Subaru Crew - Modifications II

paisan · June 2001

Hey Colin, do you know what the Helmet recs are for SCCA? I want to buy a Helmet but don't want to get screwed over by buying an out of date one.

-mike

locke2c · June 2001

Mike,

For autocross all you need is Snell 90 or newer. Motorcycle or SA rated, it doesn't matter. You have to have 10 years from the current spec, and right now the current spec is 2000. If you bought a Snell 90 helmet you would have to replace it in 5 years, Snell 95 gives you 10. Beyond that... phew! replace that old stinking helmet!

-Colin

paisan · June 2001

Ok, cause I remember at an auto-x them saying Snell 96 or greater required. But I could be wrong. So basically if I get a Snell 95, then I'd be good for now? Thanks for the info!

-mike

locke2c · June 2001

Yep.

-Colin
(O He of Too Many Helmets, another one is on the way)

seamus3 · June 2001

my friend and i saw a cool legacy in vancouver bc this weekend. i don't have time to type it out right now but i will try and remember all of the mods and post it later.

seamus

fubaru · June 2001

Installed the Kartboy shifter on my WRX sedan this weekend & I am really surprised how much better shifting is with it.

Hard to believe that such a small change in the shifter geometry makes shifting feel so much more solid, considering that only the angle between the linkage & the shifter fulcrum is changing by a few degrees. And the throw distance is about half of stock!

I really recommend this mod! Cheap & easy. I only wish I had done it sooner.

hypov · June 2001

here are pics of the auxilary DE Xenon (HID) driving lights I'd installed.

HIDs alone

All lights

Sorry, no night shots. Digicam is little brother, and can't wait around till after 9:00 pm (Summer Nights).

hondafriek · June 2001

I just fitted the auto dim interior mirror with compass, was a fathers day gift from my ever loving wife. also installed a pair of Fiamm horns to replace the wimpy jokes that Subaru puts on.

Have also installed a home brewed ignition illumination light complete with time delay, got an electronics friend to build the time delay I believe it consists of a slow discharge capacitor and a couple of resisters whole lot cost me about twenty bucks.

Cheers Pat.

kens · June 2001

Hypov,

Very nice pics. Did you do the actual wiring yourself? How difficult was it?

Ken

hypov · June 2001

the brake lights will lit up when I flip the switch. I'm one lousy do-it-yourselfer.

Brought it to the guys that installed my alarms.
$56.00 and one & half hour later... lights!.
From observing the installation, it didn't look too difficult. First they pondered (about 20 min.) the best place to put the ballast which ended up mounted on a bracket they installed in front of the radiator just below the bumper. next, find a sturdy spot to sit the lamps. The wirings itself, that's where I am no good at, don't know how it is done...and I was watching.
If you're thinking of HID auxilary for your Forester, go with the Micro Xenon, the Forester would look good with then. They are vertical mounted and rest on top of the bumper. If you check the light tunnel in Hella's web, you'll notice the Micro Xenon cast farther and brighter than the DE Xenons. I opted for the DEs cause the Micro would look silly with the OB's profile.

norm949 · June 2001

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but I'm thinking of replacing the stock air filter on my 01 Forester with either the Amsoil or K&N air filter. My understanding is that I can expect improved gas mileage and a bit more HP by using one of these products (I recently had the dealer install the Unorthodox Racing underdrive pulley which really boosted the HP, so I'm looking to see if I can eke out a bit more with another simple mod). Any pros or cons to one or the other brand? Thanks.

paisan · June 2001

Hmm that's odd, everywhere I've read you gain zero from the underdrive-pulley. Unless you combine it with intake, exahaust etc. The UP, generally will give slightly better throttle response, but nothing really noticeable, so I bet it's just the placibo effect on you. I have a K&N in my Trooper, gave slightly more power in the high rpm band, no gas milage improvements, but at least I don't have to chuck it every 20K miles.

-mike

wvsurveyor · June 2001

I'm looking for a bike rack for my Forester. Can someone suggest an on-line dealer from whom I can buy the part and install it my self.

Mike

bigfrank3 · June 2001

I am a firm believer in K&N, and have used them for about 20 years in all my vehicles including bikes. It was one of the first additions I made to my '01 Forester.

