vtphoto

Thanks for the replies. Don't believe I had the brakes fully serviced like that in a long time, so hopefully that is all it is. Didn't hear the noise at all today (after it was very obnoxious the day before). Flying to AZ tomorrow, so will have to look into the other suggestions next week. At worst, will bring this list to the mechanic so he can look a little closer. Thanks again. -Mike

Hi, Recently my left front wheel (2000 Subaru Outback Wagon, 111,000 miles) has been making a sort of squeaking/grinding noise, that occassionally sounds like you're moving a straw up and down in a fast food drink. (You know what that sounds like!) - It has been intermittent. Seems to like drier weather. - Started in NC in early July, noticed it mostly when turning while slowly moving into a parking space. - It stopped mid-July when I returned home. Very hot/wet weather through July. - Suddenly is back again with a vengeance. Cooler weather,drier. Happens at slow speeds and up to abour 40 mph whether turning, or just driving straight. - Does not get any worse over bumps. - Can't replicate noise while parked and pushing up and down on front end (not s busted spring?) - Brake pads looked good! About 50%. - Pulled wheel off, could "see" nothing wrong... but did not check to see if castle nut was loose or not. Any initial thoughts or suggestions on what to look for if I pull the wheel again tomorrow afternoon? I will also check for differential heating between brake discs on my next drive. Seen similar messages on here with no clear solution or many posts explaining any sort of resolution. Sorry if I am Figures this had to happen on a weekend when I'm working. Thanks for any tips, -Mike

Hi folks, I've asked this question before without much response, but decided to give it another try. Has anyone here actually managed to fit a full-size (225/60R16) tire into the spare tire bay of a (North American) Subaru Outback, circa 2000? While still allowing the carpeted cover to come down flat? I tried this over the summer and was unsuccessful... but it was SO close. I mean 0.25" diameter difference would have done it. It seemed like the bay got slightly narrower with depth. Would an uninflated tire do the trick? Clearly, I would have to carry a pump in that case? If anyone here has actually, verifiably, first-hand done this themselves, and can share their secret, please let me know. -Mike

Well, I checked with Tire Factory (MI-based), and they quoted $142 each for the WRs, with free shipping, and no sales tax (being I'm not in MI). Also offered a Road Hazard plan for 14% extra. Apparently the plan has a network of 23,000 retailers nationwide... but how many would actually stock Nokians? Not sure if that is worth getting the plan. However... and forgive my ignorance if this is totally off the wall... can't one do a 5-tire rotation with directional treads assuming the tires are dismounted from the rims? Again... pardon my ignorance... but a steel rim on a full-size spare can be mounted on either side of the car, right? I'm requesting 225 width since that is the size the car came with. The WRs won't be strictly winter tires for me in the end, they'll end up being permament all-seasons, but I'll put the Hydroedges back on this summer just to let them live out their lives. -Mike

Back home, I used to depend on Burke View Garage on Route 114 in Lyndon, VT. Probably one of the most honest mechanics around, in my experience. While not a Subaru-specific shop, he's probably seen his share of Subarus since Subies are to Vermont what the VW Beetle is to Mexico City.

