MikeAldea

Silver LGT with rear wing and handicap placard at the Giants game last night

What I like about this thread is the honesty. No one is claiming to be a Life Saver (Loud pipes save lives) like the bikers do. Everyone is doing it because they enjoy the sound of their engine. Now the only question is, will there be a backlash against Subaru GT & WRXs the way there is against motorcycles for straight pipes?

With all those left over washers you could become a vendor and have your Hog-zawst pay for itself. At $1/washer delivered to your door how could anyone considering a Hog-zawst pass it up. You save them the time and aggravation trying to find the washers and it would still cost them less than it currently has cost you to go Hog-zawst. Seems like a win-win for everyone to me.

If you get off the PIP at exit one and take the road down to the river you will be at Englewood Boat Basin. You would have to follow Henry Hudson Drive south from the boat basin to get to Ross Dock. The Ross Dock area is directly below the bridge by the NJ tower. Fort Lee Historic Park is a cliff top park on Hudson Terrace in Fort Lee immediately south of the bridge. Another cliff top park, Allison Park off of Hudson Terrace in Englewood Cliffs, would be a good daylight meeting spot if the group isn't too big. I'd guess that there is parking for 20-30 cars there. But they do lock it up at sunset.

It is too late for that, I already wimped out and bought an Automatic instead of a Manual so she could drive my car. My first Automatic in 40 years of car ownership.

Which is louder...a Stage 1 Hogzaust using washers or a Seeeyaa 10 gauge copper wire tune. I enjoy a nice subdued mellow exhaust note that allows me to hear what the engine is doing. But I've got an old lady who doesn't appreciate any exhaust sound and I don't want to have to listen to her telling me I ruined my car.

Thanks for a very informative answer to my question. I had read at another location that Tein Comfort Sport coilovers were a popular alternative but wasn't sure if they met my selection criteria.

It was my understanding that this thread was a general discussion of the pros & cons of different suspension modifications. Since Subarus do have MacPherson strut front suspensions I felt the write-up about sensitivity to ride height was relevant even if the write-up was originally done regarding VWs. I appreciate the visual appeal of lower a vehicle as much as the next person but there are trade offs. I must have missed where you previously discussed what is an acceptable amount to lower. So I specifically asked the question how much if any can a Legacy GT wagon be lowered from stock ride height before the control arms are no longer level and the handling is adversely effected? It seems like that might be a question with a simple numeric answer...0.5 inches, 0.9 inches, 1.3 inches, 1.5 inches, etc., I don't know the answer so I asked the question. Do you know the answer? You say you are only recommending lowering the car the same amount the suspension might compress while cornering. But that means you would need to stiffen the suspension a considerable amount to avoid having undesireable suspension geometry while cornering. If the suspension is stiffen wouldn't that adversely effect its ability to deal with any bumps it encounters? May be you live in an area where that is not a major concern. But unfortunately here in the Northeast smooth roads are hard to find and the ability of a suspension to soak up bumps while cornering is very important for good handling. So I ask the question again how much is too much to lower a Legacy GT wagon for driving on NE roads when handling is more important than looks to the driver?

I've driven VWs for decades. I've had my current '97 VW GTI-VR6 for ten years and I've never experienced any sort of electrical problems. But bashing/defending VWs is off topic for this thread. The following is a taken from the Shine Racing Suspension site and is directed at primarily VW owners but seems to be relevant here since Subaru also uses MacPherson Struts. Why Not Lower My Car? VWs use a MacPherson Strut <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacPherson_strut> front suspension. The MacPherson design is extremely sensitive to ride height, and only really works at or about the factory ride height, when the control arms are level. There are two critical geometric points to consider when discussing suspension performance: the center of gravity, and the roll center. The distance between these two points (the roll moment arm) determines the tendency of the car to roll. The center of gravity moves with the ride height of the car. Lowering the car one inch will drop the center of gravity approximately eight tenths of an inch (only the sprung portion of the weight moves downward). The location of the roll center is a function of the suspension geometry. Lowering the body one inch on a Mk4 VW lowers the roll center approximately one and a half inches. As a result of lowering the car 1 inch, the roll moment arm has increased more than half an inch, making it much easier for the car to roll. When a car is allowed to roll, the resulting weight transfer decreases the available grip and keeps the car from handling to its potential. So my questions is how much if any can a Legacy GT wagon be lowered from stock ride height before the control arms are no longer level and the handling is adversely effected? The aftermarket wants to sell product so they will gladly sell you lowering springs & struts even if it adversely effects handling. They know that the majority of owners who spend all that money to make the change won't admit if the handling has changed for the worse. Too many car ethusiast would rather look good than feel good.