Frosty Boy - Kiwi's SG Forester

Well, I thought I'd better joint this site, owning a Subaru and having offroad aspirations and all...

A few weeks ago I took a bit of a roadtrip up to Alexandra in Central Otago with my Dad, and bought a 2002 SG Forester X 5sp D/R, in what is very close British Racing Green. 205,300km (after driving it for a couple of weeks). It's not perfect, having many superficial parking dents, and it does need a good polish, but it has no rust due to the dry Central climate, and it burns no oil. Most of its kms are open-road, as the previous owner spent a lot of time commuting between Dunedin and Alex for work meetings, and so it drives pretty much like new. It has factory cruise control, and optional foglights too.

Picked it up for ~1/3 of what dealers are charging for JDM 2.0 autos with ~100,000kms so a pretty good deal. Best price:condition ratio SG I could find - I bought it for the 2.5, not the crap DR gearing (more easily rectified & no cert needed). Having said that, I've tested out the D/R on our driveway (really steep) and it's not too bad, but low 1st is equivalent to about low 3rd in Dad's Pathfinder and the lack of engine braking compared to what I'm used to scared me a little.

Great power and torque from the 2.5, and fuel economy isn't too bad. Does the EJ251 need 95 octane? The PO always used this, but according to the owners manual 90 octane is minimum - 91 is lowest in NZ. Anyway, between Alexandra and Roxburgh, on the way home to Dunedin, there is a very steep hill with a passing lane and a 55kph entry corner. I was following Dad (Toyota 86 auto) in the Foz, and we both pulled out at the bottom of the hill to pass a tourist in a JDM Sunny. I was in second, expecting to get thrashed going up the hill. By the top, and shifting at 5750rpm or so to 3rd, I had dropped about 10m on the 86. Impressed to say the least! Best part of the trip was driving his 86 to Alex.:lildevil:

Had a new clutch at 60,000km, so it is going to need a new one soon. Also has a slight oil leak at the rear of the engine (but doesn't burn any) and I will be doing gearbox/diff oils when I install the extended rear breather (already got the 8mm vinyl tubing). Cambelt was done at 113,000kms so I'll do it before 220,000 and get the clutch/seals at the same time. Should I do head gaskets too? They aren't weeping and I checked the radiator cap for white goo - also checked it again yesterday after 1000km and it's still fine.:ebiggrin:

Plans for mods are:
Bashplate (Done with one off my old Leone)
Daytime Running lights (done)
New 215/65r16 Kumho KH18 tyres (not A/T but done, I'm used to using chains offroad anyway)
RallyArmor mudflaps - didn't have OEM ones (done)
Removed those annoying little flaps before front wheels (visual mod)
Fitted roof rack - early 90s Prorack from a Maxima
STi sway bars with quick-releases front/rear - do I need bugeye-on sways or will GC ones fit?
Fan switch - diagram please?
Rear diff breather
1.45:1 DR (or maybe AD Subaroo 1.6:1?...)
LSD front/rear/DCCD centre?
Raised Kings!!!!
Slightly modified intake - front silencer removed and first 'box' re-reouted into fender for CAI/less water risk.
Repaint wheels, probably gunmetal metallic

Reason why I went to a Forester was for ease of modding - I can't be bothered certing it and up to 50mm spring lift is legal in NZ. I'll probably body lift/cert eventually - that, plus an R180 ARB air locker, is in my VERY long-term plans for the car.

I know you're all bored with the tl/dr wall-o-text, so here's some pics with more once I've done more mods/polished it:
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Bringing offroad Subarus to NZ! (hopefully).:lol:
 
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It's about 3 hours from Invercargill. Mt. Cargill was named after Captain William Cargill, the founding leader of Dunedin, back before the gold rushes of the 1860s. I've got no idea how Invercargill ended up with that name. :)

*edit - Invercargill was named after him. Wikipedia. Where would I be without it.
 
