jib

A grade or two in either directions isn't going to make much difference to engine life. use the Subie recommended ranges as a starting point and make a decision based on your particular situation. Jack

The 950 is a great wet and all around tire. I've run them on other vehicles. I"m currently running the Yoko EB100 on my Subie and am very happy with them. I do run a dedicated (Hakka 2) snow tire for the winter though. Jack

Having a roof rack cross bar too far forward, to the point where the front tilt up panel hits it, can strip both sides instantly. I found this out the hard way too. Jack

I've used 1/8 inch nylon rope weaved back and forth under the seat pan to support a worn out, non-subie, seat. Jack

Pull the codes, but surging and hunting often means a failed O2 sensor. Jack

Get a new or used alloy wheel. Your favorite autobody guy can get them for around $135 ea, new from the dealer. Call Nokian and they can recommend a replacement that will be compatable with the Hakka 1. They have awesome customer service folks. Call the local race shops and find out who locally, can shave a tire. They can match the diameter to your existing tires. This is the only issue with Hakka's that scares me. I'm on my fourth set, but some of them are hard to find later in the season. Otherwise, they are awesome tires. I'm running the Hakka 2 on my 02 Legacy GT. Jack

I need a front skid plate for an 02 Legacy GT. Am I too late? Jack Seattle

Try re-aiming them in your garage to nearly level, so you project further down the road, but don't blind oncomming traffic. I'm pretty happy with the Headlights on our 01 GT and our other vehicle (Volvo XC90) has those cold blue factory installed Bi-Xenon headlights. Jack

I found the silver anti-sieze built up over time in other engines. It also is not recommended for Aluminum, so I've been using copper slip on my spark plugs. I've found that the key is to use significantly less than you think should be used, as it goes a long way. Jack

If the other three tires are in really good condition, consider buying one new one and having a performance tire shop shave the new one to match the other three. Jack

For a carb, probably yes, for a Throttle body injector system, maybe, for multi-port injection, it's a waste of money. Jack

I've done a few oil tests over the years, but rely on running cars around 200,000 miles with minimal cunsumption and great engine durabilty to justify oil changes every spring, typically about 12,000 miles. It's been successful on four different vehicles since 1980. I change to synthetic at 1,000 miles and follow the manufactures recommendations until the warantee is over, then go with spring or pre-summer changes. This is for normally aspriated engines only. We have our first turbo (Volvo XC90) and I'm not sure what I will do for it yet, but I have over 50,000 miles of warantee to figure it out. YMMV, Jack, putting on the Nomex suit before the flames start

This one will be argued long after we are all dead. Both sides have huge volumes of data proving they are right. Choose whichever makes you happy. Personally, I used a K&N for over 250k in my recently totaled 1988 Saab 9000S. It used less than a half quart of oil between it’s annual oil changes (12-15k miles), didn't smoke ever and passed emissions tests every year without any preparation. This is a testament to Mobil 1, clean air coming in to the combustion chambers and those Swedes in Trollhatten assembling the engines. Again, choose the one that lets you sleep at night. It doesn’t really matter that much in the real world. FYI - I do all of my own work on my cars. For me, I buy quality products that help reduce my maintenance costs and labor, without sacrificing MY perceived level of quality. Jack

Most snow tires look like good snow tires.. . open blocky treads and lots of sipes. Read the reports and see what folks say. While I am a Nokian fan, I'd guess that the difference between the top 10 snow tires is less than 5%. My only caveat would be to learn about special stuff, like the thin soft hydroscopic surface tread on Blizzaks that ususally wears off in two years or less, if driving in warm weather. Jack

Yes, they were ECO-studded for two years, but we were taking a very late ski trip to Canada, and WA state had already passed the time for removing studs, so I yanked them all out. Pull the wheel off the car, yank the studs rotate tire to other end of car. It took about a hour for all four, but I am still finding studs at various places around the garage. Comming from the east coast, I always had studded tires. I really don't need the studs here in Seattle. Is it worth the money to stud??? . . . if you are going to see a lot of hardpacked roads and ice, probably; if not, no. Jack

I put a LuK kit from ClutchMaster.com in my 1960 Triumph TR3 and was very happy with the pedal pressure and the clutch feel. It came with a nice TO bearing and the spigot (end of crank) bushing was fine too. Overall very satisfied with the package. The Triumph clutches can be pretty miserable from some of the British vendors, so I have a pretty good opinion of LuK and would buy their kits again for any of my vehicles. Jack

Does it go away when the car is warm? If so, it's probably not a problem. Is your drive in relatively short, meaning there might still be condensate in the exhaust system from the morning drive in? Jack

It's called driveline lash and my 01 Legacy GT has it pretty bad too. I still have about 3,000 miles left on the power train warantee and I'm planning on calling the dealer to see if it is convered. It's likely worn or bad motor/tranny mounts. My clutch was replaced twice under warantee and I'm afraid they missed something. And yes, the current clutch chatter, stinky clutch fix is a good one. Jack

I've been very happy with www.clutchmasters.com. I've used their clutches on two different cars. Jack

. . . and I'll 3rd the Hakka recommendation. Blizzaks may stick better on ice for a season or two, but once that thin outer tread layer of special rubber is gone the hakkas rule until they are pretty thin. Jack

I have Hakka 2's on my subie - Love them. They are my 3rd set of Hakka's on arious cars. When our Volvo XC90 (the SUV, as I duck) will run the Nokian WR, once the Michelin Pilots go away. Jack

Today I just filled up my 01 Legacy GT with 360 miles on the trip odo, when the light came on. It took 14.2 gallons and just over $40. BTW - Try to avoid that buck and stall thing. <grin> Jack

Nylon oil pressure tubing is inexpensive and is easy to install. Jack

Why are you doing this? A heated sensor is really only a benefit at startup (cold engine) and in exceptionally cold conditions. If the O2 sensor is relatively near to the engine, it should stay hot, once the engine is warm. I don’t think I’d ever retrofit a single wire to a three or four wire. I doubt there is much benefit. If you really want to do it, just run one leg of the heater lead off the fuel pump circuit and the other to ground. The senosr will draw a few amps to start, then tail off to zero or near zero as the engine exhaust takes over and keeps the sensor hot. Jack

Yeah, but the ripping canvas noise it makes is worth it. Neat weapon. It was fun running over to Burlington to sell GE more barrels for them. Jack