jamal

if it is a trashed/clogged covertor you need to replace it. The difference in power and mileage between a good cat and a straight pipe is pretty much negligable. Not having one is incredibly irresponsible and illegal.

yeah, it will hold gears longer when cold to warm up both the transmission and motor more quickly.

also take out the bleed screw that is on the other side of the radiator from the cap if you have one. And don't over-tighten or it will break. I still have just the slightest amount of air I'm trying to get out after I replaced a radiator. The temp needle doesn't move and heat works, but there's just a bit of gurgling. Getting all the air out of the system is apparantly even more of a pain in the rump roast on turbo cars.

You should actually be able to leave the parking lights on for a few days without draining the battery or so I've heard. This way if your car is stranded you can have them on so no one plows into it in the dark. I'm pretty sure "hay guys why won't my parking lights turn off" is the biggest FAQ in the history of Subaru Message boards.

Earlier cars had a gasket and then they went to sealant. My transmission was leaking from the gasket, I replaced it, it still leaks, so I'm going with the sealant. Oh, here's what my pan looked like after 170k hard miles: I didn't even bother to wipe it off. (the pan is black, that's not grime)

It's a good way to get ATF in your hair. I had a fun time replacing the gasket and it still leaks. I'm going to just seal the damn thing with silicone. Anyway it sounds like you gave it a good flush so don't worry too much about it.

Not all Grand Ams have the 5x100 bolt pattern, the center bore isn't the same, and there is probably not enough positive offset, which will ruin wheel bearings in short order and probably rub. Sure they might bolt up, but they don't actually fit. The offset should be stamped inside the wheel. If it's less than +50 you should probably take them off unless the wheel is 7" wide.

What's funny is that I never used chains in Montana and I can't think of anyone who did. Reserve street in Missoula would be sheer ice all the way to school some mornings. Now I'm in California and everyone is all like "oh you need chains to get to the mountains blah blah blah." Where did that come from? The owner's manual says to only put chains on the front.

I have 205/55-16s, which are wider and taller than the stock 185/70-14s. They aren't as tall as a 205/75-14 though. With stock suspension I was very close to both the spring perch and fender but didn't rub (like I couldn't fit a finger through the gaps). With my STi struts and more negative camber I have more room on each end and I'm pretty sure I could fit a 225/50-16 with rolled fenders.

That's quite a bit taller than stock and will probably rub on the spring perch if not somewhere else in the wheel well. check out the tire size calculator at miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

I don't trust them, and do my own oil changes. Then I KNOW the drain plug is tightened properly, a new crush washer is installed, the filter gaskets aren't doubled up, and there is the right amount/type of oil. I also know I'll be able to get the filter and plug off the next time I change the oil, and it tends to cost less. Purolator makes Subaru oil filters so I go with them.

Maybe he just has junk tires? The AWD in that car has open front and rear diffs and the center can't transfer all of the power to the front or rear. This means it will spin one front and one rear tire if it's really slippery.

I don't think I would use them on a brake line. Plus you only need one wrench. Mine was I think $7 at sears:

A year seems to be the average silverstar lifespan, and that's too bad because I tend to post about how crappy they are whenever they're brought up. Anyway, all I'm saying is that your lighting could be even better.

Also make sure you get a craftsman or better flare wrench. The tolerances on a cheap autozone tool aren't as good and I've heard a lot of stories of people stripping nuts with them. Although one neat trick I just read was clamping vice grips onto the wrench to keep it tight.

Try aiming them higher, they'll be more effective and help you see farther. With driving/high beams, you want as little forground light as possible so your night vision is improved and you can see farther down the road. I think the FF200s are probably bright enough to be used as a full on driving beam. They definitely come as fog lights. rallylights.com sells the fogs and that link you posted shows different part numbers. The guy who e-mailed you back was wrong. Also silverstars are crap and increase glare thanks to the ricer blue tint. Lucky for you they'll burn out fairly soon and you can replace them with Xtravisions or something like the narva rangepower +50.

