Bullit

I bought my '99 Outback new w/ the stock Michelin xw4 tires which stuck well to the road but were bald w/in 30k miles. This is bull**** for a set of $129 / ea. tires. I replaced them with some less expensive $55 Goodyear Allegra 195/65/15 tires from Sam's. These tires have performed FLAWLESSLY for 1.5 yrs. and still have good tread life remaining. Michelin tires are for any idiot who doesn't mind paying 3x what the tire is worth for little if any life expectancy in the tread - WAY TOO SOFT. I admit I drive faster than the average driver and maybe do not rotate tires every 3000 miles, but for the money I would definitely find a less expensive tire especially if you can get that many miles out of the stock "bubble gum" tires produced by Michelin. One thing, with the smaller tire diameter - it did alter my speedometer/odometer settings by approx. 8 mph. Don't waste your money on a name, buy a K&N air filter and take the "snorkle" out of the fender and let your Subaru come to life. It will I promise. Bullit.

I just replaced the right CV joint in my '99 outback - w/ 98k miles. I Guarantee this is what you will be doing based on your description of the problem. Bullit.