3eyedwagon

Sounds good to me. Want to do a bumper before then? April 26 27 are the wheeling trip up here I told you about. Don't forget. So count me in. I'll escort you guys to the end of the Upper Mainline, then turn around. That is if that's the way you go. Then I may go back down to the Lower Mainline, explore the jaunt around the gate, and the trail to meet up with you guys. Sorry, but I'm just not game for the rocks at the end of the Upper Mainline.

Stock subaru tires are usually 4 ply or so. Most aftermarket off road tires (in sizes applicable to Subarus) are going to be 6 ply. I think most people here would agree that 6 ply tires on wheeling Subarus are good, and about as thick as you want to go. Naturally, the more plys you have; the more the tire weighs. So a lower ply tire will give the advantage of being lighter, which is always a good thing. However, low ply tires are exactly that; low ply, this means a thinner sidewall, and less puncture resistance. A 4 ply sidewall should hold up fine for what you plan on doing, and you won't feel the effect of dramatic weight gains that you would encounter with a much thicker tire. This means better power, pedal response, etc. Just be sure to be a little more careful of obstacles in the path ahead of you. I would steer a wide path around any sharp rocks that look capable of damaging your side walls. Especially due to the tall sidewalls on those tires. Other than that, they should work great for what you are doing. Good find! I always enjoy hearing about it when people find a way to be effective, and have fun on a budget. We don't all need ridiculous trail rigs to get big grins. I always found expensive wheelers a case of more money, more problems! HAPPY WHEELING!!

At that price, it is an easy reality. And those tires are a real aggressive tread too.

I'm still trying to figure out how to attach the hook to the stock aluminum spoiler on my wagon, but alas, it is all a waste of time as the stock ea81 aluminum hatch spoiler will only flow a consistant 1.13 GigaWatts.

Might not be a bad idea, but I'd run it down to a 1/4 tank or less just for ease of handling less fuel. If it is running ok, I wouldn't say it is necessary. I've never done it on mine, but if you are bored, or an overachiever I doubt you are going to hurt anything. Another reason is for removal of the gas tank, for whatever reason. Say your tank got damaged, and you decided it needed removal; it is MUCH easier to remove an empty tank than a full one. Anyone who has ever changed an in-tank fuel pump can relate to this. It is one reason they should have kept the drain around in newer automobiles.

Just in case. You know, like if some junk gets in your gas tank. Rocks, sugar, water, cow poo, a yo-yo, i got drunk and peed in there (sorry), plutonium (if this happens, DO NOT exceed 85 MPH), other such stuff. It's better it's there and you don't need it, than it not be there and you do need it.

The spares are mostly for Nissan Pathfinders, are made by either Toyo, or Bridgestone (most common ones I found), and are usually 225s. The only problem with them is that the side walls are light. Real light. I called my buddy at the tire shop, and he claimed they are an oddball rated at less than 4 ply load range. They are abundant, and the rims are ok. The only problem I see with the rims is that once redrilled the outer area for the two new lug holes will need to be ground flat for a good lug nut mating surface. I was gonna go with these until I found out how light the sidewalls are. For the price though....

Depends how hard you are planning on hitting things!! Seriously though, considering the bumper doesn't mount far from the core support, and that's really the only other place to mount it; yes, it should be strong enough for most applications. I would just be sure to pick some of the more structurally sound parts of the core support, and maybe use 4 mounting points rather than just 2. I would think that would work just fine, unless all heck breaks loose!

You know what I'm looking for. I just need to drop the coin and commit to it. Keep an eye out for what I said, it doesn't need to be fancy, and dents are welcome. Cheaper the better. You know what's going to happen to it anyways! Maybe I should steal Woody's in the middle of the night.

The insulation ends about 1" from each flange if it is similar to the one you cut up, and that double wall really makes it alot stronger. The only reason I even ran a skidplate was for the benefit of the oilpan. And as for the flow, I think this design is tuned to flow better at higher revs. I noticed a slight difference in low end power production after install, and the only reason I can think of is the flow design for this being set up for turbo. Like I said though; the difference is very little, and only barely noticeable on the "butt dyno".

And if I can borrow your car...... I'll give it a try. You can even run my video camera!

