99 OBW DIY mods?

[TYLER R]

Alright, so I am just looking to see if there are any good low cost/no cost diy mods I should do to my 99 now that its running and worth putting 5 minutes of my time or more into.

 

These arent really low/no cost, but things I would like to do to it include....

-Stiffer springs--It feels a bit like a long travel suspension buggy when driving it on the hwy. Would like it a bit stiffer (i know, i kno, thats what she said....)

-WRX/STI brake swap--the brakes are there, they work, but we are both used to my car that can stop on a dime with the original pads etc since new (I have autox'd my car for 3 years and they are just now starting to show wear), so we would like better stopping.

-Window tint--pretty self explanatory, tired of the fishbowl already...

-Headers and or exhaust--Linda loves the sound of an STi as it rumbles by. What is a good way to get this sound out of the outback?? Sell it and buy an STI??

-Short throw shifter-- Again, have one in my car, the wife loves it. I have a corvette friend that says my corolla throw is shorter than his zr1 vette.

-Short Ram Intake--They help with fuel economy, sound a bit better, etc. I pulled 40mph out of my car driving to Idaho a couple years back.

 

Any of those you think I should pass on? Just learning these newer 'baru's...

 

Thanks for the time!

[idosubaru]

sounds like you have enough experience to put something together...exhaust - ebay has some good low cost options, intake, etc.

 

as for brakes - probably get by without any upgrades except simply some decent (i usually get ceramic) pads. if you have new fluid, regrease all the slides, new hardware/slide pin boots, pads, and rotors turned and a decent set of pads.  i've never noticed a difference with brakes, the only practical difference i've seen is not to buy the el-cheapo pads, so to me all the Hawk and EBC pads blah, blah blah, doesn't mean much.  Either way, this stuff is all inexpensive...only real cost is fluid and bushings/clips since brake pads/rotors are wear items anyway.  rockauto.com has great prices on brake hardware like clips and boots.

 

in good working order the brakes will lock up just fine so larger brakes aren't going to gain anything, they'll lock the wheels just like the stock brakes, unless you're towing/racing. do whatever you want that fits your bill towards those ends.  new fluid and hardware is good either way.  the clips rust and get that baked on black stuff (pad material i suppose) and the pads don't travel as well, have uneven pressure, so new clips are good for full and even pad/rotor contact.

 

i don't think it's until 2000 that they put the slide pin bushings on the caliper slides, but if they have them i throw them away. they expand and resist or seize in the slide pin bore.  i've seen a ton of them do that so i'm now in the habit of just throwing them away.  i have some WRX calipers...same thing, i just toss those worthless bushings.

 

i'm not familiar with suspension and i generally lift subaru's not stiffer/lower...but having owned/driven like 50 subaru's, the legacy GT's handle well so those would be an easy/cheap option.

[TYLER R]

Gary thanks for the brake tips! The brakes were just done (I can see these, so I know thats true, lol!) right before I got the car, so I will proly just live with them unless the wife starts ripping her hair out, then I will go ahead and change out the pads and hardware.

So it has been a while since I have had to do brakes, all I remember on my old nova was the clips that pretty much hold the pads to the calipers and that was it. I will have to maybe pick up a chiltons and educate myself on the brakes on the pita.

 

What kind of pads do you run? Once again, a newb with this new car, any tips would help. All I know of are the hawks, stoptech, ebc, etc, from the racing world.... I keep saying, yeahhhh, I might upgrade to those when my oem's in my corolla burn up, or I might just have to go get another set from Toyota since they have lasted as long as they have and arent chewing up my rotors....

 

Thanks again!

[1 Lucky Texan]

If you were running R compound or ultra/max perf. tires, a brake upgrade might be noticeable. But with 'normal' road tires, just go with something like Centric PosiQuiet Ceramic. long-lasting, inexpensive, less dust than StopTech with almost the same bite performance (probably not at high-temps in racing though. StopTechs have higher MOT than hawk - but they duuuuust!)

 

consider a rear anti-sway bar. Rides good going straight on smooth roads, but turns in flatter/quicker.

 

How old are the struts? some new KYBs might make the car feel a lot more planted/less floaty.

 

Intake will get you more 'sport sound'.

 

you might look over at boxer4racing for some ideas.

[TYLER R]

No idea on the struts age. That might make a world of difference on that car. Hell, for all I know they could be original.... Not bad enough of a ride though...

