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I tried this, with a roughly 1/4 uphill near me. I hit 77mph going up, both before and after.
The catch is my tires are bigger, so my speedo is off. So my speeds after the cold air intake (and tires) is the same as before, though I believe my speedo is off by a good amount (5-10%).
A cop pulled me over and said I was going 60-65, when I had cruise set at 54. Wagon Pro: only a verbal warning. He saw the baby and a station wagon body and let me go - yahoo!
Lastly, my tires change the gearing somewhat. It revs lower at higher speeds, but there's less shifting. It's a small but noticeable change.
So it's hard to say, exactly, but there appears to be an improvement. It feels faster at WOT with the cold air intake. The graph a few posts back shows the air in the fender well is a good 10-15 degrees cooler than in the engine bay.
So you really quit? Does that mean you can attend Saturday events?
I'm not sure Midas mufflers are any better than stock, really. At least get references.
Darlene only sells OE Subaru stuff, so no K&N filters. She has the stock air and oil filters, and stuff like that, plus the whole SPT catalog, which is expanding.
Mike - I have an almost new motorcycle helmet that used to be my wife's. It may be small for you, but if you want to try it out let me know and I'll bring it to Fall Folliage.
-juice
With my DIY cold air intake, I've found that the engine seems more responsive from 3500RPM and higher. The engine does seem to rev more freely at all ranges, however.
When I first did the mod, I tried driving around with the hole in the fender open. I think this made the most difference in both gains as well as noise. Covering it up eliminated most of the intake noise at lower RPMs but also seemed to restrict the revs a bit. I wish there were a way to allow a bit more cold air into the fender without risking water or foreign material go into the intake.
Any thoughts?
Ken
What I did was check the bottom portion. The plastic bottom cover is not a good seal, which is good - plenty of room for air to get in.
I went ahead and drilled several holes into the plastic near the bottom, but towards the front of the cover, and in an area facing backwards, so no water splashes in. It actually creates a place for water to drain out.
I can understand why an open hole would create more noise - since the sealed fender is way over on the passenger side front.
-juice
Drew
P.S. You don't have one of those "baby on board" stickers do you ;-)
Yeah, I do need a V1!
No, no baby on board stickers. Those are for the Volvo owners, so they can prove they're fertile!
-juice
Interesting. So are the holes near towards the fog light and back past where the cover angles up into the fender?
Did you notice any improvements with the holes?
Ken
I will check out the Midas deal a bit more. I may just go with the Stromung dual tip and forget the intermediate pipe change for now. Anyone have a good link to buy the K&N filter?
Thanks for all the good thoughts and info.
All expenses for the vehicle come out of salary pre-tax as well and are paid for on a Fleet Card.
When I pay for petrol I have to give the attendant the odo reading which is recorded on the receipt. As a result I have set up a spreadsheet to keep a check on fuel consumption and the accuracy of the Fleet Card expenses.
I am recording the results in miles per US and Imperial gallons as well as litres/100 kilometers.
I have been doing this for the past three weeks (it took a while for the card to come through after I picked up the Forester). I now have figures for my last five tankfulls. The lowest consumption figure is 22.6/mpusg the highest 27.3/mpusg, average 24.4/mpusg.
I have purchased a fuel saving device which attaches to the input fuel line and works on magnetic resonance. Potential consumption improvement is as high as 20% (mostly on older models of vehicle) and the average reported is between 5 & 10%.
An aside... our fuel prices are going through the roof and our currency rate against the US dollar through the floor, so Graham and my .02c worth is now .04c.
I have one problem, my knowledge of cars and engines is such that I could write it all on the back of a postage stamp and still have enough room for a copy of the Unabridged Oxford Dictionary as well, WHICH is the many lines under the bonnet of the Forester is the input fuel line.
Once I have it sorted I will report back on any improvements or not.
Gus
You don't get a ram-air effect, if you will, but if you tried you'd get water in the intake.
Improvement? No, my plastic cover wasn't sealing well to begin with. But at least I can theorize that it's getting air from there!
-juice
That way, whatever effect it has will be on ready-to-burn fuel.
-juice
PS Keep us posted on what changes you notice.
Is that product called "Fuel Master" or something of the sort? I think I read about it on a Japanese Forester tuning magazine. They mentioned it's a US product, but I haven't seen it here.
Ken
I picked it up through an Aussie site HiClone
http://hicloneqld.com/home.htm
which is another fuel saving device that does not fit on the Forester.
This is the original (I think)
http://www.irdusa.com/FuelMAX/fuelmax.htm
I have it on a three month money back trial. I will let you know when I fit it and the ensuing results.
Gus
..Mike
..Mike
Just happened to stumble over Juice's fuel filter pics.