I don't think anyone is concerned about stripping the threads off the axle. I think it is more of an issue of sideloading a freshly installed bearing, or even an old bearing. Sure, you aren't going to "crush" the bearing, but you are putting unnecessary wear on it. The torque specification is there for exactly that, to prevent too much load. It obviously isn't as big of a deal as if they were a conical bearing design, but I bet you could still severly shorten the life of the bearings by over torqueing them.

Where at are you guys planning on going this time? The only reason I ask is because the way I went when all got split up last time (Upper Mainline, right at the very end) is a dead end for me. It's doable for any of us, some decent sized rocks, and then onto the main road. I opted out because I like my straight pinch seems . I can see you 3rd gen guys going through it ( Jeff:eek: ), beating the bejeebus outta pinch seems, and just giggling, but it's a no go for me until I get a new wheeler, with some BIGGER TIRES. I'm looking at the map right now, and the only way around that point is Expressway. I haven't been up it in years, but due to it's location; I'm betting its been worn down to alot of rock. I need to take my fourwheeler, or dirtbike up one of these days, and go do some scouting. It all changes so much so quickly.

I have 2 different brands/types of tires on my wagon. One matching set on the front, and another different set on the rear. It works, because it is what I have, for now. It is a 4spd hi/low, and is welded in the rear. They are all the same tire size (215/75/14), and are all of good tread. I don't really think you are going to encounter a problem, as the slop in a 15 plus year old machine is going to soak up alot. I wouldn't try different sizes on the front, and rear, but as long as you are keeping them all the same size; you should be fine. One thing to keep in mind is that you may want to measure whatever tires you intend to use while mounted, and inflated to the psi you intend to run in them. Compare this measurement to other tires you intend to use. It is common for 2 different tires that are "called" the same size (IE 215/75/14) to measure different sizes than each other. This is just due to different make ups of the tires. I have seen as much as 1.5" of difference on even small tires when measured mounted, and inflated to the same PSI. It's just another thing to think about, especially if you are welded in the rear.

My lifted 82 wagon (EA81 weber, 4spd hi/lo) gets about 24 mpg. Remind me to never buy a new Sub for a gas saver. My 9c1 Caprice gets 24 mpg.... :-p and that doesn't matter if its loaded to the brim, or totally empty. God bless kinetic energy. I really wouldn't save much by getting rid of it.

Bingo. We have a winner!! I think it is a way better setup, and the pipe itself is actually alot beefier. I haven't noticed much difference in how it runs. It may flow a little better, but I'm sure the difference is minimal.

That's actually oil from my sender unit, and it only started after I changed the oil for what was probably the first time in years!! That'll teach me!

I went with pipe, because I had some extra laying around. I works pretty slick.

Nothing but bad things. Very bad things. And by that I mean; If you like originality, and a company willing to take risks like Subaru, it means bad things. I'm not saying anything negative about Toyotas product, I want to make that clear. Heck, it won't be long before they are the largest car company in the world. I'm just saying that I'm into Subarus because I don't want to drive around in another cheese box. The only good thing about the whole deal is that it isn't a controlling share.

Yes, I just quoted myself. Just wanted to let you know, this was written with a very high level of sarcasm. Hence the tone, and little smiley guy, but seriously, it was pretty lame.

Yes. It is very possible to make it too tight. I don't know what it is on the newer cars, but it is 142 ft lbs on the 2nd gens. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. The info should be available in a good shop manual. I'd even call the local Subaru dealership and ask for the service department. They should be able to tell you what the torque spec is. But don't just tighten the bejeebus out of it and call it good.

I think that is the problem. The demand is moderate at most, and the tooling cost to build such things would probably outweigh the immediate return. Any company willing to make these MAY get their money back, and even make money over a long term, but that's a risk most smart companies aren't willing to make. Too bad though. I'd love onboard air, and air lockers on my wagon!

Ummm. You aren't holding it up, they are. I definitely wouldn't be apologetic if I were you. After reading all of this, I'm surprised anyone is even considering another purchase. Not to be a jerk, but seriously, that was all a bit much to get some parts.

Yeah. I can see your point there. The only problem we had with that system was the large companies that show up in the area, and demand a discount because they are so large, IE lots of purchasing power. They usually ended up buying a very small quantity, and a sale usually consisted of 3 times the leg work of any of the rest of our customers. So in many cases; we had put in more work for a smaller profit. Many of the larger companies (especially their employees) acted like they should be babysitted rather than perform their own jobs, and that we should have been greatful they were throwing some scraps our way. In the end they were more of a PIA than it was ever worth.