They definitely decrease the restriction in the incoming air supply. Throttle response is better and as paisan said, more upper RPM power. Just don't expect huge gains, but small gains add up and as you said, it is simple. I can't say it has done anything for fuel mileage.

The part number for the '01 Forester is 33-2154.

Regards,
Frank

norm949 · June 2001

Thanks for the inputs. Yes, I can't scientifically quantify the effect of the pulley; it certainly does seem like it's more responsive, but perhaps it is my subconscious trying to justify the cost

If someone has more definitive information on the effects of the UP alone or in conjunction with intake/exhaust mods, I'd still love to read it (the numbers and graphs on the unorthodoxracing website don't mean much to me). Frank, can you recommend a good source for the K&N? Also, if anyone has had any experience with Amsoil, I'd welcome those comments too.

brekke · June 2001

Can anyone tell me what this is and is it safe, etc and worth doing?

http://www.tornadofuelsaver.com/

bigfrank3 · June 2001

I got my K&N from Summit Racing:

http://www.summitracing.com

They had the best delivered price for the 2 I bought... put one in my wife's Forester also.

Regards,

Frank

lark6 · June 2001

...in my '00 Forester S. Bought it about a month ago from Larry Ganz at www.imprezars.com. Had to trim it about 1/4" to fit the airbox. Fuel economy was horrible (14.1 mpg combined city/highway) with the first tankful after change (the ECU has to relearn your driivng habits) but has come up to near normal (low 20s city, mid 20s highway) after about 3 tankfuls. Of course the louder intake sound at WOT and the slightly improved punch will make you want to step on it all of the time, hence what MPG gains you may see may be lost as a result of your more "spirited" driving.

Ed

qbrozen · June 2001

hmmmm.... I was thinking about doing this myself when i had the money to blow, but now you've given me doubts. Even Cobb Tuning claims it gives 6-8 more hp in the forester. Are they not to be trusted? I was under the impression that Cobb was a good source. Is this not true? They even claim that their package deal, which includes the pulley, stromung muffler, and K&N filter, gives about 10% (read: 16 hp) increase in power from stock. Any opinions on this?

lakepop · June 2001

Well IMHO I think Cobb Tuning can be trusted. They have been around for some time and the concensus of comments on the forums I follow are all positive.

I can't say specifically about the underdrive pulley but my feeling is it just allows you to spool up a little quicker...after that ?????.

As far as the claimed HP gains ...I'm sure they could be backed up with dyno results... the real issue is the fact that the gains are almost always measured at the top end. Now this is not bad ..but unless you are spending a lot of time ut 5000+ rpms...the results are not really meaningful.

If you want your machine to be up a little from joe averages...the mod package is worth it! Moreover, I know of no performance oriented NA machines that do not include CAI/exhaust mods.

OK..a little longwinded and just my input...stand by for other comments..

paisan · June 2001

Well if the pulley gives you 8hp, that means the intake, and exhaust only give you 8hp more? I can believe that the whole package combo gives you 10-15hp w/o much trouble. But the pulley alone IMHO from what I've read doesn't do much.

-mike

kens · June 2001

Norm: I looked at both types of filters and went with the Amsoil. Go out on the web and try some searches, you'll find many, many opinions between the two. The information I was coming across just seemed to point in favor of the Amsoil. Also our resident expert Colin uses one too. ;-)

In either case, don't expect huge gains. You'll need to combine that with a modified intake for any measurable performance gains.

Mike: I'd highly suggest going aftermarket for your bike rack needs. Subaru's racks are just re-badged Yakima racks. Chances are you're paying more money for less choice. There's a lot more choice in bike racks from companies like Yakima or Thule.

Ken

locke2c · June 2001

Either will work well, I just happen to prefer the air filtration of foam over cotton gauze.

I never used K&Ns on my bikes. They always necessitated jetting changes and sometimes the velocity problems couldn't be worked out. Plus I rebuilt the engines frequently enough on dirtbikes, no need to speed it along by letting more particles through.

No car I've ever owned saw or ever will see dirt on that scale though, obviously. K&N is fine but I prefer AMSOil.

-Colin

lakepop · June 2001

I agree ...both probably work equally as well.

Issue is probably as long as both can be reused equally as well eg: clean and replace...then your outlay has value. I'm a K&N guy and can say they "work good..last a long time"

Bottom line ..your $$$...make a choice! I doubt that you will be burned either way.DO IT!

bigfrank3 · June 2001

My bikes were road bikes, Suzuki GS750/GS1000, and I never used the individual filters because I didn't want the tuning headaches that you speak of. I used the "drop in"s and shimed the air box cover open with washers until my plugs read just right.

