elwood91

The centers wre drilled out. Offset is 45, not ideal but still works with these tires. The spare mount had to be enlarged a bit to fit.

While it is a very common conversion, there are some drawbacks. Ground clearance is the major issue even with a shortened oilpan, the engine sticks down pretty low. I went with a rebuilt that has more displacement, cam to match, forged rods, and coated pistons. It is now 2.4 L and gets out of it's own way on the highway. The power is similar to a 2.2 L subaru and enough for the almost 20 yr old transmission. If I was going to do alot of highway miles with it I would have looked into a sohc 2.5 or svx 6cylinder. This van sees a lot of back roads, and the occasional run down the Columbia Gorge. After replacing the engine I am now trying to update the FI system, which is one of the main advantages to converting to subaru. Maybe " the next van" . I wish they made the BFG's to fit 205/55/16

Some decals even say 4 x 4, they aren't. AWD with viscous coupling to engage front wheels when slippage occurs. Some have optional vacuum operated locking differential in the rear( europe had front as well ) they also have a low crawler gear but it would be nicer to hav a full low range like the 80's Subarus. Mine has 15" bfg on modified passat wheels.

Quite a few of these in Pacific NW now, most have been imported through Canada. Yahoo even has a "syncro double cab" group. I've seen a few of the 16" around Portland and at the NW Mogfest. Classifieds on The Samba has some rare vanagons for sale, usually in Europe but some have been imported already.

Is it the factory extended warranty? I wouldn't consider dealers package unless it's from the factory. I don't think the turbo is covered under their extended warranties? Make sure to check if that is the reason you are considering it.

Doing anything to the intake on the 05+ models isn't going to gain anything in the way of hp, it is already very free flowing. If you want a little more power headers and exhaust will add some. 06 models gain a few hp by deleting a cat and adding a smog pump to maintain emmissions.

Back in the 70's my dad brought home an Isetta body and chassis which he proceeded to turn into an electric car. I got to drive the chassis in some parking lots before the body was installed. Not very fast but very quiet.

The standard WRX 2005 are the same 5x100 bolt pattern. The STi has changed to 5x114.3? same as SVX.

Even if you are talking about the N/A 2.5 gt 97-04 into a 2.2 L you won't get much difference. Could be worse due to the 97-99 are dohc not sohc. If you meant the 05 GT chip that's a bad idea. What year/engine Legacy L ?

Again original question was about new 5mt vs new 5eat sportshift in 2.5 XT or 5mt vs 4eat sportshift in base model 2.5i. The sportshift is nice for a lot of traffic while still fun and the awd is a little more complicated with computer controlled power distribution. I personally prefer the manual for hilly terrain where downshifting is smoother with a clutch than by autostick.

Since you are looking at an 2.5 XT most comparisons to previous transmissions DO NOT APPLY. The XT has a 5 speed auto stick or reinforced 5 speed manual. I think gas mileage is the same for both.The auto gives the ability to shift gears like tiptronic or "sport" mode which shifts up at higher rpm and shifts down sooner when accelerating, very nice for highway driving. The manual is "reinforced" I assume that means better gear set than previous versions.

The hoodscoop actually feeds air over the intercooler to cool down the air that has come through the intake and then been compressed by the turbocharger which heats it up. So snow and rain aren't bad for the intercooler. What is bad is long stops like traffic jams that allow the heat of the engine to build up under the hood reducing the efficiency of the intercooler. elwood

I know this might be too simple but check the parking light " P " switch on top of the steering column. It can get bumped during repairs and not noticed by most body shops. good luck

4) ABS light is on - how do I pull the error codes from the ABS brain? Under the passenger seat is the box with red led that flashes out the error codes. When I had a 92 LS the problem with the ABS was the leaky sunroof let too much water on the passenger side floor and light would go on. Driving with the carpet up for a few days would dry it out enough for the light to go out. I think I got the key to the flashes from chilton's. 16 flashes before repeating was ABS code? Good Luck

check your tires tread, if you don't have good traction that will trigger abs even on dry pavement.