I bought a Legacy!!

[Max Capacity]

What is the advantage of the extra thick Grimmspeed exhaust gasket?

 

It's also reusable.

[JustCallMeNick]

Thicker and seal better. You could always use the OEM one though. Also, your car suffers from saggy butt , hence the front gap being larger.

 

LOLOLOL when you say "saggy butt" do you mean old sagging suspension that needs to be replaced with something else? Or is the car engineered to have a saggy butt?

[fotofan]

Haha, you could say it's engineered that way. For some reason the fenders are cut weird, and when the chassis is level the front fenders have a larger gap. Lowering the car/installing 18s just accentuates the problem, and that's what we call saggy butt:)

[Max Capacity]

That's why when companies make lowering springs they make the fronts shorter then the rears.

 

For the wagon get the 1/2" spacer, because of the weight of the extra glass.

 

m sprank may still sell spacers.

[JustCallMeNick]

I noticed that all the lowering springs lowered the front more than the rear. @fotofan - Because of this, wouldn't lowering the car mitigate the saggy butt rather than accentuate it?

 

Also, on a sidenote, my wheels should be virtually the same diameter as the stock wheels. The lower profile tire compensates for the 18" rim. I believe I was told the diameter is 0.02 inches larger overall than stock.

 

It's a tough call. I hate the wheel gap in the front but Michigan roads are also TERRIBLE. The salt, weather, and plows DESTROY them every winter and Michigan is usually too poor to fix them. Lowering the car could be a risky move...

[fotofan]

I noticed that all the lowering springs lowered the front more than the rear. @fotofan - Because of this, wouldn't lowering the car mitigate the saggy butt rather than accentuate it?

 

 

 

 

Well yeah, theoretically. In practice it doesn't always seem to work that way...

[ashwinearl]

It's a love, hate relationship.

 

-*sigh*-

 

No doubt. Love / Hate get used to it. I don't think about the money anymore, in fact it is a compulsion. *IT*, whatever it is, HAS to be done.

 

Suspension problems or mount problems now, front and rear.

 

Long lost Eibach/Epic springs found and can't put them on till I clear the current problems up..

 

Today-Hate.

[JustCallMeNick]

We havnt even gotten to the sti trans swap yet. :lol:

 

I wish. This 5-speed absolutely sucks. Every shift takes 2 seconds because it's so stubborn. I already bought the Motul to put in but I've been busy lately. Hopefully I will have time in a week or two. I also have shifter bushings to install.

 

The only two things about this car actually that peeve me are the shifting and the awful handling. The handling makes me miss my '02 LGT bigtime. It has more body roll than a sumo wrestler in a fat suit. Wait, did I accidentally buy an Outback? *Does double-take* No, it's a Legacy.

 

At least it's not an AWD Camry like the 2010+ models.

 

When I get some money I can solve the handling issues anyway. I hope I didn't offend anyone with my venting! Chalk this up to the love/hate thing.

[JustCallMeNick]

Update: Installed my Invidia catless downpipe and flashed my stage 2 TA tune today. Turbo heat shield doesn't seem to fit on right with the bulky Invidia downpipe. I also had to chisel out the old donut gasket and I'm not convinced I got the new one to fit right.

 

Also, I can't run the A/C on the new tune. Instead of stalling out at idle on occasion with AC on, now it frequently does, even at like 20 miles per hour. Fan clutch? I'll have it checked out eventually.

[Max Capacity]

We all have to cut the heat shield for the bigger DP.

 

I use a grimmspeed 2X thicker 3 inch gasket for the dp to midpipe on both my cars.

 

Are you sure you don't have a vacuum leak...why does the car stall when you turn on the AC, its not because of the tune.

[JustCallMeNick]

Thanks for the confirmation on the heat shield. I am running stock cat back for the time being and so I have a 3" to 2.5" Grimmspeed adapter ( http://www.grimmspeed.com/3-downpipe-adapter-aftermarket-dp-oem-subaru-catback/ ).

 

I'm absolutely NOT sure that I don't have a vacuum leak haha. The A/C idle stalling issue was there before I ever changed the tune. After I reflashed to stage 2 TA tune the car was stalling like crazy but now it's fine. It seems like it just had to relearn how to idle and what not after the ECU learning was reset by the accessport.

 

I bought the updated TGV O-Rings yesterday from the dealer so I'll be attempting to install those soon.

 

I did read somewhere that idle/stalling issues from A/C can be related to the A/C fan clutch but I really don't know enough about that. I'm not too worried about it for the time being. I will try to look for boost leaks in the near future but if there are any, I don't think they're too bad.

 

Although the turbo whooshes pretty loudly and did even before the downpipe (it's what makes a subaru a subaru...). I thought that was normal so tell me if it's not.

