Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us
Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network
HomeAnnouncements
Discussion Groups
By Brand
BMWChevroletDodgeFordGMHondaLexusMercedes-BenzNissanPeugeotToyotaVolkswagenOther Brands
By Topic
4x4 CarsRVsDrivingMaintenance & RepairCar AudioCollectible Cars
Country Specific
Australian ForumsUK Forums
ArticlesAuto InsuranceBuyingCars & TechnologyMaintenanceMiscellaneousSafety
DMV Resources
Related Topics
MotorcyclesBoatsMore Topics ...

Car Forum / Subaru Cars / December 2007

Tip: Looking for answers? Try searching our database.

Breaking in

Thread view: 
Enable EMail Alerts  Start New Thread
Thread rating: 
houndman@phonom.net - 05 Dec 2007 23:51 GMT
the Impreza 2.5i wagon seems to be giving in, and not fighting.)
Shifting out of first could be a wee bit easier, but will do, if it
doesn't get better. Hard to believe the lumbar is getting softer, and
not feeling like it is sticking in my back. Maybe I'm bending to it.
Gas mileage doesn't look great, but only 1500mi on it, and I do some
city driving, and getting used to the car, and figuring things out. I
have a lot of personal challenges, and there was a lot to learn and
adjust to. Getting some snow, but not enough to learn how it drives in
it, or to practice skidding or drifting. Want some deep snow or ice.
Got a paint or plastic smell which might be the heater heating up
things.

 Pushing the revs a bit, and it moves pretty good. Thought I was
going to regret I didn't get a WRX. Maybe later.

VF
kaboom - 06 Dec 2007 00:13 GMT
> the Impreza 2.5i wagon seems to be giving in, and not fighting.)

**Far more likely is that you are finally getting used to it!

>Shifting out of first could be a wee bit easier, but will do, if it
>doesn't get better.

**I have a 2005 Impreza RS wagon but it only has 11,500 miles on it
and I never had a problem shifting out of first. For me, it's quite
stubborn about going into reverse on occasion. I had to get used to
shifting it vs the previous 2003 Jetta 1.8T, of course, but I don't
think the feel of shifting has changed at all since I bought it. It's
quite nice compared to the very slippy Jetta.

>Hard to believe the lumbar is getting softer, and
>not feeling like it is sticking in my back. Maybe I'm bending to it.
>Gas mileage doesn't look great, but only 1500mi on it, and I do some
>city driving, and getting used to the car, and figuring things out.

**I don't think you should hold your breath for great gas mileage.

>I have a lot of personal challenges, and there was a lot to learn and
>adjust to. Getting some snow, but not enough to learn how it drives in
>it, or to practice skidding or drifting. Want some deep snow or ice.
>Got a paint or plastic smell which might be the heater heating up
>things.

**Do you have one of those bouncy Hawaiian hula dollies stuck to your
dashboard? :)

>  Pushing the revs a bit, and it moves pretty good. Thought I was
>going to regret I didn't get a WRX. Maybe later.

**Many, many times, I've read here or in other forums about the
Impreza RS being so slow blah blah waaaa. It's bull. It's a torque-y
little beast that's a great drive boshing around the twisties. Lots of
fun and a wonderful winter car to boot.

kaboomie
houndman@phonom.net - 07 Dec 2007 18:19 GMT
> > the Impreza 2.5i wagon seems to be giving in, and not fighting.)
>
[quoted text clipped - 35 lines]
>
> kaboomie

LOL.. A bobble head hoola dancer would look spastic bouncing around
in this city, since sometimes I do.(( Lowering tire pressures is
probably why mileage isn't so hot, Just roughly checked it early on
and it seemed like around 20. Driving it the other day in mixed
driving, the gas gauge was dropping pretty fast. I guess like
everything else, I'll have to juggle things, and see if things
improve.