Hi all, [To the Point:] I got a quote from Discount Tire of $764.50 USD for 4 Nokian WR tires (225-60R16), with full road hazard warranty. That works out to $191/tire. They need to be special ordered. Others here have mentioned lower quotes for Nokians from smaller non-chain retailers. Are you getting a road hazard package with those tires? Does anyone know of a national or online retailer that offers Nokians with a road-hazard plan? Also- with a directional thread design, is a 5-tire rotation an option? Finally- what sort of treadlife can I expect with the Nokian WRs? How will it compare to "true snow tires" and "regular" all-season tires? [background:] I'm basically looking for a winter replacement for my Michelin Hydroedges on my 2000 Outback, which have proved to be extremely poor performers in wet snow... almost as bad as my old Nissan Altima was without snow tires. (That car was virtually unstoppable WITH blizzaks... back when I was in VT). However, snow tires do not seem economical around here (central IL) with only 25" of snow per year, and a 1 mile "commute" to work. On the other hand, there will be occassions where I will end up driving in snow, likely on 2-3 trips I'd like to make up to "true snow country" (Vermont and the U.P. of Michigan) over the course of the winter... when running the Hydroedges will be rather dangerous. I'd like to find an all-season tire with better snow capabilities to run this winter, then I'll switch back the the Hydros and let them live out their remaining 15-20k mi over the summer, then back to the 'new' all seasons for good. The Nokian WRs seem to fit the bill. I also thought about the Continental ContiExtemes, but read about terrible treadlife (being Performance tires and all). However, if the treadlife of the Nokian WRs is comparable to a 'domestic' Snow Tire... then they might not be worth the money, and 'domestic snows' might actually be the more cost-effective way to go, even though they would likely live out their lives after just one season, since I do drive a lot despite a short commute to work. My reason for contacting Discount Tire was for the road-hazard warranty, which given my luck with tires, has always paid off. In addition, I tend to move around a lot, and Discount Tire has a fair number of locations nation-wide. So that's my tire-purchasing "dilemma" ... trying to decide whether or not to lay down the big bucks for Nokian WRs ... or go with dedicated snows. Any info on cheaper sources for Nokians... with a road hazard plan ... or info on Nokian WR treadlife ... will certainly help me make my decision. Thanks! -Mike

Well, I'm driving all the way to Toronto to get the tire shaved. It happens that I'll be driving through Toronto anyways, and was likely to stop there to check out the Hockey Hall of Fame too. Normally I'd agree with the waste of money thing, but these tires have about 70% of their tread left on them, at least 50k miles. They cost about $110/ea, and the replaced tire was free. Four new ones = $440 (plus tax, road hazard plan... looking at $500). Considering I have about 70% of tread left on them, they are effectively worth $350. So, spend $30-50 to save $300-320... sounds OK at this point. If they were more worn down, then I'd certainly agree... just bite the bullet. Bottom line is... it sounds like disengaging AWD should allow me to safely roll along for the next week or so until I get the tire shaved. Next time around... 5 tire rotation... (then 2 will go flat at once!) Thanks for the advice.

Well, obviously I would buy a pump... Bald tire?? The whole point of a full size spare is to do a 5-tire rotation so I don't need to worry about the whole "same circumference tire" thing should I have to replace a tire again.

Tread depth difference is 3/32nds between the old and new.

Hey folks, I recently developed a leak in one of my tires on my 2000 Outback wagon, and had it replaced under warranty. The leak was in the sidewall and could not be repaired. I've read extensively the threads on having all your tires close in circumference... and it seems like there is some difference in opinion in how strictly the recommended 0.25" Circumference difference should be followed. The tire shop guys insisted that it should be fine... 1" is their limit on recommending all new tires. My local mechanic, and my mechanic back home agreed that 1" is a safe limit. My 3 older tires all checked out with a Circumference of 82 11/16 inches. All were exactly the same (I rotate every 4k miles, and have a lifetime alignment from Firestone that has paid for itself twice over now). The new tire has a circumference of 83 7/16 inches. This creates a difference of 0.75 inches. Here's the deal... the ONLY place I know of that will shave a tire on-location is near Toronto, Ontario. I currently live in Illinois. I'll be visiting home (Vermont) in about a week, where I'll be driving right through Toronto. Can I get by with this differential until next week? My commute to work is only 1 mile each way, and the distance to Toronto is about 650 miles. The new tire has been mounted on the right rear. It seems like turning off AWD would be a good idea. Would doing this completely eliminate the entire risk where I could drive a bit more freely until I get up to Toronto next week to get the new tire shaved down? The way I understand it, with the AWD shut off, the differential in the rear should not kick in at all, thus no problems right? (wrong?) Another solution- Does anyone here know of any place in Central Illinois (or Saint Louis... or Chicago) that can shave a tire? I've asked around a bit, but keep getting blank stares. No one seems to know what the heck that even means, yet "shave the tire" is common advice on this forum. There's got to be some other places out there other than Tire Rack.com that can do it... Thanks! -Mike

