The Subaru Thread

[MoapaPk]

I have a 1999 4 cyl Outback that's about to pass the 175K mark. Never had to do anything other than replace the normal stuff--brakes, tires, etc. Never had a major problem with the engine or transmission.

Do you drive much on rocky roads -- e.g. those with lots of baseball-size rocks?

Have you replaced the ball joints or any of the CV boots or bearings on the front end?

[rhyang]

Turns out I had to install tripletreds sooner than I expected. Got a sidewall puncture in one of my geolandars, and that meant new tires on all four wheels, or else getting the new tire ground down to match the tread wear on the other three. As I understand it with subaru AWD you have to run all four wheels as closely matched as possible or else the differential may fail prematurely.

So far the goodyears are working well. Mileage seems about the same and they seem to stick well, on dry and wet pavement. Haven't driven them in mud or snow yet.

[kovarpa]

Good Year triplethreads rock. Awesome in the snow, 80k warranty.

[Kai]

We have two Subarus.

A 1991 wagon that is at 246,000 miles and still going strong. Only thing ever gone wrong with it was a broken timing belt.

A 2006 STi with 110,000 miles and still going strong. Only problem ever was a faulty injector.



Best cars ever.

[Cookie Addict]

Our 2008 Impreza WRX has 26K on it and is a mountain pass/road trip/car camping machine. have to watch it though, 2 tickets in 18 months... This is the second one. Had a 2000 Outback that is still going strong for the current owner at 220K+.

[mconnell]

As I understand it with subaru AWD you have to run all four wheels as closely matched as possible or else the differential may fail prematurely.

I think that is a scam by tire retailers to sell more tires. If that were the case, failing to rotate tires or failing to regularly check tire pressure would cause the differential to fail. So would a lot of driving on windy roads.

[MoapaPk]

Have any of you folks had a stabilizer bar snap? It's the equivalent of a sway bar in "ordinary" cars, but there are two. One idea is that the bushings that hold the bars age, and the rubber becomes brittle, allowing undue flexion.

The left stabilzer bar on my 2003 outback snapped while I was descending a heavily eroded dirt road; sounded like a gunshot. Because of a quasi-emergency situation, I had more weight in the car than intended, and as I came off a hummock just right of the left front tire, the bar snapped -- the bottom of the wheel was probably slightly forced out. The car was totally drivable after, but rolled more when turning on highways.

I've read of people having the bars snap in parking lots and other benign places. I live in a hot area, and rubber in tires, wiper blades, etc. tends to degrade quickly.

[mconnell]

Have any of you folks had a stabilizer bar snap? It's the equivalent of a sway bar in "ordinary" cars, but there are two. One idea is that the bushings that hold the bars age, and the rubber becomes brittle, allowing undue flexion.

The left stabilzer bar on my 2003 outback snapped while I was descending a heavily eroded dirt road; sounded like a gunshot. Because of a quasi-emergency situation, I had more weight in the car than intended, and as I came off a hummock just right of the left front tire, the bar snapped -- the bottom of the wheel was probably slightly forced out. The car was totally drivable after, but rolled more when turning on highways.

I've read of people having the bars snap in parking lots and other benign places. I live in a hot area, and rubber in tires, wiper blades, etc. tends to degrade quickly.

Nope. 200k miles, a good portion on rough dirt roads and no problems like that.

[MoapaPk]

As I understand it with subaru AWD you have to run all four wheels as closely matched as possible or else the differential may fail prematurely.

I think that is a scam by tire retailers to sell more tires. If that were the case, failing to rotate tires or failing to regularly check tire pressure would cause the differential to fail. So would a lot of driving on windy roads.

When I first got my soob, I was told to keep the tire pressure very even -- the recommended tolerance seemed better than the precision of most tire gauges. Yet I notice that the newer (post 2007) soobs have tire pressure sensors, and they don't give a warning till the pressure is 20-25% off.

[Cookie Addict]

As I understand it with subaru AWD you have to run all four wheels as closely matched as possible or else the differential may fail prematurely.

I think that is a scam by tire retailers to sell more tires. If that were the case, failing to rotate tires or failing to regularly check tire pressure would cause the differential to fail. So would a lot of driving on windy roads.

I just had to replace a tire and wheel (huge lag bolt/screw in the Home Depot parking lot) and got the whole spiel from the local tire place. I have my dealership do the premium oil change and there is tire road hazard insurance included with as long as you let them swap oil every 6 months. I called them and got the same story about tire diameter... I let the service guy finish and then told him I had the insurance. He didn't bat an eye or change his tune at all - I got 4 new tires at no cost except the oil changes.

