Hurley Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 Hello, Im Justin and im new to the group. I just bought my first car last wednesday. And low and behold i bought me a 1992 Loyale Wagon. Well i noticed right away that it wasnt really built for speed and i wanted to be able to have fun in it and what better than 4x4? Well i am not an abid 4 wheeler but i plan on becoming one. And i have a few questions for anyone willing to answer. 1. What kind of wheels and tires are recommended? I want to put 14" to 15" rims and i dont want anything fancy (flat black will do). 2. What modifications do i need to do to the new rims to fit the stock wheels (lug nuts i think)? 3. Power talk; i the car has the standard 1.8 horozontally opposed engine (yay for 90 freakin' horsepower......NOT). What can i do as far as obtaining more power? I have seen a performance chip, will that be enough? And if not, how can i get more power? 4. I want accessories, those guys in the hatch patrol have some pretty cool stuff (i.e. brush guard light combos, roof rack light combos.) I want something like that for my car. 5. I was talking with someone and they mentioned something about a transfer case in the older subes. And that it would be a good idea for me to obtain one of these t cases. Any specifics? 6. As far as lift goes. I dont want to over do it. I am thinking 4" at most. What do you think? Well that is all i have for now. If you have any suggestions for me, anything is greatly appreciated. My email is bobthehamster416@hotmail.com. Thanks, Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4_Welder Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 The t-case mod is a lot of work, and you really need at least 6" of lift to make it work. I am working on a way to do it with 5" or less, but it's going to take a custom subframe and new lower control arms. You can run 14" Pug rims, I have the alloys on my car, they were probably the only decent parts on those cars...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 First and formost, Welcome to the board! My recommendation would be to start with another Subie! Kinda joking and kinda not. A Subie will never be a perfect starting platform for a hard core rig. The older Subies adapt to light-medium duty 4wding way better than the newer ones. The main reason why is because the older Subs have a Dual Range tranny. The D/R tranny, while not perfect, is the key to getting a Subie around in the hills. Putting bigger tires on will give you a bit more clearance which is good but don't try climbing any hills! If I had a 92 Legacy, I'd put 14" Pugs and a slightly over sized tire and call it good. Good Luck, Glenn 82 SubaruHummer 84 GL Mad Max 01 Forester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operose Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 First and formost, Welcome to the board! If I had a 92 Legacy, I'd put 14" Pugs and a slightly over sized tire and call it good. he has a loyale... the pugs will fit the loyale but not the legacy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 Sweet82's on the right track, but I don't think you need to get a different car. If your loyale is pretty solid structurally, and if you're ready to be doing a lift, and other modifications to your subaru, a transmission swap is pretty easy. Find one out of a '85-'89 Wagon, Sedan, or Coupe. Non-turbo. Should be part-time 4WD, but not the pushbutton, it'll have a third lever (regular shifter, ebrake, 4WD), Just like a truck or Jeep. It has a 2WD (FWD in this case) setting, a 4WD Hi setting, and a 4WD Lo setting. this lo range is key in getting those 4 little hampsters under the hood to turn big tires when on the rocks (or whatever it is that you're wheeling on). THere is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section here in the Offroad forum, it lookes like it got un-stickied, so you'll probably have to search for it. but it has a TON of information, compiled from many of our members posts over the last few years. Beyond that, just hang out, read virtually everything you can. There is a ton of information here, and no definate answer to your questions, so you'll have to look around, and decide what you want to do. The three options for pre-built lifts are all very comparable, it's not like jeep lifts, where some give better flex, while others just look good, Subaru lifts are all virtually the same, price and availability are probably the deciding factors in any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevo151617 Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 i have a 91 loyale, its got no power at all. with the stock 13" wheels i run a wintermaster 185/80r13 tire, as far as a lift goes, i wouldnt go more than 3 inches. if your subaru has stock 14" rims, im assuming it should sit a little higher than mine did. but with the tires i put on i gained about an inch, maybe an inch and a half. if you raise the vehicle more than 3 inches overall (whether its from the tires, springs, spacers...) you will need to adjust your camber angle (the angle at which the wheel sits related to the ground...either the top is too far out or in, or the bottom too far out or in). plus the lift may not agree with the working angles of your half shafts, which are a common weakness in the loyale. as far as squeezing power from that engine...good luck! if you dont mind the check engine light on constantly, there are alot of things you can do. im sure you can make some kind of o2 sensor simulator. you can buy a k&n air filter, if you have access to a machine shop or some nice tools you can get a pulley kit made. basically what i would do is wait for some snow and know that your prepared, and smile as your car gets 27 mpg city while the guy next to you is getting 16 highway in his h3.i once thought my subaru could do more than it can, but i learned quickly that you either go big and fast or you go home. the most you can get out of that motor is going to be another 5 to 10 horsepower. the loyale is a dependable, long lasting car, it has its problems, but what doesnt? i bought my loyale for 150$ and i expected it to last a few weeks, now its spring here in new york and i still refuse to drive my camaro based solely on the gas mileage! rock on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 i have a 91 loyale, its got no power at all. with the stock 13" wheels i run a wintermaster 185/80r13 tire, as far as a lift goes, i wouldnt go more than 3 inches. if your subaru has stock 14" rims, im assuming it should sit a little higher than mine did. but with the tires i put on i gained about an inch, maybe an inch and a half. if you raise the vehicle more than 3 inches overall (whether its from the tires, springs, spacers...) you will need to adjust your camber angle (the angle at which the wheel sits related to the ground...either the top is too far out or in, or the bottom too far out or in). plus the lift may not agree with the working angles of your half shafts, which are a common weakness in the loyale. as far as squeezing power from that engine...good luck! if you dont mind the check engine light on constantly, there are alot of things you can do. im