Hey Folks, Was wondering if anyone here has been able to fit a full size spare tire in their 2000 Subaru Outback (wagon). I TRIED it earlier today... very tight fit, looked like it would happen, but no go. (Why couldn't they make the bay 0.25 inches larger on each side???) One thought was that it might just fit uninflated. I don't have a pump handy, so I wasn't about to try this. So I thought I'd ask the board. For reference, my tire size is 225 60 R16. Thanks- -Mike

Hi Folks, I'm sort of planning for an eventual (Summer/Fall?) trip to the Copper Canyon area, south of the border in Chihuahua. It sounds like an excellent trip that may mean some relatively tough backroad driving, and pretty far away from "civilization." So I'm trying to figure out what sort of things I should have done to my 2000 Outback (68,000 miles) before heading down there. Number 1 is get a full size "spare" tire with a real rim, get it shaved down to circumference if necessary, and then introduce it into my regular rotation pattern (a tip I got from reading this board). This doesn't sound like the sort of place to be roaming about on a donut. Number 2 is pack a few extra belts, air filters, and especially fuel filters. Number 3 is get the car completely inspected by a trusted mechanic... but I'm not sure what in particular to have looked at. Now the real concern I have is with the "Head Gasket" issues the 2000 Outbacks are known for. Should I just bite the bullet and have the potentially-failing parts replaced ahead of time? Copper Canyon is not the place to have a complete melt down and I'm sure the language barrier would get in the way if I needed an AWD "flatbed-only" tow to the nearest town. What parts usually fail with the head gasket issue... just the head gasket itself? How much (ballpark) would I expect to spend in order to have this sort of preventative maintenance done? Is that Subaru coolant additive enough of a fix? Finally, anyone on this board ever take a trip down that way and could possibly share any tips? Thanks for your help, -Mike

Pop goes my bubble. Is a real skid plate an upgrade to a splash shield (ie, performs the same role, only further protects from rocks, etc)? Forgive my ignorance! Either way, does it appear to be mounted incorrectly?

Hey all, Well, a few months back I noticed my front skid plate was hanging a bit, somehow a bolt had come out (probably from an oil change), I told myself not to forget, then I did. The memory came back while rolling down a dirt road that crosses a small stream in Chiricauhua NP in Arizona... the hanging bit of the skid plate caught on a rock, folded back, and snapped off. So I had it replaced in early October... the whole skid plate... 90 bucks. Today I'm in the line at Wendy's and this guy pulls up alongside me to tell me I've got crap hanging from the bottom of my car. You guessed it, a shattered front skid plate. I had service done 2 weeks ago, and since then I've done some rough-roading. I traveled over a little bit of desert brush, but nothing too serious... However, looking underneath today, I noticed something I hadn't before. It almost looks like the new skid plate doesn't fit properly, and it was jury-rigged to the frame using these L-brace things... creating a 1" hang in the front of the car... no wonder the brush just peeled it off like a lid! I've attached a photo with annotations made. Besides the obvious damage, does this rig look a bit odd to any of you other (2000) Outback owners? If so, then I have a bone to pick with Crawford Import Center of El Paso. If this looks normal, then perhaps I need to take it easy off-road or think about getting an aftermarket, aluminum skid plate. http://www.vtphoto.com/tmp/skidplate.JPG Thanks! -Mike

Just got back from the dealership and the total cost was, as promised, $35.00 for labor. That would be a half hour of labor, but I was waiting for a bit over an hour. Props to Crawford Subaru's Service Manager for getting the part "good willed" and coming through with the labor quote. Thanks to the folks on this board an alt.autos.subaru as well. -Mike