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-mike
she wants cruise control & most used ones are w/o. I called Rayco this morning and they said "no one" aftermarket installs cruise any longer.
Any suggestions? Leads? Thanks.
Also: web address for QSubaru, please?
Take care.
Joe W.
Drew, I think "ignorant" is a bit of a harsh description for me forgetting to turn on my headlights on that Lumina that I rented =p
I'm cruising along, it slowly gets dark, I casually note that the headlights (DRL) were on, and the dash lights were on, so I figured all of the lights were all on. Why would I think otherwise, unless I owned the car, or DRLs were on all cars by law, or the rental agency explained DRLs? Also, in my Volvo 740, at that time, I never touched the headlight switch --just left it ON all the time, since the lights would turn on/off with the ignition.
People forget to turn off their blinkers all of the time, even having a blinking light and noise to tell them. The Lumina's DRL setup provided no indication except the headlight switch position, which is not in immediate view while driving.
And no, there was no sensor that turned on the dash lights when it got dark out. They were linked to the DRLs, which turned on when the emergency brake was released.
I guess I'm sounding too defensive=) My point really was that they could so easily have designed the DRLs not to fool some of the people some of the time into putting themselves into a dangerous position (no marker lights at night). It sounds, though, that they have fixed this issue.
cburian, FWIW myself and my wife think the seats are pretty comfortable.
DaveC.
FWIW, some vehicles (GM and Ford, I think), now have small idiot light which state "Daytime running lamps on", or "DRLs on". Some people may or may not like these indicators though.
Drew
Bob
(reluctantly getting into DRL issue): I live in an area with a lot of fog, and surprisingly many folks don't turn on their lights. I think mandatory DRLs are a great idea; granted, good drivers don't need them (lights on), but it protects us against those for whom natural selection hasn't kicked in (yet).
What's the use of fog lights that you need to have the headlights engaged to use? The point of fog lights as I have read, is that they shoot the light lower than the fog or at least lower than the bumper so that you can see in the fog. With the DRLs on, or requiring headlights on at all, in order to use fogs defeats the purpose. DC allows the fogs on when you have the parking lights engaged, which I believe would be ideal. So if you must have DRLs either do the turn signal DRLs or if you turn your parking lights on, it turns off the DRLs, and as long as you have the parking lights on, you should be able to activate the Fog lamps. Or you should get rid of them completely (although I know that won't happen cause they are trendy...)
-mike
The tail lights were not on, only the headlights (didn't notice that it was the high beams) and dash lights. I went and looked because I was aghast after the 2nd time I forgot to turn the switch. This was a few years back...probably a '95 or '96 Lumina. I guess it is personal preference. I never forget to turn on the OB's headlights, and this is partially because I look at the gauges a lot, and when the outside light gets a little dim, I get 'triggered' to turn on the headlight switch. So I think that setup is fine...no need for a idiot light or anything.
Mike: The law in CA is that you must have the low beams on if you want to turn on the fog lights, and when high beams are on, no other lights (driving or fog) can be on. One purported argument for this is that your low-down fog or driving lights cannot be seen by approaching cars over even the slightest rise in the road. Not 100% sure of the details of that law, but I've driven thru blinding snowstorms and thule fog at Lake Tahoe in a car that I wired to let me turn on just the foglights and I agree with you --it worked much better than also having the glaring low beams on. Another law written by an ignorant lawmaker who has never driven in heavy fog or snow...
DaveC
Earthquakes
Riots
Mudslides
Brush Fires
and now
Idiotic Fog/driving Light rules....
-mike
-Frank P.
-Frank P.
2) Any info re: aftermarket installation of cruise control on Foresters?
Take care.
Joe W.
Just a joke!
Anyway, why does no one mention REAR fog lights. This is something available on many european cars. I have not yet seen this here in America. There are so many cases where water/snow spray completely covers a car and the regular rear lights are not sufficient to make the car visible.
Daniel
On insurance, quotes can vary wildly. I pay less for my Forester than my wife pays for her older 626, though hers is the V6. If you're a Costco member, check out the Executive Member program. You qualify for discounted insurance - we're saving $300 per year or so.
tlima: congrats. Any photos to share?
paisan: we are considering an SIA plant tour for the spring, depending on interest. Hop over to the Events topic.
Towing: I think the H4 can pull a ton, and I agree about the brake requirement being a hassle. Why not offer a towing package, with rear disc brakes (for the L model), a tranny cooler, and the hitch? Maybe even bigger front brakes to eliminate that requirement.
Frank: 30+mpg, with A/C? You got me!
-juice
-mike
For Northern CA, I can partially refute:
>earthquakes (nothing big in 11 years, cross my fingers)
>Brush Fires (all the 8 westernmost states have major fires, actually, esp Montana)
>idiotic Fog/driving Light rules (I don't think CA is the only state with this rule, but it is stupid)
>driving in A fog (hmm I've seen crappy drivers just about everywhere in the world)
TOWING: I don't think tow ratings have much to do with engine size. My '86 Volvo 740 had a 114 hp 2.3 liter inline 4, weighted 4000 lbs, and was rated for 3500 lbs towing. I towed a 2800 lb trailer/boat (which incidentally had trailer brakes) many miles at a time, AC on, 60 mph over rolling hills, and the engine temp gauge didn't even budge! Had a tranny oil cooler just to be safe. It wasn't a joy to drive with that much weight, but it worked fine. So the OB should be a piece o' cake to tow 2000 lbs with 165 hp!
