Rice Burner Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Hello, Less than a month ago I just bought a 2009 impreza outback sport that I LOVE. It replaced my 1997 impreza outback sport (that I also loved)that had 225,000 miles. When I checked my tire pressure at a Sheetz store the other day it read 37 psi on each tire. The guide inside the door jamb said it should be 33 psi in the 17 inch tires so I adjusted the air to the recommended pressure. Now less than a week later the TPMS light came on when I went to leave my house. Should I have left the air in at the higher pressure? I am wondering if the dealership had it set at 37 due to the low profile, 50 series tires. This is all new to me since my old OBS did not have all these features and had 15 inch tires. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backwoodsboy Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 The straight answer is.... the door jamb pressure IS what is RECOMMENDED. However, the tpms sensors are finicky, and your dealer probably set them a little high to keep the light off for you. We have this happen all the time in the shop here. It wont hurt your tires to run 4-5 psi over, and the light gets annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 (edited) not all air pressure guages read alike. 5lbs psi off per guage is the norm take 5 guages, all different makes, brands, none will give a same reading on a tire. One will show 33, the other will show 38, in the same tire. once you figure if the guage you have reads high or low, compare to 5 other guages, then you can accurately determine what your pressure really is. some guages read low, some high, some in between. find out where yours compares. Also, were the tires hot or cold when you checked. What was the outside temp that day? Lots of things affect pressure. Unluckily, the new cars have the idiot lights to tell us if it thinks the tire is low. Tell me how those onboard guages work in 6 years.... Sounds like your old outback was a good one, got many miles out of it. Anyhow, yeah just find out where your guage reads high or low, and then adjust accordingly Edited April 21, 2009 by bheinen74 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rice Burner Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 Yeah, it was warm outside (70's) and the car had been run for a few miles before I checked them. I am thinking maybe I should go back to the Sheetz station and fill up the tires to 37-38 and see how it goes. Also, any extra goodies that anyone thinks I should get for my new car? I already bought a Subaru bugshield because I got a rock chip in hood after less than two weeks:mad:, Subaru all weather rubber floor mats, and a license plate holder for the front. I plan on getting the windows tinted, carbon fiber eyebrows that fit on the top of the headlights, a armrest extender and these cool led lights that light up the area around your feet. Any ideas to "pimp out" my ride? Eventually I would like to get the WRX short throw shifter if it makes a big enough difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backwoodsboy Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Eventually I would like to get the WRX short throw shifter if it makes a big enough difference. I have had a few customers that ordered them through us. The general consensus seemed to be that they didnt make enough difference for the $... but thats just what Ive heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 If you like the boxer rumble, you can make it sound a little better with a nice cat back exhaust. I love the way mine sounds!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rice Burner Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 Another thing I was wondering, I know the 2.2 engines were "bulletproof" so to speak. I never had a problem with mine or heard of anyone having problems (reason I got rid of my old OBS was due to my sube shop not being able to figure out a stalling/ sputtering issue) but I have heard many complaints of 2.5 head gasket issues. (my brothers 97 and 99 legacy outback wagon have both had blown head gaskets and my moms 96 has had one as well) Is this more of a problem for legacys and outbacks due to the weight of the cars, a design issue or is it a problem on all models? Do I need to worry about head gasket issues with my 09 OBS or have those been resolved on the newer cars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rice Burner Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 I have had a few customers that ordered them through us. The general consensus seemed to be that they didnt make enough difference for the $... but thats just what Ive heard. If you like the boxer rumble, you can make it sound a little better with a nice cat back exhaust. I love the way mine sounds!! Thanks for the input guys. How much does a catback exhaust cost? I will probably start with the small stuff until I save enough and then go to the expensive stuff. ebay has the eyebrows (for that MEAN look) for around $30 and STi carbon fiber/ mesh grills for around $100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Exhaust systems are a little pricey. Look on ebay, sometimes you can find good ones on there. Also check out Nasioc.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Another thing I was wondering, I know the 2.2 engines were "bulletproof" so to speak. I never had a problem with mine or heard of anyone having problems (reason I got rid of my old OBS was due to my sube shop not being able to figure out a stalling/ sputtering issue) but I have heard many complaints of 2.5 head gasket issues. (my brothers 97 and 99 legacy outback wagon have both had blown head gaskets and my moms 96 has had one as well) Is this more of a problem for legacys and outbacks due to the weight of the cars, a design issue or is it a problem on all models? Do I need to worry about head gasket issues with my 09 OBS or have those been resolved on the newer cars? The head gasket issue was supposed to be fixed. I have had my 08 Impreza for a year and a half now and have 36K on it without any issues. BTW ..just wait till it gets cold ..you are going to LOVE your TPMS ( my pressure light was on half the winter cause they like to freeze up) The 2.5 head gasket issue had nothing to do with what car it was in...it was the motor ...all lines that ran it had the problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 another mogantonian? hmm? i wouldn't trust the sheetz station gauges (either one of them in morgantown). check after driving for awhile (heat = increase pressure). the tire pressure recommendation is affected by marketing, so it's not ideal for everyone. in general most car knowledgeable folks increase the tire pressure over the recommended values on the door jambs. i increase mine by 5 pounds per side, the car handles better and the tires wear better that way, and tons of other folks do that too. as for EJ25's. i would *assume* that Subaru has it figured out by now. but there's not much evidence to go on. it's not due to the weight, the EJ25's had/ve? more problems. more piston slap, head gasket issues, and more bottom end failures (rod