JEGIII

I have a 1997 OBW and mashed my front catalytic converter and will need to replace it. I'm looking at the Stromung High-Flow cat pipe, which replaces the two stock units with a single. My question is are there any real issues with putting headers on an otherwise stock DOHC 2.5? I figure while I'm under there I might as well do all the work at the same time. Thanks for any info.

Thank's for the reply.

I've heard that a 27X9.50X15 will work. That's about a 225-70-15. I don't know if it will clear the fenders front to back. A stock tire is about 26.5 inches in diameter. You'd need a wider rim for sure.

How do I go about putting pictures on the Users Gallery? I tried to register but it won't send the e-mail. Thanks for the info.

I'll see if I can get some pictures to post on here. My icon is actually the Suba-Xtreme Outback from down under. That's what I want to make mine like. I went with 205-75-15 Force-4 AT's. The problem with much bigger diameter tires is front to back room in the fender wells. I'm not ready to start cutting body panels yet. http://www.users.bigpond.com/subaxtreme/

By the way, ISR Performance is in the states, so you don't have the big shipping expense of buying directly from Scorpion in Australia. They also sell body lifts for the OBW's.

I've been really happy with the Scorpion Springs. I got them from http://www.isrperformance.com/ they were great to deal with. With the new struts and springs the car rides a little stiffer, but handles much better. The difference off-road is amazing. Much better at taking the bumps and dips. Good luck with whatever you choose.

What years have the external filter? I have to admit I haven't looked for one under mine. Are they fairly obvious, or well hidden?

Not sure what year you've got, but I've been really happy with the Scorpion Springs. I got them from http://www.isrperformance.com/ they were great to deal with. Good luck with whatever you choose.

I went with the EBC rotors from the Tire Rack. They stop well even after a long commute in stop-n-go fast traffic. The way I look at it, brakes are a relatively cheap investment in keeping your car out of someone elses trunk.

I've had no problems with the EBC rotors. I used OEM pads and have the Goodridge SS brake lines. I have about 20,000 miles on them so far and I've seen no indication of undue wear. They do make a kind of buzzing noise under hard braking, but nothing unbearable. I have a 20 mile drive to work in fairly fast moving traffic, and I've never had any problems with stopping or slowing no matter how crazy the commute gets.

I lost all my files when my computer crashed, but here's a side view of the Sube at home.

I have a 1997 Subaru Legacy Outback Wagon. What is that in the BH5, BD5, BG5 or whatever designation that they use on the Japanese and other non-US sites? Thanks for the info.

I went with a 205-75-15. The limiter is the size of the fender, front to back. With the stock suspension the front tires just rubbed in a hard turn or a big bump with a turn. With the Scorpion springs there's no rubbing.

Are the model years the same between the US and the rest of the world? Would parts from Australia for a '97 OBW fit my made in the USA '97 OBW? I'm looking at some parts from SubaXtreme and want to be sure of fitment before I order. Thanks in advance.

I only did the springs. The springs and brakelines came from here; http://www.isrperformance.com/main.html , the struts and rotors from here; http://www.tirerack.com. I had the work done at Garcia Subaru here in Albuquerque, mostly because of the springs and struts. They have the compressors to do them safely, and I've only done the old brace 'em on the curb. It took them about 6 hours, not counting the alignment, to do the whole thing.

The ride is a little stiffer, but not uncomfortably so. The handling is, IMHO, much better. The two extra inches of clearance were the best part. You're still limited in tire diameter to about 27". Thanks for the bumper info. I thought there weren't differences until 2000, but I wanted to be sure. I'll see about finding pictures.

I'm trying to find out if the bumpers are interchangeable between a 1997 and a 1999 Legacy Outback Wagon. I've been looking at the ones at SubaXtreme but they only start with MY99. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. 1997 OBW Scorpion Lift Springs, KYB GR-2's, EBC Sport rotors, Goodridge SS brake lines and K&N Flat panel filter with snorkus removed.

How did you get this notice? I did head-gaskets at less than 100K, and I'd love some $$$ back.

I have a '97 OBW. Took it to Midas when I bought it used and had the brakes done. To make a long story short, I had them done twice more in 14 months. Decided to suck it up and get them done by the dealer. SURPRISE, they were not only cheaper, but they lasted over two years before being replaced. They were still good, I just redid my suspension and brakes at the same time.

Sorry, no pics yet. I had a shop do the install, mainly because of the need for spring compressors to install the springs on the struts. I went with the KYB GR2's at the same time. IMHO it was money well spent.

Scorpion Automotive makes both body and suspension lifts for Subarus. I got the springs here, http://www.isrperformance.com/main.html They gave me about 1.5 to 2 inches of lift on my '97 OBW. I haven't noticed any bad side effects in handling or drivability, either on or off road. With a set of 205-75-15's I have as much clearance as I need.

Same thing happened to my '97 OBW. I replaced it with the 6-disk + cassette + AM/FM out of a WRX. They're all over E-Bay. It made a huge improvement in the sound even with the stock speakers. I also added the tweeters from 1stSubaru.com and it's like a whole new sound system.

O.K. , I guess my concern is, why do they get a CEL if there's nothing wrong?

Yeah, I saw those. I'm more concerned with wasting my MAF sensor or ECU if they sense too big a change.