Speaking of Volvo, yep, it had rear fog lights and that was sweet! They are basically completely separate, red lensed, 22 watt bulbs that had a focused reflector to aim the light at somebody driving directly behind you. Worked like a charm in heavy dark rain, snow, spray, tule fog, etc. Yep, it coulda had just one, but two is even more visible. Plus, the three brake lights were entirely separately illuminated.
DaveC.
Bob
I like the anti-fog light law. It keeps the rednecks here from driving down the road with 1.21 gigawatts of foglight pointed right at your eyes.
-Bryan
Bit < Californian (qualify because I've been here over 20 years)
Take care.
Joe W.
Jerry
For some reason, the extent of desire to illuminate with front or rear fog lights seems to be inversely proportional to male hardware size.
Cheers
Graham
Frank
-mike
Frank: 100k is nothing. ISR Subaru has a quarter-million mile club!
Well, I spent a long weekend on the Forester, and have added nearly a dozen pages to my site. Look here for the new additions.
I finally added the fender flares that were sitting in my shed, and I love them. The bonus was that they covered a door ding I had.
This morning someone I work with saw my Forester and didn't recognize it, then asked "didn't you own a station wagon?"
I also installed the interior air filtration system, which is about the easiest thing I've done. Just remove a cut out with a utility knife, screw it two brackets, slip the filter in, and then close the cover.
It's so simple Subaru should just make it standard. I have asthma and allergies, so hopefully this will help.
Hella xenons were next. Per Ken's advice, I ordered a set and installed them. Easy as pie and a noticeable improvement, but see for yourself. For $27 it's worth it.
Then I did the 30k service, including oil change, PCV valve, fuel filter, fuel additive, radiator flush and fill, and air filter. I took photos and shared several tips for these.
The horn swap was a bit humbling. You'll recall I mentioned there was not a significant difference in the note? Well, there was NONE, because I swapped the wrong horn! Can you say "placebo effect"?
There are 2, one behind the grille for the alarm (I guess) and one behind the passenger side head light for the main horn.
I certainly do notice a difference now! The "beep-beep" is now a deeper "honk-honk". Though still not the deepest I've heard, it's a significant improvement for $10 (Highway Blaster, from Pep Boys).
Enthusiasts can also check out my custom made cold-air intake, thanks to Ramon's and Colin's tips. Better yet, it cost ZERO and I can notice a difference already.
Whew. Sorry for the long post, hope you guys like the new pages.
-juice
PS All items were from QSubaru, except the Hella Xenons (Susquehana Motorsports) and the horn (Pep Boys)
I agree with your comments, particularly those regarding companies setting limits to cover liability.
I have been towing recreationally for about 15 years, with various vehicles and trailers. Caution, and SMOOTH actions are the rule, but some vehicles are just better at towing than others.
Which brings me back to my original questions regarding real world towing experiance with Forester or OB. I appreciate all of the thoughtful responses, but I must conclude that folks don't tend to purchase Subarus as tow vehicles.
On the other hand, given that my current needs are pretty mild (I used to tow my boat with a Toyota PU with 2.4 liter 4), I'm inclined to think the Forester would be up to the task. Maybe I will start a new trend. I'll keep y'all posted.
BTW - I'm disappointed at the loss of the Brighton model. My wife just bought one, and it is an ideal family car for those on a budget, or just not interested in a $1-2K upcharge for "luxury" items like CD, roof rack, electric locks, 4wheel disk brakes. Oh well, the politics of big business.
Thanks for the link. I guess I always loved those "high mileage" badges that the European higher end cars would sport. Since I never saw any on Subaru's (or any Japanese brand car) for that matter I was just just curious if the Subaru club, or anyone had something like that. Maybe a decal for the window or something. (I understand that 100K is a modest goal for a Subaru but if you encourage everyone to try and hit 250K, how can you sell them new cars?)
-mike
Frank: good point. ISR is a tuner shop, not part of SoA.
paisan: yep, mine are drums
Hey, maybe I could retrofit some discs for my next project...nah, I need a break!
-juice
PS That remind me, the SCOA event on Saturday is also a parts swap, so who knows? Maybe I'll find a set of rear discs after all.
You prompted a question.
The Brighton was advertised with single channel ABS, while all of the other models have 4 channel ABS. I assume this just means that on the Brighton all 4 brakes are modulated together, while on the others they are modulated independantly. In either case, all Subarus have ABS as standard equipment. Do you know whether I am correct on this? I haven't tested the ABS system on the Brighton yet. (FWIW - I commute in my S10 PU, and due to the way I drive the ABS gets a workout routinely. Hard on the brake into a bend, gravel on the inside of the corner, front inside tire loses traction, brake peddle starts pulsing while truck holds course. Love it!)
