do a google search ... here is is what I found quickly:
Ingersoll Rand claims that there are several distinct advantages to filling your tires with Nitrogen:
* Better air pressure retention -- Nitrogen doesn't seep out through the tire walls like Oxygen can, so tires remain fully inflated longer. * Enhanced fuel economy -- Nitrogen dissipates heat faster than air, and heat causes rolling resistance. "Maintaining tire pressure can boost fuel economy by as much as 6 percent." * Longer tread life -- Filling your tires with pure Nitrogen makes tires run cooler, which will reduce tire failure. It also prevents oxidation, which can cause tread separation and belt failure. Since Nitrogen doesn't carry moisture, it won't cause rust on the inside of rims and valve stems. * Slow chemical aging -- "Filling a tire with Nitrogen also significantly slows the chemical aging process of the tire's rubber components."
I read the article referenced above. It's interesting; I recommend it. Note that the writer reaches this conclusion:
Save your money, and keep your tires properly inflated with air. You'll get much better results investing in a small compressor for your garage and keeping your SUV tires properly inflated with air.
He goes on to suggest:
If your local tire shop has a Nitrogen Tire Inflation System, see if you can get them to include a free fill-up with Nitrogen when you buy your next new set of tires, and try it on for size. Do some real-world tests and join the debate.
A substantial engineering discussion is available at Eng -Tip Forums. You can also read Click and Clack's brief comments here.
Ingersoll Rand claims that there are several distinct advantages to filling your tires with Nitrogen:
Does Ingersoll Rand make Nitrogen and / or related equipment? Gee, I wonder why they would recommend it...
* Better air pressure retention -- Nitrogen doesn't seep out through the tire walls like Oxygen can, so tires remain fully inflated longer.
I thought air escapes through the tire-to-rim microscopic seal cracks and the valves...
* Enhanced fuel economy -- Nitrogen dissipates heat faster than air, and heat causes rolling resistance. "Maintaining tire pressure can boost fuel economy by as much as 6 percent."
Dissipates heat? The heat is dissipated OUTSIDE the tire, not inside of it. The heat on the inside stays on the inside with the exception of rims acting as heat conductors. I would bet that there is very little difference in heat conductivity between air (78% Nitrogen) and pure Nitrogen.
* Longer tread life -- Filling your tires with pure Nitrogen makes tires run cooler, which will reduce tire failure. It also prevents oxidation, which can cause tread separation and belt failure. Since Nitrogen doesn't carry moisture, it won't cause rust on the inside of rims and valve stems.
Again with the cooler tires... Moisture? Oxidation? Are you kidding me? Ever see the inside of a tire after 50,000 miles? It always looks brand new. There's no oxidation or moisture inside the tire. Tire degradation due to elements occurs only on the outside. Also, I have never seen rust on the inside of a rim.
* Slow chemical aging -- "Filling a tire with Nitrogen also significantly slows the chemical aging process of the tire's rubber components."
Again - the tire doesn't age on the inside, only on the outside.
Conclusion... Let's all fill out tires with Nitrogen, strap on those fuel-saver magnets, dump Marvel Mystery oil into our engines, and watch our cars last forever while improving MPG by 80%...
The good news is you can't harm your tires by filling them with nitrogen. If spending a few bucks per tire helps people feel better about their Tribecas, it's probably a bargain. I'll stick with my 78% nitrogen mixture. Now it's time to go out to the garage and check my tire pressure.
Nitrogen is not affected by temperature changes like air is. Result: winter or summer pressure is constant therefore the tire grips the road surface as intended and treadlife is prolonged.
Nitrogen is not affected by temperature changes like air is. Result: winter or summer pressure is constant therefore the tire grips the road surface as intended and treadlife is prolonged.
Not so. Nitrogen is not immune to the laws of physics. But use it if you want to -- it won't hurt your B9's tires.
finally got a chance to drive in a "winter conditions" as we got 15F temp and a lots of snow/sleet/ice on the streets... well it wasn't VERY bad...but... side mirrors mechanism was frozen solid for more than an hour (when trying to adjust it it would actually make it worse, tilting all the way down, and staying in that position for a long time, then finally , it would , with a loud snap brake thru the ice and become manouverable again) windshield sprayers are certainly underperforming, so are wipers (for the whole 1-hour drive, a quite large area smack in front of my eyes was unreachable to the wiper...i guess it wasn't flexing enough due to the temp...but hey...my old forester was much better in that respect... rear glass defroster....also takes some sweet time to actually clear that area.... all in all... quite dissapointing experience...and a lesson, not to buy 1st year release of the car anymore, there's just too many things that are left to "beta test"
wait you have a 2006 model and this is your first winter? did you use the wiper heaters? there is a button located on the dash. they only work at slow speeds. I would assume your old forester had that option. also sounds like you had more ice then snow.
not to sound defensive of the B9... but I think all vehicles in your condition without warming up the car and wipers would respond the same. the rear defroster is not that strong but that has been mentioned before but it does work if you give it time before driving off.
