Numbchux

No way would I run any sort of temporary stud. I agree that that sounds like it would be hard on your tires, and many would probably fall out on the road....no thanks. I've seen the studs fly out of dedicated ice racing "permanently" studded tires.... What kind of car is this? I'm assuming it's pretty early ABS if you're running 14" wheels. If that's the case, the system is pretty terrible. It focuses so hard on trying to keep the tires spinning, that you can't stop. I've done a few tests on mid-'90s cars, on pulling the ebrake, or disabling the ABS and locking up all 4 frequently is a faster straight line stop than with the ABS. That said, good tires help immensely. Our '04 Outback VDC has a much better ABS system (the VDC system is integrated with ABS, and has a steering angle sensor, and G-sensor so it can change programming depending on whether you're turning or not), and that combined with our new Nokian Hakka R2s, and the ABS almost never kicks in.

What kind of money are you looking to spend? How much power do you want? That's not a terribly strong transmission, so I wouldn't shoot for much more than 200-250 hp. Luckily the turbo cars went back to a push-style clutch after about 2007, so you can still get a decent clutch for that transmission without spending a ton on a custom one. In that power level, you have several options. If you're looking for more of a DIY project, you might consider just turbo'ing the stock engine. With a few psi, it can even be done on the stock engine management (you sacrifice longevity a bit that way, but it works surprisingly well). Some sort of tuneable management and a good tune could make it pretty reliable (Subaru ECUs don't really like piggybacks, generally speaking, especially when you start talking about trying to tune the timing maps. So if you're not up to spending $1-5k on a nice standalone, you might consider a megasquirt). That's the route I will probably go with my Celica, replacement engines are cheap if I blow it up, the exhaust parts from a stock turbo car bolt right up, just have to figure out the intake side... In a similar DIY situation, there are some high-compression 4-cylinder options. I'm a big fan of 6-cylinder swaps. EG33 is a fantastic engine, but requires some fabrication to physically fit in the engine bay (longer, radiator has to be moved forward). EZ30 is a great fit, but donor cars aren't quite as easy to come by as the cars they come in are still pretty desirable. If you decide to go that route, go with a '01-'04 non-VDC car. And then basically any of the turbo engines from 1991 and newer would fit fairly well (bolt to the transmission, and motor mounts would line up). All of those options will require wiring a different ECU in there, either a harness merge for the stock ECU for the engine your using, or aftermarket. You'll need a turbo engine crossmember to clear the exhaust up-pipe. The '91-'94 Turbo legacy one is bolt in but getting harder to find, newer WRX and similar ones can be used with a little modification. Turbo Subarus went to an immobilizer system in either 2005 or 2006 depending on the exact model. If your donor is an immobilizer car, it's virtually impossible to use the stock ECU.

I did miss that. I would recommend a reconsider on that topic, if possible, as the Subaru automatics just suck power, a manual will make it feel a lot quicker. In the case of an automatic, though, I'd recommend the EZ30 route. If you shop around, you can probably find a decent LL Bean donor car for less than $2k. Swap the engine, transmission, ECU, and TCU (and wiring to run it all). You shouldn't need any more parts other than maintenance stuff that you might want to get out of the way while it's out. And then you should be able to make some back on parting out the donor car (leather seats, suspension, brakes, etc.)

I've had a bunch of Loyales, and I recognize exactly where that is, but I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. Is it plugged into anything? Does it look factory, or maybe something somebody added on later? My first thought, is it looks like a hall effect sensor of some sort. I wonder if someone added a magnet ring to the axle, DOJ cup, or driveshaft and that was maybe mounted to read it as an auxiliary/replacement speedometer or odometer.

We install a TON of Hankook Optimo H727s on Subarus at the dealership where I work. Apparently they're a copy of the Michelin Defenders, but much cheaper. 100k mile treadwear, quiet and comfortable, and moderate all-season performance. Yokohama Avid Ascends are also good and very similarly priced, sacrificing some of that treadwear for a little better bad-weather traction. My Dad has put Kumho Solus KR21s on a few of their vehicles. He has loved them on the Subarus, but his Honda Odyssey is absolutely worthless in the snow with them.

$2k parts cost for an engine and transmission that's a performance upgrade from what you've got isn't really doable. Best option is maybe a 6-cylinder, but EGs or EZs were never made with a manual transmission. You might be able to get a good SVX donor for less than $1k (5-10 years ago, you could find rusty ones with blown transmissions for a few hundred bucks all day, but they're getting rare up here). Those are fantastic engines, but require some fabrication to fit. Then you'll need 5 speed swap parts. pedal box, shift linkage, driveshaft, flywheel, clutch, transmission, probably rear diff. '01-'04 Outback LLBean would be much easier project to fit, but they're more expensive to find a good donor. (don't get the VDC, as the traction/stability control systems make them very difficult to use for engine swaps).

