El Presidente

Check out the offroad section, there lots of discussions about bigger wheels and tires. I drilled my hubs to a 6 lug instead of my wheels so I can use any 6x5.5 wheel and I think it looks better too.

You can get universal intermittent wiper boxes at most auto parts stores that wire into any car or truck. They used to be common, because a lot of older(early 70's and back) cars only had one or two speeds, but I've seen them around still. If you have a little experience building circuits, you can make one. I like this one because of its simplicity and the ability to use a replaceable standard automotive relay, which is usually why these die. http://www.techlib.com/files/wiperkik.pdf

Yes the rear is adjustable and there's a couple threads about doing this. Reman's are notorious for going out early and companys that reman these axles can cut corners, like turning down the spindle nut threads because they're damaged and rethreading them at a smaller size. I get newly manufactured ones(just their generic brand) from carquest for $80. Using stock JY axles is a good idea, but I'd reboot them first, because the rubber gets "settled in" at a certain angle and when you put them on a lifted rig, they tear fast and easy. SJR makes good stuff and I'd be eyeballing the quality of those axles before the lift kit.

If you can't find something to work, my hayden 3647 fan controller costs $20-25 USD at O'rielly's and can be set anywhere between 160-210 degrees F.. It can be used on any fan, comes prewired for an optional auxiliary fan, A/C override and creates less resistance in the circuit than a stock switch. It also uses a probe you push through the radiator fins so you don't have to monkey around with the stock thermo switch bung. I all took me about 25-30 mins to install and dial in. My rig warms up fast because theres no fan turning when cold, but never gets above the middle of the gauge. If you go this route you could wire a light to the old OEM switch to one of the fans as a backup in case your nearing an overheat and/or wire a warning light to it to let you know sometings wrong I didn't realize you asked me for pics of my setup in your other post. I can get you some pics if you still want. Josh

I grew up around CJ's and lifted yotas, and yeah, lifting subarus is different. They're not hard to lift, but the tricky part is the strut blocks. If your off on these, your camber or castor can be off resulting in alignment problems that can't really be fixed, because neither is adjustable on a GL. I don't blame you for wanting to go straight to 4", I went to 6" and can't be happier. If you can make it out to our meeting spot, you'll get to see a couple different lifts and a couple different methods too. Hope to see you there Josh

I did read your thread and have been following it since you started it, you asked for help and thought I'd chime in. You said you were against swampers, not Interco tires..big difference. I was just offering options. Sorry if I pissed you off, I'll leave you alone

You said: Yup 30mi isn't 200mi. I don't destroy a couple tires everytime I go wheeling but was sharing an experience from the last run. With a rock lodged in one tire and sand in the bead of the other, neither is destroyed and could of happened to ANY comparable offroad tire. I'd rather have different tires than my BFG mud terrains(like a STT or a SSR), but they work great. Stuff like this happens and if you don't know that, you need some trail time. The tires you linked to are load range D truck tires more suited on a mail truck or restored GPW, than an offroad rig. If you go with these tires, I'd seriously consider the load range C ones. People today buy tires on looks and don't understand the mechanics on how they work and interact with the terrain. I haven't seen any passenger tire being advertised as an offroad tire, but I see a lot of good offroad tires on the road that have never seen good dirt. If you think any of the tires I recommended are passenger tires, you missed something I said. Wrong, skinnier tires have a smaller contact patch resulting in them digging until your sitting on the ground. It works great on a stable surface, like a road. Also a 9.5" tire will fit just fine in a EA82 wheel well using most 15" wheels. A wider tire gives you more contact area, which keeps you on top of unstable terrain and makes a world of difference on loose gravel, rocks and mud. I'm running a 9.5" wide tire and I can go lock to lock without rubbing. I actually have enough room for a 10.5 wide tire without any rubbing or problems and have seen them run before on an EA82. A 1/2" difference over your target 27" isn't going to be noticed and the wider track is only good. Is 9lbs, 36lbs total, really MUCH heavier? Its in the tire, the best possible place, so it helps to lower your already good COG. Load range and ply - your comparing apples to oranges. The traxion is a load range D and the interco is a load range C...are you planning on putting more than 1,500lbs. in the back of your Subaru?! The SSR and the STA probably have close to the same sidewall ply's. OK

I was looking at those Super Traxions again and noticed they are a load range D, but couldn't find anything about the sidewall thickness. I'm guessing 4 ply's, but maybe 5. When they get that thick you start losing offroad ability, because the tire isn't as flexible. I also noticed they are a bias ply which will handle differently on a vehicle aligned for a radial tire. The faster you go the further back your contact patch moves decreasing your castor. Depending on the rig, things can get squirrelly, especially on a narrow tire like the Super Traxion. Most load range C's are between 2-3 ply's on the side wall. BFG everything is 3 ply's and I've never seen one get the sidewall punctured on the trail. Those SSR's are 4 ply, which is why they weight 9lbs. more...most interco's are over built and tough as you can get. Something to keep in mind with a narrow tire like that is they will want to dig and they'll dig fast...so if your getting heavy on the skinny pedal your gonna have problems.

