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Dodik's 09 Tribeca

55K views 176 replies 32 participants last post by  nribs 
#1 ·
so figured i'd start my own thread.

09 Limited 7 passenger leather 65k miles









put new bearing in idler pulleys and washed the bay

 
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#55 ·
So did e3 in my outback, actually changed them at 72k miles, and had the best mpg during those times. The subaru folk ngk thing mostly applies to 4cyl, tried bosch once on 98 legacy and it barely ran. Got 100 miles on these so far and cannot tell the difference.
 
#59 ·
I used bulge style lug nuts, the seat on the wheels is larger then standard suby lugs, i used stock for about three days until new ones came in, but it just feels safer with larger lugs.
 
#60 ·
Well i got back into installing my Clarion HU, rear camera was installed yesterday, and painted the panel today, hopefully within a week or so i can get this thing finally installed.
Post pics later
 
#62 ·
well as usual there are never enough time to finish this radio thing,

I got most of it working and probably need only 3-4 hours to finish everything off but family is a priority.

Since last update I got the radio installed for a while, but had a few issues, not sure if its the radio or the harness but i seem to loose all the presets even though 12v accessory is hot 24/7, still need to tap into reverse wire for camera to switch automatically and install nav/video bypass.

Installed new LCA bushings AVO/whiteline now i get a shake past 75mph not sure if bushing related or the rear bushing thats frozen to the bolt and messing with alignment is causing it.

Today new LED low beam bulbs came in, going to install tonight, in past year replaced like 5 or 6 halogen bulbs wanna try something different,
 
#64 ·
well i installed one so far, and it is just as easy and uncomfortable as changing a regular bulb.

The color is a lot bluer than halogen which is expected.

I have not driven it in the dark as it is almost impossible to find a dark place in NYC. So cant say for the light pattern, or the amount of light produced

The way that the heatsink works it needs to be outside of the headlight, and it is a bit too long to fit the dust cover back on anyway.
So the rear cover will have to be modified.

 
#68 ·
^ Doh! I read his 1-2-3-4's post simply as "beam pattern," as that - as a flashaholic - was what was on my mind. :lol:

For whatever reason, that part about the DRL didn't register on my mind at all...probably as I reasoned that he must have been speaking of the inboard high-beams totally separately. :lol:

AFAIK, Dodik, you're correct in your assumptions of the inboard (high beam) DRLs.
 
#74 ·
So I had a chance to drive at night without street lights around. Here is my impression.
There is definitely enough light but i do not think it is distributed properly, there is a pretty large hotspot right in front of the car, fog lights are useless at this point, which kinda creates an affect that it is harder to see anything past that spot sort of like looking out a window at night from a bright room. I think this mostly due to the car being dropped in front and i never adjusted the lights vertically.

I can see all the reflective signs/marking on the road just as far as with halogen but not road surface itself. So light is going far just not at the correct angle.

On the plus side, the color is white with slight hint of blue which is great, they light up instantaneously no lag as with some HIDs, so switching from high to low is not a problem.

I will eventually adjust the lights vertically and report back.
 
#75 ·
So I had a chance to drive at night without street lights around. Here is my impression.
There is definitely enough light but i do not think it is distributed properly, there is a pretty large hotspot right in front of the car, fog lights are useless at this point, which kinda creates an affect that it is harder to see anything past that spot sort of like looking out a window at night from a bright room. I think this mostly due to the car being dropped in front and i never adjusted the lights vertically.
Can you re-aim the fogs to compensate?


I can see all the reflective signs/marking on the road just as far as with halogen but not road surface itself. So light is going far just not at the correct angle.

On the plus side, the color is white with slight hint of blue which is great, they light up instantaneously no lag as with some HIDs, so switching from high to low is not a problem.
How "blue?" Did they disclose the color-temperature of the bulbs?

The reason I ask is because of early experiences with various "blue" incandescents, which also seemed to have a dark-spot defect, but in actuality was throwing light there...just not that can actually be seen!

They lit up road signs like crazy, too.
 
#76 ·
I got 6000k color so its not too blue, more like a factory HID color on all the european cars.

I don't think fogs are adjustable.
Overall i am happy with the outcome anyway. At least for now.

SO its that time of the year again when winter tires a ready to go back on the car which always gives me crazy ideas on what to do next.

I most likely will sell the current 20's over the winter, so i can get something new wheel wise but what to get?
Do i go 20's again or lift the whole car and got to 17s with balloon tires and get maybe 1" to 1.5" of lift?

ps. weighted OEM wheels that come standard on 08+ they are 32lbs a piece. Yikes..
 
#80 ·
I don't think fogs are adjustable.
^ Ah, I did not know that. :eek: I've never tried.

What about installing an external LED auxiliary headlamp array or even light bar for better foreground fill and/or side spill?

SO its that time of the year again when winter tires a ready to go back on the car which always gives me crazy ideas on what to do next.

I most likely will sell the current 20's over the winter, so i can get something new wheel wise but what to get?
Do i go 20's again or lift the whole car and got to 17s with balloon tires and get maybe 1" to 1.5" of lift?

ps. weighted OEM wheels that come standard on 08+ they are 32lbs a piece. Yikes..
Man, as you guys have said, that's hefty. I could feel that they are significantly heavier than that of my previous/current vehicles (SH Forester, BL legacy), but I didn't think it was that much: then again, my butt-dyno is notoriously unreliable. :eek::lol:

As with MiddleAgeSubie, I'm a fan of dropping the unsprung weight and rotational mass as much as durability would allow. That's often a hard balance for those of us in weather-compromised areas, as the frost heaves in the winter are definitely a concern, but so are the awful potholes resulting from road treatments and plowing, which can extend literally to the time of the first frost the next year! :lol: Reminds me of that song my daughter likes so much, twenty one pilots' "Tear in my Heart.":lol:
 
#77 ·
Funny you mention that, Dodik - I got some Lexus RX 5 spokes (18") for winter use and they are noticeably lighter than the stock ones.

It's a shame I'm so in love with the WRX STi 5-spoke (08-10) wheels because those are really heavy, too.
 
#78 ·
Yeah i noticed that too, most subaru wheels that are interesting in design to me are heavy, but then again that what gives you confidence on the road.

I think my next setup will be something 275 wide not sure on wheel diameter yet.
 
#79 · (Edited)
I am no fan of wheels over 18". I like 18s on the Beca but not the look of the 2008 ones. I wonder what a 275 on a 17" would look like.

On a loosely related note, I just got my 17" Enkei Racing RP03 for the Outback, wrapped up in 225-65-17 BFG TA KO2. The stock 13-14 OB wheel is only 21.7, but the RP03 is 17.9 w/o much if any loss in strength.

The stock wheels are 32lb? Ouch. The original tire is 33 lb for a total of 65. There is so much room for improvement, then....Presumably, a good quality 17 or 18 that is strong but light and dressed in a normal weight tire (not AT), should make for a nice change in driving dynamics.

On TireRack, I like the Enkei 18" TS9 at 20 lb in the Tuning series, but the 17x7.5 Racing series PF01 is just 16.6 lb!
 
#81 ·
Yesterday i pulled the 20s off, and my 17s General Arctic something something gave me an extra 3mpg on average, lol. Not sure if its weight or diameter difference that made it but oh well.
 
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