*rickashays 05' LGT Limted*

First things first, new to the forum. I was going to make an intro thread in the other section but thought this would suffice for both. I'm new to the Subaru world and kind of new to the car scene, depending on how you look at it. I have always "been a car guy" but have spent most of my time/efforts on my other 4 wheel-builds, seen below:

 

My previous 98' Toyota 4Runner:

20120301-IMG_1069.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

20120217-IMG_0940.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

My current 97' Lexus LX450:

20130620-IMG_2844.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

20130620-IMG_2837.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

It's not always so clean...

20130513-IMG_2617.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

20130627-IMG_2957.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

My current DD:

20130726-IMG_3204.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

I used to have Honda's in the good ol' days and am looking forward to enjoying the new-to-me LGT. The car is a one owner, no accident gem. Just so happens I found it within an hour of Calgary AB and it only has 60,000kms (so like 36K miles to most of you)!! It's a limited with the 5 speed and no spoiler. Pretty much the exact configuration I was looking for. I would have liked a silver one but beggars can't be choosers and I'm tickled pink by the low mileage.

 

It was owned by an older gentlemen who recently passed away with prostate cancer. It's got a couple mall dings and such but it's quite clean especially for living up in the Great White North. The PO's name was Brian, so I thought in honor of him, I would name the car Brian.... Brian O'Connor. hahaha

 

Anyways, here are a couple photos I snapped on the cars first highway drive over the weekend:

 

20130809-IMG_3344.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

20130809-IMG_3349.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

20130809-IMG_3351.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

20130809-IMG_3342.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

So far I've done a little PM:

- Oil change with Rotella T6 5w40

- WIX filter

- New air filter

- Ordered a Gates Timing Belt kit w/OEM Subaru water pump and gasket

- Will be removing the banjo bolt filters very soon.

 

Seeing as how these motors are interference engines, I wanted to do the t-belt. I'm way under the mileage interval but its supposed to be done every 8 years, and my car definitely sat for more than a year at a time. I'd rather be safe than sorry!

 

Future GOALS:

- keep it driveable/functional : fun on the mountain roads but still comfy

- keep it clean looking

- reliably ad more power as a DD

 

Future Mods:

- Cobb Accessport V3

- Intake, UP, DP, Borla Catback

- BC Racing C/O's or Tiens?

- Enkei RS05RR wheels or 18x8.5" STI BBS wheels with adaptors

- Some kind of media integration - might try to put a Nexus or iPad Mini in it

 

I have already learnt a lot from this forum and hope I can contribute here in the future. Please give me some feedback on my maintenance items and future mods as I am still very much a Legacy-Noob. I'd appreciate the feedback!

 

Cheers,

Addison

Welcome! As for ipod, my car already came with the jazzy aux mod so I can't help much there.

 

I will say if you drive the leggy like those trucks come winter time you will center high really fast.

How long do you plan on keeping the car? How much money are you willing to spend on it?

 

Do the UP as soon as you can, especially if it's still the stock one. The cat in it can disintegrate and damage your turbo, possibly taking the engine with it, if not dealt with in time. Go find an 07+ STi OEM UP, should be about $75 (or less!), and can be installed in your driveway.

 

It's great peace of mind, considering, should the worst happen, you could be paying $7500 to repair the damage it may cause, should you ignore it.

 

Skip the intake and exhuast -- these aren't Hondas. Your stock intake is already a CAI, and unless you're pushing over 350whp, any exhaust mods won't do anything except make more noise.

 

Read the stage definitions and get familiar, though, most of us fall in-between stages --Lots of 2.5s, 2.65s, etc.

You'd do well to get an UP and DP, and above all, get tuned. You can find a Cobb AP v2 for about $350 used, or you know, you can just buy one new from Cobb. Your call, really.

 

Keep on top of your maintenance! Check your oil regularly, make sure it's got fluids, and you should be just fine.

 

Welcome!

Welcome! As for ipod, my car already came with the jazzy aux mod so I can't help much there.

 

I will say if you drive the leggy like those trucks come winter time you will center high really fast.

