outback_97

Andyjo: Does the behavior differ between the "4WD" setup in "D" and AWD in "1"? Or are they the same? Steve

118K miles on mine, no HG problems to report. The only engine issues I've had have been the typical minor oil leaks, fixed long ago. If the HG's go I'll get them fixed, I like this car too much to get rid of it. Steve

You don't mention what car you have, but FWIW a 1st gen Outback (96-99) will have room for a full size spare but you have to ditch the plastic tool tray that sits under the cargo area. I got a cheap steel wheel from the tire store and used the best tire from my old set for my full size spare. Steve

Ranger83: I (and others) posted some comments about that in the link just before your post. I just bought a two pack of XtraVisions for $18 last night, going to put them in today. My first set lasted only 10 months but I'm giving them another chance. Indeed, they are half the price of the SilverStars and they lack the blue coating shown here (OEM on left, SilverStar on right) Steve

Also discussed here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=45967 I averaged 18 months or so with my SilverStars, one lasted a year, the other two years. Steve

I'm bumping this thread to report that my second SilverStar bulb burned out... so, the first one lasted one year and the second two years. That is much better than my first experience with the XtraVisions, which both lasted around 10 months, but now that I am driving around with one burned out SilverStar and one stock bulb, I am going to give the XtraVisions another chance and get a set of those. I'll still follow my own advice and carry at least one spare bulb in the car since they tend to burn out at inopportune times. Earlier in the thread Ranger83 posted that the Xtravisions are available at WalMart in a two pack, so I'll probably pick those up as I received a gift certificate and have been racking my brain trying to think of something worth going to WalMart for. I generally avoid the place if possible. Steve

Welcome to the USMB, you'll find a lot of good information here. I have no idea which car you're about to buy, but it sounds like it's a Subaru, so you'll enjoy it. Steve

Good call, OB99W. You should contact the creator of the cars101 website, he might want to add that detail, it seems pretty important. I wonder why it is missing in some versions of the procedure? I have purchased the hardware to add keyless entry to our Impreza and the install looks much easier than programming the remotes, I'm hoping that it works out ok. It seems like '99 was kind of an overlap year for remotes, with some Legacies having one system and others a different one. I was wondering if humantag might have had one of the older systems as described on that page. Steve

Welcome to the USMB. You could try the procedure shown here: http://www.cars101.com/subaru/keyless.html Scroll down a ways to find info relevant to your model year. Steve

Hey John How's it going? Just to rule this out: Does the sound go away when you depress the brake pedal slightly? I had a loose brake pad that was making a clicking sound when turning, I knew it was something in the brakes because as soon as I pressed the brake pedal, the contact with the rotor would stop the pad from knocking around and clicking. Worth a try just to rule that out. Steve

Um, doesn't the car already have this feature if you put the gear selector to "1"? Sorry if that's incorrect or I've misunderstood, but that's what I've always read. Seems to work on my '97 4EAT. Steve

Welcome to the USMB, sorry your first post had to be bad news That price seems high, that's more of a dealer price for that. Do a search on "PDX shops" or "Portland shops", there's a guy that sometimes visits here named "richierich" IIRC, he has a shop in town and is highly recommended. For HG info, there's a few links here: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/headgasket.html Look at "theotherskips" page, lots of good info if you decide to DIY as some people have done. Good luck! Steve

That Legacy looks really good, I like it! Question: Have you had any rubbing with the 205/75/15 tires? I ask because I have that size in a Firestone A/T tire on my 97OB, and they rub *slightly* when turning and going thru dips. I wouldn't have thought that going up from 70 to 75 on my car would rub but I think it's a combo of the larger size and thicker tread due to the type of tire. Steve

Bump, 'cause I've been wondering the same thing. My 97 has 117K miles, original springs, original rear struts, and the front struts were replaced around 90K miles or so. Trying to decide what to do because I wouldn't mind a slight increase in ground clearance and stiffness and the rear of the car is feeling pretty soft, I know the rear struts are knackered. Sid, I wonder if we'd have better luck in the "offroad" forum? There's just very very few people that I've been able to find online that have put the Scorpion springs in, and I haven't seen any long-term results. I've seen mention online (from an Australian website) that the taller springs will cause premature strut failure when used with stock size struts. But I don't know how objective or accurate that was. Steve

Here's what I found for Utah: http://highwaypatrol.utah.gov/faq.html#Altered%20Vehicle Limits on frame heights: http://www.le.state.ut.us/~code/TITLE41/htm/41_04193.htm Mudflap requirements: http://www.le.state.ut.us/~code/TITLE41/htm/41_04195.htm Steve