I was wondering if you have tried both on the same car? I would be interested in an airflow comparison. The data I remember seeing suggests that K&N drastically outflows AmSoil. I always look for independant analysis and thought you might be it.

The only numbers I ever saw on dirt was that AmSoil stopped 99% and K&N stopped 98%. I don't consider 1% significant. I always thought that if Walker Evans used K&N to run Baja, how bad can the dirt thing be?

Regards,
Frank

locke2c · June 2001

Mr. Evans most likely services and replaces his engines more often than you or I do with our passenger cars.

K&N does outflow AMSOil, but I wouldn't say drastically. Either are higher than stock paper filters.

-Colin

mandmj1 · June 2001

My folks recently purchased a '01 OB (at my recommendation, of course) and are pleased with the car except for the tranny's shift patterns. Currently, the tranny likes to upshift early (this makes sense for good mileage) but I was wondering if anyone knew of any way to make the 4EAT hold gears longer (reprogram/chip/etc). Thanks for the help.

Matt

paisan · June 2001

The 4EAT is programmed to lock-into lower gears when you mash the pedal. If you push the pedal hard it will hold the gears longer. On older models it was called "power" mode, and a light would come on on the dash to indicate that the AT was holding the gears as close to redline as they can. I have such a light on my XT6, but newere cars work the same, but without the indicator light.

-mike

mandmj1 · June 2001

We've had some limited sucess with more aggressive throttle modulation as you describe, but frequently the tranny is quite reluctant to downshift into first or second (at low to moderate speeds) when a little extra punch is needed. On an older car, I could adjust the kickdown lever, but to my knowledge, electronic trannies have no such device. Any ideas on this front?

Matt

ateixeira · June 2001

It can take 3-4 tankfuls of gas for the trans to learn your new, more aggressive driving pattern. You could reset the ECU to speed things up a bit.

I've tried a kartboy in a friend's RS and loved it. He also had the urethane bushings, so it felt like the Honda S2000's shifter, i.e. snick-snick, zero play, short throw.

David: nice HIDs. Look how bright they are compared to the stock halogens!

Pat: get any pix?

I have the OE hitch mounted bike rack. If you already have a hitch, you may feel it's worth it. It's made for 2 bikes, but I've carried 3 just fine, and the bikes never touch the vehicle, plus you can tilt it and open the hatch. Lastly, it leaves the roof free for my cargo carrier.

-juice

ramon · June 2001

they do work. I've used them before and it does increase throttle response nicely. I think the hp increase is close to 5-6hp. However you will get a slight dimming of your lights on idle and also your a/c might not be as cold as before. But that never bothers me because I hardly use my a/c anyways. Reinstalling my pulley this week again.

Zoom Zoom!

hypov · June 2001

but forgot to (senile) when I posted the HIDs.
On the '98 OB I noticed under the bumper, there's this thingie (fastener or something) one on each side, like it is used to hold up the bumper.
Anybody knows what is its use? And if it is removeable? Thinking of shifting those lights more towards center. Ya, I'm attempting to DIY.

paisan · June 2001

Any particular reason for pushing the lights more to the center? I thought that wider the lights the better at least for viewing the road.

-mike

hypov · June 2001

Mike,
here's where I hope to tap on your experiences.
In its current position, the light spread to the left and right respectively are cut off by the vertical column where the fogs are, and I thought maybe shifting the lights towards center would clear the light pattern of those columns.
Whats your thought on this?
Thanks

paisan · June 2001

That is more clear now. Yep, if you move them in toward the center, you can then aim them out toward the corners more. I didn't realize that they were being blocked by the columns. It took me about 10 tries to really get my Hella 4000s aimed properly. I pushed the beam out as far as I could and made it relatively wide. I wanted to make sure to illuminate the sides of the road far enough ahead that I could avoid deer and what-not running out of the forest. It should be easy to re-mount them since the bumper is plastic. I had to do that a few times on my old rodeo due to the column issue as well.