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Well, I found a golf ball the other day so today I drilled it out and turned it into a gearknob. I've been wanting something other than the OEM one for a bit of interior spice and this fits the bill nicely. I also love the inscription on the ball.
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Also a few pics from the recent snow, our second this year:
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It's unusual to get two decent snow days in one year, and we may well have another tomorrow as the snow line is only just above the city at 5:30pm as I type.
 
Didn't get another snow day in the end, but we did have a couple of decent hailstorms. One was so bad Dad couldn't get up the drive in his 86.

Had some rally pigs lying around and was bored, so fitted them up. +5kw I'm sure. ;) Also added an old SWRT sticker I found when I was 11. I'm surprised I kept it this long.
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Sister's dog got in the way a bit:
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If you look closely you can just see the wing mirror of the 86 through the Foz
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Got my WRX alloys fitted today. They look great, so much better than the steel wheels that were on it, and are so much lighter too! The actual wheel weight is near enough to half as much, and the WRX ones are slightly wider too so the tyre sidewall bulge is less pronounced.
Better pics will come later.
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The wheels aren't gold, they're more of a bronze colour which I reckon suits the vehicle better. Gold would look a bit much, having seen how well the bronze complements the green paint.

It's definitely a bit quicker off the mark, anyway, thanks to the lower rotational inertia.

I've also got a nice Momo steering wheel to fit, full leather rather than the plastic one it came with. Should have that fitted by midnight.:lol:
 
Nice :monkeydance:

You'll find you get better economy too plus they'll shed mud better so you wont have a jittery drive home :iconwink:
 
^^ Look very nice, KF.

& NL's right about the mud shedding. I remember following him part of the way home after Bunyip, and it was as if he were driving on octagonal wheels ... :lol: :rotfl:. OTOH, the mud on my alloys just slid straight off, even though this is what they looked like:

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The next morning, they looked like this after the drive home (no actual cleaning ... ):

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:biggrin:

FWIW, I haven't heard of too many incidents where OEM alloys have broken or bent, but there are lots of tales of woe with after-market rims. My insurer will not insure my car (the policy would be voided ... ) if I were to fit after-market alloy rims, even if they were the correct size. That's a sobering thing to contemplate.
 
Cheers for the compliments guys, I love how they look. Clearance to the strut is definitely tighter but there's still at least 5mm.

RB, that's crazy how self-cleaning your alloys are! Yes, the strength question is why I went with the STi alloys as they're both OEM Subaru and also reputed to be fairly strong. Just had to wait for a set to pop up in Dunedin at a reasonable price - I paid $100 for the rims and another $96 for fitting etc, compared to ~$250 for a set in Auckland (which have probably been nicked) and then shipping, fitting etc...

My only complaint is that the 65 profiles make the wheels look SMALL!:lol:

I haven't had a chance to take better pics yet, I worked all day yesterday and did a 52km offroad/cross-country MTB race today (muddy as). Maybe this week. :rotfl:

And the Momo is yet to be fitted... I tried, but the airbag plug is completely different and the detonator is the wrong size too, so I couldn't even swap those! I wasn't going to risk the 50/50 chance of an explosion by splicing the wires directly either, so I'll try and find another compatible airbag centre for it. I just dislike the feel of the plastic wheel.
 
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^ SWMBO's SH has a Momo wheel.

She doesn't like it.

I far prefer the standard, 3 spoke wheel in my series 2 SG ...
 
^ SWMBO's is a 3 spoke wheel with cruise & stereo controls. We both dislike it.

I don't have to look at the controls on mine, ever ... :).

Frbat.
 
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^ SWMBO's is a 3 spoke wheel with cruise & stereo controls. We both dislike it.

I don't have to look at the controls on mine, ever ... :).

Frbat.
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All I was saying was that the nice 3 spoke leather wheel we have in our series 2 SG's also comes with easy to use, don't have to look at audio controls and is made by Momo. The 07 model version without part perforations and the groove around the rim is the one to get and surely there must be some now available on the parts market as there would have to be a few wrecked XT's around by now.
 