 

Jazzy aux mod, I'll have to look into that. haha no offroading with the Legacy, thats what the Lexus is for!

 

How long do you plan on keeping the car? How much money are you willing to spend on it?

 

Do the UP as soon as you can, especially if it's still the stock one. The cat in it can disintegrate and damage your turbo, possibly taking the engine with it, if not dealt with in time. Go find an 07+ STi OEM UP, should be about $75 (or less!), and can be installed in your driveway.

 

It's great peace of mind, considering, should the worst happen, you could be paying $7500 to repair the damage it may cause, should you ignore it.

 

Skip the intake and exhuast -- these aren't Hondas. Your stock intake is already a CAI, and unless you're pushing over 350whp, any exhaust mods won't do anything except make more noise.

 

Read the stage definitions and get familiar, though, most of us fall in-between stages --Lots of 2.5s, 2.65s, etc.

You'd do well to get an UP and DP, and above all, get tuned. You can find a Cobb AP v2 for about $350 used, or you know, you can just buy one new from Cobb. Your call, really.

 

Keep on top of your maintenance! Check your oil regularly, make sure it's got fluids, and you should be just fine.

 

Welcome!

 

Thanks for the info and the welcome! I plan on keeping the car for some time. With the low miles it has, I can see it being in the family for the next 10 years. I'll spend whatever money on it to get it how I want it and be confidant in its reliability.

 

Good point on the UP. I actually read some posts already about the cat destroying the turbo, so this will be something I'll do sooner than later. Do I require a tune for just having an UP?

 

Intake and exhaust would purely be for my listening pleasure. I don't expect massive gains, if any. Not new with engines, just to the legacy platform.

 

Oil changes and maintenance are a given. My Toyotas are on a stringent maintenance schedule that I complete myself and keep a record for in Excell for all of my vehicles. The subaru will be the same. I will have to get used to checking the oil more, as I have read they commonly will use some. No big deal though.

 

Looking forward to the mods. I'd love to have 300-325 HP at the crank. I think this is reasonable and would still keep it reliable.

With a turbo and fuel upgrade, you could see those in WHP numbers. Just a thought - Anything over 300 in an LGT feels VERY fast and is actually faster than most any other performance car you'll run into. At 3xx/3xx, you can start hunting Porsches and RS6s.

With a turbo and fuel upgrade, you could see those in WHP numbers. Just a thought - Anything over 300 in an LGT feels VERY fast and is actually faster than most any other performance car you'll run into. At 3xx/3xx, you can start hunting Porsches and RS6s.

 

Excellent. I like this. Thanks again.

300bhp (225whp) could be fairly easily achieved and fairly reliably I would say, stock you probably will start out with 190whp.

 

I'm making around that much right now on a fairly simple setup:

• Catless Uppipe ~10whp
  
• Sidegapped Iridium spark plugs
  
• Lightweight Crank Pulley
  
• Stromung Divoriced downpipe
  
• New intake manifold & throttle body gaskets (since they compress and leak)
  
• Retune, to reduce boost back to stock post downpipe.
  

 

I went with stage 2 downpipe only because mine got destroyed after I hit a deer, but I decided to keep it stock boost levels until later. Don't bother going with a Stage 2 downpipe unless you plan on cranking up boost, waste of money otherwise . But with a stage 2 tune, you should be making around 250whp.

Keep the stock intake. It's good for more whp then you have planned.

I say get a DP and tune and increase your mpg.

 

My wagon get's great mpg 25+ if i keep my foot out of it on my DD, over 27mpg on the highway.

skip the cobb AP i just sold mine and got a custom tune from Edward at XRT and its way way better, plus cheaper!

300bhp (225whp) could be fairly easily achieved and fairly reliably I would say, stock you probably will start out with 190whp.

 

I'm making around that much right now on a fairly simple setup:

• Catless Uppipe ~10whp
  
• Sidegapped Iridium spark plugs
  
• Lightweight Crank Pulley
  
• Stromung Divoriced downpipe
  
• New intake manifold & throttle body gaskets (since they compress and leak)
  
• Retune, to reduce boost back to stock post downpipe.
  

