Subaru Crew - Modifications II

ateixeira · January 2001

I'm surprised a hand-tightenend filter would get that tight. Then again, it probably gets pretty hot and there's a lot of expansion and contraction.

Got home late yesterday so didn't measure the C clamps. I'll try to remember tonight.

-juice

bluesubie · January 2001

The best thing I've used for an oil filter is a wrench that covers the top of the filter and attached to a ratchet.
For the drain plug - a box end wrench and hammer. Got that one from the i-club.

Dennis

ateixeira · January 2001

I use my bare hands for the oil filter (sometimes with sand paper for grip) and a crescent wrench for the drain plug. Works like a charm on all 3 cars.

-juice

francophile · January 2001

Juice, that's a metric crescent wrench, correct?

Dennis, go easy with the hammer on the drain plug; oil pans are messy to replace!

Cheers,
-wdb

ateixeira · January 2001

Crescents are adjustable. I'm sure you knew that and were kidding.

-juice

francophile · January 2001

Tell that to the old friend of mine who once drove to a parts house and actually *asked* for such a tool!

He eventually forgave me for sending him on that errand ;-)

Cheers,
-wdb

kens · January 2001

Has anyone here with a 98 Forester successfully swapped their drizzly rear washer nozzle with the newer fan type? That's been a pet peeve of mine that I keep forgeting to pursue.

Ken

lucien2 · January 2001

Well on a whim I responded to an ad for RS rims, $500 plus shipping from San Fran. I don't know what shipping is going to be, but now I am getting cold feet. Logically, a conservative Plus One upgrade from 205/70/15 to 215/60/16 should yield a good handling benefit without compromising ride height, looks, or gauge info. And yet, I feel like I shouldn't do this. Handling is a better way to spend money than power right now, IMHO. Someone tell me I am doing the right thing here!

seamus3 · February 2001

i gave a try at the emblem mod that i found on the i-club board. my result, a broken emblem. i got it off the car just fine, when i tried to get the plastic cover off it wouldn't budge. i tried prying it off, no deal. i finally came to trying to bend it a litte hoping the clear cover would just pop off easily. it didn't, it just broke. now i have to go to the dealer and get a new one or maybe i could happen upon one somewhere;) what a wate of time.

i am starting in on my audio needs now. first new speakers then a new head unit, kenwood cd. i have a connection at circuit city.

miksmi · February 2001

Seamus, Sorry to hear about your badge. I'm not a fan of colored badges but it's a major bummer when accidents occur.

Juice, My 0.02 USD on the badge. Leave the colorization to Ted Turner.

An automobile's exterior is like makeup. Less equals more.

Or, for you Unix folks,

less(1) is more(1)

..Mike

paisan · February 2001

Well, if you don't want em when you get em, I'll trade you (with some cash of course) Juice's 15" Forester rims and I'll put the RS rims on my XT6!

-mike

lucien2 · February 2001

*snurkle* Ted Turner.....

mikey is full of funnies today!

bg18947 · February 2001

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good set of 55w H1 bulbs? I bought a set of the PIAA Super White H4s for my Odyssey, but I have to say that they didn't seem to make much of a difference.

paisan · February 2001

They make the best bulbs around IMHO. Ken Beard at Susquehana Motorsports (on my webpage is a list of links) is great and has good pricing.

http://www.iace.com/ia/trooper

-mike

bluesubie · February 2001

Posted on the i-club:

http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/Forum28/HTML/000183.html

Dennis

paisan · February 2001

Good guys. Been to their shop. They were gonna special make a cat-back exhaust for my xt6 for only like $400. Definitely great guys to deal with.

-mike

ateixeira · February 2001

Ken: I say you go first on that nozzle mod. It should add about 2-3 horsepower! ;-)

Loosh: brilliant. No regrets. $500 is cheap. OE rims are very expensive, even through Darlene.

With as many mods as I've done, none come even close to the bang-for-the-buck of the rims/tires. They yield the most immediate and noticeable change.

Bulbs? Ken has the new Phillips type. I have the Hella H4+30s.

-juice

ateixeira · February 2001

Sorry, here they are:

http://www.ken.s.homepage.com/

http://thejuiceman.homepage.com/xenon.html

-juice

hondafriek · February 2001

$500 is dirt cheap for rims they run $550 a rim at the dealers here.
One thing is for sure you will never be stuck with them you could probably sell them even now and make a buck.
Put them and enjoy lucien.
Cheers Pat.

ateixeira · February 2001

What tires are you going to get?

What's great is you can go with pure summer or even autocross tires. You can always slap on the old rims for winter.

Sweet.

-juice

kens · February 2001

juice -- the nozzle will act like an afterburner. I'll just activate it when I need that burst of power.

H1 bulbs -- I've tried both the Hellas and Philips and the Philips are noticeably brighter. My website hasn't been updated for the Philips however (been lazy).