Yeah, never been a big fan of the race pads my friends have on their car... One guy made his prego wife drive around in their new mustang with squeeky stoptechs... poor girl.

Yeah, not looking to turn this thing into a track car or anything, just trying to get it feeling similar to my car as far as the brakes, and get the suspension just a touch better.

 

Might look into a swaybar. Loved my car after I put one on!

[TYLER R]

Texan, thanks for the tip on boxer4racing!

Once I pay off the headgasket job and get some spare change again, I know where I will spend a bit o money!

Edited May 7, 2013 by TYLER R

[idosubaru]

the brake fluid and hardware is almost certainly all original - most places pad-slap or pad/rotor slap brakes.  so if you want better brakes step 1 is get that 15 year old fluid out of there as soon as possible and grease slide pins, replace clips.

 

subaru brakes are super simple disc brakes, no springs or drum brake like contraptions.  remove wheels and then it's literally either one or two bolts (depending on the style) to replace the pads.

1.  remove wheel (and loosen master cylinder cap)

2.  remove one or two bolts that hold the caliper in place. (some have one bolt and a rotating pin, others have two bolts).

3.  swing up (one bolt style) or remove (two bolt style) caliper and replace pads.

4.  press the piston back in with a c-clamp.  you can get them to go back in with large channel locks or simply pushing with a screw driver, but you better be stout and enjoy getting aggressive.  with a c-lamp and the old pads it's effortless.

5.  install caliper bolt(s), wheel, master cylinder cap.

 

if you have a local place, have the rotors turned for $15 each or replace.  best to keep the original rotors, they're generally high quality steel and don't need replaced.

 

it's really easy.

 

as to brake pad type, like i said it doesn't matter just don't get el-cheapo pads. yet even cheap pads i've seen work well, they're just dirty as crap and wear out quick so i avoid them, but they actually perform decent. i just get ceramics - see what rockauto (you know them right - www.rockauto.com) has good prices on and go there.  NAPA advantage one (or something like that) and thermoquiets...i think..from memory...they all perform the same to me so i don't go crazy on pads.

 

one reason they might "seem" like cheap pads don't perform as well is that the same people buying the cheapest pads are also the ones not getting/doing good work - changing fluid, pins, grease, boots,
clips.  and the other way around - the same people getting nice pads usually are changing fluid, hardware, clips, greasing boots, etc..

 

your struts are likely aged as well, replacing them might do you some good.  might be nice to test drive some other OBW and see if it performs anybetter.  or get a rear sway bar/stiffer springs to counteract the wagon if yo'ure used to a sedan. Subaru wagons don't drive like sedans if that's what you're comparing it too.  i've had a bunch and hands down the sedans are definitely nicer to drive in terms of suspension.  SUS, LSi, Outback Sedans...i've had/have a bunch and they all drive nicer than the wagons i've also owned.

 

i'm not well versed in strut/suspension stuff though so i'm not sure what you're after/would like...

Edited May 7, 2013 by grossgary

[TYLER R]

Super! Sounds easy enough Gary!

 

We are just used to my 08 Toyota Corolla that I have set up for autocross. Adjustable coilovers, 22mm rear sway bar, front and rear strut tower bars, and I lean towards the all season performance tires.

I know we arent going to get the wagon close to that, but it really did feel like it was just a dune buggy with long travel suspension. Nothing clanked or clunked when it was working, so nothing is proly wrong with it, and it was smooth, no bouncing, we just proly arent used to it.

I will look into some KYB's though and get those on my list of to do things.

 

Thanks a ton for all the tips on everything!! This is a great forum! I dont know too much about these newer ones yet, but I will look to contribute a bit with anything I do know now that im not pulling out my hair trying to get it to run good.

 

I just curse the guy that came up with the headgasket design for the 2.5,lol...

[idosubaru]

oh yeah well you're far more tuned into performance and suspension than i am so ignore everything i say. LOL

 

rear sway bars are a common upgrade for OBW's. subaruoutback.org has a significant amount of OBW strut/sway bar commentary/threads.   2000 and up OBW's have a completely different rear suspension than your 99 so none of that at all pertains to you.  but the fronts are the same exact set up and interchangeable...though i suppose strut and spring characteristics changed since the body style/weight/engine options changed in 2000.

[TYLER R]

Ehhh, proly not Gary. I just know the crap that people do to Corolla's and how it works on those cars.... For all I know, nobody makes decent after market suspension stuff for the 99 obw or it doesnt do enough to justfiy the cost.