It seems to me if this were scam that the dealership/service center would be hesitant to give away $1200 in new rubber if they could avoid it.

Thoughts?

[rhyang]

$1200 ? Holy jebus. I paid half that for my tripletreds + alignment. Maybe it's my disabled sticker or something ..

[Cookie Addict]

$1200 ? Holy jebus. I paid half that for my tripletreds + alignment. Maybe it's my disabled sticker or something ..

I have WRX sti. The stock tires are $275 a pop - add mount/balance/recycling fee/etc retail would be 1.2K Again, it was covered by the oil changes so I didn't have any out of pocket for them.

[Cookie Addict]

STi tires = not like all other tires.

The summer tires are Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 235/35ZR19 and I run Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 when there is snow on the hills. Both are pricey but 290 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm and 305 HP asks a lot of the tires so why depend on mediocre rubber?

As this is the Scooby thread and in the interest of full disclosure I did have to have my clutch replaced at 24K. The only racing I do is into the mountains after getting off work late, so the premature failure pissed me off. Apparently, this short clutch life is an issue with the WRX that is well known and documented on the interwebs. Mine was covered under warranty, but the typical OEM replacement is 1200-1500 bucks. Not enough to make me want to get rid of mine or talk smack about it, but enough that I don't let neophytes/relatives drive it. I still love and am thoroughly impressed with the car and the brand.

[Yeti]

...290 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm and 305 HP... I did have to have my clutch replaced...

Ahh there's a very good reason that this is the case, and you paid extra for it.
The drivetrain is all about getting power to the wheels. When you have AWD, you have very little slip at the wheels. Slipping tires act like a "fuse" in an electrical system, they break loose before something else does. AWD and grippy tires is like putting a higher voltage fuse in the system. It doesn't blow as easily, but you increase the chances of frying something else. Good traction wears mechanical components. It's a common myth that "burning rubber" is bad for the drivetrain, it's not as hard on the componenets as gripping is.
Case in point:
I have 3600lb rwd car, 300lbft at the wheels.
On street tires, I can't drag race, there's no grip. It will burn the tires in 3rd gear. Slippy slippy slippy.
If I put drag radials on it, and I actually get good grip off the line... my half shafts snap. Like friggin clockwork, every time. So, I stay on road courses and avoid drag strips.

When your car is off warrantee, stop going to the dealership. I know there are a few Subaru Specialty shops in Ohio, maybe there's some out your way. Always go with the nerds.

Good to see the Subbie thread is still alive!

P.S. I've never broken a sway bar, and god knows I've tried. I would say that your oversized load had more to do with it. If the bar was heavily permiated by rust it would be more prone to fail. you'll probably notices that your off-road performance is better without it, and straight-line driving is unaffected. It gives you turning stability, nothing else.

Replacign all 4 tires; there is logic behind that depending on what differential you have.
When one wheel turns faster than another, it engages your LSD (should you have one). If one is constantly in this state, than your traction systems are constantly in use, and they will wear faster.
To stay on the cheap, you might be able to find a shop that will shave your new tire for you. Get a single new $50 crap tire and shave it to match the rest, then wait for the whole set to wear down and replace them all.

[mconnell]

As I understand it with subaru AWD you have to run all four wheels as closely matched as possible or else the differential may fail prematurely.

I think that is a scam by tire retailers to sell more tires. If that were the case, failing to rotate tires or failing to regularly check tire pressure would cause the differential to fail. So would a lot of driving on windy roads.

I just had to replace a tire and wheel (huge lag bolt/screw in the Home Depot parking lot) and got the whole spiel from the local tire place. I have my dealership do the premium oil change and there is tire road hazard insurance included with as long as you let them swap oil every 6 months. I called them and got the same story about tire diameter... I let the service guy finish and then told him I had the insurance. He didn't bat an eye or change his tune at all - I got 4 new tires at no cost except the oil changes.

It seems to me if this were scam that the dealership/service center would be hesitant to give away $1200 in new rubber if they could avoid it.

Thoughts?

My road hazard will only replaced the damaged tires. Pretty meaningless when they argue about replacing the tire unless you buy 3 more. I will usually replace 2 tires (the 2 on the same axle), but not 4 unless they are getting bad anyway. With 2, it usually involves me taking in the rims to have the tires mounted, putting the rims back on the car, then driving it in for an alignment.