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I was looking at possibly going with a "Suretrac" LSD. But from what I read if one tire is off the ground the other doesn't get power .... in the same article it states that when one starts to slip it applies power to the other wheel. Seems like a contradiction to me ... isn't one wheel off the ground like the ultimate slipping tire? Wouldn't that transfer the power to the other wheel even better? Thanks for the replies.

Ok so pretty much what I expected however that brings up more questions. Does it suggest all the LSD's after 91-ish are VLSD's? Are all the "inny" rears VLSD? I wanted change out to a later "inny" rear. Would the VLSD work better than the clutch type in my application?

I know what a LSD is and I know how some of them work in terms of when they apply power to the rear wheels but I would like to know how the Subaru one works. I am looking for a later model rear with a LSD in it for a 85 GL ea81 off road project. Some LSD's "release" at speed or for cornering or at lower speeds as I understand it?? Sine I am looking for a 4wd offroad application I am wantng something that grabs and applies power to both wheels but has give when cornering. Is this what I should expect from a stock rear with LSD or does it operate differently since it is designed for street use mostly? Thanks

Thanks for the info, I looked at that site and the prices are too high for me. I talked to Bill Omlin and decided to use his kit (half the cost). From talking to him I think I am going to look at putting in a 5 speed D/R from a similar year. I am also going to look for a later model rear end with a LSD. I have to start looking for cheap donor car locally for the transmission.

I have a 1985 Gl Hatchback 1.8 ea81 4mt that I want to lift 6" and put on 27x8.5 tires. My questions are: 1. Any input (good/bad) to the available lift kits? So far this is the one I am leaning towards ... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/101102-bill-omlin-monster-lifts/ 2. The kits are basic as far as what is supplied (blocks and bolts). A What other stuff do I need to consider? B Radiator hoses? C Brake lines? D Wiring harness from engine/tranny to body connections? E Cluch cable? F Shift linkage? G Steering link extension? 3. What about streetability in regular 2wd mode with the larger tires? A Does it effect the clutch? B Gas milage changes, good/bad? C Tire wear/alignment issues? D Braking? 4. Any other things I should consider? A Suspension upgrades? B Brakes? Any help GREATLY appreciated.

Hi All, I have a 2000 Outback Limited sedan and I blew the transmission today ... actually blew the front Diff. Anyway I found a 2000 Forester transmission and I have found mixed information about compatibility with my car. I can tell you what I know and maybe someone here can help. Thanks. The Forester tranmission part number TZ1A3ZC2AA-P8

UPDATE ... So I went and got the car today. It is a tough call whether to save it or not. I drove it home about 65 miles, 40 of it highway. Pretty much everything on the car works, even the cruise. Slight shimmy at 60 mph. After a thorough warm up the oil pressure runs steady at 45-50 and drops to maybe 10 at idle. When moving down the highway the water temp stays in the middle of the gauge but at slow speeds around town type driving it steadily climbs. Clutch seems a bit high on the pedal but works well. Tranny shifts nice and I was impressed that I didn't have to hit 5th until on the highway. In my 98 OBW I can be in 5th at 40mph!! The XT has good power and moves out compaired to the OBW. Windshield is cracked, rusted pretty bad overall, car looks good from 10 feet. I enjoyed driving it. The stereo is stock and still cranks well. Great brakes too. Lights work and go up and down smoothly. Not sure what I am going to do with it at this point. Might be a good parts car.

