jib

There is a very simple solution folks. Rotate your tires regularly so they will all be the same size. When you have that flat which requires replacement tire replacement, buy the new tire and have it mounted. Drive to your nearest racing/tire shop that has the capability to shave a tire. For a few dollars and 30 minutes, they will remove tread from that new tire until it is sized the same as your other tires. Non-issue. Jack

Yes, now I don't resurface rotors anymore. For the cost of a pair of rotors, I’d rather not deal with the potential for warping a thinner rotor. My just retired 1988 Saab 9000 had original rotors front and rear, never turned, and well within mfg's specs for wear. My 2001 Legacy GT wagon warped rotors within 12k, the dealer turned them, and they warped again. The replacements are now warped, at about 50k, so I’m going to buy a set of vented Brembos. I"m not happy with Subie OEM rotors, at least for my GT. For what it’s worth, I’m also going to try a set of Porterfield 4R-S performance composite pads on the next go around too. If you reuse a rotor, that has any circumferential grooving, be sure that you take it easy for the first few hundred miles as the new pad won’t have 100% contact until it wears into the groove pattern. jack

No, not the stated tire size, but the actual circumference needs to be within a certain range of the other tires. I seem to recall that it is either 1/4 or 1/2 of an inch in circumference. I had an accident and trashed one tire. The tires had 30,000 on them. The other insurance company did not fight me on them paying for a new tire and also more money to have the new tire shaved to the right size. Shaving is actually turning the tire (like on a lathe) and removing tread, so it is the same size as the others. I took the money and invested in replacing the OEM RE92's because I didn't like them anyway, but that's a different story. It's important to the life of your viscous clutches to have similar sized tires and therefore similar wheel rpms. Jack

I don't know about Subie parts, but a good balance, from a reputable shop will run about $150-$250 for +/- one gram, depending on where you live. I guessing that you won't need to balance it though. Most modern cars are pretty darn good. FYI - my 1960 Triumph's crank was almost perfectly spot on for balance. The rods and new pistons, however. . . . BTW - I'd consider sending these guys http://www.totalseal.com/ your second compression ring for their gapless modification. Relatively inexpensive and a great product. I'm so impressed with the results, I'd have my lawn mower's ring converted if I rebuilt the engine. Jack

I believe the biggest part is AWD vs. FWD, but technology plays a big factor too. I own both a 2001 Subie 5-speed Legacy GT wagon and a AWD 2005 Volvo XC90 2.5 liter, 5 cylinder turbo. Both engines are 2.5 liter engines, although the turbo give the Volvo about 20% more power. The Volvo weighs 4,500 pounds (versus about 3,500 for the Subie) and the XC90 forum tells me that my mileage will continue to rise until about 10k miles. My realtor/soccer mom wife drives the Volvo and is pushing 17 mpg with 3,500 miles on it, so it’s not even fully broken in. I’ve been told we’ll end up in the very low 20’s for a normal city/highway average. So, . . . . we agree. The subie should do better. Conversely, we paid almost twice the cost of the Subie for the Volvo. Excluding the luxury differences within this cost differential, as these two vehicles are in vastly different luxury classes, the technological differences (engineering) between the two simply blow me away. Some of these contribute to mileage. There are a huge number of variables outside of normal maintenance and conditions. While I think our Subie is an awesome car, every car is built to a price, with a projected profit. Subaru has to make decisions on where to spend their money on their products. I don’t believe Subaru has the resources that Volvo or Honda has to optimize each of their vehicles like other larger manufacturers. This is also reflected in that lower price. A Subaru is typically less costly than an equivalent Honda, Toyota or Volvo. A few mpg, or other niceties may be the casualties. Bottom line for me is that it’s a great car and a few mpg either way is fine. The Legacy GT does everything I need from it. It’s pretty economical, hauls lots of stuff and is pretty sweet handling car. Jack

AWD vs. FWD - big difference in (parasitic transmission) drag. Think about all of the extra parts spinning on an AWD powertrain. You have to pay to play. Jack

My suggestions for better gas mileage, that have not already been mentioned: Keep the speed down Pay attention to your use of the gas pedal – avoid accelerating hard. Drive like there is an egg between your foot and the pedals. Use cruise control on the highway When you change fluids, use only synthetics Run your tires at a slightly higher pressure Verify your toe-in (alignment) is correct or slightly less then specified. I request half the specified toe-in, but many shops won’t give you a non-OEM specified alignment. It reduces rolling resistance, at the expense of some straight line stability. Basically, insure the car is in good shape, Use common sense in your driving and use good products for your maintenance procedures. In my opinion, you won’t recover the cost of under drive pulleys, etc., in fuel consumption. If you really want better mileage, get a two wheel drive car. The AWD costs plenty in the mileage department. Jack