 The shifter really does feel easier getting it out of first, and the
box Does feel nice now. I only sometimes feel reverse hanging, and
think the shifter has to be moved just right for it to go in easily. I
sat and rowed the gears to see if that might make 1st even easier, but
I can live with the way it is now, and like the feel when shifting.
Took a while to get the feel of where each gear was, but I haven't
shifted in a LONG time, and kept telling myself. I Needed a stick.

 The lumbar does also feel softer, and not bowing my back. I have
Recaro seats from a Mustang SVO that I want to put in. They have
inflatable lumbar, and 2 thigh adjustments. I'd like to keep the side
air bags that are in the Sube seat backs, but not the fronts. Would be
nice to juggle them.

The last sticks I owned were a 71' and a 72' Mercury Capri, the
european  Fords. The 71' had the Small Kent motor that Lotus used and
made many mods for, that was a Great handler, and a nice in box
shifter 4sp, but short on power.  I found out about the Lotus mods too
late, but then I had picked up the 72' that had a V-6. It had a good
bit of power, but a sloppy linkage shifter, and showed me why a friend
said, his Capri was the worst handling car he ever drove. I had bought
the 71' when a 69' Charger was stolen 3 weeks after getting laid off.
Riding with a friend with an MG GT, I started liking handling opposed
to muscle. Mopar's always handled well, and I always added all the
police options, but not as well.

I always worried about getteing a car that had a rubbery shifter,
torque and understeer. It may be me, or the lowered tire pressures,
but I'm not very comfortable taking turns at high speeds in the Sube,
but they say the Sube's understeer, The motor hangs out the front
pretty far, though F/R balance doesn't look bad. What made me finally
decide on the Sube was a
5th Gear video, saying how to make a  Sube car handle more neutral,
jerking the wheel into a turn. I had followed the WRX going into
europe, and always wished Sube would put the Legacy motor into the
Impreza here.

 I had been after an 84-86' Mustang SVO turbo 4cyl since they came
out because of my Capri's, and they had a european connection, and I
found an interesting one with Subes. One thing after another stopped
me getting an SVO. The last a serious injury. I have looked off and on
for used SVO's, and looked at a nice one on my way to the Sube dealer
I bought from, and still look for them. Only having made 10K over 3
yrs, and having different parts, they are pretty hard to find and find
parts for. Interesting thing is that the Sube has the same power, and
I paid just about exactly what the SVO's cost new. The SVO's had 175,
205, and 200HP. A little tweaking might get the Sube up, with AWD and
a real wagon.)

 Well, it's coming together, if slowly, but a Good Choice.

VF
Bugalugs - 07 Dec 2007 21:10 GMT
>>> the Impreza 2.5i wagon seems to be giving in, and not fighting.)
>> **Far more likely is that you are finally getting used to it!
[quoted text clipped - 38 lines]
> everything else, I'll have to juggle things, and see if things
> improve.

If you're down to running 20psi in your tyres I would suggest you keep a
VERY close eye on the tyre temperature.  At that pressure they are very
likely to overheat and blowout.

The low pressure would also account for the understeer and I certainly
wouldn't go for any 'high speed'
houndman@phonom.net - 08 Dec 2007 01:57 GMT
> hound...@phonom.net wrote:
> >>> the Impreza 2.5i wagon seems to be giving in, and not fighting.)
[quoted text clipped - 46 lines]
> The low pressure would also account for the understeer and I certainly
> wouldn't go for any 'high speed'

20 was the rough MPG I got.  The F/R tire pressure ratio I settled on
was the same % ifference as the F/R weight distribution, though the
bottom of the rear rims is higher off the ground than the fronts, and
I'm running the rears abuot 6psi lower than the fronts, instead of the
3psi recomended, and the fronts 3 psi lower than recomended. They only
give one pressure, so probably for fully loaded, and why the ride was
so bouncy. I have to jack up the pressures and see how it handles and
mileage. Think I'll calc what the weight distribution would be fully
loaded, and see what that works out to for pressures when unloaded.
Maybe I'll find an optimum pressure when unloaded for ride, handling,
and mileage.