 

I went with stage 2 downpipe only because mine got destroyed after I hit a deer, but I decided to keep it stock boost levels until later. Don't bother going with a Stage 2 downpipe unless you plan on cranking up boost, waste of money otherwise . But with a stage 2 tune, you should be making around 250whp.

 

Great info. I was actually going to start digging on the topic of spark plugs. Is there a standard which most seem to use when replacing them? I am doing my T-Belt and waterpump soon and was going to throw new plugs in at the same time.

 

Also, with the lightened crank pulley, what kind of performance gains would you see? I feel that the legacy revs up quite slow and that the crank pulley would help speed this up? When rev matching during down shifts, I wish the engine would rev'd faster.

 

Keep the stock intake. It's good for more whp then you have planned.

I say get a DP and tune and increase your mpg.

 

My wagon get's great mpg 25+ if i keep my foot out of it on my DD, over 27mpg on the highway.

 

Thats pretty good. I'd be stoked to get 27MPG highway, which this car will do a lot of. I really just wanted an intake for the turbo sound/factory BOV. Would a drop in aftermarket filter help with this while keeping my factory airbox? Still might do the COBB intake and box but not if it will detriment longevity a drastic amount.

 

skip the cobb AP i just sold mine and got a custom tune from Edward at XRT and its way way better, plus cheaper!

 

Well I actually bought a Cobb AP V3 Last night off of my local classifieds. New in box for $500. I thought it was a pretty good deal considering they are $700 once landed in Canada. The car is now Stage I!!! Pretty happy with the results, it definitely pulls harder in the 2500-4500 RPM range especially. Plus there is more of that sweet boxer engine noise.

 

Need some advice. I will not be going Stage II within the next 8-10 months. Am I better off just buying some Tomei headers with the included catless UP in the spring? Or just buying a catless UP now? Keep in mind the low mileage on my car, I know the factory UP will eventually fail, but Im not sure I should be in a panic to change it. It will be changed out within the next 8-10 months but how desperate is the need for this change? I want to spend $1000 on the car before winter and not touch it until spring.

 

My MUST items are:

- Weathertech digital floor mats

- 3M coating on the front end

- STS kit w/OEM Momo knob

 

Possibles:

- Catless UP

- COBB Intake/air box

- Lightened crank pulley

 

Lets hear some feedback. Thanks guys, been searching this forum like a mad man the last week. So many informative articles and good reads.

Spark Plugs

Stick to NGK Platinum or Iridiums for spark plugs (Iridiums are stock). Iridiums are cheaper, but they don't last as long (~45k miles) (unless you get the more expensive iridum + platinum which should last 60k miles like double platiniums)

 

Crank Pulley

Reason for crank pulley is stock one disintegrates (rubber gets old) and it destroys a lot of stuff when it does do that. HP gains are negligible, but it does help it rev up a little easier. The real issue with rev up is the 28ish lb dual mass flywheel, get a single mass one and that should help too.

 

Up Pipe

I would not run stage 1 with catted up pipe, heck I don't run my bone stock FXT or ran my stockish LGT with catted up pipe. It's a huge flow restriction, it forces the hot exhaust gasses to stay near the head much longer thus leads to more detonation. Keep in mind that these motors have AVCS, which simulates EGR, that means exhaust gasses are purposefully sucked back into the engine.

 

Back to the up pipe, replacing it usually will give you 10whp on stock everything else. Now 10whp might not seem like much, but to put it in perspective, the stock downpipe which is known to be restrictive is a plate design (worse then bellmouth or divorced), and replacing it with a 3" bellmouth downpipe or 2.5" divorced yielded me just about 0 hp gain on FXT or LGT. With stage 1 your now pushing ~16 psi down this restrictive pipe, which means more back pressure and heat, which also means the cat will now disintegrate faster.

 

IMO catless Up pipe and banjo filter removal are a must for all turbo Subaru's that have them, they are the two leading causes (on otherwise stock cars) for dead turbos & engines. To the point where Subaru started putting catless uppipes on newer cars too. Get an STI up pipe, they go for $70 shipped, and fit perfectly.

