High Tower Screwbaru

Hey guys, I just got a new whip if you will..

 

See the new member hello thread here for a more detailed blurb and some pics.. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/new-me-subaru-and-my-story-plus-pics-191742.html

 

I have been through alot of bad stuff automotive-wise lately. I am a total car freak, car stereo freak, and turbo freak none of which I have been able to afford and it seems every vehicle i touch crumbles despite being an excellent mechanic. This one, I hope, does not.

 

The goals here:

 

1. Fuel Mileage!!! My goal is 30mpg with economy minded driving. I will only be totally disappointed if it does below 25mpg even when I'm trying to be nice to it..

2. Comfort (fit my ass in there, and don't go nuts driving 2 hours a day)

3. Fun (if theres time/money) in the form of car stereo, handling goodies.

 

Lets start out with number 2, I'm really tall. 6'9" to be exact. To give you an example of my tallness, i took the drivers seat out of my CRX, I sat on the floor, and could still drive the car normally.

 

Now, I can drive the Subaru ok as is, but getting the seat back a couple more inches at least will get my legs outta the steering wheel and make it way better to drive.

 

I have some of my own ideas, which have some major flaws and involve alot of welding... What has been done in the past? I didn't have luck searching.

 

Are synthetics suggested for the trans/diffs/engine for fuel economy? Or are they not suggested due to leaks?

 

Thanks in advance, more questions to follow, I'm sure.

1) flush everything!! front and rear diff, atf fluid or manual fluids, small tune up such as spark plugs, wires, fuel filters, air filters, just make sure the engine is in as best running condition as you can. check out the stick at the top of the page for more info

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/2nd-gen-engine-faq-turbos-mpg-engine-builds-engine-swaps-167968.html

 

as for comfort I feel ya on the tall ness im 6'3 and i went through a coupe of seats, to find something of my liking. Right now i have a set of Recaros out of an EVO9 with planted technology rails. They sit lower than stock with this setup. You might not want to spend a pretty penny on seats but you might be able to take planted technolgy rails (which sit low) and your seat, remove the brackets and then mount the to the bracket. for additional lowness you can do rid of the slider and permanently mount them further back and lower.

 

3) a good strut and spring setup is a great way to see what you want your future suspension goals be. Building for comfort, dd, track, struts and springs are a start to get the car handling way better and giving you a direction in what you would like to see more out of it!

I was going to point you in westcoast's direction for anything suspension wise, but he beat me to it. DEFINITELY talk with him; suspension is fun on this car because it's one of the only things you can funnel money towards because honestly, you're not going anywhere with power unless you do a swap.

 

I'm guessing you have the 2.2L? As long as you go through all of the fluids/regular maintenance pieces (and a timing system job if it hasn't been done), it'll run for many hassle-free miles. I can attest to a MSD coilpack swap netting anywhere from .8-1 mpg better in regular driving (measured at the pump over 8 months), so that might be a worthwile mod to start with. Like others have said, it's possible to get 30mpg if your car's running right.

 

A 6'4" buddy of mine fabbed up some permanent seat rails for his acura because he had a welder and some scrap metal; it also gave him the chance to pick up an awesome aftermarket seat. If it's only you driving it, I'd say that's arguably the best route to take if you/one of your friends is handy with metal working.

 

You can use synthetic in the diffs, but save your money on the engine oil and go conventional. There's many many many threads about engine oil, and everyone has their own opinion. Just my $0.02

before any of my mods I was getting 28mpg

 

now with perrin underdrive pulley, and cai the car is fun to drive with how it sounds. My testing continues because i get 26mpg with well lead foot once in awhile.

 

I need to grab a neon connector for the coil pack and I will then give a full tank of proper driving for my final results.

Thanks for the thoughtful replies!

 

Yes, the car has the 2.2. The car has many fuel economy minded things already done. O2s, plugs, wires. I'll check out that MSD coil! It has longevity items addressed, clutch, timing belt, waterpump. Also has newer tires but they are just Uniroyal Tigerpaw touring tires... Supposedly newer brakes all around but based on receipts I think they skimped on the front and replaced just one side after a caliper lockup.

 

As far as the seat goes, after adjustment it seems to be plenty low, just need rearward adjustment... The planted technology rails are designed for an aftermarket seat which... Based on how close I am to the comfort zone, doesn't seem justified to make the investment.

 

Here is the problem with the "sport" suspension thing. I live in the boondocks, have a gravel driveway. Getting any lower than stock makes it hard to spend that money because the limited ground clearance is going to cause issues. Any mods will need to be based on stock or even with Outback suspension components (I already hit and scrape with the car as it is...) UNLESS I relegate the car to somewhat of a "fair weather" duty, which hurts its value as a true DD. This pretty much limits me to KYB's...

 

I do have a 1997 Jeep Wrangler thats lifted on 31" mud terrains, but I kind of hate it and would rather drive the Subie at this point.

Car has been running ok, getting me from Point A to B so far....

 

This is a list of questions I wrote up as I thought of it a work today.