I don't know about the mileage, but I had a real issue with the clutch shudder and clutch smell. It was replaced under warantee and about 5,000 miles and again, when they revised the clutch plate material, as the first changeout did not accomplish anything. The clutch plate composition was revised about 18-24 months ago and is a huge improvement. No judder, no smell. I'm pretty sure you'll qualify up to 60k miles. Jack

It's good to hear the "water thing" has worked for you on a cat car and yes, additives bother me too. The only additive I'll recommend is Solder Seals Steer Seal. It's a pure additive for power steering systems. My Saab mechanic put me onto it when I was having Groaning issues with my Power Steering pump when it was cold and I thought the pump might have to be replaced. The Steer Seal softened the seals and the original pump was still in the car when it was totalled out at 250K and 17 years old. I've since used it successfully on another car with a leaky pump too. BTW - aftermarket cats can be had for about $100. Good luck with your subie, Jack

The new one should be shaved to the same diameter as the existing tire when it is replaced under goodyear's warantee. This cost should be covered under the warantee, because the OEM Subaru, requires that tire sizes be maintained within a certain specification on all four corners. Keeping them all wearing evenly (sized evenly too) is why subie tires should be rotated at no more than 7,500 mile intervals. Jack

An automotive engine is not much more than an air pump. Make sure the intake and exhaust are not restricted in any way, including your air filter. Jack

I dunno. I often need another set of hand when working on my cars. Jack

Vincent, Being my own primary mechanic and having rebuilt virtually every system on my 1960 Triupmh TR3, I realize what an opportunity your offer presents. Aside from regular maintenance, I've not had a need to spin a wrench on my 01 Legcy GT wagon, although I'll be putting some Porterfield R4-S brake pads on the fronts soon. You will be seeing a note and some money from me for your DVD. Please do continue to create these guides, as a picture is worth 10,000 words, expecially when it comes to cars. BTW - What manual would you suggest for Subies? I've heard that there is someplace you can download the shop manuals for a fixed fee, but have not found it yet. Thanks in advance, Jack

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Yes, if only because the labor to get to it is significant and you'll be paying this labor bill already to get to the clutch. I almost always try to replace degradable parts when they are exposed, espeically when they are hard to get to. Jack

If you go for some decent length drives, the cat will most likely keep itself clean. Short tripping may allow it to get fouled. You may want to check both the end of the exhaust pipe and the O2 sensor periodically. If oil is getting to the end of the tail pipe, or if you are getting accumulations on the O2 sensor, you may want to have the seals replaced sooner, rather than later. Although I hate to suggest snakeoils, there may be a seal swell additive out there that might slow down or remedy the problem, at least for a while. If you really think you have carbon build up in the cylinders and it has not been on a high speed road trip for a while, take a trip. Alternatively, run the car down the highway at 4-5,000 rpm for 15 minutes and blow that stuff out. Pre-cat days, you could slowly dribble water down the carb throat. The water would turn to steam and clean the cylinders out, much like a head gasket leak can leave a cylinder sparking clean, but I'm not sure how this would work with a catalytic converter and would be pretty concerned about doing it on my vehicle. Jack

Are you sure you have the correct spark plug? If you do have the correct ones installed, try going to a plug which is one heat range colder. Jack

Knowing the change interval and oil used are great questions, but why suggest synthetic? If there is any kind of leak or marginal gasketing the synthetics will leak far worse. Don't get me wrong, I have run Mobil 1 in almost all of my cars since 1981, but when you have a leaker it leaks much worse than dinosaur juice. Also, is there any smoking, either at startup, normal running, acceleration, deceleration; white, blue, black? Jack

87 works fine in mine. How is your air cleaner and intake tract? Is the filter clean and the entire intake system clear? Have you considered disconnecting the battery for 1/2 hour to let the ECU reset. The issue may clear itself. Aside from the price of gas in CT, there should be no issues. Jack

Depending on the location of the front and rear seals in relation to the oil level, you could cause some problems with leakage. I don't know if the Subie is subject to it, but my rule is to keep the oil within 1/4 quart of the mark. That's a half quart to play with and should be easy to do. The subies have sufficient oil capicity for the system. There is no reason to overfill. Jack

For future reference, put your socket on the bolt and tap the end of the ratchet with a hammer, kind of like a low tech impact driver. This type of load has a much better chance of loosening a stuck bolt than leaning on it with a breaker bar. Also, try tightening it just a tad first and/or smacking the bold head directly inward with a hammer to break the bolt's grip. Jack