Need some advice. I will not be going Stage II within the next 8-10 months. Am I better off just buying some Tomei headers with the included catless UP in the spring? Or just buying a catless UP now? Keep in mind the low mileage on my car, I know the factory UP will eventually fail, but Im not sure I should be in a panic to change it. It will be changed out within the next 8-10 months but how desperate is the need for this change? I want to spend $1000 on the car before winter and not touch it until spring.

 

My MUST items are:

- Catless UP

 

Possibles:

- 3M coating on the front end

- STS kit w/OEM Momo knob

- Weathertech digital floor mats

- COBB Intake/air box

- Lightened crank pulley

 

Lets hear some feedback. Thanks guys, been searching this forum like a mad man the last week. So many informative articles and good reads.

 

FTFY.

 

First dollars should goto a new UP. Seriously, it's that important.

 

Tomei headers and UP is a great purchase, though I believe they only come in EL (equal length) now. That "boxrrumbl" comes from having UEL (Un-equal length) headers from the factory. With EL headers, you'll lose some of the rumble, but gain quicker spool and healthier exhaust pulses; some say EL headers will make your car sound like a Honda. That said, you don't want to cheap out here -- EL headers are known to crack welds and become an issue. For good money, you should look into dropping ~$1500 into Killer B Holy Headers -- Probably the best money you can spend on exhaust.

Spark Plugs

Stick to NGK Platinum or Iridiums for spark plugs (Iridiums are stock). Iridiums are cheaper, but they don't last as long (~45k miles) (unless you get the more expensive iridum + platinum which should last 60k miles like double platiniums)

 

Crank Pulley

Reason for crank pulley is stock one disintegrates (rubber gets old) and it destroys a lot of stuff when it does do that. HP gains are negligible, but it does help it rev up a little easier. The real issue with rev up is the 28ish lb dual mass flywheel, get a single mass one and that should help too.

 

Up Pipe

I would not run stage 1 with catted up pipe, heck I don't run my bone stock FXT or ran my stockish LGT with catted up pipe. It's a huge flow restriction, it forces the hot exhaust gasses to stay near the head much longer thus leads to more detonation. Keep in mind that these motors have AVCS, which simulates EGR, that means exhaust gasses are purposefully sucked back into the engine.

 

Back to the up pipe, replacing it usually will give you 10whp on stock everything else. Now 10whp might not seem like much, but to put it in perspective, the stock downpipe which is known to be restrictive is a plate design (worse then bellmouth or divorced), and replacing it with a 3" bellmouth downpipe or 2.5" divorced yielded me just about 0 hp gain on FXT or LGT. With stage 1 your now pushing ~16 psi down this restrictive pipe, which means more back pressure and heat, which also means the cat will now disintegrate faster.

 

IMO catless Up pipe and banjo filter removal are a must for all turbo Subaru's that have them, they are the two leading causes (on otherwise stock cars) for dead turbos & engines. To the point where Subaru started putting catless uppipes on newer cars too. Get an STI up pipe, they go for $70 shipped, and fit perfectly.

 

Awesome. I'll order the Sti up pipe from a 07+ today. I'm guessing they are $70 used? I'll start digging on some of the OEM suppliers websites.

 

FTFY.

 

First dollars should goto a new UP. Seriously, it's that important.

 

Tomei headers and UP is a great purchase, though I believe they only come in EL (equal length) now. That "boxrrumbl" comes from having UEL (Un-equal length) headers from the factory. With EL headers, you'll lose some of the rumble, but gain quicker spool and healthier exhaust pulses; some say EL headers will make your car sound like a Honda. That said, you don't want to cheap out here -- EL headers are known to crack welds and become an issue. For good money, you should look into dropping ~$1500 into Killer B Holy Headers -- Probably the best money you can spend on exhaust.

 

Again emphasis on the up. I'll order it this week. I'll look into the Killer B and probably wait until spring.

 

Any comments on a drop in filter or just stick to all stock in the air box? Will I get any more engine sound out of the UP?

Don't limit yourself to just 07+, many cars came with them:

04+ STI

06+ WRX/FXT

07+ LGT/OBXT

 

That's used correct, new will cost more then a good aftermarket one. If you want a better flowing one then stock then look into Grimmspeed one, I would suggest Invidia (am running one), but they tend to crack overtime.