Well, if you ever read my pitiful old post, you will know that I have been the owner of a Black 2007 B9 Tribeca 7 passenger Ltd since December.
Yet I have never seen or driven this car.
Yes, my husband picked up the car with good intentions of meeting me in another state and he wrecked it. Only 2 days after he signed the paperwork.
Here is the latest update:
It took forever to get the car towed from Georgia back to Florida. Finally after 2 or 3 weeks, the body shop here received it and estimated the damage to the outside at $7,000K. I don't know what the inside damage was. They said it will take a month for it to be fixed.
So I'm thinking perhaps mid-to the end of February, I will see and drive my new car!
Meanwhile, I extended my lease one more month on my current car as I need to turn it in and now my insurance company doesn't want to reimburse me for this month. It's not considered a "rental". So I guess I need to fight it or just turn in my car and get a rental so I can get reimbursed.
I am getting too lazy as I get older to read the manual. Has anyone replaced their wiper blades yet on the B9? How do you remove them? I see a tab like thing on the unique wiper covers. I assume you push that to remove the cover?
Has anyone tried to install a Winter Style Wiper Blade under the b9 wiper cover? Just figure I would learn from someone who has done this already.
Also anyone change the rear wiper blade. I would hopefully be able to change the whole blade instead of having to change the rubber insert.
They tend to be pretty universal, and I just did some.
If you look at the base of the arm, at the end of it there is a hook. So to remove the blade, you actually have to push it in towards the base. Usually there is a locking clip that you have to push it so that it'll slide out, though.
I've changed both the fronts and rear. To remove the rear blade, you simply lift it off the glass and rotate the right end toward the glass. The hardest part is getting the arm to lift far enough so the end of the blade clears the glass. It almost feels like you're going to pry the arm off.
To remove the fronts, there is a slide lock that moves when you squeeze the release tabs on the sides. Once it slides to the unlocked position, you rotate the blade just like the rear.
thanks for the info everyone. I did finally figure out you slide the slider over and it un-clips the wiper blades from the B9 holder. You do not have a JHook but it uses the bar that normally you snap the Jhook adapter to.. But I see that the main metal body of the blades are different then standard replacement blades. They are wider on the one end of the blade and it sort of integrate in with the wiper arm cover with the clip. Its not a standard system like you normally see Juice.
So if you put aftermarket full replacement blades on I can't see how it will fit. I see the rear blade is like other cars I have had. you need to have a replacement blade with a larger opening as the arm doesn't lift fully off the glass like Kuoh mentions. so with out the larger opening you can not get the aftermarket full replacement blades on.
I think I will just end up buying replacement Rubber and just replace the wiper inserts.
Well went to Auto Parts Store that replaces the blades for you... forget the name. but they said they no longer do fillers as they had issues with them falling out! :surprise: oh well I bought a 26, 20 and 16 inch narrow refills from Trico. the 26 and 20 inch were no problem other then you have to use the refills metal as that is how they hook on to the arm. I am used to the rubber having a notch like the OEM ones. Oh yeah Kuoh you dont need to squeeze the slide locks on the front blades. just slide them.
the 16 inch (I had to cut to 14" for the rear) and reuse the metal inserts from the factory blade. that was a pain to install as you need to work it between the two unmovable stoppers on each end of the blade itself...
took about 20 mins to do all 3 blades. thanks from kuoh about how to remove the rear blade. I thought the same thing this is going to break ... but yepp just flip it around and push until it pops off. I see there is NO way you can install an aftermarket 14" blade in the rear and make it work with the arm. I had an old 14" winter blade I used on my Pacifica before and it would not fit with any of the adapters that came with it. :mad:
The front clips should lock, which is why you need to squeeze the sides to unlock and allow them to slide. If yours doesn't need squeezing, they might not have been pushed back all the way or are damaged. I don't think there is any danger of the blade falling out if they don't lock, but you might want to check just to be safe.
As for the installing the rear refill, the easiest way I found was to insert it from the middle towards one side. Once that side hits the stop, pull the tip out a few inches until there is enough clearance to insert the other end from the middle, then work it all back in. That way, you won't be trying to pull an entire insert over the stop from one end to the other. It is still a PITA design however.