Ken

paisan · February 2001

I use Hella 80/100s which are probably as bright as the phillips, also I can't use the phillips cause they don't make 9004s

-mike

ateixeira · February 2001

Well, besides side-to-side pics, the install is the same. Just swap the photo! :-)

Higher wattage bulbs, at least on Miatas, have been known to melt a wiring harness or two. Just be careful. You may be able to get wiring kits.

-juice

paisan · February 2001

I run 80/100s in the XT6 and 80/100s in the Trooper, been fine so far...

-mike

ateixeira · February 2001

I've also heard of many folks using the higher wattage bulbs and NOT having problems, like paisan.

You just just be aware of the risk, be it small or not.

-juice

kens · February 2001

Here's a re-post for those who are interested:

Vison Plus (left) vs. Stock (right)

Vision Plus (left) vs. Hella Premium (right)

All were with stock wattages. Not only are the VPs brighter, they also seem to accenuate the beam pattern of the Forester's headlights -- notice how there's a sharp cutoff to the right. I personally like the pattern because it casts light towards the right side of the road where you would normally find signs. I kind of like to think of them as pseudo-E codes.

Ken target=_blank

fmgarcia · February 2001

Ken,

Where did you get your Vision Plus bulbs? Are they available in 9007?

Thanks.

Francisco

kens · February 2001

Francisco,

Got them here:

http://www.autolamps-online.com/

I think they come only in H4 or H7s.

Ken

silver_bullet · February 2001

I've been lurking a bit, as I'm a future Subie owner - I have a deposit down on a silver WRX 5-speed sedan. Who is this mysterious "Darlene" who can supply Subie accessories at lower-than-dealer list prices? How does one contact her?

hammersley · February 2001

either works at or runs the parts department at Quality Subaru in Dandridge, TN. She sells many if not all Subaru parts & accessories at or near dealer cost on internet orders. Free shipping, too! Like I said... Superwoman! Her e-mail address (easiest way to contact her) is:

qsubaru@aol.com

Ask anybody here - you can't beat her prices, service, or attitude. All A+.

Cheers!
Paul

hammersley · February 2001

about tires & wheels... I'm shopping for "summer" wheels for my 97 OB wagon.. running snows now on the stock 15" rims... summer tires are OK enough (handling & treadwear remaining) that I'm having a hard time justifying new skins. BUT!!! The only wheels that really capture my fancy are 16 inchers, thus requiring me to buy new tires & going with the "plus-1" sizing... Either talk me in to it, or talk me out of it. (Methinks I know the direction y'all are going to take here, and for that I thank you in advance!) (grin)

Cheers!
Paul

silver_bullet · February 2001

Thanks for the heads-up. Would you, or anyone else out there be interested in the brand new 16" wheels and 205/55-VR16 RE92s that will come on my WRX? If I receive a decent offer, I will order aftermarket wheels and tires and install them on the car before I leave the dealer's lot - they'll be virtually as new. Takers?

lucien2 · February 2001

I think I'm going to do the same thing. The first question, which I hope to have answered next week, is if a 215/60/16 tire will fit on the Legacy GT rim (16X6.5). If not, then I am going to have to find a lowball set of RS (16X7) rims. These usually run around $500-$600 a set. Someone on i-Club is selling some right now, but he is in CA. I think I will wait until someone nearby sells some and avoid shipping.

Silver Bullet- you'll have more luck on i-Club with that. I think several of us would consider buying your rims, but the tires are useless to anyone but another Impreza driver, as the legacy will need a different size to maintain proper diameter. And Impreza drivers are none too fond of the RE92.

hammersley · February 2001

I guess I need to do a little homework as well...I'm running 15" wheels now, I know, but I don't know if they're 6.5 or 7's or what (stock 97 OB wheels)... the snows are 205/70R15 - If I go plus 1, I'm guessing a 205/60R16 on the same width of wheel. I want to keep the tires in the wells - the local state constabulary are kinda picky about that. My local tire shop has a pamphlet that illustrates the marginal differences in diameter when you plus-1 & plus 2 etc., and I want to make sure of things first, since I'll probably be buying tires & wheels from 2 different places.

Cheers!
Paul

rsholland · February 2001

My guess is that your wheels are 15"x6." Certainly no wider than 6.5." The new Outbacks and Forester S models are using 16"x6.5" rims. I'm almost certain that the Forester L, with the same tire size that you have, uses a 15"x6" wheel.

Bob

bg18947 · February 2001

I got a set of Team Loco 142 Silver wheels with my Blizzaks for a 2000 Legacy GT Ltd from the tirerack. They should look good on an Outback. They are 16x7s. When my Bridgestone RE92s wear out, I plan to get a set of BFGoodrich Touring TA VR4s. Touring TAs are good enough, don't need the Comp TAs. Touring TAs are available from BJs and I'm sure other wholesale clubs at very competitive rates. But, if you're going with tirerack, it will be just as cheap to order whatever tires with your wheels. I think you should go with 16" wheels and maintain a diameter equal with your 15" stocks. I threw my stock wheel/tire in the trunk as a full-size spare.

seamus3 · February 2001

has anyone gone to rallispec for a catback? i am considering going for that next. do they ship to the west coast?
i've tried e-mailing them but got no response.

lucien2 · February 2001

Paul- your stock wheel is same as mine- 15X6. A straight plus one upgrade would be 215/60/16. 205/60/16 will not fill your fender wells the same, so if you want to keep the look and the diameter right, 215 is the way to go. 225 is too much and will compromise clearance.

