SilentJ20

I test fit my wheels to check clearances before tires. Discovered something concerning... My post in the wheel thread. Learned either my car is different than everyone elses, or something is off. Everything I've read and seen says they should fit fine. Not poke out the fender almost an inch.

Ok, I did some test fitting of the wheels to make sure things look good for my tire appt. But, I have a huge issue, it seems. Per the above, the wheels should sit just about perfectly flush with the fender. Here's what I had after lifting the LCA with a jack to get them up as far as possible: They sit like 3/4 of an inch PAST the top of the fender. So, I did some measuring with the OEM wheels back on. From the face of the wheel to the top of the fender well: Front = 0.5in inset, Rear = 1in inset. Is that normal for a spec.B?

I think I found a couple that help quell my fears. Never thought to look on Fitment Industries. It's a wagon, but it's the same front end and gives me a good visual. This is with 235/40 tires. From HERE

Getting "analysis paralysis" here, going back and forth. I have some Enkei Triumph, 18x8.5 45 offset. 2008 Spec.B, stock suspension and ride height. Everything I've read so far says I'll be ok with a 225/40R18 tire and won't need to roll or pull (please correct me if I'm wrong). I want to see what it looks like, but have been unable to find any pics. Does anyone have pics of this size setup? Now that I've gotten everything in order, I'm worried it will poke too much and I'm freaking out, haha. I'm ready to order tires and get things rolling (ha), but my nature to second guess myself seems to be winning... I'll keep looking around and share if I find anything.

Thanks, I love the bronze wheel on silver car combo. Enkei doesn't seem to publish the weight on their site, oddly. But from what I can find they're about 21lbs. Definitely no RPF1 or forged wheel, but not bad and lighter than the OEM. EDIT: confirmed with my luggage scale--21lbs on the dot.

Found a good deal on some new wheels. Enkei Triumph 18x8.5 (I also learned it's pronounced "En-kay"). I've wanted something besides the OEM wide-blade windmill design since I got the car (I'll keep them, not tossing OEM wheels). Next move is to go deep into analysis paralysis on tires until I find a good deal, clean up the brake calipers since they'll actually be seen now, and acquire other bits-n-bobs needed (TPMS, center rings, etc). Just gonna run the stock wheels through the winter, then put these on when the sun comes back out. Edit: They're the first NEW wheels I've ever bought for any car. I've refurbished and restored beat up wheels, but the price of these was good enough I couldn't justify spending the time and money cleaning up lesser wheels (not that these are crazy special).

Did some tweaking to the stereo. Still running the stock speakers off of the Sony head unit, and then the ski-pass infinite baffle sub. Used a cheap (but still decent) calibration mic and my phone to set the EQ with pink noise. Emphasized the bass, and trimmed down the treble. Impressed with how good it sounds, but I do think new speakers are in my future. Also cleaned the center console armrest that was getting kind of tacky? I feel like an interior deep clean is happening soon. It generally stays pretty clean, but I think summer time with the heat and short sleeves/shorts made some surfaces just attract a bit more dirt than I was previously aware of.

Whatever you do, don't run it without a proper tune. When I bought my spec.B it had the COBB intake and I thought nothing of it. Not CEL, no codes, everything seemed fine. Until I looked at the learning view (ECU learned fuel trims, etc). It had been running poorly, limiting boost, wild swings in lean/rich corrections, but all within what the ECU was capable of so it actually never showed a problem on the dash. Until I blew a ringland due to (assumed) months/years of poor running and occasional knock. Odd thing is it seemed to drive fine with NO indication things were so bad.

Discovered a more reliable way to check the oil level. After having recent difficulty getting an accurate reading on the oil dipstick, I found a thread suggesting to open the dipstick cap and/or oil cap to let everything settle more completely. Even after sitting over night, with all caps tightly sealed I'd always have oil on the edges of the dipstick and had to 'interpret' where the lowest point was. After doing the above trick, I still have a difference on either side of the dipstick, but it's much clearer to read.

Yeah, your height and wheel flushness is spot on. What wheel width & backspace are you running? That's a perfect fit from my perspective. I've had people ask me if my stock spec.B is lowered. I guess it sits low enough for now. That comment is making it easier for me to focus on putting money on things other than lowering, though.

What did I do today? I learned that there's a fuel cut when I hit the rev limiter at 6500... I didn't mean to, but I was passing someone and they decided to speed up a little, and my ego put the pedal down. I was worried I'd damaged something when the power dropped off, haha. But after my weekly fluids and Learning View check everything is still happy. I also waved at multiple other hood scooped subies with no reciprocation...

I had a similar, but slightly different, issue when I did mine. On mine the display wouldn't light up and the fan would full blast. Turns out, one of the plugs wasn't pushed in all the way. So, the only help I feel qualified to give right how is, "check the plugs and make sure...", and have you messed with the instrument backlight knob to see how that affects it? Mine is a little dimmer than the original unit, but not drastically so.

