aboone1970

In Oregon Subaru's are good to go as far as ODOT and the Law is concerned. I have been through many CalTrans and CHP checkpoints for traction devices and they always wave me through(I do have studded tires) so I assume that it's not an issue in Ca.

The WR is a great tire. We are going to be putting them on the wife's car. I know serveral people running them and they all say the traction is great on snow and ice.

I kinda liked the Potenza tire in dry or wet conditions...not the greatest but certainly not the worst. On the snow and dirt, they suck! The yokohama's that came on our new wagons this year are much better all around and way better on the snow. I have been riding around on the yokohama tires for the last couple of weeks in the snow and ice and they are not so bad. I am pretty picky about snow tires...FYI, these are also really crappy on the snow. This is Les Schwab's new studded tire and what a piece O crap it is. Sorry if I derailed the thread a little but we are on one of my favorite subjects(snow tires) and I feel pretty stongly about the crappiness of this tire. This, IMO is the best snow tire under $100(firestone winterforce). It's "almost" as good as the nokians but doesn't wear out as fast...and it's half the price.

from what the dealer told me about a week ago, the baja is no longer....07 and it's over. There are lots of people riding around in bajas where I live so I was kinda shocked. I live in suby country so I guess the local population doesn't reflect how baja sales went across the country.

I paid $21K each for our 06 legacy wagons. To me that seems like a good value when you concider what you get.

I would think you will get just about anywhere with good all seasons in the snow. I am a big fan of studded tires but if you don't have them on all four wheels, just stick with the all seasons. Do they police check to see if you have chains or studs in Washington? Here in Oregon, they just post signs but don't actually have anyone checking for traction devices when the weather gets ugly. In California, you get turned around at the checkpoints if you don't have the right tires. My point being maybe it's worth getting a cheap set of studs if you are planning on driving in snowcountry a lot this winter or if they check for chains. Craigslist.org always has a bunch of winter tires for sale.

I hear ya on the increased cost but there is a noticable difference from shell regular to shell premium. Maybe it's smoother or maybe there is a better throttle response but something is different about the fuel other than the cost. I almost never put premium in my cars because the gain is not really worth the price. However, according to subaru, there is nothing wrong with running premium in the 2.5 EFI motors. The air filter thing is not much of a performance gain at all but it does something that makes things seem snappier. I would be running a K&N for sure if I didn't live in the volcanic dust bowl...it's really pretty bad here so I think it's wise to filter as much stuff out as possible. The dust here eats moving parts like nothing I have ever seen. Perfomance is not big on my list or I would have bought a GT wagon. I just figure if I am replacing parts I want to weigh my options and air filter was something I was considering. If I lived in the city or just about anywhere else, I would be using a K&N for sure....

what is wrong with running premium gas in my subaru? Sorry for getting off topic, my point was simply if you are looking for a cheap performance gain, the air filter idea looks like a bad one and that equal or more performance could be found in using premium gas...so it's actually sorta still on topic.

ya, I don't think it's worth the performance gain on the K&N. Put premium in the tank if you need some added zip.

I think I found my answer...which is that increased airflow means less filtering. Makes sense and certainly not worth the tiny performance gain. The volcanic dust around here is really abrasive and not something you want floating around in the motor. http://WWW.BOBISTHEOILGUY.COM has some info about air filters

I also should mention that I live in a very dusty area and in the winter it's really bad because they put cinders on the roads for traction. Do the K&N filters work as good as the paper filters? I'd rather use a paper filter if increased airflow is because the K&N filter doesn't work as well.

I have been thinking about getting one for the suby. I had one in my old honda and while it didn't really increase the HP it did seem to make it a little snappier...better throttle response. Any opinions?

I went with 16's and they were 215/55 which is the same the same diameter as my stock 215/50 - 17's on my legacy. I also went with the Winterforce tires because they are pretty grippy in all snow and ice conditions but they also last and drive well on dry pavment. The studs make them almost as good as nokians and better than the blizzaks....without totally breaking the bank. so ready for it to start snowing:headbang:

Hey all, I am looking into getting some fog lights for my 06 legacy wagon. The stock suby lights are about $300 and for that I can get the nice PIAA lights. Anyone have any other brands they like? I have always thought amber lights were best for fog and snow but I am seeing lots of white lights as well...what's the deal here? Thanks in advance. Aaron

Crutchfield is great. The prices are really good and the fact that they not only carry the dash kit for my car but they give it to you for free and include detailed installation instructions rocks:headbang: (gotta love that icon) The local shops all told me I was stuck with the stock stereo and that there was no alternative...I knew they were wrong because I had already found the aftermarket faceplate. One of them even told me I was wrong on the existance of such a part. Subarus are the most common car where I live...everyone has one or two. I think our local dealer is in the top 2 or 3 in the nation in sales volume so you would think the stereo shops would clue in to this large potential for stereo sales.