Thanks for checking out the photos, I wish they did the area justice but it's so much more impressive in person. At times we felt like it was all to ourselves, we tried to avoid other people and we lingered at some of the pullouts while others drove by, just sitting there taking it all in. It was early on a Sunday morning and there weren't very many people out there. One can take a guided tour with a Navajo guide and travel to additional areas, but going at our own pace suits us much better, generally we don't like guided tours. I think some people are afraid to drive their own cars down the road but when we were there the road was suitable for almost any passenger car if you were careful. Glenn: The plastic wheel covers are in the shed, we just leave them off the winter shoes. I know it's silly but I just like the look of the plain black steelies for winter. In the summer she wears WRX wheels: Steve

Not very "off-road", but more "off-road" than 95% of SUV's will ever see Our stock Impreza TS has been on worse roads than this, but this was one of the most scenic. I'd highly recommend this trip to anyone passing through SE Utah / NE Arizona. Hope you enjoy the pix: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/monument_valley/mv.html Steve

Sounds good, could be an opportunity for a good deal if that is the case. If you don't mind, what is the asking price? I have not seen many 02/03 TS and RS's for sale and the ones I have seen have held their value well around here, where there's at least two Subarus at every intersection. Steve

Searching for "subaru wheel" yielded several informative threads (this is a common question here) including this one: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=39980&highlight=subaru+wheel It lists tire and wheel specs for most Subaru models. Steve

Welcome to the USMB. We have an '03 TS (similar to RS but a wagon) and love the car. Just got back from a 1700+ mile road trip over Thanksgiving weekend. But, we only have 23K miles on it so that probably doesn't help you out much. I can say that we have had only one minor problem (bad radiator cap) and the car has been great for us, seems very well built. Averaged around 29 mpg on this trip, mix of 55-65mph highways and 75-80 mph freeway driving. No problems climbing some steep grades and passing other vehicles while doing so, handles very well, comfortable for long drives. In general, people know how much a car is worth when selling it, so if you find a "great price" it could mean that the seller is aware of something bringing down the value of the car. We have had no issues with ours at low fuel levels but have only had the fuel level down to 2 gallons once, at which point the low fuel indicator light will come on. I don't like to let the gas tank get below the 1/4 full level. Steve

Glad you are okay and it looks like there's no damage done to the cars. FWIW I have a set of jumper cables that are yellow and black (vs. red and black) and find them very easy to distinguish, I too have a hard time distinguishing red and black in poor lighting conditions. As far as the flashlight, I'd recommend carrying an LED light in the car, those last a very long time, use much less battery power, and are much more robust; the bulb won't burn out at an inopportune time. Steve

at JohnNK too, very true. Another UT Subie here (we have two of them actually). I'm also surprised how few UT people post here, especially since there are so many of these cars out here. I actually notice the # of them at intersections too, and there's usually at least a couple. We're headed down to Tucson this weekend, land of few Subies. Looks like good weather for the trip Steve

For better prices than Ebay, try here: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=16 Or here: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=89 Search for "wrx wheels" or "wrx rims" (including the quote marks) in these forums, look around, there's TONS of these for sale if you're willing to shop around. Prices ranging from $125 to $350 for a set of four, I'd hold out for the lower end. Since they're for winter use, I'd consider some with curb rash or cosmetic damage to save money. When I bought mine in '03, I paid $250 for a pristine set of four with tires that were almost brand new. Good luck. Steve

All this info is out there for the searching. From www.nasioc.com: One of many good threads with info (check the FAQ's first in any Nasioc forum, more info less noise): http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=216055 From post #26 within that thread: Legacy/OB '02: http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=10147 Impreza '02: http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=10146 Forester '03: http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=10148 Seems that some people reported 53mm offset for early '02 WRX wheels. Then 55mm after that, and that's what's listed in the service manual linked above. Conveniently, that's the same as the '02 Legacy GT based on the info linked above. Steve

If you're open to the idea of alloys, one can get a set of 02-04 WRX wheels pretty inexpensively, like $100-$200 or so. They're pretty good wheels, lightweight and strong, plus they look good on Legacies IMO. They are 16" and have the 5x100 bolt pattern. The offset will slightly differ* from your target though, but maybe not enough to matter. IIRC some WRX wheels were 55mm offset and some were 53mm. Steve EDIT: *actually offset appears to be similar too, based on links below.