I would be most interested in your test results.
The FuelMax seems very similar to the units widely used in Europe to control calcium deposits in water lines. They exist in 2 variations: the dual magnets type (similar to FuelMax) and the electronic type (producing a modulated electro-magnetic field). Their benefits if still controversial in Europe. They are supposed to re-aligned the calcium ions in the water to avoid structured deposits.
If it works on the same principle and is effective, I'll try the electronic version. I have a schematic for it and it is relatively simple and inexpensive to build...
Since day 1, I have been blessed with a high gas consumption on my 2K OB, around 14.5 L/100km in city driving (OK on hwy driving). Recently SOC replaced the complete ECU and oxy sensor. The gas consumption has dropped to 13L/100Km, city driving. They had loaned me a car identical to mine for 2 weeks and I was getting 12.3 L/100Km with it, same city driving. So, I am getting closer to target with 13L/100Km...
Any extra help to lower gas consumption will be appreciated! So, if it works for you, I'll definitely try it. However, the question on the back of my mind is: if this is really an easy and efficient way to save fuel, why don't the manufacturers put these in all their cars to start with?
Pat.
Though I've had great mileage, when I drive hard the average goes down sharply. I got only 20.5mpg playing around in the sand all week, 26+mpg on the trip down.
It's kind of funny - the right foot determines both how fast you go and tells that silly computer how much fuel to dispense!
-juice
-juice
i have a 96 legacy sedan. i know most of you probably have RS' or some sort of an impreza, but please bear with me. i bought a set of H&R springs and installed them along with a new rear lowe bar and a front strut tower brace. i love the handling. i am now considering an intake and exhaust system but want to do a lot of research before i spend the money. i have been told about weapon R intakes, K&N filters but i have limited exhaust knowledge. please tell me what should be next. i just want some better acceleration/speed, but nothing too extreme (pulleys and such are a little too far for me).
Chuck, I forgot you're a Marylander. Subaru Club of America is organizing a Fall Foliage tour in Charlottesville on 22 October; details are scant on the website. I (or Lucien of Baltimore) will post in the Events topic when more is available. I went to the SCOA event in Valley Forge earlier this year and had a great time. Can you join us?
..Mike
..Mike
OK, guys, let's offer up the usual links to K&N, Amsoil, Stromung, etc. I'll let the folks who own each of these talk about the pros/cons.
For my part, go here to see two web pages on my cold air intake. Just keep in mind your phase II engine is a little different, so the plumbing will differ slightly.
There's also a link to my Hella bulbs, if you consider that a performance mod (rally folks do).
Click on the Gettyburg link to check out Justin's Super Air Flow Converter. He's done the intake and exhaust, plus the SAFC, and on the dyno he's gone from 104 lb-ft at the wheels to a whopping 144 lb-ft, all without forced induction. I could hardly believe it, but he showed me the dyno sheet!
My earlier pages, found here, have links that show my Plus One wheels and tires, strut tower brace, diffy protector installation, and leather shift knob.
That plus some of the links to the i Club show photos of more heavily modified rides.
Up next is the SPT short shift kit, which I have with me but isn't installed yet. I'll share photos and instructions once I do, though.
Then the fat rear anti-roll bar goes on, but I have to order that first. Ken's already done this, if you read up a few posts back.
I recommend doing just that. I know we're up to almost 1,000 posts, but you'll find dozens of good mod tips. You came to the right place!
-juice
PS Extra incentive to go to SCOA's Fall Folliage Tour: Patti from SoA is likely to show up in something interesting (a concept or pre-production vehicle perhaps?) and at the last event a basket of free goodies was catered by SoA, plus QSubaru sponsored free T-shirts for everyone. You snooze you lose, big time.
I have been researching this a fair amount myself, and have pretty much desided to put the (theoretical) money into wheels and tires, especially since I have an Outback (needs a little help in the cornering dept.)
Having said that, I now have a lot of useless information on the topics you address:
EXHAUST: rallispec in NJ will custom build you a cat-back (from the catalytic converter back to the exhaust tip) for around $700, assuming you can get the car to them. I haven't seen much in cat-back bolt ons for the Legacy. A Stromung low-restriction muffler for Legacy does bolt right on and might be good for up to 4-5 hp. find 'em at teaugue's auto that will run you $350 or so. Colin, our resident autocrosser and Impreza RS owner, recommends any readily available low-restriction muffler like Magnaflow or borla.