VF
Rick Courtright - 08 Dec 2007 16:25 GMT
> mileage. Think I'll calc what the weight distribution would be fully
> loaded, and see what that works out to for pressures when unloaded.
> Maybe I'll find an optimum pressure when unloaded for ride, handling,
> and mileage.

Hi,

Save your calculator from overheating...

The pressure you desire has already been calculated. It's on the door
sticker. Probably right next to the axle weight ratings.

Raising pressures from the "sticker" is a time honored way to "improve"
handling, and sometimes MPG, almost always at the expense of ride. I
feel safe in saying most knowledgable people would agree the sticker
pressure already places a high value on ride.

Lowering pressures from the "sticker" is a time honored way to damage
tires. Maybe even kill yourself. Ask Ford: even if they're not smarter
than you, they've got far deeper pockets for testing (and settling
lawsuits!) and look how they screwed the pooch w/ the Explorer disaster
a few years ago. They did exactly what you already have and lowered the
recommended tire pressures to obtain a better ride in what's essentially
a truck (read: ride quality wasn't object one on the drawing board.)

I hope you write a letter to Subaru, explaining what you've done and
why, maybe w/ a note describing how much more you know about these
issues than they (you should "cc" the tire mfr, too!) That way, when you
go kill yourself, maybe their lawyers will be able to convince the jury
your heirs don't deserve much...

Somewhere along the line, you're simply going to have to admit to
yourself that IF you are truly as dinged up as you'd have us believe,
you bought the wrong car.

Rick
houndman@phonom.net - 09 Dec 2007 00:21 GMT
> hound...@phonom.net wrote:
> > mileage. Think I'll calc what the weight distribution would be fully
[quoted text clipped - 33 lines]
>
> Rick

I have a few dents and dings left, that slow me down, but not my
desires. They keep me going, even if what I want takes a long time to
accomplish. I have the time.))

 I always loved challenges so why would I give up on the Sube,
especially when It is coming around, and I don't have to use the whip
and chair so much.) I knew most of what I wanted to change before
buying, but other things have come up, that some may be satisfied
with, so they wouldn't want to change them, but I sure wouldn't
understand why not, unless in  a coma.)). Sube didn't offer in dash
GPS, or DVD's, PC's or TV's. That's No reason to Not buy a car, since
they can be added, and everything and what I paid still isn't close to
list. Would love to squeeze in some Night Vision so Bambi doesn't do a
swan, or is that Deer Dive through the front windshield, and spoil my
night rides. Haven't found it yet, so may have to pull one from a BMW,
but first I better get the Other stuff installed.

You mean I have been wrong ALL These Years about tires?? Wet weather
traction became Very important to me after I almost bought it in the
rain through a turn, in an old car with soft suspension, that had New
tires on it. That got me always wanting the best in the wet.  I passed
on the Stang SVO's because Ford put GY Gatorbacks on them, that were
Supposed to be direct copies of their Gran Prix Rain Tires, but the
reviews of all the muscle cars they were put on said, "Tricky in Wet
Weather". it was hard to change the tires on a new car that cost 4K$
more that the 86' Stang GT. Fulda's that Porsche used were the best at
the time, and 1/3 the price, but hard to get .

