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Subaru XT Turbo Forester
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Comments
You'll get better gas mileage if the accelerator is not firmly planted to the floor 100% of the time. :shades:
Chuck
Thanks for all your help to the newbie. I love this car!!! Honk Honk
Stacie
* roadside assistance for the full duration of the warranty
* better resale value if sold with some warranty left over
* peice of mind
* red carpet treatment at the dealer
The last one is hard to quantify, I'll admit.
Turbos have a surcharge I think, so shop around, it might be a bit pricey.
-juice
-Frank
$300 accumulated in Subaru Bucks and 4 full years left on our Gold warranty.
In fact I could buy our next Gold warranty with Subaru bucks! LOL
-juice
-Frank
Still trying to figure out the best tires to replace the stock, lot of past discussion but no overall winner I can see yet.
Did I mention I love this car, what fun, blew past a Turbo Jetta yesterday like it was standing still. I found the goofy grin!
Stacie
-juice
Keep in mind that people will rate them differently. I want lateral grip and care more about that than noise or durability.
Someone else might have the same tires and whine all day about them only lasting 25k miles and call them junk.
-juice
I think it depends on your local and personal driving conditions.
Mark
Anyone out there in the Pacific Northwest with experience with these 3?
thanks
Stacie
I posted over there for Connor at the Tire Rack and received excellent advice. I was strongly consider a summer tire for better handling, but also wanted something that could handle driving on the beach. Connor recommended the Pilot Sport A/S's and they were an excellent recoommendation.
They're probably on par with some summer only tires, and the shoulders are great for driving on the sand when they're aired down.
Stacie - You listed about 2 or 3 different tire categories there. I would go with the Falken's because they're the most performance oriented of that bunch, but it depends on your wants and needs. The BFG's will probably be a little quieter and maybe better in the snow, and the Avid's are decent but a notch or two below the others in performance.
-Dennis
It's interesting that small of a flap can aid aerodynamics, I'll have to see if they're inherited from the WRX-Sti design.
RE: TIRES.
Anyone put any Bridgestones on the Forester?
What is the quietest tire that people have heard about or used on the Forester. Is the stock Yoko's quiet or loud compared to the others people talk about here. I do think the performance is a bit under par (squeals with moderate turns)...but I'm guessing they're better winter tires and would guess the softer compound may lead to lower noise than some above mentioned after-markets.
My driving is 85%Highway I feel at 30 + I may be looking but, so far I think they are great !!
Deadeye
Stacie
Yes, THAT dramatic. It all depends on your driving style and where you drive though. I removed my Geolanders at 12k and the edges were a little worn. I drive pretty hard in the twisties of PA and NJ (notice I said hard, but not necessarily fast).
For those that live in the land of flat, straight roads and don't push their cars hard, the Geo's might be fine.
It's kind of like using 5W30 because that's what's on the cap and what is "preferred" . If you read the manual, you'll see that thicker weights are required depending on tempuratures and driving conditions.
-Dennis
I guess any comments from owners of the 03 to the current year would be very helpful to me.
Thanks.
Steve, Host
FWIW, I went with B'stone G009's with no regrets.
Juice & Bob reported that the 06 X Forester that they drove had further improved the overall seat and ride comfort. That said, everyone is different & there is no substitue for a long test drive.
However, finding a rental Forester is likely to be challenging. I would tell the dealer that you are ready to buy (assuming you are) & the seats are final hurdle to the sale - if they feel good on an extended (say 1 hour + drive) you will buy (be sure you have agreed on the price at this point). If you are a credible, qualified buyer, most dealers will let you take a demo model or a used model for an extended test drive. Another option that has worked for me is to ask to have the car overnight. If the dealer you are working with won't do this look for another dealer - that is not an unreasonable request before plunking down over $25,000!
-Frank
The 06 is geared taller so it should rev lower (less noise) and might get slightly better mileage on trips, trading off a bit of top gear acceleration.
-juice
The improvements in the exhaust (no cat in the up-pipe) and purportedly h.p. improvement might overrule the comfort though. You could swaps seats easier than modding the engine and not risk your powertrain warranty. Some JDM Forester STi seats would fix the seat issue.
-Dennis
Don Luce
Don Luce
When I took them down to 29 or 30 psi, I noticed a marked improvement. Note that this is still over the recommended pressure on the door sill, so I figure 30 psi to be a good compromise between mileage, wear, and ride.
I've put about 7,000 miles on my Falkens so far and still love them. Too bad I don't have an XT to really push their limits.
Elliot
Just returned from a week-long trip in the Colorado mountains and put a little over 1000K in total driving (highway, off-road...yes, I was a bit cavalier with the new Subie). To be honest, initially we were concerned w/ the firm seats and shallow seat bench (mostly the rear). But after this trip, my wife and I are pleasantly pleased with the comfort. Now, I think I prefer the firm cloth seats over the softer leather in our Toyota. The rear seat bench may be less comfortable, but the front seats carrying two passengers (unless very tall people) allows ample foot space, and the seat cushion/support is firm but very comfortable over the long haul.
I would say overall the driving comfort is really limited by the road/wind noise. I think at speeds above 65mph the engine noise is easily drowned out by the others, and this is where it rates as average relative to its main competitors (Escape/Tribute/CRV). By the way, the Turbo is THAT MUCH MORE FUN when climbing those high mountains!
That being said, I still need to inspect the undercarriage for minor damages as I pushed the FXT a bit on the 4x4 trails in the high mountains....I forgot the FXT is not really a high-clearance vehicle, but it did very well on the muddy/rocky trails and the Geolanders did surprisingly well despite going over some nasty-looking rocks and holes.
When I first go my Forester it was to say the least very noisy. But 3000 miiles later I have to say while it isn't bank-vault quiet, it has quieted down noticeably. Moving the rook racks behind the sunroof helped as well.
Speaking of the sunroof, the Forester is *the* only car I've have *ever* had, where I can have a conversation at 65+ (mph not age), with the sunroof wide open.
But... nary a single problem!
Chuck
-juice
Does anyone know where the sensor is? I'm guessing I either got it wet or bumped while vacuuming under the hood (had to get the bug corpses off the intercooler grill).
Ed
-juice
-Frank
John