Do you have fogs or driving lights? A properly aimed driving light will definitely annoy/blind oncoming traffic and people in front of you. A driving beam supplements high beams by being brighter and shining farther down the road. To aim a driving light, the center of the beam should be the same height as the bulb at 25 ft. Aiming directions

Absolutely not. They are significantly brigher than high beams and you would blind everyone around you. They need to be wired so they only come on with high beams, which isn't difficult. I have a switch on my dash, and when it's on, all my bright lights come on. Off, the Hellas don't. The relay is switched to both the dash switch and the high beam wire, so they both have to be on for the Hellas to come on. As far as FF1000s go, if you want aftermarket driving lights there is nothing better in the price range. They are $100 shipped from rallylights.com, and you need to spend twice that for something brighter. Plus if you want you can replace the 55w bulbs for 100w (although it voids the warranty).

So you're saying a rain tire is a lot better in the rain? I have driven my re92s in heavy rain plenty of times. In LA when it rains everything gets really slippery due to all the dried oil and other fluids all over the ground. On top of that everyone is an idiot. When pushed they provide more than acceptable grip levels. I've never had a problem getting my Subaru to not understeer, even when I had no rear swaybar. Like virrdog said, understeer has a lot do to with the driver. Read up on slip angles and weight transfer. Now that I do have a stock rear swaybar I've found the car to be very neutral unless I am accelerating too early out of a corner, which is the case for any non-rwd car. EVERY car will understeer if you go into a corner too fast and turn the wheel. Using an "I'm right, you're wrong, I've driven 450k miles" arguement doesn't add credibility either. All we're saying is that the RE92 is not a terrible tire. Yes, snow/rain/summer tires grip better on snow/rain/pavement. While there are plently of all-seasons I'd rather have, the potenza is still better than A LOT of tires.

you can also get a 1-din pocket for like $15.

Sylvania xtravisions are the best readily avalable bulbs you can get in a parts store or something. The key is that they are not tinted. Any tint is going to reduce light output, and a bluish tint will increase glare, especially in snow/rain/fog. Daniel Stern explains it well on his site and there was also a recent thread here about lighting that went over it. Here are some things you can do to improve lighting: 1. Make sure everything is aimed properly 2. Buy good bulbs and make sure the lenses are clear 3. Upgrade the wiring to the lights, so they are wired directly from the battery with relays and short, heavier gauge wire. This reduces the voltage drop and makes them brighter. 4. Get a set of auxiliary driving lights. The output and beam pattern are determined by the reflector housing, and unfortunately the pre-facelift lights are not that great. There is one level of bulb better than the Xtravision. These are the Osram Silverstar, Narva rangepower +50, and a few others. They are not tinted and have the highest legal output. Check out danielsternlighting.com for more info/ordering. I currently have xtravisions with the stock wiring and they're pretty good. I'll probably upgrade the harness and run rangepower +50s fairly soon. My lenses are moderately clear and I have everything aimed properly. I also have a set of FF1000 driving lights mounted above the bumper which are incredibly bright. I'm not in a big hurry to do much more but I would eventually like to upgrade the harness, get european glass headlights and put 100w bulbs in the hellas. Maybe some cornering lights too.

I think RE92s get a little more flak than they deserve. They're not a snow/ice tire, they're not a rain tire, and they're not a performance summer tire. All-seasons are a comprimise between all these things. I don't have any problems with my RE92s and they've seen rain, snow, gravel, dirt, and high speeds/cornering forces. I think they provide decent levels of grip and are very predictable near the limit. If they feel greasy or unstable you might want to check the tire pressure and alignment. That said, I'm ditching them next spring for a set of sticky summer tires. Oh and lets not forget this classic:

You can find used 15 and 16" Subaru wheels for fairly cheap in the classified here and on the other Subaru forums. Nasioc is the biggest one so you might have good luck there. A lot of people use 16" WRX wheels with 205/55 tires, which are about as big as you'll want to go. They're wider and a little taller than stock. Some people with 90-94 Legacies had them rub. I didn't but they were really close to the spring perches. Bigger tires won't increase mileage. Yes, you'll be at slightly lower revs but the car has to do just as much work to keep it moving. A bit more in fact due to the slightly lower ratio and added rolling resistance.

Yeah, I would think that too. However, having the extra cylinders means less stress for the same 4-cyl power output. There are a few h6 builds I've seen on nasioc, like this one. I can't really even guess how much he must have spent so far. It requires a lot of custom fabrication.

Here you go http://www.graphics.cornell.edu/~v/bcstereo/ 90-94 Legacies used a different harness than most other Subarus.