It means you cannot rotate your tires front to rear. If your tires are directional, it complicates mounting them. If this board has taught me anything over the years, it's that getting your hands on a couple 13" EA82 rims in the PNW shouldn't be hard. I've probably thrown away a dozen of them over the years....

It's not ideal, and I certainly wouldn't recommend it on a new, AWD car. But, being that it's not a new car, and it's part-time 4WD (which means you should only be engaging the 4WD in slippery conditions), it's probably fine. Also something you should be aware of. EA81 wheels will not clear the front brake calipers on an EA82. I think it's possible to space them out, but not great. If you only run the narrower wheels in the back, no problem....but that's inconvenient to say the least.

Here's the Subaru parts diagram for the handle...as helpful as it is. Subaru does not offer parts for he button, just the entire handle. I grabbed one part number at random, and it's $100, and still available.

4" total lift without lowering the drivetrain means you probably won't make it out of the driveway without blowing several CV axles. I'm not even a big fan of 2" just-suspension, although it seems that many people do it without trouble.

There are a few stock applications (for other vehicles) that can be used in place of the stock Subaru springs that are stiffer, and therefore yield a bit of a lift. I'm not a fan for trail use. Unless you're really carrying a lot of gear, all they do is limit suspension travel, which is already their Achilles heel. I think SJR is the way to go these days. There used to be more, but that's about it. I think there are a few other people making them now on the side, but nothing really well listed. If I were building another Ea82 car, it'd be an SJR 4" kit, 6-lug swap and some decent 29" tires.

Yep, I don't remember where I've seen them, but there are high-stall converters. And I was once told that any shop that can rebuild a converter can modify it for a higher stall. And yea, 4.44 exists. Off the top of my head, I think most 4EAT Foresters are, but I'm not completely sure. If your car is an LL Bean car, the transmission is not unique to the H6. The VDCs got a different center diff (that's actually a diff, the car handles SO much better in the snow), but I've heard talk of swapping the VDC/VTD center diff housing onto regular 4EATs, and even into non-VDC cars. Yep, raising the engine means raising the front of the transmission, which effects your axle angle. On an EJ, I'd be tempted to modify the pan to make it shallower and wider, but the H6s have a much different oil pan arrangement (cast aluminum upper with a very shallow steel lower pan) that would be difficult to modify. We put a Spectra oil pan on a car here at work, and the mechanic said it was noticeably thicker/heavier. I've been tempted to grab one of those for our car, not as a primary protection, but a last line of defense.

With an automatic, Mudrat tried years ago with his Subarubicon rig to just do the Duty C trick, and it was not strong enough to supply all the power out the back. He ended up pulling it apart and welding the clutch packs solid.

I wouldn't use strut spacers at all with a forester strut lift unless I was also installing drivetrain blocks. The reason Scott's (or others) 4" kit comes with 3" blocks for the engine, transmission, and rear diff crossmembers, is to lessen CV axle angles. So, you could go with Forester springs and struts. 2" Strut blocks, and 2 or 3" Subframe blocks which would yield about a 4" overall lift.

Thanks! And yea, almost 700 sq ft of garage space, and over 22 acres of land. I should have posted this picture. I was moving stuff around in the garage, and had all 6 of my cars in one picture: 20161120_133202 by Numbchux, on Flickr L to R. 97 Legacy, 04 Outback, 89 XT6, 84 Brat, 87 4Runner, and 91 Celica

Yea, so you'd be looking at this kit: http://sjrlift.com/index.php/catalog/lift-kits/0-4-lift-kit-ej-fits-90-99-detail I would imagine a good mechanic with a lift and such could do the install in a day (6-8 hours). That's assuming they don't have to mess with broken bolts (I don't think Colorado cars have rust issues like we do in MN). And not including waiting on parts. With a lift of that style, the engine/transmission is lowered 3" in relation to the body. So everything that goes between them will be effected. Things like radiator hoses, A/C hoses, etc. These are the kinds of things that most shops don't want to deal with, as it means down time with their hoist tied up and no pay for it (or they charge you the labor rate for the down time...). Yes, your pitch stopper and intake will be an issue as well, but so would the stock one. If you're paying to have it done, you're probably better off getting just a 2". I'm sure Scott @ SJR could make 2" strut top spacers for a macpherson Subaru, even though they're not specifically listed on the site. Something also to consider. In order to run a larger diameter tire, you'll need to swap for Forester struts, which will give you some lift as well.