Don't limit yourself to just 07+, many cars came with them:

04+ STI

06+ WRX/FXT

07+ LGT/OBXT

 

That's used correct, new will cost more then a good aftermarket one. If you want a better flowing one then stock then look into Grimmspeed one, I would suggest Invidia (am running one), but they tend to crack overtime.

 

I was looking at the Grimm speed. OEM or Grimm speed gaskets?

welcome man. love to toyota/subi combo.

 

I would stay away from aftermarket panel filters on these cars. They messed with my fuel trims (maybe turbulence around the MAF). So far the only filter that has worked well for me is the stocker.

 

an UP isn't going to change the sound much, but a DP will, more turbo noise slight increase in exhaust note.

 

An aftermarket intake will give you a lot more sound, but you will need to tune for it, although I believe there are off the shelf Cobb tunes for several intakes.

 

You can also pull the resonator off the bottom of your airbox which will increase the both the engine and BPV sound considerably, but again risks creating new airflows around the MAF and throwing off the fuel trims.

I personally went with Kinugawa ones off ebay. Grimmspeed gaskets are not a must unless you have leaks.

 

Now grimmspeed uppipe is a nice piece, but expect to pay $200 for one. There are other brands too, but stock catless ones are usually more then good enough (and dont have to worry about them cracking). I got mine off NASIOC, but I'm sure there should be some users here with them for sale too.

 

an UP isn't going to change the sound much, but a DP will, more turbo noise slight increase in exhaust note.

Keep in mind it's not only about power it's about reliability too. Up Pipe will gain you more power then downpipe without a tune, it just so happens that you need a tune to run a downpipe reliably, and it just so happens that pretty much all tunes crank up the boost with downpipe too.

 

You can also pull the resonator off the bottom of your airbox which will increase the both the engine and BPV sound considerably, but again risks creating new airflows around the MAF and throwing off the fuel trims.

 

The resonator helps remove intake resonance, so removing it does mess MAF/fueling, more so then getting a panel filter.

+1 on the reliability issue with catted UP.

 

I fairly recently replaced my gutted UP with a grimmspeed, its a very well made piece, and supposedly flows better than the rest. Fits perfectly.

 

I've had good luck with the GS gaskets, they are really high quality and I'd rather support them than my local SOA parts dept.

 

if you're set on intake mods, I'd hold out for a KS or Cobb.

Is the grimmspeed up pipe tapered for flow similar to invidia one? That's the main reason I went with Invidia, since it was necked to not mess with the flow.

If you haven't already, check the banjo bolt filters in the turbo's oil feed line. While you're at it, you may want to pull the banjo bolt/union screw filters for the AVCS, and clean the OCVs, too. You want to make sure the OCVs aren't sticking or disintegrated. That's all pretty much tied into the same oil line that feeds your turbo.

 

CovertRussian's build thread has some of the best pictures on how to do some of this.

 

When you're replacing your exhaust bits, you should check the turbine on your turbocharger for shaft play. It seems that one of the biggest issues with these cars is some form of turbo failure, due to either oil feed problems, shaft play, or both. Many of us have learned this the hard way.

 

You should also ditch the stock tune ASAP. A good tune, even with stock hardware, will generally give you better gas mileage, more fun, and the opportunity for better engine health. From the factory, Subaru has extra timing in cylinders 2 & 4, which can lead to problems.

 

It may be wise to do a compression check, vacuum check, and have a peak at Learning View to learn about the state of your motor's health.

 

If you're keeping the stock intercooler, you may want to JB weld the tank ends (or otherwise "bulletproof" the intercooler). If you use JB weld, properly cleaning the surfaces first is a must. As long as you keep boost under 16— maybe 17— PSI, the stock IC should be fine as-is... but for the cost of a pack of JB Weld, I'd say it's worth it for peace of mind.

 

Since you like off-roading, you may like subaruoutback.org's forum on the topic. The third-gen Outback is identical in many ways to the fourth-gen Legacy. I know you probably don't plan to use the LGT for off-roading, but check it out for fun or whatever.