INTAKE: We all around here seem to be crazed about cutting off our snorkuses. I just like to use the word snorkus. It is the intake tube that "silences" that giant sucking sound, but runs through your fender and comes back out just behind your passenger-side headlight. Actually, I will prolly pull mine out today if I get a chance, then cut it right where it enters the fender. Why? Because that will feed the car cold air from the fender well, not hot, turbulent air from the engine bay. I have my doubts about the effectiveness on this for the Legacy, but these guys trotted out some cool graphs. I learned in school not to argue with graphs. Especially ones in color.
I don't think everyone is crazy about the Weapon-R thing; maybe it adds power because it uses the word weapon in the name. Rallispec offers something, but you must be careful because your car has a thingy called an MAF. It is an air flow meter. why it is called an MAF I have been unable to figure out. seems to me it should be an AFM, although I think the word "mass" comes into play in the acronym. Everyone here tosses the term around but I am beginning to suspect none of them actually knows what it stands for. more products that address the MAF problem can be found here.
There are lots of folks willing to give advice, and better advice than mine, I'd wager, over at i-club. Or to be more specific, the Legacy Forum in the Bulletin Boards section at i-club.
there is some good, albeit static, advice at SPD also.
Hope this helps!
(how's that, Mikey?)
Where are the modded GTs? Well, Garry from SCOA has a UR Pulley on his GT.
Fortunately, we all have similar engines, since even the 2.2l just has a smaller bore. Also, I've found that most (but not all) Impreza stuff bolts right on to my Forester.
I think MAF=Mass Air Flow, which measures the amount of air coming in.
Both of you should check out Discount Tire Direct, which has wheel specials all the time. I got 16"x7" MB Motoring MB6 rims for just $75 a pop, cheaper than OE STEEL wheels from Subaru.
They currently have a pair of MAS wheels for $95, one 16"x7" and one 17"x8" (wow, a very wide Plus Two!), and a pair of 16"x7" MIM rims for the same price. Call to see if they'll fit, 'cause I know at least some MAS rims fit.
-juice
then again, you have had no problems at all...Maybe I ought to stop holding out for RS rims and go with discount.
Anyone know of a Canadian equivalent to discount tires, tire rack, etc?
Norman
Since you didn't say you have a '96 Legacy GT then that must mean you have a 2.2L of some sort. The 2.2L used (still does, actually) a MAP sensor which is very tolerant of intake modifications-- go wild. Even if you do have a GT, the 96 used a very robust MAF sensor. Only the '99 Impreza and Forester had the sensitive one prone to failure. (Actually, the 99 2.0L turbos had it too, but we didn't get any.)
He's also right about my position on exhaust. I fully recognize and support Rallispec, but if can't spend $700 on exhaust then you can get a custom exhaust run by a local muffler place for maybe $250 for parts and labor. They'll probably use a Magnaflow, Borla or Flowmaster exhaust but results will be pretty similar. Sound will vary slightly, but none of them will turn the lovely boxer sound into the annoying "blat" of a Honda.
If you really want to improve handling, make sure you have good summer tires on next Spring. If you live in the Sun Belt, you can actually run them year round.
-Colin
For SCCA autocross, the helmets have to be within 10 years of current spec. Right now that's Snell 85, and after Snell 2000 comes out it will be Snell 90. M-rated helmets are okay. Really cheap helmets are okay too, but like I said I prefer Simpson. If you have a $50 head, buy a $50 helmet.
-Colin
LOL, Colin, thanks.
Lucien, it appears you have thrown down the HTML gauntlet. I accept your challenge. D'oh, I don't have a URL in this post!
..Mike
PS - And very nice HTML. Grammar.. well, I did see that Ramon-like "prolly" in there, but I'll let that one slide. Hey I'm j/k Ramon. You Xers. Or is it X-er's? (yes, that supernumerary (yuk, yuk) apostrophe is for your benefit, Lucien)
Ok, to throw in a worthless URL, here's the (IMO) humorous Taco Bell $2 bill story.
..Mike
I think with a Plus One, any alloy is lighter than steel, so weight isn't a major issue. But if you're going to 17" rims or bigger, it's more of a factor.
I'm not familiar with Speedline, but they may use exotic materials to save a few pounds. If you race and go with a much bigger rim, that may matter.
I'm always a skeptic, though, and just because they cost more doesn't necessarily prove they're better. They probably are 10% lighter, but cost 400% more than what I paid. Some people will gladly pay it, just not me.
Quick - spoke to Loosh and still no luck. He tried the battery and the SBF2 fuse, same thing happens. Starts up, sounds normal, then stalls after a few seconds.
He didn't even disconnect the MAF. He just lifted the air filter box, removed the bottom of it, then removed the snorkus. Sounds like he didn't fiddle with any electronics.
One catch - he did start the engine with the filter disassembled, but just for a 2nd.
