Ranger83

I have an 06 3.0R that just turned 24,000 miles. The power outlet in the console (which I use all the time for my GPS) came loose and was fixed at the dealer during an oil change. That's the extent of my problems. My summer wheels don't have TPMS. The flashing light came on after 15-18 minutes of driving, so the system takes longer to update than the manual says. I've "disabled" the flashing light with a 1" square of black electrical tape. now that I have the stock rims back on with snows, I left the tape in place because I find the Subaru system worthless. Our nissan gives the individual tire pressures, at least.

What I don't understand is why people come to this forum; read about the head gasket problems; then don't have them replaced as a maintenance item after 120,000 miles or so. I was highly skeptical about this problem on our 97's but after having several friends blow them, I had the HG replaced at 140,000 miles. One of the heads was warped a bit and needed milling. I sold it to my sister-in-law, who traded it in at 187,000 miles, running perfectly. So the cost of the job was less than 3 cents a mile. WARNING: If you drive a Subaru 2.5, replace the head gaskets as a maintenance item at 120,000 miles!!!

Off-roaders do "jerk" other vehicles out - which is why straps designed for that purpose seem to have yield strengths of 20,000 to 40,000 lbs. I would not try it on an Outbck, or any unibody vehicle, for that matter, unless you had a really secure attachment point.

The only passenger All Season tire with the Severe Duty Snow (Mountain/Snowflake) rating is the Nokian WR. It has a 50,000 mile treadwear warranty. The two most popular A/S's for OB's are the Goodyear TripleTred and Michelin HydroEdge. They have 80,000 and 90,000 mile treadwear warranties, respectively. We had the HydroEdge and they were OK on snow and ice for the first season or two. As some parts of Maine get over 100" of snowfall a year, so snow and ice traction is pretty important. If you are not going to dedicated snows, the WR may be your best choice. We have them on our MPV as I didn't want two sets of wheels. http://www.nokiantires.com has a dealer locator.

Exactly what vehicle are you trying to convert? A legacy in good condition is worth more than $1,000, I'd hope. The certainly sell for more than that around here. If he has an AWD model with 4EAT, he can "convert" it to FWD by putting a fuse in the FWD plug under the hood.

Easier and cheaper to swap nameplate - Honda, Toyota, etc. You'd be spending money to make a car virtually unsalable. Doesn't make sense even to a Georgian.

Martin, cable chains are hugely effective in deep snow. But with passenger car radials (which don't have very robust sidewalls compared to truck tires) they can chew up a set of tires pretty quickly if you go too far or too fast. They're also a pain to install, as it's usually snowing like a mf once you decide you need them. Studless or studded radials are a whole lot more convenient because you can slog through deep snow to a highway, then travel at reasonable speed. A guy at work just bought some studded Nokian Hakka II's and they're pretty cool - not many studs so they're pretty quiet on the highway as snows go. If you're not going for dedicated snows, the Nokian WR is an all-season with the Severe Duty Snow rating (the mountain snowflake icon). Or you can scour craigslist for a used set. A new AS will do a lot better in snow than the worn ones.

And there you have it. I posted on subaruoutback.org and some of the folks there have the same strap I do. Because of the location of the tow eyes on the OB, there's no way to hook up a recovery strap without using one and possibly two shackles. Their position is that the tow eyes will probably fail before the load limit of the strap is reached - the safe working load is enough to lift the Subaru in the air with a 3:1 safety factor. I only plan on using the tow strap to assist another functioning vehicle to pull out of a spot in the snow they (or I) drove into. Anything more and they're on their own.

