Got my winter setup purchased and installed: Drag DR-38, 17x8, +35, only 18 lbs and cost $440 new Bridgestone Blizzak WS80's, 225/60-17 I've had Blizzak WS70's before and wasn't a huge fan of the floaty feeling on dry pavement, but I went with the WS80's this time due to finding a decent deal. So far, they are a bit floaty on the highway, but not too terrible (the General artic's on 16's on my wife's outback are way worse), especially considering the tall sidewall. Pics: I also picked up a D-ring receiver hitch from Harbor Freight. It's not the prettiest or burliest, but it can handle 10,000 lbs and only cost $10. I also have a tow strap, so if someone is stuck this winter and I'm feeling nice, I might help them out. Here's a pic. @JuStaWRX this also shows the 16 WRX catback fitment and how much I had to trim.
Thats a helluva deal on the wheels. Looking sharp. Diggin' the quad tips. I've always wondered how you trim the bumper... did you do it yourself? How was the process?
Well think I should introduce myself as I have been creepin this thread for the past few weeks and picked up my ISM 14 XT Touring yesterday. Enjoying it thoroughly so far and all of the creature features; Eyesight, HID's, etc. I'm coming from an SGM 06 WRX that had fairly significant modifications. First things first - gotta do something to that grill of course. Considering blacking out but might splurge for the sport grille. Was set on forking over the dough for a set of rims but might just ride the stockers out through this winter as it's already November 8th and there is good tread on the stock wheels - liking the looks of them more than I thought I would also. Will have a dedicated winter set just not sure if they will be the stock rims or something else as I'm still getting used to everything at this point... plus expecting first child in the very near future so ya know, priorities!
Thanks man. The hardest part about trimming, was getting over the fact that I was actually cutting my bumper lol. I used a sharp knife (fixed blade camping knife) and took my time, and slowly trimmed away the plastic until it didn't rub anymore. I left the muffler unbolted, but attached to the hangers and I'd trim, move the muffler into place to check fitment, trim some more, check, over and over lol. When I actually bolted it up, it wasn't exactly where I was holding it by the hangers, so I probably trim a hair more than absolutely necessary (maybe 1/4"), but it really isn't noticeable. I did use a propane torch a little bit to heat the plastic when cutting, but it wasn't too bad to cut without heat. A heat gun would be a much better option, but I didn't have one handy. Instead of a sharp knife, a dremel should also work well. The process was similar to rolling fenders...use heat, take your time, and it will turn out fine.
Nice work! I'm always a little iffy about doing "permanent" work on my car soley for the fact that if I "F" it up, I'm either stuck with the mistake or have to shell out replacement money. Glad it worked out for you. Welcome aboard! If you're thinking about splurging on the sports grille, go to Morrie's in Minnetonka and tell the parts guy you're a member at MNSubaru and you'll get a little discount. Thats where I picked mine up. Congrats on the upcoming little demon!!
SJ Forester http://steeluniqueshop.com/collections/keychains/products/subaru-forester-sj There are a bunch of other generation ones, as well as various Subaru and Forester emblem key chains too! They come from Ukraine in about 2 weeks.
I finally made a video to show the 15+ WRX catback on a 14+ Forester XT, along with startups in multiple configurations. I probably went a bit overboard, but enjoy!
I'm really digging the in-cabin sound... making me super excited to get my setup. I was suprised at how not loud it was when you had no mufflers on. Must've been that big ugly stock resonator thingy we have, keeping the sound down. Sounds great when you punch it in S#. Nice smooth ascension through each gears RPMs.
Yea, you're welcome to check mine out in person if you'd like. What setup are you going with? I was also surprised at how quiet it was with no mufflers, and yes, it had the stock midpipe with big ugly resonator lol. I was also surprised at how quiet it still was with the wrx midpipe (no resonator) and stock FXT mufflers...you had to listen really hard to hear any difference. Once I put on the WRX mufflers, then I was quite surprised at how much louder it was. It's definitely audible in the cabin (with full wrx catback), and my wife wasn't too thrilled at first. But cruising on the highway, you can hear the exhaust, but it isn't droney or annoying...almost hums you to sleep. I'm curious what it would sound like with the stock midpipe (with resonator) and WRX mufflers, but I'm pretty used to the sound level now.
I have the Nameless catback with 5" mufflers arriving on Saturday. I'll be trying to install it on Sunday, time permitting. Does the WRX mid pipe and stock mid pipe have the same diameter tubing? I remember looking at my FXT's stock piping and it looks so puny. I'm sure if you stuck the stock pipe back on with the WRX mufflers it would probably tame it down quite a bit. My lady always tells me, "don't go too loud or you'll get pulled over!!" I might eventually get the muffler deletes just to see how loud they actually are.
I don't recall if they are the same diameter or not...I could measure though. And I have the Nameless "muffler delete" that has a 5" muffler on my FRS. I don't think that tiny little muffler does much...it's pretty damn loud (it also doesn't have a turbo to quiet it down). Point being...I don't think the 5" mufflers vs muffler deletes is going to yield a big difference on the FXT.
Got smoked by a bad ass Mustang this evening on 7 and Hopkins Crossroads. My take-off was weak, I was closing some gap for a quick second then he shifted gears and left me in the dust... I knew I had no chance, but hell, why not?!?!