Yep, aftermarket companies don't bother making a separate part without the trans cooler. They usually come capped. It's a sealed cooler, so it doesn't "need" to be capped, but it's certainly a good idea to keep crap out of there. Lots of ways to get caps, Dorman makes a multi-pack of different sized caps that can usually be had in the "Help" section of most auto parts stores for a few bucks.

It will depend entirely on what car you are lifting, and which kit you are using (basically how much lift, but sometimes there are different options at the same height).

Sounds like you need to lower the diff to lessen the angles on the axles.

Overdue Update. Lots of miles on it. It's been working hard as moving van out to our new house: 20160724_170102 by Numbchux, on Flickr Parked at the new house, less than an hour after we closed: 20160810_142540 by Numbchux, on Flickr One of many overloaded trips: 20161107_072311 by Numbchux, on Flickr Headlight restoration: 2017-07-03_01-55-16 by Numbchux, on Flickr Made a world of difference. This car is so much easier to drive at night 2017-07-21_03-52-56 by Numbchux, on Flickr 215/65r16 Nokian Hakka R2s on '98 Forester 16x6.5+48s (About .5" taller than the stock 225/60r16s) 2017-07-21_03-53-24 by Numbchux, on Flickr

Well, there's really only a couple things to be aware of. The length of the bar. Basically, measure the width of the area in which you want to mount the bar (roof rack, between the headlights, etc.). You'll probably want to find a technical drawing or specifications list that shows the actual outer dimensions of the light bar, to make sure it fits without interfering with anything (for example, a company *might* list a bar as being 24", but they're talking about the actual lens length, by the time you get the housing, and sometimes some mounting hardware on the side, they might be 2 or 3" longer). You'll also want to choose what style light you want. There are different light patterns that function differently. Pencil, Spot, Driving, Flood, Fog. Pencil is not pictured, but it's even more pronounced than spot. These are also sometimes represented by a beam angle (10*-90*, pencil through fog respectively). Most larger light bars (and some of the smaller ones) use a combination of 2 of those styles, so some of the LED cells will light up the road long in front of you, and some of them will light up the ditches better. You'll want to think about the driving you typically do, and your personal preferences on what style light you want. I just ordered a pair of small flood lights from AuxBeam for my lawn tractor/snow blower, and I intend to mount them angled out, so they really light up a large area in front and around the tractor. Armed with those 2 pieces of information (I can't recommend one particular model, as I don't own a Forester to measure, and I don't know what style you want). You should be able to narrow the list down considerably. There will likely be different brightness ones that meet the same dimensions, and that just comes down to what you're willing to pay. Auxbeam makes this cool Universal mount, that sandwiches behind your license plate, so you don't have to fabricate any mounts, or drill any new holes. https://www.auxbeam.com/led-light-bar-mounts/mounts-others/85619581 They also make these wiring kits, that include a relay, fuse, and switch to get everything working correctly with minimal effort. https://www.auxbeam.com/accessories/Led-Light-Wirings/77707706

They were on sale from one of our suppliers, $10 off regular price. I looked at a few sizes, and they were pretty comparable to Blizzaks and X-ices in most, but for some reason, the Hakkas were much cheaper than almost every other snow tire in a 215/65r16 (maybe a more common size in Finland?). So I saved some money by putting in some research time. Because Nokians are not carried by nearly as many shops as most, there's less competition, so the prices can be higher. But we deal with 2 suppliers for them (both local to the midwest...), and the prices tend to be comparable to Blizzaks and X-ices.

http://www.rigidindustries.com/ is probably the most popular high-quality light bar company. But they're expensive. https://www.gtrlighting.com/products/led/off-road-lights makes some good stuff, too. I have experience with their LED headlight bulb replacements, but not with their bars. I'm currently looking at https://www.auxbeam.com for some of my projects. They seem to be a good balance of cost and quality (no, definitely not the same quality as Rigid, but also better than most of the really cheap ebay stuff).

Yes, carefully inspect the surface that the cams ride on. It's aluminum, and if shavings got in there, it can chew up the head and cause all kinds of problems.

Agreed. What kind of adjustment are you looking for? Ride height? Damping? Camber? Toe? How was it lifted? If the lift was done correctly, it should not dog track, and the toe should all still be adjustable with OE parts (although the toe adjustment is frequently rusted solid in this part of the world, and requires cutting out and replacing some hardware).