 

I know this is a departure from my original goals, BUT... I live in some rough ass terrain and ground clearance in the snow is paramount. I would like to explore going to outback springs/struts. Does anyone know how negatively this will impact handling? If I paired it with a rear swaybar? Or "its going to suck totally, drive your jeep in the deep stuff, keep it stock/drop it!"

 

I have at least 2 bad struts on the car. It seems to ride fine but pops as you go around corners. If I am going to put on all four struts, what other parts go with this job? Springs? bushings? Or do you reuse the old springs/bushings etc?

 

The HVAC sticks on either defrost or dash vents. THe lights light up but nothing changes. Is there a fix for this?

 

I have the famous dead/intermittent speedometer thing. It already has the jumper wire fix, and its still intermittent. Where would you go from there? This is the most annoying thing about the car so far.

 

Is there a company that sells a good inexpensive all weather floormat IE catches a LOT of gravel/water/feces etc? Work has a gravel lot, all my friends have gravel driveways, I have a gravel driveway at my house.... Etc... I prefer to "dump" this debris than to vac for hours. What mats are you using?

 

Can you disable that STUPID hill holder thing? It seems to engage HARD when I least want it to. Do you guys even like that thing?

You plan on tracking a large amount of feces through your vehicle? Dare I ask?

I live on a farm, and sometimes in that time between fall/winter and winter/spring the mud can get pretty bad.

 

Inevitably depending on where I go and what kind of stupid stuff I am doing, sometimes thats animal deuce, in one form or another.

OB suspension will work great on your leggy. If you want to get more clearance you will have to get OB springs. Subaru sells all weather floormats with catchy lips that you can pull out and rinse off all the blood, feces, brains, gravel, that accumulates from day to day.

Haha! Brains... That one I haven't had yet. I have had 400 lbs of Concord grapes explode all over in my Jeep, and I had a goat in my 1985 VW Fox pee into the backseat and put horn holes all over in the head liner, but never brains.

 

Outback struts and springs or just springs? Are used ones ok or should I find new?

 

I'll check with the dealer, thanks!

OB struts and springs to give you OB height. New struts would be the best (you can find them online for $300 or so), used springs might be OK unless Brok owned them previously, lol. In fact, he should chime in since he knows a lot more than I do. If you want even more height add some spacers. One of my dream cars is a GL with big ass wheels and tons of clearance.

I didn't think Brok looked that heavy from the picture of his stabbed arm i saw... Or other reasons?

 

I am thinking OB height would be fine, it would cost the same as a replacement for my rig, and it would enhance ground clearance which is good for snow and ride. A friend of mine in Colorado has an OB with Forrester suspension and hes getting spacers... the thing will look like a Cherokee before hes through.

 

Lets stay with the High Tower theme for now.

 

I think my first purchase is going to be a Scan Gauge... It will be a perfect compensator for the FUBAR guage cluster and will help me track MPG gains when I do stuff.

 

Also, I have an outback front bumper, needs glassing though, has a bit of damage. Do these look good swapped onto Legacies?

Also, I have an outback front bumper, needs glassing though, has a bit of damage. Do these look good swapped onto Legacies?

 

Yes, they do. I like the JDM GT bumpers a bit more though.

Is there a company that sells a good inexpensive all weather floormat IE catches a LOT of gravel/water/feces etc? Work has a gravel lot, all my friends have gravel driveways, I have a gravel driveway at my house.... Etc... I prefer to "dump" this debris than to vac for hours. What mats are you using?

 

I have Husky Liners and love them.

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr260/TurboThom/1997%20OB/07d6cbd3.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr260/TurboThom/1997%20OB/02a63464.jpg

^^ good looks man, nice pal to keep you company too.

 

troob, do you have an android phone? torque is the way to go; so much better than the scan gauge. i used that for awhile, then finally got a smartphone. torque has more than paid for the phone, and i've only had it for 6 months.

 

OB bumpers do look good, i know there's a few threads floating around. i haven't seen one on a white wagon though...flare the fenders and put some knobby tires on, and the bumper will look right at home.

This is dspl's wagon after he painted the bumper white, and then he blacked out the lower portion. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/new-guy-96-legacy-wagon-184989p3.html

Thomisto... Ooh huskies ftw! I always wanted one, they seem like cool dogs. The mats look good too, like they catch everything. Your pal is like... I see what you did there! Heh.

 

When you order a set, it comes with front, rear, and cargo right? I could really use the cargo liner... As a beekeeper and it would be nice to throw crap back there without putting down a tarp every time (beeswax WILL NOT come out of carpet) It was only $84 on the site I found them on, that seems like a great deal if front, rear and cargo are included.

 

Also, what OBD2 link device are you using, I see it there in the pic.

 

Kaz, I do have an Android phone. This looks like the perfect solution!!! What OBD2 link device are you using?

 

Do they offer aftermarket flares that are pretty good?

 

Monkey... Wow, that really looks good, thanks for finding that... I am tempted to swap them out now.

