Numbchux

The thicknesses are shown as a comment in the OE catalog. Although it looks like comments aren't displayed on parts.subaru.com But: http://opposedforces.com/parts/legacy/en_b11/type_14/engine/valve_mechanism/ Now, as I recall, many of the part numbers aren't available anymore, and supersede to the size above or below, so watch that (might be worth paying markup to order at a local dealer to verify that and be able to return if they muck it up).

Depending on the source. Nokian is weird about working with distributors, so the price can vary wildly between one source to the next, so it's worth shopping around. The tire supplier we primarily used when I was at the Subaru dealership (US Auto Force) regularly had Hakkas as some of the cheapest snow tires available. The 215/65r16 R2s I bought on closeout last summer were like $70 ea.

Yep, call around to your local dealer and locksmiths. Cutting and programming costs vary greatly, as it's all labor and equipment overhead. The dealer I worked at charged $35 for programming. Yes, OE programming adds the keys' ID numbers into the computer. Any keys not present will no longer work (idea is that if you've had a key stolen, they can't steal the car with it). Also, FYI, if there are no working keys, the Body control unit, and sometimes the gauge cluster have to be sent into Subaru to be reset, I've seen this job cost >$1000. Make sure you always have a spare key! OE keys are expensive. But at the dealer, we would program aftermarket keys, probably about 60% of them would work, if you buy an aftermarket key through a locksmith, they'll probably guarantee that it works (whereas if you buy an aftermarket one on ebay, and take it to your dealer, there will likely be no refund). Also, when cutting them they were noticeably easier to cut (softer metal), which means they'll wear out faster. I think there are aftermarket keys that can be cloned, so it's actually the key that's programmed to the same ID as an existing key. This would almost certainly not be an option through the dealer. If you lock the car with the key in the door, it will not arm the security system, so it won't set it off if you unlock it that way. Also, there's a way to put it in "Valet Mode", which disables the security system entirely. I don't know the procedure, but it's in your owner's manual.

FYI, the WRG3s were asymmetrical, and the WRG3 SUVs (larger sizes) were directional. I assume the WRG4 is the same, although I haven't seen any yet (I no longer work where they're sold...).

+1

You don't want to run dedicated snow tires year round. The soft tread compound will not hold up in the warmer temperatures. There are a couple aggressive all-seasons, with the tread pattern more like a snow tire, and the rubber is a bit softer than the typical freeway touring all-season, but still stable enough to run in warmer temperatures. Nokian WRG (just released the WRG4), and the Toyo Celsius.

My thought, too. If the rings are compressed enough, it should slide right in. If you didn't check the ring gap, the rings are probably bottoming out before they'll fit in the bore. Otherwise your tool isn't adequate.

Yep, the automatics are FWD until they detect slip, and then the transfer clutches engage to send power to the rear. IMO it's a pretty sluggish system, the newer the car, the faster the TCU, and the faster the reaction, but even still they're not great. My XT6 is horrendous for that. If it's gotten worse, it's probably a sign of transfer clutch wear, and a diff lock switch will probably speed that wear.

I just put an intermittent switch in my '00 OBK, I should have done this first. Probably too lazy to pull it back out now For those wondering. My primary interest is for salty road spray. That salt cakes on, and you have to get it quite wet to get it off. If the wipers come on too quickly, the salt doesn't dissolve yet, and you end up using quite a bit more fluid than would otherwise be necessary. I'd also like to figure it out for the rear, as the wiper begins sweeping before the fluid can trickle down more than a few inches....

If you could elaborate on that, we might be able to help you diagnose what the issue is.

Yea, there are lots of write-ups. Usually referred to as a center diff lock mod, or something to that effect. Almost all the 4EATs are the same. There's one wire from the TCU to the Duty C solenoid, which either has to be severed, or supplied power, depending on the vintage (Yours is the older version, they switched in '02 or so, but I don't remember which is which off the top of my head). Pretty easy mod.

I think the biggest problem is the edge of the roof there is where all of the structure is. You'd have to build some serious structure into the "T", as well as reinforce the rockers (like you would on a convertible). Then you'd have to find some t-tops that were the right shape for the Subaru roof. You could leave the full frame, like the fun-tops on the brat. Sounds like a PITA, but I think you should do it

Absolutely a completely different animal. My point is just that anything is possible, and most of it's been done. Interestingly, looking at my buddies car, since the drive to the front axles isn't an issue, the engine can be mounted much further back and down than I would have thought. And the advantage of a pushrod engine is there isn't much weight up in the heads, and he's using an aluminum LS. I bet the weight distribution front to back is considerably better than with the Subaru engine, and only a little higher COG. Of course, it's not built to be a handling machine, it's mostly built to ruin tires....

Not even close. A very good friend of mine has a turbo 6.0l LS in his '98 Legacy, and in that project found probably a dozen well-documented examples (which means there's probably several times more of them done that aren't documented).

