Breaking in

**Far more likely is that you are finally getting used to it! **I have a 2005 Impreza RS wagon but it only has 11,500 miles on it and I never had a problem shifting out of first. For me, it's quite stubborn about going into reverse on occasion. I had to get used to shifting it vs the previous 2003 Jetta 1.8T, of course, but I don't think the feel of shifting has changed at all since I bought it. It's quite nice compared to the very slippy Jetta. **I don't think you should hold your breath for great gas mileage. **Do you have one of those bouncy Hawaiian hula dollies stuck to your dashboard? :) **Many, many times, I've read here or in other forums about the Impreza RS being so slow blah blah waaaa. It's bull. It's a torque-y little beast that's a great drive boshing around the twisties. Lots of fun and a wonderful winter car to boot.

kaboomie

LOL.. A bobble head hoola dancer would look spastic bouncing around in this city, since sometimes I do.(( Lowering tire pressures is probably why mileage isn't so hot, Just roughly checked it early on and it seemed like around 20. Driving it the other day in mixed driving, the gas gauge was dropping pretty fast. I guess like everything else, I'll have to juggle things, and see if things improve.

The shifter really does feel easier getting it out of first, and the box Does feel nice now. I only sometimes feel reverse hanging, and think the shifter has to be moved just right for it to go in easily. I sat and rowed the gears to see if that might make 1st even easier, but I can live with the way it is now, and like the feel when shifting. Took a while to get the feel of where each gear was, but I haven't shifted in a LONG time, and kept telling myself. I Needed a stick.

The lumbar does also feel softer, and not bowing my back. I have Recaro seats from a Mustang SVO that I want to put in. They have inflatable lumbar, and 2 thigh adjustments. I'd like to keep the side air bags that are in the Sube seat backs, but not the fronts. Would be nice to juggle them.

The last sticks I owned were a 71' and a 72' Mercury Capri, the european Fords. The 71' had the Small Kent motor that Lotus used and made many mods for, that was a Great handler, and a nice in box shifter 4sp, but short on power. I found out about the Lotus mods too late, but then I had picked up the 72' that had a V-6. It had a good bit of power, but a sloppy linkage shifter, and showed me why a friend said, his Capri was the worst handling car he ever drove. I had bought the 71' when a 69' Charger was stolen 3 weeks after getting laid off. Riding with a friend with an MG GT, I started liking handling opposed to muscle. Mopar's always handled well, and I always added all the police options, but not as well.

I always worried about getteing a car that had a rubbery shifter, torque and understeer. It may be me, or the lowered tire pressures, but I'm not very comfortable taking turns at high speeds in the Sube, but they say the Sube's understeer, The motor hangs out the front pretty far, though F/R balance doesn't look bad. What made me finally decide on the Sube was a

5th Gear video, saying how to make a Sube car handle more neutral, jerking the wheel into a turn. I had followed the WRX going into europe, and always wished Sube would put the Legacy motor into the Impreza here.

I had been after an 84-86' Mustang SVO turbo 4cyl since they came out because of my Capri's, and they had a european connection, and I found an interesting one with Subes. One thing after another stopped me getting an SVO. The last a serious injury. I have looked off and on for used SVO's, and looked at a nice one on my way to the Sube dealer I bought from, and still look for them. Only having made 10K over 3 yrs, and having different parts, they are pretty hard to find and find parts for. Interesting thing is that the Sube has the same power, and I paid just about exactly what the SVO's cost new. The SVO's had 175,

205, and 200HP. A little tweaking might get the Sube up, with AWD and a real wagon.)

Well, it's coming together, if slowly, but a Good Choice.

VF

If you're down to running 20psi in your tyres I would suggest you keep a VERY close eye on the tyre temperature. At that pressure they are very likely to overheat and blowout.

The low pressure would also account for the understeer and I certainly wouldn't go for any 'high speed'

20 was the rough MPG I got. The F/R tire pressure ratio I settled on was the same % ifference as the F/R weight distribution, though the bottom of the rear rims is higher off the ground than the fronts, and I'm running the rears abuot 6psi lower than the fronts, instead of the 3psi recomended, and the fronts 3 psi lower than recomended. They only give one pressure, so probably for fully loaded, and why the ride was so bouncy. I have to jack up the pressures and see how it handles and mileage. Think I'll calc what the weight distribution would be fully loaded, and see what that works out to for pressures when unloaded. Maybe I'll find an optimum pressure when unloaded for ride, handling, and mileage.

VF

Wagan and Obus Forme have products that may help you with your back. My daughter uses and Obus forme in her car and her computer chair.