What do you guys think? Bad MAF? Dirty MAF? Bad ECU?
I suggested he take apart and reintall the entire intake from the intake tubing to the MAF, and the whole air box. He's already disconnect and reconnected the MAF power harness (to reseed it).
Anyone think of anything else?
-juice
FYI : the stock Impreza rims (RS and Canadian OBS) are of good quality and weighs little. I know I have both. I'll be using my 15" alloys for autoX next year and my current 2000 RS wheels/tires which I got for cheap + only 2 months old!!! will be for daily driving.
hey miksmi, you makin' fun o me?! C'mon let's duke it out! C'mon.... mano e mano.... Your Legacy vs my lil OBS! hehehe.... What's next? My canadian accent? Aboot or about?
My guess is that you might have inadverdently pulled out a vaccum hose somewhere. The car starts and then quits, right?
Try checking allhoses in the vicinity of the airbox. I betcha one of them wiggled loose when you moved around the airbox.
Also, I haven't heard about not being able to start without an ECU reset. It might not perform as you normally expect, but it should definetly start.
Ken
Darlene
Now she is fine. A low hum at idle, better throttle response at low rpm. Not much, mind you, but noticeable. Then in 2nd and 3rd gear there is this wonderful growly howl as it really starts to, uh, suck. Again, slight improvement in throttle response. I figure I picked up maybe 1 or 1.5 hp at the most. I am so pleased with myself now.
Thanks to Juice for emergency phone help, and also to Dave @ Rallispec for being a sport and talking me through some ckecks. Thanks also Ken and Darlene for nailing the answer.
Ken/Darlene: Bingo!
Loosh: is the check engine light on? If so try the fuse reset again.
We're not only a Mods topic - but an emergency internet auto repair consultant as well! Thanks to everyone for the tips!
-juice
Good to hear that helped. I kind of suspected it was a hose since it a similar thing happened to me. I had my oil changed at a local shop (okay, so I'm lazy) I got in my Forester, cranked the engine to drive off and it dies. The mechanic had checked my air filter and in doing so, he knocked loose one of the air hoses. Plugged it in and all was well.
Also, as for the ECU reset, I've found that pulling the negative terminal of your battery works better. I've tried SBF-2 before (pulled it out overnight) but never found any evidence that the ECU had been reset. The engine started up just the same and fuel economy remained unchanged.
Colin suggested I try the battery unplug to compare and only then did I notice a difference. The engine idled much higher when I started it and my fuel economy went down (running rich?) before it made it's way back up to my normal 24-25 mpg.
The battery disconnect isn't all that difficult. The clock on my Forester is easy to reset and the radio presets seem to have their own backup battery so they don't change.
Ken
Good work, Crew!
..Mike
..Mike
'99RS wheels are the same but silver. They command a higher price, about $150 each.
00-01 RS wheels are thought by most to be not as appealing and fetch $100-150 each depending on the buyer and seller. Many sellers can't get what they are asking on these... there's a guy selling his 00RS wheels and tires for $700 on a mailing list after he posted numerous times on the iclub with no interest. (It's because the tires add nothing to the value.)
Buying any of the wheels new is painful, even from folks like Darlene. Many of the ones for sale are partial sets left after one or more wheels were destroyed and the owner bought four new aftermarket wheels instead.
Oh, and the tirerack also sells a 15x6 5 star Subaru takeoff for $85 each, much cheaper than AAARims or other sources. Too narrow for my racing needs and too expensive for winter tires.
-Colin
http://www.designtech-intl.com/merchant.ihtml?pid=50&lastcatid=8&step=4
Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
P.S. Check out the rest of the DesignTech website. They have some other nifty products.
Ken - is the negative terminal on the battery labeled and easy to find? Do you recall which side it was?
Darlene has some alloy specials, but they're small diameter and width. Still, for an older Soob they're a bargain.
ramon: I don't find that hard to believe at all. The spokes are much thinner, so it certainly appears lighter. I'm surprised they're only a pound lighter.
-juice
..Mike
..Mike
The negative terminal is the uncovered one and in my vehicle, it's closer to the outside of the engine bay. The positive terminal has a red rubber cover on it, presumably to prevent any accidental shorts.
All you need is a 12mm wrench to loosen the bolt and there you go!
I usually unplug the negative terminal and then press the brake pedal for a few seconds to enable any residual charge to go away. 30 minutes later, your ECU should be reset.
Ken
The huge red (i.e. positive) terminal cover should have given it away, but I was too lazy to look!
-juice
Still mulling over adding the Stromung to my Forester once the wheel bearing issue is settled. Did I miss something, or did you once post a URL here for a .wav file of the Stromung exhuast on a 2.5RS?
Curious,
Ed