The car is in Maine. When I went to look at it I was expecting the worst since it lived in Maine all its life. The pictures looked good and the guy said it was just out of inspection which means it passed in the last year (a good thing). He seemed firm on the price from what I could tell on the phone and priced it "low" so he could sell it quick. He has health problems and is getting rid of all his toys. I got there and it was buried in a snow bank, we have just had 16" of snow this past weekend. After digging it out some I convinced him it was only snow and he could drive out of it, which he did. At a glance from the top the body looks to be in nice condition. I sat in it and the interior is fairly complete and everything I could test worked. He put a booster battery on it and it started right up. Let it warm up and it had good oil pressure and sounded good overall. Might have a hint of exhaust leak. He said it recently had a timing belt put on by the guy who owned it before him. He did a recent tune up. The tires look decent and basically it was a good deal for a $1000. BUT wait, I still had to get under it and check out the structure, floor pans, rockers, etc. RUST ... ALL RUST. What I expected but hoped was not the case. I assessed the extent of the rust and offered $500 for the car. Figure it was worth 3 times that in parts since it was basically a cream puff otherwise. He said he had too many calls on it and it would sell for $1000 but he would come down to his rock bottom price of $800. I took out my flash light and lit up the rust laying on the ground where I stuck my hand into the rocker panel. I told him if a kid with glazed over eyes looked at it and never looked under it he would likely get $1000. I also mentioned that it would never pass inspection again and he would be ripping the kid off. I firmly believe that to be true. I said I know exactly what I am getting into and if he wanted $500 for it he would never see me or it again. It's mine for $500. Now to find someone that wants to do some rust repair ... If I can get it done for $500 or less, I would be happy. I will likely have to find someone that needs the work but I suspect there is someone around that will. If I can get it fixed enough to pass inspection then I will look into the lift, tires and wheelin it. If not there may be a lot of XT parts available in the classified section

Here is the info I have on it. AWD subaru XT6 (6cyl) all power- brakes, windows, etc. runs good 111k mi 5spd cpe.

Thanks for the quick replies. I am going to look at the car tomorrow. I'm not looking to do rock crawling and serious 4 wheelin. More or less some mud/dirt trails, through the wood, across streams and that sort of stuff. The approach angles are not so important. Availability of parts might be an issue.

Any comments on using a '89 XT-6 5MT awd for off roading? Are lift kits available for them? It has a locking diff button on it, was this for the rear or center? It has 112K original and lite rust. $1000 Any comments appreciated. Thanks

It is possible that it will help a little but the primary cooling method in a water cooled engine is obviously the water. Since the water usually flows around the cylinders and the head via passages, I doubt the added heat transfer via the metal contact will be significant. In an air cooled design it is adventagous to disipate heat anyway you can. If you put temp a sensor on the block near the head gasket surface and a matching temp sensor on the head at the same location, and the temps were significantly different then I would guess the heat transfer through the copper gasket would make a difference. Various areas would have to be tested but it would not be that difficult to do with a simple type J or K heat probe or even an infared temp gun.

I manufacture copper head gaskets for air cooled engines, not Subaru's though. The benefits for a air cooled engine are great. Promoting heat transfer from the head to the cylinder and lowering the head temp helps prevent detonation. Copper head gaskets are virtually blow proof as well. They will any boost or abuse you can give them. Depending on your application they can also be reused but I don't recommend it after long term use without disassembly. Not because they won't take it but because the typically get damaged during removal. In a water cooled engine the heat transfer properties are less important. Not being familiar with the engine/head design of the Subaru engine, head gasket thickness could also be a factor. Copper gaskets come in a variety of thicknesses. If you do use a copper head gasket a copper gasket spray makes them much more forgiving to install and seal. A copper gasket does not compress like a regular gasket so the surfaces should be flat to each other. Minor imperfections are easily made up for with the gasket spray. Not all copper gasket sprays are equal. I did exhaustive testing on all available copper gasket sprays. Trust me when I say ONLY use Loctite brand "Copper Gasket Adhesive" Part number 30535. Permatex brand copper gasket spray used to be made by Loctite. If you have old cans made before 1999 and they say Loctite on the can, it is the same stuff I mention above. Loctite sold the name but not the formula in 1999 (as best I can tell), the new Permatex spray is basically the same as gold spray paint IMO.

In my 98 OBW 5MT, I donwshift a couple of gears to assist with downhill stops on snow and ice. I have a steep hill here in Maine and it is nearly impossible to stop on with the ABS. I usually hit 1st or 2nd and let off the clutch. It pretty much brings the wheel to a complete stop until the car is slowed way down. Then I apply the brakes while it is in gear to slow down. This prevents the wheels from stoping in the snow and allows the brakes to function well. Of course that is with a Manual tranny.

Thanks for the reply. I think I would be more interested in purchasing a manufactured lift kit rather than making strut spacers. I understand what you are saying and from reading more, I think I would like to go 3"-4" of lift. I do plan on changing the bumpers, great tip on the impact sensors. A short snorkle is in the plans. I'm not opposed to welding the diff but are there any other options available? Lockers, better diff, retro fits? grossgary, Do you know how I would tell if I have the VLSD?