 I never had a tire problem in 45yrs, and they always wore evenly,
going by pressures that I was happy with. I don't like them rock hard
or mushy. I guess I Should have blow outs galore with the cracked
sidewalls in the tires I have been running, that the last 2 sets have
had. I even was shocked when I replaced the rear brakes on my 86'
Chevy, and saw 1/8" X 2" long cracks on the Innner sidewalls. Good
thing don't have to look at them, but I Know they are there, when I
have driven at speed. One tire that matched another oversized one I
have on the rear, that were discontinued, I found discarded in Pep
Boys lot, because it had 2 shallow gouges on the outside wall. The
Dammed thing was Even mounted on the rare 5 lug rim that the Chevy's
HD suspension has. The gouges weren't down to the fabric, and I don't
worry about defects on the outside, since I Feel they are more
cosmetic, and protect the fabric, and the fabric and Innner rubber are
the strength of a tire, and hold the air. I did put some rubber cement
on the gouges, to make it look normal, and protect  it from anything
hitting the spots. Now i'm Not running rush hr traffic, or any great
distances regularly. If I was, I'd make sure the tires were good, but
I did patch a New tire that got cut since a vulcanizing place wouldn't
touch it, though they are Supposed to be able to fix 2" holes in
sidewall or tread. the patch stuck for a yr, and then started to come
loose and leak, and I figured I got some use out of the tire, and
didn't feel like taking it off the rim again.

 My dad was OLD school, and  wouldn't park in water, saying that if
the tire had had a flat, that water could seep in, and rot the fabric.
Maybe Back when cotton cord was used and tires had tubes, and you Just
patched the tube, and even then probably hard for water to get in.
When I started driving tires were tubless with nylon cords. Dad wasn't
dumb, and kept up with auto stuff, and always got factory shop manuals
with cars, and read Pop Mechanics and Science, but couldn't change his
old beliefs. We  also went around on whether you still needed to use
Dry Gas in the winter, when refineries put it in the Winter Blend. I
tested for icing inhibitor in aicraft fuels in the service, and car
fuel pumps don't have the glass bowls that they used to,  where you
could see the water/fuel seperation, and drained it before there was
too much water.

 I smiled when cleaning the rims and saw the load rating on the tires
was 1300lbs ea. I Know at rated pressures, but that is 5200 lb cap on
a 3Klb car, and the most that would normally be in it would me, a
passenger on occasion and maybe 2-60lb hounds. I think I would like to
up the front tire pressues a bit, but have been warned that too wide a
difference could tear up the center diff, so taking it slowly, till I
am sure. If I go by the axle height like some have suggested,  for
effective tire size/pressure, then the rears are Way too over inflated
compared to the fronts, since there is a 1/2" difference in axle
height.

 So if the tire pressures Sube recomends are for regular loads, what
should they be with a Full load ??))

VF
Clifford Heath - 09 Dec 2007 03:06 GMT
>  You mean I have been wrong ALL These Years about tires??

Maybe not for all those years (what you say was once right), but I agree
that you're wrong now, considering modern tires. They're made for higher
pressures, but manufacturers want you to like the ride, so they quote
the minimum.

>   So if the tire pressures Sube recomends are for regular loads, what
> should they be with a Full load ??))

I run 40/37PSI (F/R) in my Sube, and 42/40 in my '9 Alfa, and I still wear
the corners off. I certainly don't see them wearing out in the middle.

Clifford Heath.
houndman@phonom.net - 10 Dec 2007 00:10 GMT
> hound...@phonom.net wrote:
> >  You mean I have been wrong ALL These Years about tires??
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Clifford Heath.

Then I better get some NOS tires.))

You must corner hard All the time.((
Clifford Heath - 10 Dec 2007 01:08 GMT
> You must corner hard All the time.((

I don't brake more than I need to :-) Conserves fuel at the
cost of rubber... :-) Actually, it's just fun... All those
cameras mean you can't get away with speeding any more, so
there has to be other ways to get your jollies! But we do
long trips (>1 hour) too.
Rick Courtright - 09 Dec 2007 20:42 GMT
>  You mean I have been wrong ALL These Years about tires?? Wet weather

Hi,

The fact you've been LUCKY doesn't mean you've been RIGHT.

By your own admission, you don't put that much stress on some (all?) of
your tires. While I'm glad you live 3000 miles from me so I don't have
to add you to the list of "look out for this guy" folks I already know,
may I politely suggest that our "typical" SoCal commuting conditions
would probably do you in quite rapidly. In my neighborhood "typical"
includes 100 deg F and up during the summer, speeds ranging from 80 to
zero to 80, and just about that fast in lots of cases, as well as
freezing temps on mtn roads and a few other "icing on the cake"
conditions. (Depending on where and when, ALL of these can be
experienced in a single day!) The highways are littered w/ tire
carcasses contributed by people who don't pay attention to their tires.
And a lot of those carcasses ONLY contributed to a big delay in
traffic--the lucky ones didn't get hurt or killed.