If you're ready to open the can of worms that is engine swaps. The sky is pretty much the limit. Almost any Subaru engine (as long as it's about the same vintage or newer) can be done relatively easily. There are dozens of turbo options (The WRX has been in production around the world for 25 years, STi for about 20, Legacies had twin turbo models in RHD cars etc. etc.), depending on the details. There are 6-cylinder options (I'm partial to a '01-'04 3.0 H6). NONE of these are cheap to swap or maintain. And that's just Subaru engines, with some creativity and knowledge (and frequently money) anything is possible. $10k is probably a good rule of thumb. I know of a couple guys who did it for less, but it took a HUGE amount of work researching what parts to use, and patience waiting for just the right deal on just the right part (one was a coworker when I worked at a Subaru dealership, you can bet the employee discount helped on that project even though it was based on a jdm engine). Then you have to think about the transmission. The 5-speeds are not exactly robust, and the STi 6-speed is expensive ($5k is probably a good rule of thumb on that). So if you're planning to make much more power and/or drive it really hard, you'll probably want to think about that.

Yea, you'll have to elaborate beyond "sup". More power? Basically no. It is possible to add boost, but this quickly falls under the category of "if you have to ask". It's in-depth, relatively high-risk to your engine, and certainly not cheap to do correctly. This is the classic example of the phrase, "Fast, Reliable, Cheap. Pick 2". You've got heaps of reliable and cheap in that 2.2. You can get some Fast, but it won't be cheap (to build or maintain).

Yea, winter traction is all about PSI between the tire and the ground. Reducing the tire's width, reduces the square inches of the contact patch, therefore increasing the PSI. You also want the tires to flex, so the more sidewall the better. The exact opposite of summer traction. If you were to spec a winter tire/wheel set (through Tire Rack or similar), they would recommend the smallest wheel that will fit over the brakes. So if you get enough snow to justify a winter setup, that's something to consider.

Also, EA81 wheels will not clear the brakes on EA82s (an '87 could be either). 5jx13 just means it's a 5" wide, 13" diameter wheel, which are the least important dimensions when it comes to fitment.

Absolutely, it makes complete sense. I'm still getting a free set of OE Tacoma front take-offs, so I'll probably try that, which is supposedly 595 lb. Although those shocks travel almost an inch less than the Subaru option. Rallitek actually lists the spring rate of their overload spring as 355 lb/in, specifically citing that they are 18-20% stiffer than stock, but softer than the rally-specific King springs (their words https://www.rallitek.com/blog/rallitek-vs-king/ ). But, with the extra travel, and much better damping of that Fox shock, the stiffer spring is probably less of an issue for you.

That's excellent. It didn't even occur to me to make an adapter like that for the top mount and just use conventional coilover shocks! I love it! What spring rate are those?

Give it a try, and use it as you'd like. It's just another gear. Clutch in to shift between it (can be done moving or otherwise). Just watch the tach, as the rpms will come much quicker than in hi-range. Although your valves will float before you can do any damage to an EA82 anyway....

Yea, pretty hard to get away from the head gasket issues. Good news is it's virtually always an oil leak, not a catastrophic failure like most cars with failed head gaskets. I let my '03 leak for nearly 50k miles before I finally fixed it. Just check the oil and fill it if it gets low. 2011-2012 Legacy and Outback 2.5s are the only ones with the old style engine that finally fixed the head gaskets. There are some components that are specific to those couple years, which makes a few parts hard to come by, but not too bad. Subaru made conventional autos, 4 and 5-speeds. But not paired to that version of the EJ25 engine. I looked for a 6-cylinder to avoid the head gasket issue. Those are much less likely to have head gasket problems, but it still happens, and when it does it's catastrophic and VERY labor intensive to repair (usually cheaper to replace the engine), so that's a bit of a gamble. That said, I would not avoid the new generation of engines. They started in 2011 in the Forester, 2012 in the Impreza, and 2013 in the Legacy/Outback. Some do have oil consumption issues (warranty was extended to 100k miles for that issue. So get one under that and you might get a free engine), but generally pretty reliable. I'm not sure what to think about the CVTs, there are plenty of them with lots of miles on them, and I was seeing used ones for pretty cheap. But, it's possible that warranty periods were skewing that. They started in 2010 in the Legacy/Outback 4-cyl, I think 2012 in the Impreza, 2014 in the Forester, and 2016 in the 6-cyl Legacy/Outback (I'm not completely certain on those years off the top of my head, but within a couple years). Check out Cars101.com for lots of information on model and trim options

Looks great! My summer-only cars have been off the road for almost a month, now. Saw the salt trucks out about 3 weeks ago up here in Duluth....Less than 5 months salt-free up here this year. I applied for Collector plates for my Celica when I started driving it last spring, and they didn't come until after the car was back under a cover

I was not able to find any aftermarket bushings that completely replace the old ones for that application. The only ones I could find were "void filler" bushings to stiffen up the factory ones, which I didn't think would be enough in my case as my old bushings were completely torn in half.

Yep, almost guarantee it's 12x1.25, but might be 10. Bushings look pretty nasty, I'd replace them....but it's not going to hurt anything if you don't, just get a clunk when changing directions occasionally. I replaced them on my '00 this spring. Drop the diff, the inner sleeve and most of the rubber came with it, I used a chisel to get the rest of the rubber out. Then I used a sawzall to cut through the outer sleeve to relieve some pressure, then an air hammer pushed it out quickly. Cleaned out the hole with a dremel and a flap wheel. Then a little creativity with a chunk of threaded rod and some scrap metal made a little press to get the new ones in. Smooth now. Kind of a shame since I'm going to be putting a rear subframe in this car....