By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
Regards,
Frank
Ken
http://www.tornadofuelsaver.com
-Colin
If the Tornado comes with yellow stickers you get 5hp for each sticker. ;-)
-juice
Yes the EJ20 turbo bolts up, no a Japanese model won't "plug right in place". It would be a wiring nightmare. If anything, source a regular domestic EJ20 turbo from a north american WRX. It's still a poor economic decision compared to turbocharging what you've already got, not to mention there's about zero lag with a high-compression low boost motor.
-Colin
I hope everyone is enjoying the warm summer months and their Subarus!
I was wondering if anyone had purchased an aftermarket anti-roll bar and had experienced any problems with corrosion due to heavy salt use in the winter time? I am thinking of getting a real meaty bar for my '00 GT.
Up here in Canada we salt the roads heavily in the winter and apparently this has proved to be a problem with some aftermarket parts not designed for such conditions. I understand a quick coating prior to installation can provide some protection.
Greg
Greg: they salt our roads during our relatively mild winters, and my old 13mm roll bar had virtually no corrosion on it when it came out (replaced by an 18mm bar). If anything, the thicker bar would be less affected by whatever corrosion there was.
I would consider re-greasing the bushings after each winter season though, so they don't squeek.
-juice
The Subaru 18mm anti roll bar that juice and I have on our Foresters also come painted so I would imagine it would help reduce the chance of rust even further.
Ken
Let's say you start with a cat-back kit with 2.25" piping, and like the power but want more. If you then go turbo, you'll wish you had 2.5" piping, at least.
So stay normally aspirated and aim for 15-20 extra horses and good drivability, or go turbo and build it up slowly as you can afford to.
I've heard only good things about Cobb. Mods don't necessarily void the warranty, unless they have an affect on the components being covered. So if you get a turbo and your clutch goes, forget it. But let's say your steering gear goes bad, then you're still covered.
-juice
The warranty gets tricky depending what you put on. Some dealers will tell you any mod will void the warranty. They can only deny warranty coverage when a particular mod can be traced to a problem in question. Try finding a "mod-friendly" dealer in your area by asking here or checking http://i-club.com .
Dennis
Dennis
Does anyone have towing experience with about an 1800lb pop-up camper WITH electric brakes using the H4 Outback with automatic transmission?
you will notice a difference from these modifications. there is however a big gap between the performance they will give you versus even a low-end turbo kit...
where are you located? you need to ride along with folks that already have these mods and see what you think. i/h/e is somewhat inexpensive, but it's still enough money that if you WANT a turbo you might as well just save your money towards that.
-Colin
I was wanting to know what will improve the hp on my 96 Impreza. I have heard about a air intake system, exhaust and a new pulleys. What else is there that will improve the hp, because I have a 1.8 liter engine. Anyone know about these things and if they will mess up the car in any way.
Thanks,
Doug
P.S.
Any other suggestions with other parts of the car is appreciated.
Another concern is that the air suspensions are super-expensive to rebuild once they are worn out. Just ask anyone who owned one - most convert to springs/shocks.
I have towed about 1500 lbs on my Forester, and the Phase II engine has more low end torque, plus an automatic is just better suited to begin with. That plus the heavier Outback should prove more stable as a tow vehicle. You're even under the conservative limits SoA sets, so you should be fine.
I'm not very familiar with the 1.8l engine. I know the 2.2l shared many parts with the 2.5l, but I don't know about yours.
What about getting a used 1998 2.5RS?
-juice
anyway, I think I still have my reply:
____________________
Doug,
Unfortunately I agree with juice... there's not much that can be done with your 1.8L to really help. You could make small gains with an intake and exhaust, but it's still going to be a pretty slow car.
If spending $10-12k for a 98RS is out of the question, I'd concentrate on handling modifications. Your car can be made very fun and tossable, but still slow.
You could swap engines, but most folks would (sanely) realize that simply buying a 2.5RS would be a better way to go.
-Colin
I agree that you definitely CAN make your Impreza a great handler. Plus, it's light.
-juice
regarding the 2.5L turbo installation. there is a member of the Subaru Club of Toronto that got a conversion done by Rallispec in NJ. You could try going to http://www.toronto-subaru-club.com/ to try to get more info.
Also, the DarkNights Nationals were held this past weekend in Toronto. A great show for checking out new products and also seeing what the other carnuts have been up to. There was a great turn out by the Subaru Club of Toronto, and subaru Canada was the only Auto manufacturer to display (WRX and GT). It was a great show and I am already looking forward to next year!
-Colin
1. Did you need to add a ground wire or was it as simple as unplug the factory horns and plug in the Hellas?
2. I'm embarrassed to admit it but I can't figure out how to remove the grille. I see four plastic clips at the top of the grille but it's not obvious to me how they disengage. Any other fasteners? Sorry to come across so stupid but i have a history of bad luck when it comes to breaking plastic trim parts.