Carl

Thanks Carl,

My back isn't a problem when driving, though my muscles are damaged and weakened, and fatigue fast, when doing physical things, and stretchy back supports help a lot.

The seat bottom length and width are my biggest problems, and the fixed lumbar in the back was uncomfortable before, but seems better, but having it adjustable would be better. I have the Recaro's to try to install with inflatable lumbar, but would like the side air bags the Sube has.

The velore dash cover eliminates the dash reflecting onto the WS, but the side air vent reflects onto the outside mirror, so will have to add a flap to cover it. Took a while to realize the vent was forming the rings.

VF

Hi,

Save your calculator from overheating...

The pressure you desire has already been calculated. It's on the door sticker. Probably right next to the axle weight ratings.

Raising pressures from the "sticker" is a time honored way to "improve" handling, and sometimes MPG, almost always at the expense of ride. I feel safe in saying most knowledgable people would agree the sticker pressure already places a high value on ride.

Lowering pressures from the "sticker" is a time honored way to damage tires. Maybe even kill yourself. Ask Ford: even if they're not smarter than you, they've got far deeper pockets for testing (and settling lawsuits!) and look how they screwed the pooch w/ the Explorer disaster a few years ago. They did exactly what you already have and lowered the recommended tire pressures to obtain a better ride in what's essentially a truck (read: ride quality wasn't object one on the drawing board.)

I hope you write a letter to Subaru, explaining what you've done and why, maybe w/ a note describing how much more you know about these issues than they (you should "cc" the tire mfr, too!) That way, when you go kill yourself, maybe their lawyers will be able to convince the jury your heirs don't deserve much...

Somewhere along the line, you're simply going to have to admit to yourself that IF you are truly as dinged up as you'd have us believe, you bought the wrong car.

Rick

On 8 Dec, 14:25, Rick Courtright wrote:

I have a few dents and dings left, that slow me down, but not my desires. They keep me going, even if what I want takes a long time to accomplish. I have the time.))

I always loved challenges so why would I give up on the Sube, especially when It is coming around, and I don't have to use the whip and chair so much.) I knew most of what I wanted to change before buying, but other things have come up, that some may be satisfied with, so they wouldn't want to change them, but I sure wouldn't understand why not, unless in a coma.)). Sube didn't offer in dash GPS, or DVD's, PC's or TV's. That's No reason to Not buy a car, since they can be added, and everything and what I paid still isn't close to list. Would love to squeeze in some Night Vision so Bambi doesn't do a swan, or is that Deer Dive through the front windshield, and spoil my night rides. Haven't found it yet, so may have to pull one from a BMW, but first I better get the Other stuff installed.

You mean I have been wrong ALL These Years about tires?? Wet weather traction became Very important to me after I almost bought it in the rain through a turn, in an old car with soft suspension, that had New tires on it. That got me always wanting the best in the wet. I passed on the Stang SVO's because Ford put GY Gatorbacks on them, that were Supposed to be direct copies of their Gran Prix Rain Tires, but the reviews of all the muscle cars they were put on said, "Tricky in Wet Weather". it was hard to change the tires on a new car that cost 4K$ more that the 86' Stang GT. Fulda's that Porsche used were the best at the time, and 1/3 the price, but hard to get .

I never had a tire problem in 45yrs, and they always wore evenly, going by pressures that I was happy with. I don't like them rock hard or mushy. I guess I Should have blow outs galore with the cracked sidewalls in the tires I have been running, that the last 2 sets have had. I even was shocked when I replaced the rear brakes on my 86' Chevy, and saw 1/8" X 2" long cracks on the Innner sidewalls. Good thing don't have to look at them, but I Know they are there, when I have driven at speed. One tire that matched another oversized one I have on the rear, that were discontinued, I found discarded in Pep Boys lot, because it had 2 shallow gouges on the outside wall. The Dammed thing was Even mounted on the rare 5 lug rim that the Chevy's HD suspension has. The gouges weren't down to the fabric, and I don't worry about defects on the outside, since I Feel they are more cosmetic, and protect the fabric, and the fabric and Innner rubber are the strength of a tire, and hold the air. I did put some rubber cement on the gouges, to make it look normal, and protect it from anything hitting the spots. Now i'm Not running rush hr traffic, or any great distances regularly. If I was, I'd make sure the tires were good, but I did patch a New tire that got cut since a vulcanizing place wouldn't touch it, though they are Supposed to be able to fix 2" holes in sidewall or tread. the patch stuck for a yr, and then started to come loose and leak, and I figured I got some use out of the tire, and didn't feel like taking it off the rim again.