^ Yeah, I understand that many people like the audio/cruise controls on the steering wheel. Neither SWMBO nor I do, however.

I have zero problems with the cruise control 'stalk' in my SG, but cannot get used to all the almost identical buttons on the wheel in our SH.

I also prefer the better (for me ... ) texture and shaping of the standard wheel. I find it more tactile and more comfortable.

As usual, all our individual preferences in these things vary, so it's horses for courses.
 
The problem with the SG9 airbags is that they use a dual-stage detonator. My SG5 Foz uses a single-stage system.

The Momo looks like this:
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The factory steering wheel like this:
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You can see why I want to upgrade. Personally though, I like the 4-spoke wheels. I just don't like the look of the factory one.

And yes, the cruise control stalk is swappable - the actual frame of the wheel is the same, but the dimensions of the airbag centre are different, as are the connector and detonator which is odd.
 
^ Gidday KF

That's the proof of my previous statement :poke: :iconwink:. You like 4 spoke wheels, and I can't stand them!

Two things bother me about the Momo on SWMBO's SH: 1) the on-wheel controls; and 2) the shape of the wheel rim itself. In my SG (series II), the wheel rim is: 1) 3 spoke (which I prefer to both 2 and 4 spoke wheels); and 2) the sculpting of the wheel above the horizontal spokes - basically thumb 'sockets'; and 3) slightly bigger in cross section than the Momo on our SH. These things make the wheel very comfortable in the hands over long distances (for me ... ).

Fortunately, we are all spoiled for choice as to personal preferences, and I hope the new wheel is much to your liking, if you can figure out how to fit it ...

I flaming near disconnected the rear live SRS sensors in Roo2 the other day. If the connector had come apart easily, I would have done just that :(.
Fortunately, the connector resisted, and by that time I had realised the danger of what I was trying to do!

The Gods look after fools and idiots - sometimes!
 
Hi Folks - a reminder that this is a journal not a general chat thread. I've moved the good vLSD stuff out to the transmission section. If you'd like to have lengthy discussions about things other than Frosty Boy please take it out to the appropriate area of the forum; thanks.
 
So I got keen today and did some maths.
My new wheels are +53 offset, 7" wide.
My old wheels were +48 offset, 6.5" wide.

So, I should in theory have gained 5mm total in track width - however this is probably offset by having the tyre centred 5mm further in.

All I know is that my tyre-strut clearance has decreased from 'fitting chains is possible' to 'yeah nah'. Although that was already ruled out on the front by a lack of clearance with the 65 profile tyres.
 
Use RimsNTyres to calculate offset, diameters, clearance etc

Suspension clearance:Package 2 is 5 mm (0.2'') closer to suspension/brakes components. Acceptable for most cars.
Fenders clearance:100% clear (leaves even more room than OEM)
Wheelwells clearance:The same.
SPEEDOMETER:The same.
 
Yes, there is about 4mm between the inner tyre and the strut. HOWEVER. This is a major problem for me as I can no longer fit snow chains. Which is not good, as these are often required and indeed are necessary to get up the skifields here in the winter. Which leaves me with 3 options. Either get my steels put back on, leaving me $200 out of pocket assuming I can sell the alloys for what I paid, fit a set of wheels spacers (illegal and I'm absolutely not doing this) or get a set of Forester alloys that re narrower in width and have the correct offset. This is a real bummer as I love the look of these wheels.

I suppose I could also get a cheap set of 2nd hand 215/60r16s and fit them to the steels and keep them for ski trips... But this seems pointless.

Ideas? I think I should have done more research prior to buying.
 
$200 for the WRX alloys is pretty cheap, you should be able to sell them for that.

You could get some better offset alloys, not sure which ones in 16". Unless you went for the Audi conversion which are +38 offset but in 15" so you would need new tyres. Plus they're not easy to find....

Nothing wrong with having a dedicated set of wheels/tyres. I have a set of muddies that I only put on for hard offroad stuff.
 
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