Seamus- Rallispec is a small operation. They do VERY high quality work, but a re just a 3 person team, and get swamped at times. Be patient, or try emailing again. You may want to crosspost on www.i-club.com to get real word feedback about thier cat-back

paisan · February 2001

Call rallispec, they get over 800 e-mails a day and it's hard for them to keep up.

-mike

ateixeira · February 2001

Ken: good photos. You can tell both the Hellas and Phillips put off a much whiter light, and yes the Phillips are even brighter.

Paul: I can say that my Plus One was easily, and by far, the biggest and best improvement I've done to Sandy. And you know how many mods I have...

The size is actually 215/60R16, not 205.

-juice

theob · February 2001

Has anyone ever put in an OEM Subie Engine Block heater? Talked to the local parts dept. and they said it requires a special tool and you replace a freeze plug with it. They also wanted full retail for it.

Does anyone know what special tool it requires?(Crescent wrench? :-) How hard is it to put in?

Thanks in advance,
Theo

ateixeira · February 2001

No idea, but never pay retail.

Give Darlene a call at 800-287-1281. Ask her to check with her shop on what's involved with the install. She can find out for you.

-juice

hondafriek · February 2001

I believe the special tool is actually a large socket, Honda leave a threaded hole in the engine for a block heater you remove this with a large socket and screw the block heater in place of it, the Subaru block heater is also threaded so I would imagine it is the same deal.
I do not know about the Sube but on the honda it is on the rear of the engine you have to remove the oil filter to access it you also need a hoist as it would be impossible to remove laying on your back. It may be worth gettig the heater from Darlene and getting your own mechanic to install it I think the price is around $26.
Cheers Pat.

ateixeira · February 2001

If that's the case, you may need bigger a drive socket than usual. I believe 3/8" drivers have bits that go up to 19mm. 20mm or bigger and you'll need a 1/2" drive.

In other words, if you don't have the tools, have a mechanic install it.

-juice

hondafriek · February 2001

Juice I think this is one time when I would definitely advocate having a mechanic install it. it does take a half inch drive socket and a very large power bar as the plug is extremely tight in the block. I watched my mechanic install the block heater in my Accord wagon and even standing under the car and using a bar about 2 feet long he had a hell of a time getting the plug to move once the plug was out it was a simple job to install the heater
Cheers Pat.

hammersley · February 2001

Soooo... if I go Plus-1 (215/60/16 from 205/70/15) do I need to go 16x7, or do I stay with 6 inchers? Looking at a custom wheel catalog & I don't see any 16x6ers...

Which raises another question: will the combination of wider tires *and* wider wheels cause the dreaded clearance difficulties?

(BTW, the same catalog has a good illustration of plus-1 up to plus-4 (!) sizing differences... Wheel diameters vary about a 1/4 - 1/2 inch MOL, but makes a huge difference in appearance.)

Cheers!
Paul

rsholland · February 2001

Foresters, with 215/60x16 tires have 6.5" wide rims.

Bob

lucien2 · February 2001

Yea, I saw a Forester in Philly with the exact tire size we need. No way Foresters are running 16X7. I think we'll be O.K. with GT or Forester rims.

thecat · February 2001

Dan,

The Phillips h-4's make a big difference and are a cheap and easy to install - $28. IMHO swaping out the fog's is money that could be better spent elsewhere.

My 99-S came with the tweeter kit and it does make a difference. The stock speakers in the doors are paper cones with little tiny magnets. If you are into music .. replace them. The arm extension is a worthwhile investment and (this is for you Juice) it is the same height as the door arm rest on the left so you'll feel balanced.
If you plan to do any "off roading" even dirt trails, the diff. protector is a good plan.
Can't comment on the air filter.
Another worthy consideration is replacing the stock 13mm sway bar with an 18mm. Juice and I switched mine a couple of weeks ago and it makes a marked difference in handling (if you like to play in the curves) and only cost $82 from QSubaru. There's my 2 cents .....enjoy your car.

Hutch

kens · February 2001

Here's a very easy modification you can do to improve the light output of your fogs -- simply re-aim them higher.

There's a screw at the base of the foglamps that controls it's up-down position. I found that by adjusting them to their max vertical position, the bright spot cast by the fogs extended from just barely in front of my hood to about 3-4 feet ahead.

Keep in mind that foglights are supposed to shine light relatively low to prevent reflective glare. The adjustment I made still retains their functionality but makes them a little more useful as pseudo-driving lights.

Ken

Subaru Crew - Modifications II

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