Welcome to the Forum! Try the "parts wanted" section or the "parts for sale" section. You can also try tracking down some other members in your area who might be able to help or have what you need on hand. Josh

Welcome to the forum and the neighborhood! Are you looking at doing some wheeling when you get your rig done? I'm a member of NW Washington Offroad(NWWO), we're a subaru offroad group and we're always open to new members. If you plan on wheeling at least once every couple months and want to join, you can get in on a free 2"lift, 1/2 price EJ adapter(courtesy of scott at SJR) and experienced help finding parts to get on the trail. If you want help building a 4" lift we can help with that too http://ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=127841 Even if you don't want to join us, don't be a stranger. Your more than welcome to come say hello to group..Our next meet is at the old GI Joes in mount vernon at 9am on 12/10/11. We'll be leaving around 9:30 to go wheeling up at walker valley ORV for the day. Scott of SJR might be there too! Josh

Welcome to the forum, The dual range 5mt's are a part-time 4wd system, not an AWD like the push button ones. For offroad use you want a dual range because they deliver a 50/50 torque split and lock the front and rear diffs together. It's not recommended to use these in 4wd on the road, because the torque bind can cause loss of traction on pavement at high speed. The AWD system doesn't have a low range and utilizes a viscous coupling to carry power to the rear wheels. This works great on pavement, but will eventually burn up if used offroad. The low range is incorporated(along with the front diff) in the transmission and is a 1:1.59 reduction that happens before any other gearing....it all happens in one box. The front axles come out each side of the tranny and the rear driveline goes back to a R160 diff. The 5mt can be twin sticked and shifting can be done between lo-hi and 2-4wd on the fly. I have a twin stick in my rig giving me 2lo(helps to turn 29's around town), 4lo, 2hi, and 4hi....so I have 10 forward gears and two reverse gears. They're a pretty tough tranny and can easily handle an EJ22, which can be roughly twice the power of an EA82. The diff in the tranny and the diff out back, 1:3.9, can be geared down lower to 1:4.44 by using a forester xt ring and pinion and rear diff. Its involved, but been done. I grew up around guys that frowned on EFI setups for offroad use, because of reliability issues. More wires, more grounds, sensors and and ECU are more things to go wrong, all of which doesn't like water, which we have alot of up here. Carbs operate on physics and can be completely serviced on the side of the trail and problems are quickly diagnosed. The carbs that came on these are pretty much garbage, so if you want a carb, think about putting a weber or holley 5200(I'm running one off a 74' pinto) on it later, but you'll want a carb intake to do that. The EFI systems on these are fairly trouble free and reliable and I'd go that route if your not going way out in the bush. STAY AWAY FROM THE TURBO'S!, they're crap, plain and simple The 87-89 GL's have a little bit more power IIRC, but I like the 85-86 interior better....thats why I have an 85 interior in my 87 GL I've got a friend in Mertzon and she was telling me how there are absolutely zero subarus down there. Good luck!

Yeah, you got me, I did some searching too and there isn't a wide variety of Offroad tires in a 205/xx/R15..I thought I remember seeing a couple tires good m/t's that go that low..guess I was wrong. What about Interco's SSR? Its advertised as a onroad/ offroad tire, quiet stable ride, but the benefits of a swamper. Its available in 27" too Myself? I almost needed two spares on the last wheeling trip. I had a chunk of rock in my driver rear and dirt/sand in the bead of my passenger front, both were leaking air and flat in a few hours after I got home. If your going 200mi out in the bush its stupid not to consider you might need parts and supplies along the way. Also at 200mi out, you also have to consider it could take as much as two to three days(possibly more) to cover that distance, depending on terrain, weather and vehicle condition.

The wheel size doesn't have anything to do with the overall diameter, like I said all it does is give you options. The problem I have with drilled wheels on rigs that go into the bush is if you need another wheel far from home, an unmodified 6x5.5 is alot easier to find in a 15" than one modified to fit a 4x140mm. Tire sizes: 185/70/R13..........23" 185/60/R15..........23 1/2" 205/75/R15..........27" Theres way more sizes and types of tire available in 15" than 13"

The ecosystem and your GL will thank you.. If you approach ethanol gas from an environmental, social, performance and cost per mile point of view, its bad stuff. The only point of view that likes ethanol is political. You'll pay a little more for ethanol free gas, but the increase in MPG's pays for the difference and then a little more usually.

Look in the offroad section there's entire threads dedicated to bumpers. SJR I think makes them by order, I'd PM ScottinBellingham and ask, otherwise all the bumpers I've seen are homemade

Bump...for those who haven't discovered real gas yet.