Ed
1. The factory horns are grounded through it's own bracket so you'll need to devise some wiring of your own for the Hella. Simply get some wire from a local hardware store (at least the same gauge as the stock wiring), loop one end around the negative terminal on the Hella and the other to any metal part on your chassis (ie. the bolt that goes through the bracket). In my case, I had some leftover wiring from my Fiamm horn that I reused for the Hella. The stock wiring should plug directly into the positive terminal.
2. The front grille is held in place by the four tabs you've located on top and three clips in the middle. The first step is getting off the four tabs. You'll notice that there are access holes on your grille to each of the four tabs. Take a long screwdriver and push down on the tabs. You should be able to push down part of it with an audible "click". This action releases the tabs. Do all four.
Next, gently pull back the top of one corner of the grille using a rocking motion. The grille should come loose from the tabs holding them. Now, look halfway down the grille right before the radiator. The grille is "hooked" in place by three clips locateed on the left, center and right of the grille. Once you get the top of the grille loose, you can get by these clips by lifting up and away from the front of the Forester.
You may want to go to your local dealer and buy some extra clips (the left and right ones halfway down) since they break easily. I don't have the part # handy, but the parts person should be able to find them for you easily. They're the yellow ones and go for less than $1 a piece.
Not dumb questions at all. I had them too when I installed mine. ;-)
Good luck and let me know how it goes.
Ken
-juice
Ed
Thanks in advance
Otherwise they won't care, unless they suspect the pre-oiler is at fault for something that you're complaining about-- say like oil in intake through the breather tubes.
I can see the value but likewise have no need for it. The Subaru engine will live out its useful life under my guidance and I've never been a high-miler...
-Colin
Driving 35+ miles home from work after midnight on secondary and tertiary roads in critter-laden countryside.
-- The car:
2000 Subaru Legacy GT sedan
-- The lamps:
Low beams: Hella 78117 55W H1 Xenon
High beams: Hella 78310 9005 100W halogen
Fog lamps: Hella 78136Y 85W H3 "Yellow Star" halogen
Ken Beard at Susquehanna MotorSports answered my newbie questions with
patience and grace, and filled my order accurately and promptly. I recommend
him heartily and without hesitation. http://www.susquehanna.com
I went with standard wattage low beams because I have DOT standard
(read: light-scattering) headlights and I really really *really* don't like blasting people's eyes out of their sockets. Standard
wattage low beams let me maintain "stealth" in the eyes of the local
constabulary as well ;-) The "xenon" in the Hella description refers
to the fact that they use xenon gas in the bulb, which they claim
results in higher filament temperature and whiter light. (It is
important to note that they do *not* tint the bulb; tinting is filtering,
which can only cause *less* light to be emitted.)
I boosted the high beams from 60W to 100W. I was cautioned in advance
not to expect anything dramatic, due the fact that DOT headlights tend
to scatter the added illumination hither and yon rather than containing
it in a more controlled pattern. I was also cautioned about using 100W
bulbs in plastic headlight housings such as the Subie has. Anyone
considering this change must seriously consider the effect of higher
wattage, and its added heat and electrical draw, on the headlight housing,
bulb connectors, and wiring, and weigh this decision for themselves.
I cannot emphasize this enough.
The fogs were a shot in the dark (hehe). I wanted to boost their output,
but I've also always been fascinated to learn why so many Euro cars come
with yellow fog lights. The bulbs I chose *are* tinted yellow, and therefore
do not emit the same amount of light as a corresponding clear 85W bulb;
however the Hella claim is that yellow light has a much lower tendency to
bounce off water vapor and back into the driver's eyes and so makes for a
superior fog lamp. As I was boosting the wattage I considered it a fair
tradeoff in the name of discovery.
-- The changin' o' the bulbs:
I did the headlights first. These are easy enough to do, especially
with the instructions in the owner's manual leading the charge. Be
sure not to touch the bulb "glass", yada yada. The low beams I simply
changed without any concern as they are the same wattage as stock.
I took more care with the high beams due to their higher wattage.
First I put the stock high beams on and held my hand to the headlight
lens, wiring, and bulb base; then I changed to the higher wattage
bulb and did the same. I felt no noticeable heat at all in the wiring,
and no noticeable increase in temperature in the base; I could
definitely feel a lot more heat when I put my hand on the lens. I could
however comfortably hold my hand there for several minutes and so
decided to leave the higher wattage bulbs in.
The fogs were a bit more work. (The owner's manual dismisses the task as
too difficult for mere mortals and recommends a trip to the dealer.)