-mike

bluesubie · June 2001

Dave, how about a wider horizontal light? Not that you're going to buy more lights.
http://www.toad.net/~rrubel/lights.jpg
Or
some Subie Gal style rally lights. :-)
http://www.subiegal.com/legacygt.htm
Dennis

jimmyp1 · June 2001

Maybe you like them mounted back "flush", but, if you move the forward far enough, doesn't there come a point where the columns aren't an issue anymore? Just a thought.

Jim

paisan · June 2001

The problem with sticking them out past the columns is that in a mall parking lot or parrallel parking, people might bump them, thereby making his $600+ lights rendered useless as they drive off into the sunset... Just a thought.

-mike

jimmyp1 · June 2001

Aha, I guess I didn't realize there wasn't anything on the front end that sticks out father than the column to absorb a small impact. Even so, say they are mounted an inch behind the column now, if you moved them forward to, say, an eighth of an inch or a quarter of an inch behind the column, that seems like it would allow a lot more light to spill out left/right. ??

Jim

hypov · June 2001

Mike- I'm looking forward to the idea that it would easy to re-mount. The bottom side of the bumper don't feel as firm/stable as the bottom skirt. But the area where that 'thingie' I was asking 'bout is backed by a metal frame with pre-drilled hole. Anyway, that thingie looks removable, but I didn't want to try before I know what's it for.

Dennis- Yep, you're right. I don't need anymore lights. Grin

grin, if I wanted to overkill, I'll get the Illuminator Xenon (HID version of the Hella 4000 I think). Anyway, those horizontal lights looks like they are pendant mounted where that 'thingie' is.

Jim- I'll fall on it as plan 'B'... Not that it isn't a good thought/idea too.

So, has anyone removed that fastener thingie and mounted their aux lights there?

paisan · June 2001

Would be overkill for an OB. They are almost overkill on my Trooper.

-mike

theob · June 2001

Ken, If you price compare REI/Yak vs. SubaruParts.com on the round-bar set, SubaruParts is about $50 cheaper for the same stuff. The Subaru ski attachements are relabeled Yak ButtonDown-6's with the MightyMount 2V clips. Yak is currently selling the Big Powderhound which is a re-design of the BD-6. Again, I believe you'd come out ahead with the SubaruParts offering. I believe the "Bike Attachment" roof carrier is two Yak LockJaws plus some specialized bars for strengthening them and the clips to attach to the standard cross bars. LockJaws go for $85 each and the MightyMounts will cost about $22, to say nothing of the additional stabilizing bars you get in the Sube solution. However, you don't get the flexibility with the Sube that you have with the Yak components.

It's a wash on the cargo baskets. A Yak SpaceCase will set you back about $479, while the approximate equivalent (different Mfg) from SubaruParts is $340.
HTH,
Theo

locke2c · June 2001

Got radiator flow?

-Colin

paisan · June 2001

Yeah, no cooling problems, and since moving to mobil 1 it's down a tick or 2 on the temp guage.

-mike

ateixeira · June 2001

Man, those lights are so hot you've probably got hotter air going into that intake costing you 5 horses. ;-)

Seriously, though, I saw a nice set of HIDs on a Legacy one night and it was like day time. They lit up the whole parking lot, though it did take a while to warm up.

-juice

paisan · June 2001

when they are on are like a frieght train barrelling down the road. They are quite the "Illunators" I can only imagine them in HID bulbs, but for 3x the price I couldn't afford them.

-mike

texsubaru · June 2001

Actually, one thing I really liked on my '91 Mazda 626 was that the AT had a switch that electronically adjusted the shift points for either "Power" or "Economy." The difference was pretty subtle (if the car hadn't had a tach, I would've remained unsure whether it actually did anything), but still a nice feature. The 626's air conditioner also had a special "Economy" setting. A new 2000 model 626 I test drove didn't have the transmission switch (don't recall if the 2000 had the air conditioning econo switch, probably because I was transfixed by the new power swiveling air conditioning ducts).

paisan · June 2001

I have the power swiveling air-ducts on my '88 MX6!

And my Trooper has a "power" button for moving the shift points to red-line. On the Trooper you can feel it shift at like 5500rpms, instead of the usual 3500.

-mike

bigfrank3 · June 2001

If anyone has put the Subaru 18mm sway bar on their '01 Forester, could you please tell me where you got it? (Other than Darlene, of course.)

Thanks,
Frank

jackleung · June 2001

www.subaruparts.com

Rgds,
jack

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