I ordered OEM replacements from subaruparts.com for about $20 total, so no cutting down was necessary. Probably would've been cheaper to go the generic route like you, but I didn't want any unexpected hassles. Also, the included instructions helped to figure out how to get everything apart.
HAHA.. That's the first time i heard of a gas not affected by temperature. Did you fell asleep in high school chemistry class? The basic law of gas is (P1V1)/T1 = (P2V2)/T2. In the case of tires, the volume is the same so the above equation becomes P1/T1=P2/T2. So if you have an increase in temperature, (T2 goes up), presure (p2) will goes up. And if you have an decrease in temperature, (T2 goes down), presure (p2) will goes down.
Correct, nitrogen is less effected over the temperature range than regular air that one would see on a car tire. Hence the pressure does not fluxuate as much as it does with regular air.
I recently broke in my Tribeca in several inches of fresh snow, and I thought she did great! I could barely even get the tires to spin - I had to try to do it. I'm proud of how she performed.
The TC does substantially hamper doughnut making efforts. Turn it off and you'll see a whole different, and fun, side of the Tribeca!
KuoH
by nspringer I recently broke in my Tribeca in several inches of fresh snow, and I thought she did great! I could barely even get the tires to spin - I had to try to do it. I'm proud of how she performed.
Has anyone experienced a shuddering sensation with transmission of their Tribeca? It only happens to me after a long drive. I drive about 40 highway miles to work each day. The tranny shifts great when cold, but after these 40 miles it shifts terribly, especially the 2 - 3 upshift actually shakes the vehicle. Once it cools back down a little getting from the interstate to my house it shifts fine again. It was at the dealer today and of course they could not duplicate it. I am sure they did not drive enough. They did a software upgrade but after the ride home it still shuddered.
Yes. I am going to take mine in for inspection. I am getting the same experience, doesn't seem to matter if cold or not. The 2nd to 3rd upshift causes a mild to moderate shudder.
If I give it a lot of gas it gets worse...if I let off just as it shifts it goes smoothly. In sport mode it doesn't happen. I think with the higher rpm for the shift point there is higher pressure and thus a better shift....but then again I fix computers not cars for a living.
Is that '06 or '07? Do any of you have the optional trailer package which includes a trans. fluid cooler? How many miles on them before they started shuddering please?
I did turn it off, and it did make it easier to do doughnuts. I just wanted to point out that I think my Tribeca is a great winter vehicle, unlike what others have suggested.
mine is an 06 I do not have the towing package with the cooler and that crossed my mind as a possible solution. I first noticed the problem at 10k miles...I now have 14k.
If anyone takes it to the dealer and gets a resolution please let us know the outcome so we can "steer" our dealers in the right direction.
I have an 06 with tow package and do not experience any transmission shudders. Just an FYI to let you know its probably not normal. yes it shifts harder when cold because the engine revs higher but no shudder. even after it warms up. I have 26k on the beca.
what i noticed when driving with the snow tires on is that the beca 4wd is rear biased which is nice compared to fwd biased systems. it drives like a all wheel drive with a touch of rear drive performance to kick the rear around.
i definitely hate the goodyear all seasons that came on the tribeca, no traction in snow! hopefully the 07s have better tires.
mine shifts great cold..like you said it shifts at a higher rpm and "harder". After the long commute to work is the only time I notice the shudder....after about 30 minutes of 70 mph. If i pop it into sport mode when hot it shifts perfect, back into standard and shudddddddder. I think when the fluid is really warmed up I don't have the pressure to make the nice shift, and in sport mode the shift point is higher, the pressure greater and the shift is ok.
with your towing package you have the tranny cooler, correct? Maybe that is what I need but I sure would like Subaru to tell me that.(and supply it)
Just got my Tribeca back after some major repairs and all the mechanics and body guys commented on how well built is. Driving in it again after two months, I reminded of just how solid it is in all respects. Wish it sold better for Subaru -- it deserves to.
As juice said the parking brakes have their own pads that push out against the inside of the hub of the rear rotors. So if they are shot you only lose your parking brake pads and since the beca only comes in automatic you still have your parking pin so you aren't gonna roll away!
I am really perplexed!! Last week in my local paper (Newsday) there was an article about how unhappy Subaru mgmt is with Beca sales. They feel they are caused by several current Beca flaws (which as '07 owner I strongly agree with) and they are exterior design, blind spot, lack of engine performance and the need for premium fuel. The article went on to say that all of these will be addressed with the '08 Beca's which will go on sales this May. I'm surprised no other publication has picked up on this.