After flashing the ECU back to stock (mentioned previously), I've been gently ramping up how heavy my right foot is. Last night I finally put my foot to the floor a few times. Not official pulls or anything, just a few to get max boost and higher RPMs to see how my IAM looked afterwards. Happy to say, my Learning View looked excellent after. I'll still be checking it every month or so (because unpredictable engine issues are what makes a Subaru a Subaru...). Also did some work trying to condition/soften the passenger seat, lower side material. The leather/vinyl/whatever next to the Alcantara has gotten kinda stiff. I'll be giving it good doses of leather conditioner to try to get it to soak in and see if it loosens it up. My driver side is soft and flexible. I also found that same stiff material on the tops of the rear seats, so doing the same there. Anyone have special tips on getting that stuff supple quickly?

90 minutes for plugs isn't bad. Only time I've done mine was with the engine already out, haha.

Prior to my short block replacement, I had gone to a local shop (legendary place, PIA in Spanaway/Tacoma WA) and the 'tweaked' my tune to try and work out some hesitation bugs. AFTER the short block, I was still running the modified tune. I went back and they quickly flashed back to stock. Without knowing if the prior odd behavior the tune compensated for was caused by the soon-to-leave-me ringlands and a poor internal condition, I wanted to be as stock as possible before I start looking for and troubleshooting new issues as they crop up. Also, still looking for wheels. Nothing wrong with the stocks, but they're heavy and I want less spoke and more brakes visible.

I thought about junkyard crawling, but I figure I'd try this first. I have no doubt the OEM part will hold up better, but this took less than an hour of fiddling/measuring/modeling, and most everything else happens automated. I'd very likely spend more time than that going to/from the yard to pull the part--if I could even find one.

Been kind of quiet with my GT projects lately, but after trying to locate a (likely unnecessary) oil filter door for the engine splash guard, I just said 'screw it' and made it a project instead. 3d printed one out of PETG material, we'll see how it holds up. Even thought it's not a huge part, still took 23 hours to print because the material really likes a slower print to come out better. PETG has decent heat resistance, and it shouldn't get too terribly hot as it's on the bottom and has good airflow. Not shown are the numerous simple test outlines I printed to get the shape right. Is it needed? No. But I like having all the pieces in place as best I can.

No record breaking here. ~140k miles on the car, trans, etc. ~1000 on new short block, haha. BUT, if the previous owner (not sure which of the two) hadn't put a COBB intake on it with no tune and caused terrible running conditions, it would probably be on the original engine with lots of life left. I'm planning on it lasting a while so I'm treating this car better than it's probably seen in its recent history.

Dang, I didn't know this. I've done without the under tray since I rebuilt the engine. I wanted to make leak detection easier, etc. But now that things are good and I want to drive more spiritedly, I'll make sure I throw it back on.

You started in Orting? I'm just up the hill in Graham. Small world! That can be a really nice drive. We have some very scenic routes around here.

Finished replacing the hubs. I strongly recommend disconnecting the steering end link from the spindle. Pull the pin, undo the castle nut, tap the ball-joint shaft and with it out of the way the spindle can be turned both ways quickly and easily for better access. Also, almost cross-threaded a caliper bracket. I don't know how the F I managed to do it, it started easy by hand and I almost just grunted through tightening it up. Caught myself in time, cleaned the threads by going through backwards and was able to install/torque it fine. About sh!t myself when I realized what I'd almost done. But, wheels are turning nice and quiet again. We'll see how long these hubs last.

Replaced the front hubs. Well, I attempted to replace the front hubs. Trying out Detroit Axle as reading HERE they seem to be a decent option. Driver side was ok, took some time to remove the bolts but I eventually got it all back together. Passenger side, however... 3 out of 4 bolts had enough thread damage from corrosion that I could barely get them out, and can't be re-used. So after I get new bolts *sigh* I'll get the passenger side on. On the plus side, the brakes are in excellent shape and I have a lot more time remaining than I thought.

Good advice, and thankfully I'm already in the habit. My previous car was a Saab 9-3 with the GM 2.0T that I learned about letting things cool down. Paranoia and first turbocharged engine made me learn a lot.

I figured I was probably safe for it. Not much will change in the engine with another couple hundred miles. I bet 95% of "break in" was done after a couple hundred. But I think I'm trying to train myself to not flog the car, haha. I know it's not exactly fragile, but I want to make sure I get into a habit of less 'racecar' and more 'daily driver with zip'.

Just an update to those who may be following. Coming up on 1000 miles since first start, and the Learning View looks fantastic (screenshot from BtSsm): Perfect IAM, zero knock events and the fuel correction % are less than 5% which is ideal. Still haven't pushed too much above half-throttle/low boost. But the LV doesn't reflect much open-loop data anyways (none, as far as I'm aware). Had a small external coolant leak (turbo coolant hose) because of an old spring clamp. Replaced it with a regular hose clamp and seems to be gone.