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Subaru XT Turbo Forester - READ ONLY

6715 messages,  Last post on Nov 02, 2006 at 7:48 AM

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What is this discussion about? Subaru XT, Subaru Forester, SUV



Messages Page 645 of 673

#6433 of 6715 2005 Forester XT by km24

Jan 03, 2006 (3:57 pm)

Hi
Has anybody noticed when driving the 2005 Forester XT at highway speed (60-70MPH0 or higher that the steering feels very light. I have heard that people have swapped out the steering with an Impreza STI. I would like to know what STI parts you have have used that have improved the handling and or performance? Does anybody know where you can get Forester sti parts for the USA spec Forester XT? What non subaru part have people used to improve the performance and especially the handling characteristics of the 2005 Forester XT? Does the 2006 Forester XT handle much better that the 2005 forester with the suspension changes made to the 2006 model year?
 
Thank You
Khyle

#6434 of 6715 Re: 2005 Forester XT [km24] by ateixeira

Jan 04, 2006 (2:04 pm)

Replying to: km24 (Jan 03, 2006 3:57 pm)
At speeds, even without power assist, steering can feel light.
 
First thing I'd suggest is lower profile tires, try a Plus One maybe, that'll tighten up the steering feel by itself.
 
Perhaps lark6 can comment, since he's lucky enough to have such a set.
 
-juice

#6435 of 6715 Re: 2005 Forester XT [ateixeira] by p0926

Jan 06, 2006 (6:10 am)

Replying to: ateixeira (Jan 04, 2006 2:04 pm)
Odd, I thought the Forester had pretty good steering feel at hwy speeds. Of course I suppose it depends on what you're comparing it to
 
Juice- Plus Ones definitely corner tighter but I can't honestly say that I've noticed a difference in straight-line handling.
 
-Frank

#6436 of 6715 Re: 2005 Forester XT [p0926] by samiam_68

Jan 06, 2006 (8:07 am)

Replying to: p0926 (Jan 06, 2006 6:10 am)
My 04 FXT has excellent steering feel, both at low and high speeds.

#6437 of 6715 Re: 2005 Forester XT [samiam_68] by lfdal

Jan 06, 2006 (2:51 pm)

Replying to: samiam_68 (Jan 06, 2006 8:07 am)
Mine too, was good even with the stock GEO's, much better with the new rear sway bar and a set of Avid's.

#6438 of 6715 Need some Auto tranny advice 04 XT by lfdal

Jan 06, 2006 (3:41 pm)

Sorry for the length of this, but the background is kind of essential.
 
At 27K I had the dealer do a drain and fill on my Forester. The fluid had turned brown. Still no idea why, other than a light noise when upshifting from 2-3 when the fluid is very hot.
 
Anyway, dealer did a nice job and when I got the car back the fluid was basically pink again, leading me to think he might have drained and filled it more than once. So yes, I did check that the fluid was pink. Shouldn't have stopped there.
 
2000 miles later, finally decided to bite the bullet and "learn" how to read the dipstick when the fluid is hot. I say "learn" because the XT has a definite trick to getting the dipstick in and out from behind/under the intercooler without messing up the reading. Not to mention finding the stick by "feel".
 
Anyway, by the time I got done siphoning out the extra 42oz the dealer put in, I'm thinking I'd like to either do another drain and fill or just get it flushed. (The fluid's turned deep red).
 
I called two different transmission shops, and neither of them recommend a flush, just another drain and fill. They both expressed concern that the flush could cause more harm than good. Now I'm really confused.
 
Either way, I'm going to change the spin-on filter.
 
Any words of wisdom and or general opinions would be appreciated.
 
TIA
 
Larry

#6439 of 6715 Re: 2005 Forester XT [km24] by growler5

Jan 07, 2006 (1:05 am)

Replying to: km24 (Jan 03, 2006 3:57 pm)
Could be too much air in the tires, or tires are getting worn out. The extra air gives you a floating sensation. Worn tires may cause the front end to get a bit fidgety when you're on a high speed macadam road that's rutted by heavy truck traffic.

#6440 of 6715 Re: Need some Auto tranny advice 04 XT [lfdal] by raybear

Jan 11, 2006 (4:55 am)

Replying to: lfdal (Jan 06, 2006 3:41 pm)
Tranny fluid's like oil, it darkens with use. You may be overdoing it, consult the dealer who fixes these things under warranty instead of a shop that doesn't.

#6441 of 6715 Re: 2005 Forester XT [km24] by stevev1

Jan 12, 2006 (1:59 pm)

Replying to: km24 (Jan 03, 2006 3:57 pm)
The steering on my 06 is also too light for my taste, even running Nokian Hakkepellita 2 snow tires,which are snow monsters. We have an 05 RS wagon that has a much firmer steering feel, and a 99 Legacy that feels like manual steering. Something between those two would be nice. I just keep reminding myself while going through fast corners and ramps " Fingertips ", seems to take away some of the twitchiness from holding on too tight. I am putting the Geo's back on early this year as I have a 40 hour round trip end of March, then I will look for new performance tires, and maybe a sway bar ( and springs, and..please, somebody stop me ! )

#6442 of 6715 06 FXT vs. 91 Loyale :) Impressions by xtsfo

Jan 12, 2006 (10:43 pm)

Well, I've had my shiny new 06 FXT 5spd for several weeks and about 500 miles now. This car replaced my '91 Loyale 5spd. The Loyale has 54K original miles on it and will be going to a friend's just-turned-16 son. I like my FXT but not having bought or really driven a car newer than my 91 has made for some interesting impressions. I know that they're probably better for me, but I hate the always-on running lights. I also notice that I have to keep turning on my lights to at least some degree just to improve the dash visibility. I never had to worry about illuminating the Loyale dash during the day, but with the FXT, parking garages and similar environments other than direct sunlight make the FXT dash seem way too dark. I have the electrochromic auto-dimming mirror. I like it at night, but I find myself explicitly turning it off during the day just so that it won't try to darken. The factory keyless remote is nowhere near as good as the Viper unit I installed in the Loyale two years ago. With the Viper, I can trigger the Loyale doorlocks from three floors above my garage. The Viper is also a two-way unit and the FXT factory unit is not. One seemingly odd thing that I noticed is that, compared to the Loyale EA82 engine, the FXT engine warms up VERY quickly to the point that the cabin heater is functional within 60-120 seconds.I suppose that this is normal, but it sure is FAST. And finally, I find myself having to be careful on the highway lest I find the FXT doing 80 without my quite realizing it. The turbo's effect on 5th gear is pretty amazing. I would never consciously push the Loyale to 80 because, even in 5th gear, I'd be at 4K RPMS and that just didn't "feel smart." Don't forget that the 91 Loyale was made in the 55 mph limit days.

Messages Page 645 of 673

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