My dad was OLD school, and wouldn't park in water, saying that if the tire had had a flat, that water could seep in, and rot the fabric. Maybe Back when cotton cord was used and tires had tubes, and you Just patched the tube, and even then probably hard for water to get in. When I started driving tires were tubless with nylon cords. Dad wasn't dumb, and kept up with auto stuff, and always got factory shop manuals with cars, and read Pop Mechanics and Science, but couldn't change his old beliefs. We also went around on whether you still needed to use Dry Gas in the winter, when refineries put it in the Winter Blend. I tested for icing inhibitor in aicraft fuels in the service, and car fuel pumps don't have the glass bowls that they used to, where you could see the water/fuel seperation, and drained it before there was too much water.

I smiled when cleaning the rims and saw the load rating on the tires was 1300lbs ea. I Know at rated pressures, but that is 5200 lb cap on a 3Klb car, and the most that would normally be in it would me, a passenger on occasion and maybe 2-60lb hounds. I think I would like to up the front tire pressues a bit, but have been warned that too wide a difference could tear up the center diff, so taking it slowly, till I am sure. If I go by the axle height like some have suggested, for effective tire size/pressure, then the rears are Way too over inflated compared to the fronts, since there is a 1/2" difference in axle height.

So if the tire pressures Sube recomends are for regular loads, what should they be with a Full load ??))

VF

Maybe not for all those years (what you say was once right), but I agree that you're wrong now, considering modern tires. They're made for higher pressures, but manufacturers want you to like the ride, so they quote the minimum.

I run 40/37PSI (F/R) in my Sube, and 42/40 in my '9 Alfa, and I still wear the corners off. I certainly don't see them wearing out in the middle.

Clifford Heath.

Hi,

The fact you've been LUCKY doesn't mean you've been RIGHT.

By your own admission, you don't put that much stress on some (all?) of your tires. While I'm glad you live 3000 miles from me so I don't have to add you to the list of "look out for this guy" folks I already know, may I politely suggest that our "typical" SoCal commuting conditions would probably do you in quite rapidly. In my neighborhood "typical" includes 100 deg F and up during the summer, speeds ranging from 80 to zero to 80, and just about that fast in lots of cases, as well as freezing temps on mtn roads and a few other "icing on the cake" conditions. (Depending on where and when, ALL of these can be experienced in a single day!) The highways are littered w/ tire carcasses contributed by people who don't pay attention to their tires. And a lot of those carcasses ONLY contributed to a big delay in traffic--the lucky ones didn't get hurt or killed.

Like it or not, the engineers who figure this stuff out DO know what they're doing once in a while... and sometimes, as you've learned from your father, we have to "relearn" what we "knew" for so long. Tires fall in that category IMO. The door stickers should be considered "minimum" under all conditions as far as I'm concerned... if the "performance" isn't what you want under a given condition, I'd think it prudent to adjust your driving style before thinking you need to re-engineer the system.

Rick

Then I better get some NOS tires.))

You must corner hard All the time.((

So a pressure they list on the door sticker is for the car Unloaded?

Sounds like I Just get Good tires, and No retreads to be So lucky, or Maybe it's a 6th sense. I seem to worry about things that I should, and warn friend when They are doing something unsafe. May have saved a friends life when I told him, at the speeds he drives, often above

100, that he Should wear his seat belts, and I'd even have a harness. It took the help of a pretty young thing, he was watching get in her car in his mirror, before a trip on the interstate, and when she buckled up, he remembered out chat, and buckled. 30 mi later his Stang GT was on its roof, with broken rims, the floor under his seat buckled, and the car wedge shaped, after almost Sliding upside down under a Semi, and taking out 80' of guard rail, when a minivan cut him out. He was hanging on the seatbelt, and had to cut it to get down. I saw him the next night, and wondered where his car was, and he pulled out the pictures, and I Couldn't believe he wasn't banged up. He lifted up his pants leg and showed me a 3/4" cut on his knee.

I'll look into the tire pressure thing, because, it sounds like with the NEW tires, I should be running 50psi to be Safe. Maybe I DO need to Change the tires on the Sube, and get some Good ones. They say the Potenzas have Stiff sidewalls. Maybe That's Not to My liking. I read they Weren't that good in the Wet, but figured the AWD would compensate. Maybe I need some Rain tires...

VF

I don't brake more than I need to :-) Conserves fuel at the cost of rubber... :-) Actually, it's just fun... All those cameras mean you can't get away with speeding any more, so there has to be other ways to get your jollies! But we do long trips (>1 hour) too.