sure you can make some kind of o2 sensor simulator. you can buy a k&n air filter, if you have access to a machine shop or some nice tools you can get a pulley kit made. basically what i would do is wait for some snow and know that your prepared, and smile as your car gets 27 mpg city while the guy next to you is getting 16 highway in his h3.i once thought my subaru could do more than it can, but i learned quickly that you either go big and fast or you go home. the most you can get out of that motor is going to be another 5 to 10 horsepower. the loyale is a dependable, long lasting car, it has its problems, but what doesnt? i bought my loyale for 150$ and i expected it to last a few weeks, now its spring here in new york and i still refuse to drive my camaro based solely on the gas mileage! rock on! lifts for old subarus are blocks, it's a body lift. you can't get more than an inch or so with just springs, and that's through tougher springs, which will cause substantially worse performance offroad 4-lug subarus virtually never came with 14" wheels in the US (I only know of 1 set for sure, but there's probably a couple more) camber is not adjustable on them. unless you go building yourself custom longer control arms, which would need longer axles, and probably longer tie rods I have one wagon with 3" of lift (not including tires), and another with 4". both running ~28" tires. if you're getting serious at all, 3" is not enough! good advice on the motor.....but for an EA82, that's WAY too much money, if you're going to spend that kind of money/effort.....do an EJ swap. if you don't want to put that much work into the motor, start removing stuff that doesn't work/you don't need. A/C, mechanical fan (as long as you have an electric one, and the rest of the cooling system works fine), DONT remove power steering, the previous owner of one of my wagons removed the power steering on it, and I hate it. for a car that's built to be maneuverable at slow speed, it's crucial. also, make sure it has a good ignition system, do the whole thing, coil, disty cap and rotor, wires, and plugs. it'll help alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurley Posted April 20, 2006 Author Share Posted April 20, 2006 thanks it came with a brand new starter, timing belt, clutch, and motor. what would be a good set of larger tires i have access to a machine shop. what about rims? and you are just saying to go with a body lift? what does that do me? thanks, justin lifts for old subarus are blocks, it's a body lift. you can't get more than an inch or so with just springs, and that's through tougher springs, which will cause substantially worse performance offroad 4-lug subarus virtually never came with 14" wheels in the US (I only know of 1 set for sure, but there's probably a couple more) camber is not adjustable on them. unless you go building yourself custom longer control arms, which would need longer axles, and probably longer tie rods I have one wagon with 3" of lift (not including tires), and another with 4". both running ~28" tires. if you're getting serious at all, 3" is not enough! good advice on the motor.....but for an EA82, that's WAY too much money, if you're going to spend that kind of money/effort.....do an EJ swap. if you don't want to put that much work into the motor, start removing stuff that doesn't work/you don't need. A/C, mechanical fan (as long as you have an electric one, and the rest of the cooling system works fine), DONT remove power steering, the previous owner of one of my wagons removed the power steering on it, and I hate it. for a car that's built to be maneuverable at slow speed, it's crucial. also, make sure it has a good ignition system, do the whole thing, coil, disty cap and rotor, wires, and plugs. it'll help alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
970subaru Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 I'm a newb here and even I can tell you... do some reading!! do some searching! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 theres a wicked awesome FAQ at the top of the offroading page, that will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about subie offroading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 I reiterate: Sweet82's on the right track, but I don't think you need to get a different car. If your loyale is pretty solid structurally, and if you're ready to be doing a lift, and other modifications to your subaru, a transmission swap is pretty easy. Find one out of a '85-'89 Wagon, Sedan, or Coupe. Non-turbo. Should be part-time 4WD, but not the pushbutton, it'll have a third lever (regular shifter, ebrake, 4WD), Just like a truck or Jeep. It has a 2WD (FWD in this case) setting, a 4WD Hi setting, and a 4WD Lo setting. this lo range is key in getting those 4 little hampsters under the hood to turn big tires when on the rocks (or whatever it is that you're wheeling on). THere is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section here in the Offroad forum, it lookes like it got un-stickied, so you'll probably have to search for it. but it has a TON of information, compiled from many of our members posts over the last few years. Beyond that, just hang out, read virtually everything you can. There is a ton of information here, and no definate answer to your questions, so you'll have to look around, and decide what you want to do. The three options for pre-built lifts are all very comparable, it's not like jeep lifts, where some give better flex, while others just look good, Subaru lifts are all virtually the same, price and availability are probably the deciding factors in any of them. the FAQ is no longer stickied....I don't know why, so I even did a little searching for you: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=24980 there's a search button near the top of the page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SakoTGrimes Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 For 14 or 15 inch wheels the only options are getting the wheels off a Peugeot 504 or 505, hard to find especially the nice looking ones. Toyota and GM truck 6 lug wheels can also have 2 extra holes drilled in them to fit the wacky 4x140 pattern. Lots of people here have made custom brushgaurds, light bars, roof racks themselves or by a friend who welds. Shadyirishmen and Mudrat79 are members who do it as a business, OZified makes lifts too and some others I can't recall. But the mod you'll get the most bang for your buck is probably the dual range transmission. A stock Subaru can do some amazing things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Lots of people here have made custom brushgaurds, light bars, roof racks themselves or by a friend who welds. Shadyirishmen and Mudrat79 are members who do it as a business don't forget soobme/TWB! http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=47904 and do a little research before you send Mudrat any money.....he's been banned because of his business practices... lifts: http://www.ozified.com http://www.sjrlift.com http://www.alliedarmament.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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