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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)
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Comments
dhd
Ross
TWRX
Ross
First, I rented a Forester last year while on a trip to Lake Tahoe. Got to drive it to Squaw Valley CA from Reno NV during a pretty good snow storm (10-12 inches in the Mountains). The car was great in the snow, and from that I would conclude that the tires were doing fine. I'm sure Blizzaks would be better, but the stock tires did fine.
My experience with RE92s on two Hondas was mixed. They were OK in snow and rain when new, but that deteriorated to "mediocre" when the tires had about 20K on them (they lasted past 60K). Living in coastal Virginia, it wasn't much of an issue for me 95% of the time, but I noticed it when I travelled into the mountains or drove up to New England during the winter (the other 5% of the time).
Craig
Regarding the OEM Duelers...my personal experience has been that it can hold its own in the white stuff and the wet stuff as long as the car is driven reasonably in those conditions. Stopping in the white stuff, on the other hand leaves something to be desired. I have replaced mine with Dueler A/Ts...specifically for Buffalo Winters...I am about to find out how well they do in 3 days.
Damn...now I need to buy a snow shovel...and winterize my car...$$$...I have been putting it off for so long...
Mike
We're looking forward to your report on how your Forester handles it!
tidester
Host
SUVs
As for OEM tires going more than 30K miles I'm impressed, normally OEMs last me about 30K miles tops and then it's time for new ones. Even replacements get replaced after 35-40K miles, just cause that is the lifeline between you and the road. Same goes for brake pads.
-mike
I have been amused by the discussion over tyres. OEM tyres are fitted to provide the best mix of performance over the widest range of customers anticipated usage. That does not mean they will suit all users in all conditions but are the best fit over the range of customer's expected uses. If an individual has differing usage profiles or demands, it is their option to fit alternative tyres. If you live in a dramatically wetter, snowier or hotter area than the average customer, you should consider this problem carefully.
In Australia, Subarus are fitted with Geolandar tyres which have good high speed tarmac capabilities combined with an aggresive tread pattern and good mud and snow characteristics. Australia has a large range of wet and snow country and Subarus are very popular for users in the high country. (The day before yesterday, I was in rainforest at 9C with thick mud covering an unformed track.) However, we get a wider range of climatic conditions in the part of Australia where I live and the soft tyre can actually become too sticky on hot days.
Yesterday was a case in point with the air temperature over 35C (95F) and road temperature well over 50C. I was returning from holiday with a fully laden car, towing a boat over winding mountain roads with frequent well designed corners. At this temperature on a twisty mountain road, my tyres suddenly became very tacky, either through melting tar or heat loading from the intense driving. This causes increased, noticable drag on the car. Should I complain that the tyre is not performing adequately at the bounds of the performance envelope or modify my driving to suit?
When tyres wear, the tread depth decreases, reducing the ability of the tyre to shed water quickly in wet conditions. Prudent drivers recognize this and modify their driving accordingly. Is it intelligent to complain that tyres wear after extensive use? Is it reasonable to allege that the manufacturer should warn of the hazard of tyre wear?
Normally, I have swapped over tyres at 50,000km or 30,000miles, when they have about 2-3mm (less than 1/8th of an inch) of tread depth remaining. This is a fair usage for a tyre designed for mixed driving conditions, recognizing that the constuction of SUV tyres inevitably will be a compromise toward faster wear to ensure greater roadholding over the useful life of the tyre.
The cost of swapping tyres is minimal compared to the safety edge that good tread depth gives. In the event that you are using tyres with reduced tread depth, you should accept that this decision is yours, and yours alone. You bear the consequence. I hope that you do not damage someone's child or property through your decision.
In making the above points, I would reiterate the concerns of others posting to these pages. The discussions have, with few exceptions, been conducted politely and very civilly. The general absence of Trolls has been refreshing. Their occassional appearance has usually indicated an individual attempting some form of scam through bad mouthing a manufacturer (not just Subaru) in the hope of winning some "buy-off". The common characteristic of each Troll has been a vindictive lashing out at anyone who disagrees with their point of view. Posters to these pages are polite but can reasonably ask whether the next Troll who happens along is also attempting to work some scam.
I am no apologist for any manufacturer as all manufactured goods have room for improvements and defects do manifest themselves. It is possible however to become fixated on a non existent problem. Those hearing such a whinger are entirely justified in closing their ears.
Cheers
Graham
Len
Ross
dhd
Len: if a semi hits the side of a car, survival would pretty much take a miracle. Its size is dwarfed by a tractor trailer, as is its weight. In fact I doubt even a Suburban would hold up in a side impact against such a heavy vehicle.
-juice
I wasn't trying to make it seem as though the Forester was at fault in the accident, I was only pointing out how scary it was to see the extent of the destruction on the vehicle, especially one that I drive every day. There certainly wasn't much left. You're right; even a Suburban would be demolished in a T-Bone accident with a semi.