Interesting. I have only test driven it but I love the style, it will run fine on regular, and I thought it was a rocket performance wise. The blind spot is a problem, but not unique.
For other reasons I will probably be opting for a 2004 Lexus 470, otherwise this years Beca would be my choice - can't stand the design of the '08.
Randy, I've seen these items mentioned before on other sites, and it's also been mentioned here on Edmunds; maybe not this thread, but certainly in the "Future Models" thread. I know because I and others have brought it up a while back several times. It's not "new" news to many if not most of us who frequent the Edmunds Subaru forums on a regular basis.
By the way, I forgot to mention in my earlier posting that one of the very first things I had to do with my new '07 Beca was to buy a whole new set of tires. I found that driving on wet pavement the stock tires were like driving on a sheet of ice. I find it unconciable that Subaru while building a decent product would put the cheapest set of tires on the car!!
Comments
Ingersoll Rand claims that there are several distinct advantages to filling your tires with Nitrogen:
* Better air pressure retention -- Nitrogen doesn't seep out through the tire walls like Oxygen can, so tires remain fully inflated longer.
* Enhanced fuel economy -- Nitrogen dissipates heat faster than air, and heat causes rolling resistance. "Maintaining tire pressure can boost fuel economy by as much as 6 percent."
* Longer tread life -- Filling your tires with pure Nitrogen makes tires run cooler, which will reduce tire failure. It also prevents oxidation, which can cause tread separation and belt failure. Since Nitrogen doesn't carry moisture, it won't cause rust on the inside of rims and valve stems.
* Slow chemical aging -- "Filling a tire with Nitrogen also significantly slows the chemical aging process of the tire's rubber components."
http://suvs.about.com/od/tiresandwheels/a/nitrogentires.htm
I read the article referenced above. It's interesting; I recommend it. Note that the writer reaches this conclusion:
Save your money, and keep your tires properly inflated with air. You'll get much better results investing in a small compressor for your garage and keeping your SUV tires properly inflated with air.
He goes on to suggest:
If your local tire shop has a Nitrogen Tire Inflation System, see if you can get them to include a free fill-up with Nitrogen when you buy your next new set of tires, and try it on for size. Do some real-world tests and join the debate.
A substantial engineering discussion is available at Eng -Tip Forums. You can also read Click and Clack's brief comments here.
Does Ingersoll Rand make Nitrogen and / or related equipment? Gee, I wonder why they would recommend it...
* Better air pressure retention -- Nitrogen doesn't seep out through the tire walls like Oxygen can, so tires remain fully inflated longer.
I thought air escapes through the tire-to-rim microscopic seal cracks and the valves...
* Enhanced fuel economy -- Nitrogen dissipates heat faster than air, and heat causes rolling resistance. "Maintaining tire pressure can boost fuel economy by as much as 6 percent."
Dissipates heat? The heat is dissipated OUTSIDE the tire, not inside of it. The heat on the inside stays on the inside with the exception of rims acting as heat conductors. I would bet that there is very little difference in heat conductivity between air (78% Nitrogen) and pure Nitrogen.
* Longer tread life -- Filling your tires with pure Nitrogen makes tires run cooler, which will reduce tire failure. It also prevents oxidation, which can cause tread separation and belt failure. Since Nitrogen doesn't carry moisture, it won't cause rust on the inside of rims and valve stems.
Again with the cooler tires... Moisture? Oxidation? Are you kidding me? Ever see the inside of a tire after 50,000 miles? It always looks brand new. There's no oxidation or moisture inside the tire. Tire degradation due to elements occurs only on the outside. Also, I have never seen rust on the inside of a rim.
* Slow chemical aging -- "Filling a tire with Nitrogen also significantly slows the chemical aging process of the tire's rubber components."
Again - the tire doesn't age on the inside, only on the outside.
Conclusion... Let's all fill out tires with Nitrogen, strap on those fuel-saver magnets, dump Marvel Mystery oil into our engines, and watch our cars last forever while improving MPG by 80%...
Result: winter or summer pressure is constant therefore the tire grips the road surface as intended and treadlife is prolonged.
Result: winter or summer pressure is constant therefore the tire grips the road surface as intended and treadlife is prolonged.
Not so. Nitrogen is not immune to the laws of physics. But use it if you want to -- it won't hurt your B9's tires.
not to sound defensive of the B9... but I think all vehicles in your condition without warming up the car and wipers would respond the same. the rear defroster is not that strong but that has been mentioned before but it does work if you give it time before driving off.
Yet I have never seen or driven this car.
