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Wagons Subaru Crew Subaru Forester 2009 Subaru Forester
3658 messages, Last post on Nov 28, 2009 at 9:37 PM
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Bikerguy, although I come pretty late to this discussion, I bought two sets of Polk speakers (6.5" for the front and 4" for the rear doors) for my 2003 Forester XS as soon as I bought it, along with the Subaru tweeters that pop easily into their pre-wired door mounts. The local stereo shop installed a new amp as well, but it wasn't needed and actually overpowered the speakers, so I returned it. I did keep the new wiring harness for the speakers, though, which the shop said would improve my sound and cut power loss. For me, who listens mostly to classical and Baby Boomer oldies, the setup is great and the only thing that disappoints is the continuing weak reception from the window antenna. But that's what CDs and tapes - I've got one of the last stock radio-CD-tape players Subaru installed - are for. Happy Thanksgiving to All! |
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Replying to: pharmd718 (Nov 25, 2008 5:14 am) I am not sure what can be done to address the problem. Certainly, driving further just to achieve better economy is not going to do your pocket any favors. But, you might make a point to take a tank-full of longer city-only trips to see what effect it has on your economy. That could help narrow down the factors. To give you a comparison, my wife drives our 1998 Dodge Caravan a couple times a week, for about 12 miles each direction (it is cold each time she starts out). Her economy last month, with temperatures between freezing and zero F, was about 16.5. Each tank was fairly consistent, with all between 16 and 17. During the last tank, she used it for a couple of trips to a friend's house about 20 miles away, piggy-backed with the trip into town (which is the opposite direction). So, she was actually driving the van 30-40 miles or more while warm. The economy on that tank, with only those 60 or 70 extra miles mixed with the normally short trips (about 250 miles total on the tank), was 17.5 and the temperatures were between -15F and zero that whole tank. It does make a difference.
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Replying to: xwesx (Nov 26, 2008 9:48 am) One thing that can help is when making multiple stops, start with the farthest and come home. That way, when making the other stops and restarting the vehicle, it is already warm. I always did it the other way around and picked that tip up from a high-mileage site. Instead of hitting the Starbucks near my house, I stop at the last one before work now. Anticipate red lights and start coasting much earlier. Done perfectly you don't stop, but instead you blend into the speed of the traffic as it accelerates on the green light. Coast down any hill that is steep enough to maintain your speed. The instantaneous fuel consumption drops significantly if I coast instead of "driving" with only a light touch on the accelerator or even off the gas pedal entirely. I did see a definite improvement in overall economy doing these with the truck and WRX. They won't turn your vehicle into a Prius, but every bit helps and these are free. Old bit of Canadian mileage wisdom. If you are in anything close to cold weather, get a block heater and use it. |
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Replying to: xwesx (Nov 26, 2008 9:48 am) The pressure on my tires are good, so thats not the issue. When I take the car out for the weekend on a long highway ride the economy shoots up. At one point I was seeing 34mpg. On one particular day I filled out the tank and drove into manhattan. I drove around 40 miles and was getting about 23mpg. Right not my car reads an average o 15.6 mpg. The gas gauge needle drops quickly. I guess there is nothing that can be done in that respect. Its a good thing gas prices have gone down. Thank you for the valuable input....
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Replying to: pharmd718 (Nov 27, 2008 6:01 am) 2000 miles a year at 16mpg means only 125 gallons a year consumed so if you achieved the advertised 20 mpg you'd save 2 gallons a month. Do you have a block heater? They can net 1-2 mpg improvement in average cold weather (much more for severe cold weather). All of the benefit comes at the beginning of the trip because the ECU will run rich until operating temps are hit. In New York and given such short trips, it might really help and the great thing is that block heaters for Subies are cheap like borscht, literally a tenth of what some other manufacturers charge. |
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Am noticing an oddity in my '09 XT that seems to be getting worse... When first put into drive, I hear a whizzing sound as if some screw mechanism or motor was engaging. When I then accelerate forward, and with a light foot, the front wheels lurch the car forward, sometimes with a chirp. It is as if the central clutch is not properly engaging or something. This behavour is recent (it did not occur after I changed my tires from Geolanders to Nokians around 1000 miles ago). The car did not do this when new nor up through 5400 miles. The roads are not wet or slippery. Is this a quirk of Foresters when they break in? Or am I facing real trouble here? Whatever it is, it's not very encouraging for a mostly new car using a "tried and true' carryover AWD system.
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Replying to: bikerguy3 (Nov 23, 2008 11:28 pm) |
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I was noticing on the boards that people complain of the lower passenger seat. I can't tell on Subaru's website if the XT offers heigh adjustment for the passenger seat. My 01 Outback has the same problem with my passengers not sitting high enough for long drips.
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Replying to: pathtomax (Nov 30, 2008 2:06 pm) |
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Replying to: kurtamaxxxguy (Nov 28, 2008 10:21 pm) Good luck.... 
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