would just so happen to work with the aftermarket.
I can't help being weary but ask for the receipt from the contractor used by the Dealer and all paper work that comes with the Audiovox system. i.e. warranty, registration, etc...
-Dave
Jake
Craig
Turned on the air... temp control cold, and fan speed low. After about 20 min. The air conditioner "froze" again.
Air would not come out the vents at all, even when the fan speed was turned all the way up.
Remedy.... Turn off the air, turn up the temp control to midway, allow it to thaw out, then run the fan speed on at least med when turning the air back on and turning down the temp control.
If I had not already experienced this, (on at least two other occasions) I would have thought there was a serious problem.
The wife has a tendency to try to control the ambient temp in the car by using the fan speed. (If she gets cold, she turns down the fan speed so it don't blow so much.)
This does not work when the humidity is high and the air conditioner is set on a cold temp setting. The temp should be controled by the temp control, and keep the fan running at higher speeds with the air on.
The air conditioning worked great the rest of the trip.
So, if any of you ever experience a "problem" with your air conditioning, it's probably just operator error.
Have a great day, and hope this will help if you ever have this experience.
Ken
Are you saying that the fan is seizing up? That definitely shouldn't happen.
Craig
-mike
Craig
When it defrosted the water poured all over the floor, since the whole unit actually mounted below the dash.
But with the circ switch set to outside air, I figure the high humidity (80+ %) had a lot to do with it. If I have my system set at the coolest setting, it really gets cold. It just stopped blowing any air at all. No setting would work, not even the defrost settings.
I know it sounds weird, but that's exactly what happened. Once it had defrosted, and the fan on high, I figure the air moved across the coil fast enough that the frost could no longer build up.
I don't believe this is normal, but rather a situation where all the conditions were right for it to happen. I'll have to see if I can make it do it the next time we're out for an extended drive. I said in the previous post that it was about 20 min, that was just a quick estimate, it could have been a little longer than that, I don't remember at which point we turned on the air.
Ken
There's a TSB on this. Apparently it has to do with the type and the position of the thermosensor. Check out the PDF:
http://152.122.48.12/prepos/files/Artemis/Public/TSBs/2003/SB-100- 01350-2224.pdf
-jim
(Side note, when I traded it in to a Ford dealer for our first minivan - he saw the little post it note I had put on the dash to remind the wife to do this , so he said the a/c wasn't functioning and took several hundred bucks off the trade in value and was being a general jerk about it. He checked the engine out by just looking quickly under the hood and missed the cafe au lait in the radiator cap since he never took it off. Since he was being a total jerk, I didn't give any details, just answered his questions straight! That will have cost him a whole lot more to fix than the a/c!)
Anyway, thanks a lot for the information, at least now I know I was correct in my thinking.
It's amazing what a person can find out, if they just ask the right people.
Have a great one!
Ken
-Dennis
Also heard that too much refrigirant can cause ice-up.
-mike
The information is greatly appreciated though, and I would like to thank Jim for sharing it with me.
Thanks again,
Ken
Better to keep everything intact than to invite the gremlins in for a romp.
-jim
Anyone else see prices like this? TC
Sounds like that's what the Post ad is offering. It was a pretty easy deal to get -- I think the sluggish economy is working in our favor. At any rate, you should be able to get a similar deal just about anywhere (as long as the dealer isn't too slimey!)
It's a good idea to spec out the car with the options you want here on Edmunds and then expect to pay the invoice price they list (not TMV) for the car. I even created a printout for the dealer that listed the car and options and the price I wanted to pay for each item (the Edmunds listed invoice price). They said okay. It was easy.
Good luck!
-jim
Take care.TC
Finally, are 225x40X18s that much poorer riding than 225x45x17s? Just curious. I do a great deal of highway driving.
Also, since the offset is how far the holes in the rim are from the center of the rim, if a lesser offset fits, wouldn't this be fine? I guess what I am asking, besides rubbing, what do I risk with a lesser offset?
Thank you for the advice though. Your replies are appreciated. :-)
Cobb update...I have either gotten used to the harsher noises or they have quieted down. The car is smoother and my last tank of gas was 24.77 mpg which is right in line with what I have been getting prior to the reflash. Considering that I have been driving the car harder leads me to believe some reports of 1 mpg improvement with the reflash.
What caught my eye was a couple of Forresters. On closer inspection, I saw 4 factory new STi's! I dove into the parking lot and sat there drooling. These were the first I've seen in Indy. There were two blue, one each silver and black.
There was no one around the truck. It would have been soooooo easy...TC
-jim
Also reading where unless you get very light 17" rims (ex. some SSRs) you loose performance (maybe gain a little in handling though) with the wheels.
This would be substantiated from magazines getting a 0-60 around 5.8 with 16" wheels, while getting 0-60 of 6.3 with the BBS 17" wheels that weigh the same.
In other words, the only reason to go to a 17" or 18" is for looks.
Again, thank you for the link. Was very helpful.
As for an actual .5 second difference due to wheels...I don't think that much of a difference can be attributed to the change in wheels alone whether going to the 215's or 225's. Just my opinion.
Before I got my 17" Rota's on ebay, I researched the wheels and came to the conclusion that a light 16 x 7.5 wheel with 225/50 tires might be a good tradeoff of performance and ride. The cost of ssr's and good tires was too high for me but if I had the money that is what I would try.
I have seen Rota 17's (16 to 17 lbs) with a 48mm offset being sold for around 550 a set (subarustore.com)...will improve more than looks.
Just make sure to get wheels that have 48mm or more offset.
Looks are important to me but I am primarily seeking performance gains and I didn't want you to end your upgrades with the conclusion that 17 and 18 inch wheels are for looks only.
Don
"Looks are important to me but I am primarily seeking performance gains and I didn't want you to end your upgrades with the conclusion that 17 and 18 inch wheels are for looks only."
- exactly what I am looking for, though looks might be close to the same level as performance.
BTW, what rims did you end up getting?