Lot of good info!

 

OP, are you in Calgary? Have you been to the Timmy's meet? Check out WesternSubaruclub.com if you haven't already. Wouldn't mind getting together with a few LGT owners either. I am getting some work done on mine. Don't want to spend too much $$ on the car though :-)

Lot of good info!

 

OP, are you in Calgary? Have you been to the Timmy's meet? Check out WesternSubaruclub.com if you haven't already. Wouldn't mind getting together with a few LGT owners either. I am getting some work done on mine. Don't want to spend too much $$ on the car though :-)

 

Thanks for the tip! I'll check out the website and have to hit a meet one of these days.

 

Haven't done much work on the car really. Been trying to decide which of my 4 vehicles I want to sell, so I just havent been focusing on the car much.

 

I got home over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend though and had a day of downtime to hang out. I pulled all the banjo bolts on the LGT (minus the one near the timing cover) and checked for the filter. Fairly straight forward but I did end up removing the turbo heat shield for more room. The one feeding the turbo was the only one with a filter. Had a small chunk of debris in the bottom of the filter but it was fairly clean otherwise:

20131010-IMG_3815.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

Bolts out:

20131010-IMG_3807.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

A shot of the engine bay while I had the camera out and was working away:

20131010-IMG_3808.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

I also took the Cobb AP and put the car on the stock tune again. Just didnt want to risk anything without having the catted UP replaced yet.

 

Have been slowly aquiring a couple parts though:

- Perrin pulley (my local buddies have been convincing me NOT to install this... the age old debate)

- Gates Timing Belt

- OEM waterpump/gasket/thermastat

- OEM spark plugs

- Grimmspeed catless UP

 

If my truck sells this week I'll be getting a DP and installing all the goods in one swing.

Show your local buddies pictures of the separated OEM crank pulleys.

 

There's no risk to running a Cobb Stage1 or similar tune, cat or no cat in the UP, just FYI.

 

Nice to see it's coming along!

Another update. Slowly getting the car "baselined" and adding a couple things along the way.

 

- Installed a Grimmspeed UP. Heat wrapped it and used the Grimmspeed gaskets.

- Back running the Cobb Stage 1 - 91 Octane tune

- Yokohama W.Drive 215/45/17 winter tires on factory wheels

- Oil change w/ Rotella Synthetic 5w40 and WIX filter

- Greddy magnetic oil drain plug added

 

Boost definitely comes on quicker. Noticeable boost in power and more turbo/boxer rumble noises. Is there any risk in overboosting with just having the UP? I've heard it's something I need to watch for but as of now, I've been hitting 15psi on the AP which is what the tune calls for. The Yoko's feel great too, this thing is awesome in the snow! SO much fun.

 

Probably going to leave the car like this for the remainder of the winter. Spring time I want to do a mild suspension setup (looking at Konis) to get a little drop. Then some 15 or 25mm 5x114.3 adaptors and some BBS 18x8.5 Sti wheels. I'll probably end up with a catback and DP by summertime as well.

 

For those that care, I sold my Lexus. I am now building up my Tundra, which has been taking the majority of my mod-money and time.

 

I just tubbed the firewall back about 3" to clearance 35" tires without a lift. Fairly sizeable hole in my floor!

20131107-IMG_3926.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

Patched back up:

20131108-IMG_3941.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

Rolling again:

20131123-IMG_4001.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

EDIT... I need to take more pics of the poor Subaru. I feel it is not worthy until it at least gets some new shoes!

Well I've been neglecting the Subaru a lot lately. Winter here sucks and I just have no drive to buy and install parts. However with spring on the horizon I'm pretty excited to have a car for the summer to enjoy. First time in 6-7 years. That being said, I'm starting to hunt for some parts and have been doing some research.

 

- Will be ordering 11mm 5x100 to 5x114.3 adaptors: thinking Project Kics

- Sti BBS 18.8.5" forged wheels (hoping to get a silver set)

- Koni strut package with the Koni lowering springs

- downpipe - just not sure which one I want yet.

- Kartboy short shifter kit