I'm not sure if Husky Liners makes a cargo liner for the legacy. I have the OEM rubber cargo liner that came with the car. I think they're still available, part number is SOA773001 and it's around $50.

 

Paid $60 shipped for my front liners. Summit racing had the best price on them at the time. I didn't get rears since it's rare for me to have passengers in the back seat.

"The HVAC sticks on either defrost or dash vents. THe lights light up but nothing changes. Is there a fix for this?"

Mine started doing the same thing a couple years ago. Turns out it was my blend door cam sticking. It is a white plastic slotted cam with a rod going through the slot. Location is to the right of the gas pedal a few inches above. It is about 1.5" diameter. I've never been able to fix it but after selecting the position you want your vents on, I reach up and tap on the cam and it moves to the selected position. I just leave it on face in the summer and def/floor in the winter.

If you require the extra ground clearance, the mentioned Outback spring strut combo will work. You said you need new struts anyway because right now they're just along for the bouncy ride.

As far as handling goes, in your case, an upgraded rear anti-sway bar will be an improvement.

I have the Scangauge in my car. Here it how it was installed. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/scangauge-2-custom-mount-166118.html?t=166118&highlight=scangauge

Thomisto... Ooh huskies ftw! I always wanted one, they seem like cool dogs. The mats look good too, like they catch everything. Your pal is like... I see what you did there! Heh.

 

When you order a set, it comes with front, rear, and cargo right? I could really use the cargo liner... As a beekeeper and it would be nice to throw crap back there without putting down a tarp every time (beeswax WILL NOT come out of carpet) It was only $84 on the site I found them on, that seems like a great deal if front, rear and cargo are included.

 

Also, what OBD2 link device are you using, I see it there in the pic.

 

Kaz, I do have an Android phone. This looks like the perfect solution!!! What OBD2 link device are you using?

 

Do they offer aftermarket flares that are pretty good?

 

Monkey... Wow, that really looks good, thanks for finding that... I am tempted to swap them out now.

 

I doubt that all the mats are included with an $84 price tag, but definitely double check.

 

I've got a basic $20 bluetooth adaptor from amazon. There's hundreds of these things out there, and many people say they are hit or miss. Personally, mine has worked from day 1, it's fast, compact, and worth every penny. Don't ask me what brand I got because honestly I have no clue. They're all the same. But absolutely, definitely get the torque app; I have nothing but good things to say about it.

 

There's a thread floating around here about a widebody 2nd gen that was absolutely sexy it was a lowered sedan that the guy autocrossed, but he did do some fender flares IIRC. I'm sure if you did those the same color as the lower OB bumper is, then it'd look really good.

 

edit: here's that widebody 2nd gen, and he didn't do bolt-on fender flares like i thought. But this other guy did a wagon...it doesn't look like there's any flares, but he definitely rolled the fenders and did other body work. Just some encouragement for ya.

I've got a basic $20 bluetooth adaptor from amazon. There's hundreds of these things out there, and many people say they are hit or miss. Personally, mine has worked from day 1, it's fast, compact, and worth every penny. Don't ask me what brand I got because honestly I have no clue. They're all the same. But absolutely, definitely get the torque app; I have nothing but good things to say about it.

 

 

i have this one

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/V1-4-ELM327-OBDII-OBD2-Bluetooth-Car-Diagnostic-Interface-Scanner-US-Shipping-/170905274014?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27cabf869e

 

pisses me off that the price at the same seller dropped 10 bucks. i heard these were hit-or-miss as well, at about a 50% rate of crap. mine is still going strong, even with my daughter being all OCD and using it constantly in her civic. ive also loaded it up on a bunch of cars at my friends shop to monitor stuff while tuning and diagnosing.

So i did a test the other day with a full tank of gas and proper driving techniques. Base was 28MPG mixed hwy and city. now i'm at 29mpg. All the mods are pointless IMO. Driving technique is where it is at. Save yourself th emoney and time.

 

Cheers.

So i did a test the other day with a full tank of gas and proper driving techniques. Base was 28MPG mixed hwy and city. now i'm at 29mpg. All the mods are pointless IMO. Driving technique is where it is at. Save yourself th emoney and time.

 

Cheers.

 

good point; no matter how you slice it though, people will look for things to boost their mpgs. remember the tornado that you put in your intake runner?

 

it really comes down to technique. you could become a hypermiler:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/EM-hypermiling-driving-tips-ecodriving.php

ignore the ones that say to not drive, and the rest are actually pretty good techniques to get in the habit of. keep a log of your fuel economy each fillup, and monitor changes to your car/driving style.

#1 thing I will say to anyone... have a 5/6mt never go above 3k rpms etc etc lol sheesh.. i'm going to look into over inflating my tires a bit also.

 

Yeah my suggestion .. save your money and just get some good brakes/calipers/struts/springs .. don't bother with any "mpg cold air intake msd stuff" Just drive properly.

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr260/TurboThom/1997%20OB/02a63464.jpg

 

Does your dog make you hold their hand while driving?