When installing RAM in a computer recently, I took the old module out and then somehow managed to confuse it with the new one. Put the old module back in the computer, and the new module back into the static bag. Upon re-boot, I was a bit boggled by things and started down the long road of troubleshooting until I realized what I'd done. It was worth a good forehead smack . . . .
Craig
Yes, rear brakes are drums on the Forester L. Although I would rather have all disc, I have owned cars with rear-drums without problems. I believe stopping distance on Forester L is only 1 foot longer from 60mph compared to S.
-tlima
On that "snorkus", was that bulbous gourd-looking thing on the bottom a large hollow chamber? Was it connected (open) to the snorkus pipe? Did there appear to be any butterfly valves inside the snorkus at all?
I'm trying to rationalize the intent of the original serpentine duct design, and the only thing I can figure is that it was set up to reduce noise, unless there was some sort of valve in there to also control airflow.
I'm curious how the engine will handle any additional airflow that you added with your new setup. Do you know if there is a computer controlled valve somewhere else in the air intake system? If so, that may keep the flow rate regulated no matter what you do upstream. Regardless, the reduction in airflow temperature should help more than anything else.
Very cool! I'd like to hear more details about this project.
Craig
-mike
Dave C- Not to trash CA but not having a "big" earthquake in 11 years is hardly a selling point (FYI: I was in Northern CA during the 89 World Series quake). In comparison, most other places in the country haven't had a significant quake in thousands of years.
Juice- Nice photos and instructions. How bout an updated shot of your Forester in profile so we can see the full effect of the new wheels and fender flares? Re your horn...the Forester comes with two OE horns. One each HI and LOW tone which are used for both alarm and reg horn. I replaced mine with the conch type but was disappointed with the results. Yeah there's a diff, but not a major one. That's why I sprung for the Hella Super Tones. They are considerably louder but (IMHO) not significantly enough to justify the cost of horns plus pro install.
-Frank P.
Looking forward to being with you all!
Although I predict that both these vehicles will be plagued with mechanical problems (based on my own bad Ford experience), I still think it's a very serious competition to Forester, and SOA should come up with a strong response ("Grand Forester") asap.
That is great mileage. I did get a little better than 27 on a few occasions with my 2000 Outback Ltd.(AT) Generally it is in the 25-26 range.
As an aside I have been useing Priceline.com for gas latest price was $1.44 for regular and $1.54 for premium (required on my supercharged Buick Riviera).
Jerry
Craig
While RAV4s and CRVs may take the brunt the sales loss caused by the Escape/Tribute, I really think at Subaru/Mazda (or Subaru/Ford - there's one in Frederick, MD) dealerships, the Forester is going to take a beating.
I'd be really curious as to how Subaru is going to counter the Escape/Tribute, in terms of sales strategy.
Bob
tlima: I imagine rear discs will help more than a foot, but of course there are many factors that affect overall braking distance. I think the Forester S holds C&D's crown for best brakes ever on an SUV.
Thanks for the praise, it was a lot of work!
The snorkus was totally hollow, and seems pretty pointless. Suck in hot air, store it, route it inefficiently, then deliver the hot air.
You're right on target - it was designed to reduce noise. But at normal throttle positions, it makes no difference. At full throttle it does most definitely, but in that situation I LIKE to hear intake noise!
The key on my intake is the mass airflow sensor, which is down stream of my mod, so that means the computer will compensate by adding more fuel if needed, hence added performance is possible, at least in theory.
I'd say I can feel it, but the horn had me fooled too! Let's just say it "feels" faster. I have to run up that hill by my house, and compare speeds before/after.
Frank: I disconnected one horn at a time. In mine, only the one behind the headlight works. Perhaps because mine is a '98? Even so, what's the 2nd horn for? The alarm on Ken's '98 Forester is behind the intake, so these are two separate horns, not from the alarm.
Now I'm confused! But the horn "honks" a deeper, more satisfying tune so I should be happy.
Bob: I have to disagree, and mainly because the opposite happened when the Grand Vitara V6 and XTerra V6 showed up - Forester sales are up!
The Forester has only a 4-banger, but among those it's the most powerful, yet still manages to be the most efficient (22/27 for auto, as most are sold).
The V6's tread into the teens in terms of mileage, and I think that'll cross it off some lists right there. 19/22 for the Escape V6, right?
It's also mostly domestic, so the Tribute is more likely to be cross shopped. Realize most consumers are clueless about the joint venture.
Fitzgerald sells Subaru and Isuzu (and Dodge) from the same room, and it still seems like the Outback/Forester get all the showroom traffic, despite the bargain priced Rodeos and Troopers sitting right next to them.
My experience is hardly scientific, but still.
-juice
I'll check out the horns on my Forester tonight...
If the Forester has the best braking of any "SUV" why do you guys insist that it isn't? Seems like you are try to compare apples to oranges again...
-mike