Like it or not, the engineers who figure this stuff out DO know what
they're doing once in a while... and sometimes, as you've learned from
your father, we have to "relearn" what we "knew" for so long. Tires fall
in that category IMO. The door stickers should be considered "minimum"
under all conditions as far as I'm concerned... if the "performance"
isn't what you want under a given condition, I'd think it prudent to
adjust your driving style before thinking you need to re-engineer the
system.

Rick
houndman@phonom.net - 10 Dec 2007 00:32 GMT
> hound...@phonom.net wrote:
> >  You mean I have been wrong ALL These Years about tires?? Wet weather
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
>
> Rick

So a pressure they list on the door sticker is for the car Unloaded?

Sounds like I Just get Good tires, and No retreads to be So lucky, or
Maybe it's a 6th sense. I seem to worry about things that I should,
and warn friend when They are doing something unsafe. May have saved a
friends life when I told him, at the speeds he drives, often above
100, that he Should wear his seat belts, and I'd even have a harness.
It took the help of a pretty young thing, he was watching get in her
car in his mirror, before a trip on the interstate, and when she
buckled up, he remembered out chat, and buckled. 30 mi later his Stang
GT was on its roof, with broken rims, the floor under his seat
buckled, and the car wedge shaped, after almost Sliding upside down
under a Semi, and taking out 80' of guard rail, when a minivan cut him
out. He was hanging on the seatbelt, and had to cut it to get down. I
saw him the next night, and wondered where his car was, and he pulled
out the pictures, and I Couldn't believe he wasn't banged up. He
lifted up his pants leg and showed me a 3/4" cut on his knee.

I'll look into the tire pressure thing, because, it sounds like with
the NEW tires, I should be running 50psi to be Safe. Maybe I DO need
to Change the tires on the Sube, and get some Good ones. They say the
Potenzas have Stiff sidewalls. Maybe That's Not to My liking. I read
they Weren't that good in the Wet, but figured the AWD would
compensate. Maybe I  need  some Rain tires...

VF
Carl 1 Lucky Texan - 08 Dec 2007 04:01 GMT
>>>the Impreza 2.5i wagon seems to be giving in, and not fighting.)
>>
[quoted text clipped - 96 lines]
>
>  VF

Wagan and Obus Forme have products that may help you with your back. My
daughter uses and Obus forme in her car and her computer chair.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-0720448-6547932?url=search-alias%3Daps&
field-keywords=obus+forme&x=20&y=21


Carl

Signature

to reply, change  ( .not)  to  ( .net)

houndman@phonom.net - 08 Dec 2007 12:15 GMT
> hound...@phonom.net wrote:
>
[quoted text clipped - 108 lines]
> --
> to reply, change  ( .not)  to  ( .net)

Thanks Carl,

 My back isn't a problem when driving, though my muscles are damaged
and weakened, and fatigue fast, when doing physical things, and
stretchy back supports help a lot.

The seat bottom length and width are my biggest problems, and the
fixed lumbar in the back was uncomfortable before, but seems better,
but having it adjustable would be better. I have the  Recaro's to try
to install with inflatable lumbar, but would like the side air bags
the Sube has.

 The velore dash cover eliminates the dash reflecting onto the WS,
but the side air vent reflects onto the outside mirror, so will have
to add a flap to cover it. Took a while to realize the vent was
forming the rings.

VF
 
Sign In
Join
My Latest Posts
My Monitored Threads
My Blog
My Photo Gallery
My Profile
My Homepage

Start New Thread
Enable EMail Alerts
Rate this Thread



©2008 Advenet LLC   Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.