Yes, my husband picked up the car with good intentions of meeting me in another state and he wrecked it. Only 2 days after he signed the paperwork.
Here is the latest update:
It took forever to get the car towed from Georgia back to Florida. Finally after 2 or 3 weeks, the body shop here received it and estimated the damage to the outside at $7,000K. I don't know what the inside damage was. They said it will take a month for it to be fixed.
So I'm thinking perhaps mid-to the end of February, I will see and drive my new car!
Meanwhile, I extended my lease one more month on my current car as I need to turn it in and now my insurance company doesn't want to reimburse me for this month. It's not considered a "rental". So I guess I need to fight it or just turn in my car and get a rental so I can get reimbursed.
Take care!
Though I got a rental Taurus when my Miata went to the body shop, and that car was awful. Smelled like an ash tray. :mad:
-juice
Has anyone tried to install a Winter Style Wiper Blade under the b9 wiper cover? Just figure I would learn from someone who has done this already.
Also anyone change the rear wiper blade. I would hopefully be able to change the whole blade instead of having to change the rubber insert.
thanks
If you look at the base of the arm, at the end of it there is a hook. So to remove the blade, you actually have to push it in towards the base. Usually there is a locking clip that you have to push it so that it'll slide out, though.
Sounds weird, I know. Found a pic that shows it:
-juice
The J hook is a pretty common setup on Asian vehicles.
To remove the fronts, there is a slide lock that moves when you squeeze the release tabs on the sides. Once it slides to the unlocked position, you rotate the blade just like the rear.
KuoH
So if you put aftermarket full replacement blades on I can't see how it will fit. I see the rear blade is like other cars I have had. you need to have a replacement blade with a larger opening as the arm doesn't lift fully off the glass like Kuoh mentions. so with out the larger opening you can not get the aftermarket full replacement blades on.
I think I will just end up buying replacement Rubber and just replace the wiper inserts.
the 16 inch (I had to cut to 14" for the rear) and reuse the metal inserts from the factory blade. that was a pain to install as you need to work it between the two unmovable stoppers on each end of the blade itself...
took about 20 mins to do all 3 blades. thanks from kuoh about how to remove the rear blade. I thought the same thing this is going to break ... but yepp just flip it around and push until it pops off. I see there is NO way you can install an aftermarket 14" blade in the rear and make it work with the arm. I had an old 14" winter blade I used on my Pacifica before and it would not fit with any of the adapters that came with it. :mad:
As for the installing the rear refill, the easiest way I found was to insert it from the middle towards one side. Once that side hits the stop, pull the tip out a few inches until there is enough clearance to insert the other end from the middle, then work it all back in. That way, you won't be trying to pull an entire insert over the stop from one end to the other. It is still a PITA design however.
I ordered OEM replacements from subaruparts.com for about $20 total, so no cutting down was necessary. Probably would've been cheaper to go the generic route like you, but I didn't want any unexpected hassles. Also, the included instructions helped to figure out how to get everything apart.
KuoH
In the case of tires, the volume is the same so the above equation becomes P1/T1=P2/T2. So if you have an increase in temperature, (T2 goes up), presure (p2) will goes up. And if you have an decrease in temperature, (T2 goes down), presure (p2) will goes down.
Also , I was told this by someone else - give me a break.
-mike
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2006/08/03/subaru-announces-diesel-engine-for-2008/-
KuoH
by nspringer
I recently broke in my Tribeca in several inches of fresh snow, and I thought she did great! I could barely even get the tires to spin - I had to try to do it. I'm proud of how she performed.
Thanks
If anyone takes it to the dealer and gets a resolution please let us know the outcome so we can "steer" our dealers in the right direction.
i definitely hate the goodyear all seasons that came on the tribeca, no traction in snow! hopefully the 07s have better tires.
with your towing package you have the tranny cooler, correct? Maybe that is what I need but I sure would like Subaru to tell me that.(and supply it)
just curious if anyone of you guys had accidentally driven your tribeca with the emergency brake on and what effects does or will have on the vehicle.
my wife had informed me that she had driven it about 10km at 40-50km/h before she noticed the red light on.
thanks,
norm
It doesn't care if it's warmed up or cold.
It started at about 9000 miles.
It only does it when I start out slowly to keep gas consumption down.
If I give it more gas out of the hole, like merging onto a highway, I don't get the shudder.
-mike
Does the brake hold the car if it's in neutral? You're probably OK. At least it will not affect the rear disc brakes at all.
-juice
-mike
For other reasons I will probably be opting for a 2004 Lexus 470, otherwise this years Beca would be my choice - can't stand the design of the '08.
Bob
Randy