indeed, that is the lost ticket. Chauffeur will have to ride in the passenger seat. I love driving way too much to even consider having someone drive me around. I thought about it just the other day and I think I would keep the same car if I did hit the lotto. I can't wait for the first real snow of the year so I can go up to the Mt. Bachelor parking lot and do stupid stuff in my car.

these all seem like minor issues that can be repaired for a small amount of $$. The window sounds like the biggest and possibly the most expensive issue. Taking the interior door panel off that door and having a look would be my first step. It is really easy to take the door panel off. There are a couple of screws near the handle (only one if I remember) and then you can pop the bottom of panel away from the door. Last, lift the panel upward to unhook it from the top of the door. You could just have a loose wire or something like that. It's odd that it works sometimes and not others? When it does work, does it seem like the motor is stuggling to move the window up and down? I recently replaced a door and fixed a window issue on my 2000 legacy and everything was pretty straight forward inside the door. I would check the "Pick-A-Part" type of places if you need parts and don't care if they are used. I got a perfect door and working window with glass for $250. It took about an hour to remove the old door and have the new one installed and have window and door lock working. My window issue was on a different door and it was just a loose nut that would sometimes catch on another part and would keep the window from rolling down.

I hear ya on that, I didn't need a new blackberry but I just spent a fair amount of loot on the new blackberry that just came out. My cars are owned by my business so I was able to justify the new suby but I will admit I wanted it really really really bad. We bought 2 x 2006 wagons this year to go with the 00-02 wagons we already had. I am such a subaru fan that I can't believe I didn't join a subaru forum until a few days ago.

I think they have tuned the engines different to get the 10 extra HP out of the same motor. My 00 legacy takes off really quick and the 06 legacy doesn't really make power until about 4K RPM. Once it does, you know it really moves for fuel injected suby. I had the 06 going 130MPH with more to give and my 00 will just barely make it to 125MPH on the same road. It's a mostly flat, very very slight downhill grade on the road for those who are wondering how you get a suby to go that fast. It's also out in the middle of nowhere for those who are thinking "what kind of jackass drives that fast". I also think the lack of power on the low end is why I am getting better mileage in the 06. 25MPG in the 2000 and 28.5MPG in the 2006.

When I bought my 06 legacy wagon, one thing that bugged me was the stock stereo was intergrated into the face plate and would not be easy to replace. I wanted to replace it so I could play MP3s as the stock stereo didn't recognize the MP3 format. As long as you have one of the base models that doesn't have intergrated climate controls, you can replace the stock stereo and there are aftermarket face plates. The reason I am posting this is I found that Crutchfield.com includes the faceplate at no extra charge...it was $75 everywhere else. They also included instructions on removing the stock stereo and faceplate which wasn't super simple. I don't know if someone has posted this info already but I thought I would share what I found.

I have been told that 2009 will be the next round of major changes for subaru. It could be 2008 but if you look at past development cycles, it's every 4 years. I love my 06 wagon but my 00 wagon still kicks rump roast. The 06 is faster overall but the 00 is faster off the line. The 00 is more nimble but the 06 has better overall handling. I got challenged a few times in the 00 but everyone wants to race in the 06...the dual exhaust makes it look faster than it is. Knowing what I know now, I would stick with the 00 and no payment. Just a personal opinion.

question answered...thanks much:headbang:

Hey all, I have a 2000 Legacy L with a check engine light that comes on from time to time. I have taken it to the shop and they get a misfire code on thier computers. It is not noticable while driving and it only happens at altitude when the engine is at high RPMs. It is not a cronic issue in the sense that the engine is always misfiring. The light comes on, I get it checked, they reset the light. I can drive it for months without the light coming on and then one day it will come on again. They tell me it's probably a clogged fuel injector and that they can clean it out for about $90. They told me that adding fuel injector cleaner to the gas won't cut it. Anyone ever have this issue? $90 seems pretty reasonable but I am wondering if anyone has a different opinion of what the issue could be? after reading some other misfire threads I will add this... The engine has recently been tuned, new plugs, wires, belts, and the misfire is always on the same cylinder.

I know the bolt pattern is the same so that works but I am concerned about offset. Anyone?

Noob here with a question about wheels. I have an 06 Legacy wagon and I need to buy wheels for snow tires this winter. I would like to buy some WRX wheels from 2002-2003ish rather than the typical black steel wheels that snow tires are mounted on. My question is about wheel offset. Will these wheels work on my 06 legacy? I don't have a clue what the offset matters...I assume it has something to do with clearance of brake rotors and calipers but I don't know? Anyone care to clue me in? Thanks in advance Aaron