DukeTrout

Bump

I had a piece of rebar go through my tire and the barrel of the wheel back in the spring. I need to either offload these really nice wheels or get a single replacement.

Loving the latest updates, UD. How are you liking the JDM FLSD?

I wouldn't necessarily crack the trans for just the LSD, but I can tell my 5th gear synchros are starting to go. If I have the trans open anyway for service, might as well add a LSD...

Good illustration here:

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/new-2007-drl-hid-help-42292p2.html

Post #67. It was a long time ago, but I still remember that it was a p.i.t.a. I think part of the key is to push in the wire (opposite of pulling it out) THEN disengage the tab.

I foresee a whole thread on programming messages into the startup text.

e.g. KICK|A$$

So you're saying for 05-07 folks that simply unplugging the DRL is fine,

we don't need to worry our headlites are dimmer ?

Not 07. That's for 05 & 06. For 07 it changed to just the blue-and-black wire.

Hmm, must be a change from '06 to '07. I just pulled the white connector

as shown in the original post, and my cruise and high-beams stil work fine.

 

I'm not good enough at navigating the vacation pix to figure out what

else might be on that connector (there's no way I know of to view ALL

the pins on a single connector, and the schematics seem to say it might

be either B96 or B242) but it sure seems like a lot of wires to not mess

something else up (to unplug it).

Correct, it is different for 05&06 than for 07+.

I cut the blue/black wire on my '08 yesterday and all works as desired with one exception...the high beams only work with the low beams on. Is this how the stock setup was? I did not notice if this was the case prior to cutting the wire. It's not a big deal, but if say you need to flash on-coming traffic, etc. it may be useful.

Either 08 is different than 07 or you nicked another wire while you were down there.

I have a 2007 Outback. Unplugging the white plug disabled the DRLs (thank you!) but also seems to have disabled the fog lights. No big deal but it might be nice to have the fogs on occasion, if they are any good for the stated purpose.

For 07 and later, you use a different procedure. You only need to unplug the blue-and-black wire from the white plug, as described a couple of posts up. Then you get to keep your fogs and hi-beams.

FYI - 5EAT & 5MT XT owners on sob.org have both reported the problem.

 

This is not an oversteer issue & it's not a winter driving issue. The POINT is that this car has something that causes the rear end to "resonate" side to side when on ice and feel severely unstable at speed much lower than everyone else on the road.

jazzy - I've driven the 05 OBXT on just about every low- to no-traction surface available and the only mods I have are different 17" x 7" wheels and studded winter tires. I've never detected this wiggle you describe. Heck, there's more wiggle at speed on dry roads than I've noticed on ice or snow. Maybe it comes down to that - whoever is noticing the wiggle simply needs to slow the heck down.

Some of you guys are one-car accidents waiting to happen:

 

"My car wags its tail on ice only 1/8" thick!"

 

Keep trying to defy the laws of physics. Keep installing stiffer springs, shocks and sway bars. Do not bother to learn how to use your right feet.

 

You really need a reference point. Go to your Ford dealer and test drive an unloaded F250/F350 4X4 in winter conditions. Almost 600 lb./ft. of torque will have the tail dancing on dry, wet, or icy pavement. Half of you would probably ground loop the damn thing in August.

 

I should buy stock in a coffin manufacturer.

 

P.S.: Somebody please tell me, what is the difference between driving on 1/8" ice and and a frozen lake?

You might have better traction on the lake. With a thin layer of ice over the road, the surface is inflexible. On the lake, the slight flexion of the ice as the wheel passes over it might increase the contact patch and improve the traction. Maybe.

If your car is wagging its tail, the last thing you need is more rear sway bar. The other AWD vehicles you've owned all exhibit far more understeer than your Subaru.

 

A stiffer rear sway bar and/or stiffer rear springs and/or increased rear tire pressures all increase oversteer.

 

I learned this when I was sixteen from a guy named Kas Kastner (look him up). It was later reinforced at the Bob Bondurant school.

 

Current Legacys and Outbacks handle fine in winter conditions. I can and have hung the tail out on ice in corners and held it there with throttle and opposite lock. The handling is benign and repeatable. You can do it all day. :spin:

 

If you can't keep up with winter traffic in your car, I strongly suggest ditching that after market sway bar and taking a refresher winter driving class.

 

 

To the poster who claims there is a law mandating understeer:

 

QUIT MAKING STUFF UP.

Bold emphasis mine. These statements are right on. I drive hundreds of hours on snow and ice. Unlike Michigan (where I grew up, and learned to drive on snow), the roads I drive in Oregon are never straight. They are all curves. In the OBXT, I'm the one doing all the passing. The only modifications I have on it are Dean Wintercat studded tires and a second set of 17 x 7 wheels to mount them on. On sweeping curves, I never have a problem with the rear stepping out. On tighter turns, SLOW DOWN BEFORE the turn, then feed throttle on the way out. You'll get some oversteer, but it is nice and predictable (not to mention, rather fun).

If you're getting passed on the highway with a truly icy surface, please let the idiots go the speed they want to crash at. Stay safe. If you think you really have some kind of problem, get your alignment checked. It's not the design of the car, dude.

Same location, it's just a single wire instead of the whole unit. I think it's the blue and black wire. There's another thread where an 07 owner found the right wire, and those are the instructions I followed.

Edit: Wrong, it's in this thread, one page back. It's just a matter of disconnecting the blue and black wire in the housing described for the 05-06 models.

"trip the release" - could you be more precise? I tried tripping the wire release from the wire side, from the opposite side, but no go. I'm still at it, but could you be more specific? Huge thanks.

Nevermind, found a great walkthrough, halfway down on this thread: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42292&page=2&highlight=2007+DRL

My 07 OBXT wasn't marked DRL either but the relay box is on the firewall on the left side of the footwell, one white plug and one black going in. Pull the white plug trip the release and pull out the blue/black wire and no more DRL's. See my post above. - Cheers

That bugger is difficult! You have to have the locking mechanism just right and then get the screwdriver inserted just right. Took a long time to get just the right combination to remove it. I'm glad I was patient and didn't snip it, though.