So, I surfed around and got a recommendation from serious off-road guys that retrieval straps should have fabric loops only, as if they have steel eyes and the strap breaks, it will turn into a missile. Then, I looked at that tow eye on the rear of my OBW. It's probably too small to put a loop on unless I added a pretty big anchor schackle. Then, I went to WalMart and found what I thought was the perfect 30' strap. Got it home - and it was the model with steel hooks FTL! So, will this be OK in case I auger in (or someone else does) or should I replace it with a retrieval strap with fabric loops only? Then I'd have to get some good sized anchor shackles to attach it, which are $7-10 each. 30' seems like it will be a lot more practical than 20 - any reason to go shorter? I used to carry 25' of nylon anchor rode but knots are not great in this application and it took up a lot of space. The one I bought is from Highland. They seem to be widely distributed at several auto parts chains, KMart and WalMart. It is the 30' model of this: The material is the same as that on their recovery strap but seems to be tubular so the max load is much higher. The company is at http://www.highlandusa.com/home.asp

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Of course there is. But it is not cost effective. And don't forget the rule of thumb - the value of a car with modifications is reduced by the value of the mods. Some folks buy the TR model WRX because they want unique interiors or other mods and don't want to throw away the STI stuff. But the STI has a lot of specially engineered parts compared even to the WRX, let alone 2.5i.

It took longer to type these messages than it does to install this product - including drilling the holes.

The USGI entrenching tools work great as a car shovel. Fold up compactly; can be used at a 90 degree angle to clear snow from underneath; hardened steel blade can chop ice. There is also a Coleman version that's a little narrower, but not nearly as strong. About $10 used on eBay.

My wife is from St Augustine Fl and I met two Subaru owners there (97 OBW and 95 Legacy) who regularly accessed the 4WD-only beach access points with them. The attendent at one told me he was flat out amazed to see the Subarus blow throw all the ruts. Momentum is your friend.

Wind-blown snow is an entirely different proposition from powder. Jump on it, a lot of tire shops sell out after the first big snow. BTW, a USGI e-tool is great to keep in the trunk for excavation. What do you have for a tow strap? For winter conditions, if you're not gettings studs, I don't think you can beat Nokian RSI's, although they're pricey. Michelin X-Ice seem to do well in the tests as well. The German auto club ADAC also tested "low cost" snow tires and the Viking SnowTech (made by Continental) did the best in winter driving of those available in the US. They do not have the dry and wet road performance of the pricier models. Any snow tire is better than none: even less expensive ones like the Firestone WinterHawk. The Goodyear IceGrip tires seem to do well also. A fellow at work has Nokian Hakka II's with studs and if you live where winters are bad they are worth considering. The number of studs is much smaller than the past, so they're not as noisy or slippery in the drive as old-style studded tires. If you live in a part of the country where it hasn't gotten much snow yet, scour craigslist. In October I bought a set of 16" Blizzaks with less than 1/32nd wear mounted on Subaru steel wheels for my in-laws 2001 OBW for $300. Once people stop thinking about Xmas and start thinking about winter, all the good deals will get snapped up.

Oh, that must have been it! Or, not. Unless they came to the autocross in your trunk.... I'd be really leery of going beyond -1 degree if you drive a lot.

I had -2 degrees on my old autocross Scirocco. It ate up the tires in a major way.

The Tribeca weighs at least 700 lbs more than an Outback, even a Gen II. Subaru has sold hundreds of thousands of H4 OBW's, and they're a whole lot slower than the Tribeca. In the ROW, the Spec B comes with an H6.

You just drill holes in the plastic. It seems pretty robust.

They seem to be good tires and are OEM on some new 07's, it appears. But they do not generally have a good reputation or ratings for snow and ice.

I have an 06 3.0R wagon. There were no pre-marked holes. I just drilled them at the height of the net, directly above the hooks that attach the lower portion of the net. I drilled a small hole, then used the full-size bit so it wouldn't walk. The fasteners tighten up with a few turns. It takes longer to get the drill and bits together than it does to install it.

Test of Harmony versus hydroedge, Goodyear TripleTred, and comfortTred: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/chartDisplay.jsp?ttid=74 I think the Michelin X sold at Costco and Sams Club is the best overall value, at the expense of performance.

We're going to try the solar charger on our truck. Costco seems to have the best prices on AGM batteries. BTW, a friend of mine in Alaska had the same problem (only sometimes it was overnight!) and resorted to buying a spare battery, which he would lug out in the morning to start his truck.

A few dealers try to get around it by offering them mounted. As their prices are $30 or so higher per tire higher than locally, I don't think they're selling many.

I'm going to try those this winter in lieu of the winter blades I have. BTW, I usually +1" all replacement wipers, they fit fine and open a little more area. Some cars can take +2" no problem.