bearings). whether they've corrected that issue is up for debate, there's zero empirical evidence to go by. issues typically take a while to show as folks get them repaired under warranty or the car is valuable enough to just let a mechanic do whatever needs to be done. "we" don't start seeing issues typically until the value of a car starts to make it less likely to repair. and keep in mind stuff like this isn't going to happen to every new car off the lot, so don't make a mountain out of the proverbial mole hill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rice Burner Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 another mogantonian? hmm? i wouldn't trust the sheetz station gauges (either one of them in morgantown). check after driving for awhile (heat = increase pressure). the tire pressure recommendation is affected by marketing, so it's not ideal for everyone. in general most car knowledgeable folks increase the tire pressure over the recommended values on the door jambs. i increase mine by 5 pounds per side, the car handles better and the tires wear better that way, and tons of other folks do that too. as for EJ25's. i would *assume* that Subaru has it figured out by now. but there's not much evidence to go on. it's not due to the weight, the EJ25's had/ve? more problems. more piston slap, head gasket issues, and more bottom end failures (rod bearings). whether they've corrected that issue is up for debate, there's zero empirical evidence to go by. issues typically take a while to show as folks get them repaired under warranty or the car is valuable enough to just let a mechanic do whatever needs to be done. "we" don't start seeing issues typically until the value of a car starts to make it less likely to repair. and keep in mind stuff like this isn't going to happen to every new car off the lot, so don't make a mountain out of the proverbial mole hill. Thanks for the info. You from MoTown as well? I did get and still plan on getting my car repairs done at the Sube Shop on the mileground behind more tire. They have always treated me right. As far as the Sheetz air pumps, they are brand new with digital readouts. I thought they would be pretty reliable. I take my police jeep over there every week because I know one tire loses pressure down to 18 lbs and it seems to work fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Never adjust tire pressure down after driving. ALL tire pressure should be checked cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 the Sheetz air pumps, they are brand new with digital readouts. I thought they would be pretty reliable.cool, i haven't seen those yet, is that the one my Mon Gen and Ruby or over in Star City? I recently moved to Morgantown a couple years ago and work on University, maybe just up the street from you in Star City? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rice Burner Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 cool, i haven't seen those yet, is that the one my Mon Gen and Ruby or over in Star City? I recently moved to Morgantown a couple years ago and work on University, maybe just up the street from you in Star City? I believe all the Morgantown Sheetz have them. And they are FREE. I work at Clay-Battelle High School in Blacksville (western end of county) as a school police officer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 There is a major recall (no particular mfg) on tire valve stems not holding air. Granted your car is a bit old for the recall, but I never know how far in advance some suppliers buy thing. Spray each tire stem (with the covers off) with windex and see if they are leaking. There will be bubbles. Otherwise its just one of those teething pains with a new widget. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I work at Clay-Battelle High School in Blacksville (western end of county) as a school police officer.oh cool, i drove past there yesterday. my wife works at Mason-Dixon. see you around, maybe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rice Burner Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 oh cool, i drove past there yesterday. my wife works at Mason-Dixon. see you around, maybe! sounds good. I'm there at school if the police grand cherokee is parked out front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaruplatt Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 On Mine it says 33/30 lbs front/back. I had subscribed to the theory that as long as the ratio was 11/10 ratio front to back your OK. But now I think differently. I was getting some wandering weirdness with the all wheel drive ( auto trans ) in corners running 37/33.5 I find that as you go up in pressures that the transmission will favor a closer ratio, for instance I am running 37/35. or 10.6/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1122union Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Hello, Less than a month ago I just bought a 2009 impreza outback sport that I LOVE. It replaced my 1997 impreza outback sport (that I also loved)that had 225,000 miles. When I checked my tire pressure at a Sheetz store the other day it read 37 psi on each tire. The guide inside the door jamb said it should be 33 psi in the 17 inch tires so I adjusted the air to the recommended pressure. Now less than a week later the TPMS light came on when I went to leave my house. Should I have left the air in at the higher pressure? I am wondering if the dealership had it set at 37 due to the low profile, 50 series tires. This is all new to me since my old OBS did not have all these features and had 15 inch tires. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. How do you adjust the TPMS light Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 You don't adjust it. A dealer may be able to change the set pressure via computer. Keep in mind when dealing with TPMS that the pressure sticker in the door jamb states COLD TIRE PRESSURE. Tires should only be set at these pressures if the car has been sitting overnight. Even slight warming of the tires will raise the air pressure inside, whether its from driving or from exposure to sunlight. If you drive the car to the gas station, check the pressures, and let air OUT to get back to the pressure on the sticker, you WILL get a TPMS light the next morning because of the pressure drop in the tires overnight as the tires cool. If the tires are warm, inflate to 3-5 psi over the sticker pressure. This will keep the pressure at or slightly above the recommended cold pressure after the tire cools and will keep the TPMS light monster away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Door jamb tire pressures are recommendations ie: suggested pressures - not carved in stone. running slightly higher - if your tires will allow it (check max pressure on the sidewall) - will not hurt anything, and will slightly improve fuel mileage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman2 Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Get a Viair 70P 12v compressor and pump it up yourself at home before you drive off. They are quiet and fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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