[JustCallMeNick]

Here's where I'm at:

 

• 
  Kartboy short throw shifter & front/rear shift bushings
  

 

• 
  Invidia catless DP, tuned on AccessPort by TuningAlliance
  

 

• 
  Rallitek aluminum skid plate
  

 

• 
  I'm still waiting on my coilovers. They have been on back order with the manufacturer for like three months now.
  

 

• 
  I also am working on some plans to address the dim lighting of the lights. It might blow of in my face though.
  

 

So I'm at Stage 2 (barely): where should I go from here?

I'm thinking GrimmSpeed TMIC, catback, possibly aftermarket catless uppipe?

 

What is the diameter of the oem uppipe?

 

A 3" catback to meet the 3" downpipe and an intercooler upgrade are obvious next steps I think but after that where is the most [horsepower|torque] per dollar? Go straight to vf52 after that?

[08 LGT]

1.) Are your clutch pedals heavy like mine? My 02 LGT never had a heavy clutch.

 

2.) Also, those of you with Rotella T6, how often do you change your oil? I always did my conventional oil at 3,000 miles but people with synthetic always claim they wait one hundred million miles to change their oil (it makes me anxious). I mostly do city driving with little bits of 10 mile at a time highway commutes.

 

Having had two of these (the first car was destroyed by a jabroni who hit me), yes, the stock clutch is pretty heavy. It's very progressive in how it engages (at least on 2008's), but heavy.

[WahooNo2]

i change my rotella t6 between 3500 to 4500 miles, i use decent filters people on here like the subaru filters and put magnets on them to see if there is any ferrous metals then cut the filters open after each change.

I still love my fumoto valve for oil changes, I tell all my friends about them.

If you are looking for more stuff to do you can replace diff and swaybar bushings, transmission mounts, pitch stop, ss brake lines, front upper and lower strut bars. When was the last time the timing belt was done?

[JustCallMeNick]

I'm hoping to winterize and install the coilovers in the next couple of months but I'm not getting my hopes up as my time seems to dissolve through my fingers like sand.

 

First winter in the fourth gen! I hope we get some good snows.

 

Biding my time, trying to score some things off Classifieds or sales if I can until I get my next tune. GS TMIC, blown VF52, possibly EL headers if I come across a good deal.

 

I've only had the car a few months but I've gone through a few shift knobs. Currently I'm really enjoying one that is just like the stock one on my last Legacy.

[The 2Fiver]

In response to post #7 (I would've quoted but don't wanna bury the post you put up today).

 

I'm more or less the same stage 2 setup as yourself, it was tuned with the stock exhaust but ended up adding a 3" catback later.The CBE is what you want to get on before you decide whether or not to chase more power. Full TBE makes a noticeable difference in power. Better fuel economy, better sound and no boost spikes. It will make that custom tune worth the $$$

 

I've been told that Aftermarket TMIC don't perform much better than stock and for the money spent-may as well get a FMIC.

[JustCallMeNick]

I'm on a Stage 2 Tuning Alliance tune with a catless Invidia downpipe but on the stock catback.

 

Am I safe to install my Stromung catback without a revised tune? Everyone says no tune needed for catback but it's always in the context of an otherwise unmodified car on a stock tune.

[The 2Fiver]

In response to post #7 (I would've quoted but don't wanna bury the post you put up today).

 

I'm more or less the same stage 2 setup as yourself, it was tuned with the stock exhaust but ended up adding a 3" catback later.The CBE is what you want to get on before you decide whether or not to chase more power. Full TBE makes a noticeable difference in power. Better fuel economy, better sound and no boost spikes. It will make that custom tune worth the $$$

 

2016 2fiver, you need a proper tune for the turboback exhaust and maybe some sound advice.

[JustCallMeNick]

So yes on the tune.

 

I'm collecting parts for VF52 but I can't responsibly purchase the rest of the parts needed to make it happen this year. My plan is to install as much as possible and get retuned this year. I'm currently running a catless downpipe and TA tune.

 

I have but have not installed:

GS TMIC

VF52

Perrin Pro EBCS

GrimmSpeed Intake

Stromung Catback

 

I'm thinking I can install the TMIC, EBCS, and catback and get retuned by TA. My understanding is the GS intakes are frowned upon because of the oiled filter element.

 

Can I replace the GS filter element on the end of the GS intake with an AEM dryflow filter instead? That way I can get the wooshy noises now and be better prepared for Stage 3.

Something like https://www.amazon.com/AEM-21-203DK-Element-Dryflow-Filter/dp/B000N253HA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1495486649&sr=8-2&keywords=aem+dryflow+filter

[Holla]

You can put the catback on without changing the tune, you already have the tune for the DP, everything else you listed needs a tune revision. You're not really going to see any preformance gain from the catback, it's more of a sound and ascetic mod.