gratefuldude Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 alright...i got a 97 impreza outback, 114k. just did KYB struts all around, and installed a new clutch. also did some other repairs, but those 2 up there....not doing again for awhile! the car is "single" owner. well maintained its entire life(was my dads till i just bought it after wrecking my 97) anyways im looking for some smart mods: as in, i want to handle a little better. id like a bit more HP as well. im not one of those "lower it and KN it" kind of guys(backyard tuners) however, i would like to lower it, a tiny bit. I would like more chassis support in the front and the rear. on the HP front, is there a different style cam i can put it? crank? whats a good thing to get medium gains all around? would love to hear some ideas, see what others have done. ive played with the search function some, but would love to hear what someone else would do to a 100% untouched car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zacyork Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 your in luck for suspension and braking lots you can do in that catagory. performance wise not so much. intakes dont really make a difference-plus you loose out on low end. exhaust can flow a little better if you like the boxer sound. uprgrades on the 2.2 single overhead didnt happen too much. people looking for more power than the 2.2 usualy swap to the 2.5rs or ej20. dont get me wrong i love that motor and they are built pretty solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gratefuldude Posted November 10, 2010 Author Share Posted November 10, 2010 your in luck for suspension and braking lots you can do in that catagory. performance wise not so much. intakes dont really make a difference-plus you loose out on low end. exhaust can flow a little better if you like the boxer sound. uprgrades on the 2.2 single overhead didnt happen too much. people looking for more power than the 2.2 usualy swap to the 2.5rs or ej20. dont get me wrong i love that motor and they are built pretty solid. i was thinking about upgrading the front discs to the larger ones....what would i need? id assume just the carriers and calipers/rotors? also, thinking about rippin the rear discs off of a legacy...direct fit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 won't be fast without a turbo or massively expensive modifications. hp ends up not being worth it in my opinion for non turbo engines. the cams are probably your best bet. even then it'll be closer to "i think it's faster" than "wow" and no significant track time improvements. just the nature of a non-turbo engine. no need to even consider the crank. if you just like to tweak or novelty and get like 8 more hp then tear it up, but that's personal preference. get a cone filter, exhaust etc. suspension you'll have tons of options. struts i guess are already spoken for since you already did them? sway bars would be next, with a focus on the rears and bushings i think for the OBS. subaru does a good job of offering a wide assortment of sway bars so you can even get Subaru bars off of used subarus that are a significant improvement and some aftermarket bushings. you'll have to find some swaybar threads to verify sizes and all but i'd bet there are some WRX options for you that would be good. OBS tends to handle well given it's low stance, i always liked ours when we used to own one, also a 97. bigger is not always better so you'll want to be balanced with the sway bars and possibly do the front and rears at the same time if you're looking for huge changes. suspension is not at all my strong point though so consider that a starting point at best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 there are some existing threads about converting to rear disc and that's a good option. you'd need to swap the entire rear hub though including the ebrake cables unless you like to fabricate and custom make the drum ones fit onto the disc. fronts are easy, just get whatever you want. except - the larger you go the larger wheels you're going to need to clear the front calipers. you said 100% stock so that means 15" wheels i believe? most, if not all, dual piston calipers will not fit under 15" steel wheels. jamal (user name) has a great thread detailing which ones fit under what wheels). if you get larger wheels, lots of dual piston calipers out there - the early legacy turbo's and tons of mid to late 90's stuff had dual piston front calipers - legacy LSi, GT, OBW, RS. you'll want the caliper and rotor - it'll bolt right up to your existing knuckle, very easy swap on the fronts. there's dozens of different brake combo's for the front so make sure you know what you're getting and keep track when you pull the parts so it's easy to get the right pads and stuff. Subaru was mentally out of whack with all their brake changes. jamal's write up details most of it. there's no substitute for skimming his thread if you're going to do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 if you want to retain your ABS then make sure the hubs you get are ABS equippped hubs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gratefuldude Posted November 10, 2010 Author Share Posted November 10, 2010 suspension you'll have tons of options. struts i guess are already spoken for since you already did them? sway bars would be next, with a focus on the rears and bushings i think for the OBS. subaru does a good job of offering a wide assortment of sway bars so you can even get Subaru bars off of used subarus that are a significant improvement and some aftermarket bushings. you'll have to find some swaybar threads to verify sizes and all but i'd bet there are some WRX options for you that would be good. OBS tends to handle well given it's low stance, i always liked ours when we used to own one, also a 97. this is what im talkin about! i dont need fast, or the WOW factor. i just want tighter turns, and a tiny more pep at higher rpms. i did just replace the struts with new KYB gas ones...still riding on stock springs though when you say sway bar....are you talking strut tower bars? i have lower sway bars front and rear on my car...perhaps there is a larger diameter, and i have the base model diameter? an upgrade to poly bushings/mounts is in the works. just trying to figure out where to grab em....as in...who doesnt sell overpriced crap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gratefuldude Posted November 10, 2010 Author Share Posted November 10, 2010 on the brakes gary, im riding on wider 16s in the summer. stock steel wheels(with original hubcaps! lol) in the winter. so, naturally i would need to clear for winter wheels.....i live in the ADK mtns.....we get ALOT of snow...snow that likes to clog my wheels haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gratefuldude Posted November 10, 2010 Author Share Posted November 10, 2010 on the brakes gary, im riding on wider 16s in the summer. stock steel wheels(with original hubcaps! lol) in the winter. so, naturally i would need to clear for winter wheels.....i live in the ADK mtns.....we get ALOT of snow...snow that likes to clog my wheels haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 The read disk brakes will fit under 15" wheels no problem and may fit 14" as well. The 90-94 Legacy wagons had 14" wheels and disk brakes on the rear. This is one option I like just for ease of maintenance. Keep it close to stock, keep the reliability and drive it for the next 200K miles with normal maintenance. If you want a WRX buy one, then come back to the stock reliabile OBS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 there are larger swaybars you can upgrade too. with spirited driving i believe heavier sway bars do put more strain on the struts so good thing you have new ones. you can't upgrade your front brakes then, no larger brakes will fit under 15" steel rims. there are some 15" alloys that the larger brakes will fit under so if you could snag a set of those you could swap the tires onto them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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