Len
She is very happy with the vehicle however, one thing that she is not so happy about....the MPG that she is getting.
She wonders what others are getting. She is getting about 20 on the road OR in town. Nothing seems to change. On long trips she drives the speed limit of 65 and she wondered if that is too fast for the MPG to inprove.
Please let me know so I can pass on the info. Thanks.
Mike
paisan: Thanks for the vote of confidence on the tires. The tech at Firestone/Bridgestone kind of told me the same thing when I bought the tires but its nice to hear confirmational info from an actual consumer.
Mike
I typically get 25~26 MPG on my 98 Forester (5-speed) with 90% highway driving. The worst I've ever had with mostly city driving was something like 22 MPG.
Ken
-mike
For the record, I have an '00 Forester w/AT, city:highway about 50:50, mileage averages 22 city, 27 highway. MPG should improve as the engine gets broken in, the rings seat properly and any minute machined metal pieces in the cylinder walls are worn away.
Ed
player. I would like to add a CD player to the
exisitng system. Any suggestions? Also, should
I get it installed, or can I do it myself.
Thanks in advance!
Are they reliable etc. Also, is the Rear Window Dust Deflector easy to install or does it require drilling etc ?
Forester Mileage: I have about 2300 miles on my Forester (S Premium) -- I got appx 25-26 mpg on two highway trips. Around city I was getting 21-22mpg initially -- but on my last fill it went down to 19mpg. Could it be due to the cold weather (its been below freezing regularly over the last week) ?
I've only been able to find that the backs fold down on to the seat bottoms.
Thanks
Bob
Ross
Bob
Pal086, many here, myself included have ordered from subaruparts.com. Their prices are good and if they have it in stock, they have shipped quickly for me. I have seen other posts where people have waited. Good Luck
Excitement is because is Subaru is rarely featured in movies -- you mostly get to see people driving Merc, BMW (if rich) or Ford, Chrysler, GMs etc. Occassionaly I have seen a Toyota or Honda.
Anyway, like I said -- it sounds very silly - but just wanted to share the trivia here.
Oh -- the movie was really great and A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR !!
Thanks,
K
Joe
I want to tow a uhaul enclosed trailer that weighs about 900 pounds and the cargo will be about 700 pounds.
I wanted to know what the safe towing weight would be without having to add different brakes, and is having U Haul install the hitch, wiring etc. for $240.00 decent. Do they do a respectable job or is there a better place to bring it?
Also, the rear brake bulbs on the 2002 are the 921 style bulb. I have been trying to buy a backup beeper bulb/combo which they make for the more common bulbs. This year forester and this bulb are not available in this type of bulb. Anyone know of a good backup beeper to use when your (car goes into reverse it beeps)?
Thanks
felch
Bob
The OE CD player is about $250, so I'd go aftermarket.
A Forester was in a prominent scene in the movie "Bandits", and I think it was also in a scene in "Not Another Teen Movie", were some kids sneak out with their parents' car.
I had speaker pix, but photopoint is down. IIRC, the base speakers are cheap dual cones, with something like 10/20 watt handling. The premium sound ones are two-ways, with 20/30 watts, something like that.
Bottom line is they sound fine for a non-audiophile. Volume up to 25 is fine, before it started to distort at 22 or so, so they are better for sure.
-juice
However if I had it to do over again (or if my Yoko's were older) I might try Dunlop SP Sport A2's, a high performance all-season tire that is reputed to do well in snow also. I say this because I think the tires are the weak link in the Forester handling and I would like crisper turn-in and better dry traction than the X-Ones or Yoko's provide. Zoom, zoom, zoom.
I also came to a similar conclusion for my Forester S. The Geolandars are a good balance between price and performance for three seasons. I would, however, look at the Dunlop SP Sport A2s also if I were buying today. A friend of mine just got them for his Forester S and seems to like their performance in dry and wet conditions. He did comment that he didn't perceive a big difference in performance between the two.
Ken
http://www.dunloptire.com/products/tire.html?tire=d60_a2
--'rocco
Ross
The L's wheels are 15"x6", but my Plus One set are 16"x7". :-)
-juice
I have always driven a stick and have never had problems like this before. My previous vehicle was an '84 GL wagon - the clutch lasted over 130K miles. Even if I tried, I am not sure that I could wreck a clutch in 12K miles!
I have seen, and contributed, to a number of faulty Forester clutch threads here before and wondered whether any of you had any experiences or advice that might help me in the battle I am anticipating with the dealer?
The crazy thing is that I still love the car!
Looking at the tread pattern on the Dunlops, I wonder how much better they could be in snow. They appear to be more optimized for dry/wet handling than the Geolandars. There's less gap space as well as a tread pattern that runs perpendicular to the direction of motion. Unfortunately, most H-rated tires trade off snow traction for dry and wet performance. The only H-rated tire that I think would perform decently are the Nokian HRWs. They're pricey and hard to find, however.
Ken
Craig