I don't know if they make it in a 14"...Why don't you upgrade to a six lug so you can run 15" wheels? All it does is give you more options.. If your planning on being 200mi out in the bush and do need a tire or wheel, a 15" six lug or 15" tire is MUCH more common than a 14" 4 lug 140mm wheel or tire. I got my extra set of toyota six lugs for $40 on craigslist with a good set of A/T's already on them.

I'v saved a couple steelies after hitting rocks and it works fine as long as the area were the bead sits isn't bent. I always pull the tire off so I can grind down any sharp edges that can hurt a tire and it also is just easier to do. I can't believe you left the tire on! In washington, if you hit a pothole on a public road, and it does damage to your rig, the state will cover any damages. A buddy's cousin got $1000 in new alloys because the bead broke on one from a pothole and a replacement wasn't available that matched. Now that you've already repaired/altered the wheel you may be out of luck. Also if you resize your images to roughly 700 pixels wide, your thread willn't take up 3 screen widths:D

I'll be there:D

Have you looked at a Cooper STT? I have them on my Jeep and they are the best all around tire I've encountered. They're like an aggressive A/T. They have reinfored sidewalls, don't cake up in mud and they wear evenly and slowly. They do great on snow and ice(when sipped) and grip rocks and gravel with ease. Basicly they go anywhere an A/T will, but they will take you further with less problems. They're road manners are great too, they don't howl like most M/T's and don't get squirrelly in the rain. Theres lots of off brands available too of this tire. I know les schwab's Dean SXT Mud Terrain was a cooper STT for a while, and Avon also sold Cooper tires with they're name on them. Pepboys generic brand is made by Cooper too. The generic variety's sometimes don't have the reinforced sidewalls or side lugs and the tread pattern can be slightly different too. I think BFG A/T's are great onroad tires, because they grip pavement like no other and, in my experience, they wear very slowly, but offroad, I've been disappointed with BFG A/T's and will never run them again on anything that sees real dirt. I run BFG M/T KM's on Lightfoot and I'm happy with them, they howl but thats a small price for the traction I get. If your going 200 miles out in the bush, you should have a spare. Airing your tires will help prevent side wall damage, but if you want a strong side wall, its not going to be on most A/T's.

http://www.indysworld.com/decals/

Get wide tires with aggressive tread, like a M/T or better some sidexside tires, I'd say at least a 10.5" wide. Air your tires down too, depending on what tire you have can depend on how much, but 15psi is a good starting point. I heard(I've never driven mine in sand, probably never will) these don't do well in the sand and it makes sense..it takes alot of torque to plow through sand.

The stock spring rate for a 85'-94' EA82 wagon is 146 in the front and 196 in the rear, so what you have is very close to stock EA82 wagon. There are many different sizes/rates of tempo springs and this is normal for almost any model/make/year of vehicle, even Subaru. Spring rates/sizes are determined at the factory based off body style, engines(tempos came with a 2.0l diesel, 2.0l or 2.3l I4 petro and also a V6 petro in the 90's )trim levels, accessory packages(A/C springs are usually stiffer for example) and handling requirements. Its the same with the honda accord springs, depends on what model, year, etc. When I first read Loyale 2.7 Turbo 's writeup I noticed the years, models..some details were missing, so I went on a search which I haven't finished yet. I started by using Rock auto, o'rielly's and autozone to get part numbers and cross referencing these numbers on manufacturers websites to get details like spring rates, install height etc.. What I did find is that all the 1st gen. tempos with 2wd all had a spring rate somewhere between 142-148lbs. according to MOOG. This is very close to subarus wagon spec of 146lbs.. Other dimensions where different though, like free height, install height and install load. I didn't look at the diesel or 4wd tempos, but those may be the right track. I think the 4wd option was available for only a few years and the diesel was only availabel from 84-86'.I did look at later Tempos and found an inner spring in the rear that may fit better than the fronts, but I didn't investigate too far, because I don't need new front springs yet. In the later years the the got bigger and heavier and needed more spring to hold them up. I can't say what works the best, but I thought I'd share what I've found so far and how I'm looking for springs. Josh

Thats why wd-40 works, granted its not the best, it lubes the cutting edge and prevents gauling, dissipates heat by burning off(like any other machining lube), and doesn't leave a residue. If the hole your drilling stops smoking, you'd obviously run dry. It also doesn't hurt to over lubricate either. I get my bits from several sources. Of course common fraction sizes can be bought at any hardware store. Uncommon sized fraction, decimal, lettered and numbered bits I get from different industrial suppliers, hardware suppliers, I've had some special order right through my auto parts store for suprizingly a decent price and I've been really surprized by little mom and pop hardware stores. One down the street from my old house had a .040" drill bit IN STOCK when I was doing some carb work...cost me $1.07 with tax! Both Black Oxide and HSS will work, but willn't last as long as say..some of the cobalt blends. Make sure your pilot bits are designed for metal(also known as a chisel point bit)