It was an open straight away and I wasn't even 20 over the limit... less than a quarte mile. Now, I'm not saying in any way that that justifies what I did, but how many times does some one floor it solo out on public roads... thats just as dangerous, too.
Anyone planning to do the orange front blinker delete? I'd really like to but guessing it's going to be a considerable pain. Anyone swap to sti or aftermarket sways alone? Planning to do full exhaust and tune this spring'ish when the car is closer to the end of warranty. I really want the car to rumble more but not become too loud. From some videos I have seen i think the q300 or SPT catback may fit the bill but of course hearing in person would b ideal. I'm particular about some things and this will be one of them. I had a cobb Catted dpipe mated to a Borla Hush exhaust on my WRX that I thought was the perfect sound for me but this car needs to be quieter than that.
I have thought about just having tint put over those oranges. Not sold because it's an easy ticket waiting to happen. I also picked up an 08 STi RSB, but just haven't gotten around to putting it on yet.
I'd love to hear about the results you get from the full exhaust with tune. This is a highly considered end-of-factory-warranty mod for me. I just installed the Nameless Performance catback with 5"muffler today. Very impressed with the build quality. Wasn't as loud as I had imagined, but I'm happy with it. The install wasn't that bad... might need to make some adjustments. One side it sticking out just a little bit further than the other. One thing I'm not sure about, if it is normal, or if I need to go back and redo something, but the Y-pipe sits pretty low... part of it is below the rear diff. Here are some other random pics from the install:
Looks great! I'd be curious to hear it in person. If it's not loud enough for you, you could get a wrx mid pipe, but then it'd be real damn loud. Also, try adjusting the rubber hangers... WD-40 helps them move easier.
Exhaust looks great, @Clem . I too, would be interested in hearing it in person. I am not a huge fan of double posting, so instead with time this will become a triple post (Here, the photo contest, and I'll add them to my personal Forester thread). Here are a few shots that @TMF and I got today at Fort Snelling. I think he has me sold on the WRX midpipe and quad tips as of now..so now it's time to track some down!
... so when are we gonna go "caravanning" around?!?! Greats shots!! The WRX midpipe... I'd like to hear it.
What are you all seeing for your oil temp on the MFD screen? Whats the highest you've seen it? How long did it run at that temp? Whats your usual temp at? I'm no expert at this kind of stuff, but I've noticed while driving in manual mode my oil temp heats up faster than in auto-mode. Usually, well in auto-mode, I'm in the 180-205 range. I've seen it as high as 215. At what temp does it start to become too hot, or damaging? What is the normal range for oil temp?
Here, let me google that for you Lol just giving you a hard time. I'm in the 200* F range under normal driving, which is 97% of the time. If I'm really pushing it, it will jump to around 210*, highest I remember seeing is probably also in the 215 range. Once I drive like normal, it's back to the 200-210 range. Highest without damage? I think somewhere above 265 is damaging...maybe it's higher, like 300. For example, FRS/BRZ's run pretty hot, like 235-275 on track. Running consistently around 275 isn't the best, but I'm not 100% sure if it's damaging. This is the part where you want to google it and get some answers with DATA to back it up. In any case, the temps you are seeing are totally fine. I also wouldn't give it a lot of load/boost until you're at least at 135-150* F.
^nope. But I did finish wiring my Hella's last night: SSD Rally Light Bar Hella 500FF Driving Lights Opt7 Wiring Harness Mictuning "Sasquatch" Switch I still need to fully aim them properly, but they provide a nice long range throw. I think I'll definitely be upgrading to 100W bulbs and adding a second set 500FF's.
I wasn't aware it was illegal if turn signal bulbs are swapped with orange. Interested to hear your feedback about how much difference you can really feel as I am looking to do rear and possibly front STi swaybars in the future. Also wondering how well the XT endlinks will hold up to the stiffer bar(s) over time.
Awesome ryjacobs. What winter tires did u order? M52's look really nice. Black? I know that I will be getting a dedicated winter setup and in-turn a summer setup, I'm just not sure how/what these will be at this point. My current stock wheels have a lot of tread left and are in perfect condition but I'm considering selling my stock rims to justify buying a more expensive summer set bc if I go that route I really want to go to 19's. Although that will involve more investment and perhaps more than I want to spend ... I think someone may be willing to offer up a pretty decent amount for the stock 18's which would help me justify the purchase and if that is the case I'd probably just go steelies for the winter as well but still, so much dough and other upgrades to make in the future as well. Really like the way these wheels look (see picture) ... and the "orange-less" turn signals for that matter. Trying not to make any rash decisions as the vehicle is still new to me and I've a new baby to continue to prepare for but the snow is coming. Again, wants vs priorities ...
.... and the non-"chrome" accented side skirts. I'm in the same boat as you about the Summer/Winter setup. I have some 18s that'll work, but I'd love to go with 19s. Then a set of some black cheapies for the winter.
Haven't had a chance to snap photos yet. They are brighter than the low beams, but pretty comparable to my high beams. I ordered 100 watt bulbs that are on the way...those should make a pretty big difference, so I'll probably post up some photos then.
That's the big reason I was actually looking for a 2014 vs newer as well as to help keep cost down a bit. Werd.
So at some point we will need to plan an SJ get together. After doing the photos with @TMF at Fort Snelling, it was a really slick, easy place to get to with a lot of space. Is there any interest in a get together? It wouldn't have to be anything huge, just an hour or two, and maybe a quick cruise to somewhere for a burger and beer or something?