First, the car is low enough that I found it necessary to jack the nose up
a few inches so I could see what I was doing. Next a plastic shroud must
be pulled down in order to gain access to the backside of the lamp; this
is easily accomplished by removing two tab thingies. The simplest thing to
do from there is to disconnect the wire harness, remove the two bolts holding
the fixture in place, and remove the entire lamp assembly. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the fog lamp reflector and housing are actually metal
rather than plastic, which totally eliminated any concerns about meltdown.
Also there is an adjusting screw for the foglights, which I turned two (2)
full turns clockwise on both lights.
[more to come]
Low beams: Street cred has it that such bulbs are fabulous, fantastic, do it
yesterday, omigod the difference is incredible. More seasoned opinion has it
that the change is pretty subtle and will be noticed more by some folks than others.
I changed one bulb, then turned on the lights and looked at them from in front
of the car (this was in the daytime); I could definitely tell that the replacement
bulb was illuminating the headlight housing with a markedly whiter hue (some like
to call it "bluer"). On the road at night I notice less a difference in color and
much more that the field covered by the low beams has lost its shadowy spottiness
and is now more evenly filled with light. It may illuminate a bit further out but
not to any large extent.
High beams: the seasoned opinions were correct. Illumination *is* better, but not
fantastically better, not in keeping with what one might expect from a 66% increase
in wattage. I'm glad I did it and I'm leaving them in, but I'm also on the prowl
for a way to further improve high beam illumination; either driving lights or
e-codes I suppose. I have some ideas for mounting driving lights behind the grille
that might be clean and attractive.
Fog lamps: whoa. Although I have not yet used them in fog, the difference is
astonishing. The color change is noticeable, especially when turning the fogs
on while the low beams are lit; more light is patently obvious, however it is
not the same hue. The really wonderful part is that the combination of low
beams and fog lamps is fabulous for tight, tree-lined, narrow roads, which I
find myself on quite a bit during my evening commute home; they are markedly
better in fact than the high beams. I have a bright, wide field of light that
extends far enough forward for me to drive at a brisk pace without fear. Some
of the improvement may be due to my adjusting the lamps higher; however I have
not been flashed by any other drivers, nor am I lighting up the rear view mirror
or interior of anyone's car when I follow them, so at this point I believe that
the lights are not annoying to other drivers. Until I drive in fog however I am
reserving full, final judgement on both the lamps and the adjustment.
-- The Look:
They *really* *do* look sweet, especially the low beam / fog lamp combo.
The combination of white-white headlights and yellow-tinged fog lamps is very
attractive and eye catching, and yet (in my opinion) is not annoying or
blinding or distracting to my fellow motorists. The high beams look, well,
pretty blasted bright. I just wish they had a tighter pattern.
-- The cost:
77 bucks, an hour to change the bulbs out, another few minutes every now and then
tweaking the adjustment screws. (Note that the fog lamp adjusters are behind
a plastic shroud and thus less easy to tinker with during one's trek home.)
-- The next step:
As mentioned I still want to improve high beam performance. As time permits I will
examine driving lamps and e-code headlight assemblies, maybe even both! But then
I'm a bit of a stickler for really really *really* being able to see where I'm going.
Cheers,
-wdb
Yeah, my E-codes (on the Miata) make more of a difference than any of the bulbs I've seen.
-juice
bit
Great write up. Aftermarket lights do make a big difference.
Next time, when your H1 low beams need replacement, try the Philips Vision Plus bulbs. They're even brighter than the Hellas. Unfortunately, Susquehana doesn't stock them, but you can find them through numerous other sources on-line.
Ken
Thx,
Jack
I suppose you could get somewhat of a ram air effect if it were pointing forward, but the system isn't really sealed - there are drain holes downstream (at least on my 98's intake).
Those boxes are probably silencers. They quiet the intake and may even create a tumble effect on the incoming air.
Anyone more familiar with the Phase II intakes care to chime in?
-juice
Does anybody know "How to switch Outback Wagon 2001 thermometer from Fahrenheit to Celsius?"
If it's not there, you may not be able to.
-juice
Looking to swap my heads with Cobb Tuning cams for stock heads, 99+ SOHC 2.5L.
Read the full listing here:
click me
I figure I have the entire market covered that would be interested by posting on the iClub but I'll mention it here just in case. ;-)
-Colin
-juice
$300 for the heads, $600 for wheels & less than half used Kumho V700s, and (hopefully) $280 for a brand new (never mounted) set of BFG R1 Rains... decent chunk of money altogether.
-Colin
To me that's Kamikaze. Bikes are wild but very dangerous. To race them you have to be fearless.
Then again, you don't have a 2 year old at home.
-juice
Ken
-mike