Constructive criticism from someone that has done a site or two. Takes too long to load, even in the days of fast DSL and cable. The background image is over 600K in size. The text is difficult to read and I found myself not trying to figure out what it was about real quick. A quick look at the source code shows no tags or any text that search engines pick up and index. This will limit your visit potential considerably. JMHO

Thanks for the input so far, hope it continues. As for the off road capabilities of the Subaru, read the second half of my post. Seriously, I was on this old abandoned railroad bed that crossed a swap. Both sides sloped off a good 10 feet and the Subaru just fit the tires side to side before the sides dropped off. There was no turning back once you started down this snowmobile trail. It was January and the coldest day of the year and me an 2 friends were headed. Half way down the old track there were trees growing up out of the old railroad bed. One on each side and close enough together that the Subaru would not fit between them. After a few minutes of debate that forward was the only way out and that NO other vehicle was going to come get us out, we got back in the car. I crept up slowly and positioned the front quarters equally at the trees until they touched. Then I let her rip. The Subaru was about 4 inches too wide when I started. It was perfect fit when I got to the other side. I crushed in all the quarters and doors, ripped the mirror off and pushed in the side lights. Once we got to the other end of the trail we found it closed off by a telephone pole that was down across the opening. There was no way to avoid going over it unless I tried to go back the way I came. The two friends got out and went into the road to watch for traffic. I waited until they gave me the signal. They waved me on and I let her rip again, hitting the pole straight on. The Subaru jumped up and slammed back down, the front wheels were over. Then the rear wheels, up and over. At the same time the rear wheels were crossing the pole, the front was crashing a 4 foot high snow/ice bank. I smashed through the snow bank and cut the wheel sliding to the stop as I side swiped the snow bank on the other side of the road. My friend jumped in and we were off. There is no way any other car could have made that trip. We went back and did it again. I drove that car for months after since it was my daily driver. As mentioned in the op, I could go on and on with stories like that. Yes there are other vehicles that can do more stuff off road than a Subaru but I have never had a Subaru fail me off road yet and they were all stock with nothing more that retread snow tires. With a lift and better tires, aka ground clearance, I can have a lot of fun off road with my OBW. I am not looking for a mud bogger, rock climber, monster mobile but rather a fun car that can do many of the trails in the woods here in Maine. Back to the thread .... what's a VLSD? I am guessing the LSD=Limited Slip Diff, what's the V? 2" lift and tires, do you think that would get me 10" of under carriage clearance? BTW, Thanks for any comments and help.

New here but have had Subbies forever. I currently have a 98 Outback 2.5l with 5mt. 215,000 miles and tight as can be. I am replacing it with a 2000 Outback Limited Sedan. I would like to off road the 98. What I am looking for is suggestion on what to do to it to make it a good off roader. I've done some searches and reading but I figure the wealth of knowledge and experience here is better than any search I could do. More than likely you all know what works well and what doesn't. Not to mention any tips and tricks that could easily be missed. Recommendations for lift kits, tire size, suspension upgrades, traction mods, etc., are all welcome. Ideally when done it would still be road legal and off road capable. Background info ... I have had probably 20 Subaru's including 3 Brats, 79 GL wagon, 82 GL Wagon, 86 Sedan, 87 Wagon, 92 Wagon, 94 Wagon, 98 OBW and a slew of parts cars. With exception of my current 98 they have all been put through the paces. I have force fit them between trees they didn't fit between, done hill climbs, traversed raging rivers, ponds and streams. I have crossed railroad tracks where there was no crossing, over downed telephone poles, trees, snow banks and anything else in the way. I've had them in water over the hood, had sheets of ice 4" thick crashing over the car, and would follow any snowmobile trail any where. One car I had a rubber hose that ran the length from an electric fuel pump on the spare tire and went in the gas cap for fuel. Another one had a wire under the hood that I would connect to the battery to make all the lights work for night time use. One I hit a curb with so hard it bent the drivers front wheel back so far it rubbed on the inner fender. I wrapped a chain around the lower control arm and attached it to a dozer and slammed it in reverse until I bent that wheel back out. You would be amazed how well that car ran down the highway after. I could on and on with stories and if there is a section here for it I might do that.