Ranger83

How much do you plan to spend? Before you do anything, ask for before-and-after performance numbers. Without testing, any change you make will seem to make a difference. It is difficult - and expensive - to produce a significant power increase on an engine that is already producing 66 hp per liter of displacement. And those increases usually come at the cost of torque low in the rpm range, which can cripple around-town performance. The 2000-2004 Outbacks are the heaviest of the three generations. The 05 and up have aluminum hoods and tailgates, and the 06's have variable valve timing to increase the power output (to 175hp). You'll never get your money back on these kinds of modifications - you just as often decrease the value of the car by the amount you spent, because of buyer concerns of wear and abusive driving. It usually costs $75-100 to put your car on a dynomometer and find out what you have now, and that's an important first step if you are serious about improving performance. The dyno operator where I took my H6 estimated a 2.5 puts out 100-110 hp at the wheels, versus 170+ for the H6 and 200+ for the turbos. Most automatic 4 cyl Outback wagons are hard pressed to break 10 seconds 0-60mph, and the manuals are only a few tenths quicker. The turbo 2.5l Outbacks and Legacies do 0-60 in under 6 seconds and a quarter mile in under 15. The H6 OB's (also rated for 250hp) do 0-60 in 7-8 seconds. Save your money and buy one of those.

legacygt.com

Nice photos. The H6's have a reputation for getting significantly better mpg after 10K miles. I haven't updated the graph lately but do have all my fuel logs.

Umm, I've already run it at full power with regualr on a dyno and there was nothing abnormal. Like I said, I believe they "recommend" higher octane so they can advertise the slightly higher power output. I don't know what the exact higher output is, but will when I put it on the dyno again. Is your ECU throwing codes when you run regular?

Nicely stated.

That's the point - the engineers at Subaru "Recommend" Premium. I worked as an engineer for years before starting an engineering consulting business - I get to vote as well. I drove it the first 4,000 miles with high octane, then switched. I've logged every gallon of fuel used and had the engine codes read under full load to see if the spark was being retarded or there was evidence of detonation. There wasn't. So go ask one of the ME professors, "If an engine is running well, with normal spark advance profile and without evidence of detonation, is the octane of the fuel being used appropriate? Or does your experience with the VVT H6 in the 2006 differ? Especially now that there are 200 different blends of gas in the US alone. This begs the question of whether the octane ratings shown at the pump are even accurate. If you were a factory engineer, would you design an engine that had problems with normal pump grade fuel? Factory engineers probably figure the average owner is ignorant - or that lower pump octane might be used at some point out of necessity. Wouldn't you make your design robust enough to withstand this kind of use/abuse? Plenty of turbo 2.5 owners reprogram their ECU's for 93 Octane only. They get a big power boost. How can this be? Answer - factory engineers are conservative because selling hundreds of thousands of cars a year that grenade the engine is "non career enhancing."

The reason those engineers "recommend" premium is so that they can produce higher hp ratings. If it was required (like the turbo 2.5) they'd say required. Our Nissan Quest (3.5l V6) produces 242 hp on high test and 237 on regular, according to the manufacturer. That's at full throttle. The dyno operator can download the logs from the engine's ECU. On mine, there was no evidence of detonation and the spark was not retarded much if at all. The dyo operator suggests Premium will yield an increase of 2-5 hp - about what I gained from shutting off the AC manually. But I'm bringing it back for another run with Premium just to prove the point.

http://www.cars101.com/

Premium is "recommended," not required. I have been burning regular for the last 4,000 miles, so I can't answer your question.

no. He's confused Gross versus Net. Wikipedia has it all: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsepower I've never seen a manufacturer publish a WHP rating, and individual dynos vary so much that you can really only compare two values if they're from the same unit. On Legacygt.com somewhere there's reference to a magazine that had a car tested on a number of different models and brands. Mine was tested at TDC Tuning. He's done tons of turbo Subarus, but mine was the first H6 he could recall. YMMV. I plan to go back and do another run, with Premium, and with and without an air filter.

WHP is always a lot less. It varies from dyno to dyno. BTW the 250hp turbo 2.5 usually puts down about 200 WHP - despite also being rated at 250hp. Go figure. No. The leather seat kit from Katzkin is due in next week. I couldn't get an LLbean or VDC because there isn't enough headroom with the sunroof. And you can't get leather on the base 3.0R. So I'm having an upholstery shop put in an all-leather (not just seating surfaces) Katzkin set.

You can buy Duro Extend or a similar product from Loctite at Homed Depot or any auto store. Spray can, $5. I use it on my snow thrower.

Here's the dyno results:

Here's what's under the cover. It's a really nice motor. I dyno'd it and it had roughly 180 hp at the wheels.

Why not a CRV?

Yeah, as mean as a MILF-mobile can look:D (I know - I have one). So where, exactly, would you fit a brush guard that wouldn't cause more damage than it prevents if you hit anything at speed, and iss a street legal replacement for the front lower facia? Anything like those shown above would let even more air underneath it on the highway. I don't see too many $30K+ vehicles in brush. Folks who mod these cars generally put on a mesh grille ($300); clear the headlights; put on new wheels (the BBS wheels are 4 lbs lighter than the stock 5 spokers); and replace the rear swaybar with the larger Legacy GT bar. If they really get wild they put coilovers on it. Trying to make it look like an off-road vehicle will just make you look like a Hummer driver = poser.

And the tinfoil helmet - is that worth an additonal 2mpg? 4mpg?

Only the turbo 2.5 and H6. The 2.5 calls for a 7500 mile change. What Suzam said....

Legacy GT owners and many others seem to favor the Goodyear F1 GS-D3. C&D test: http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=10252

The rest of the recent SAABs are built on Opel Vectra or Omega chassis. If you did not know this, you have answered your own question. Don't think SAAB owners care: I had a 1969 SAAB 96 with a V4 from a Ford Taunus, and it didn't bother me.

And you will get that gain. Have someone put a placebo "mileage booster" in your tank and you'll get the same gain. It's well within the range of normal variation.

The Michelin HydroEdge I put on my 97 OBW at 120,000 miles (exactly) now have 52,000 miles on them and 7/32nds or more tread (new is 11/32nd, the wear bars are 2/32nd). I usually replace mine at 5/32nd as their hydroplaning and wet weather performance decline drastically. BTW they replaced Michelin X Ones that were on the car 63,000 miles and still had over 5/32nds. Are TT owners still rcomplaining about a drop in mileage?

I had the usual part-throttle hesitation on my 97 OBW, and two applications of SeaFoam nearly eliminated it. But in the fuel tank I use Techron.

Most radiator shops stock them and don't charge much to install.

There is an entire website devoted to your questions - http://www.legacygt.com. For a vehicle that can turn a quarter mile in something over 14 seconds and does 0-60 in well under six seconds, it get great mileage...... Without knowing what other cars you are comparing it with, it would be heard to say if it expensive or cheap. It's not a BMW or Honda, so C&D is not gentle, but: http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=16&article_id=10775 Road & Track picked the Spec B 2nd of seven - first if price was a factor: http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=3280&page_number=7