Questions about Subaru, first post, loooong reaD

[ecomodded]

Originally Posted by grinderdust

BTW...still looking for a hillbilly way to get rid of the rich burn bump start problem. Scanguage is nice but I would like to save money. Would a fuel pump cutoff be possible? Any suggestions for wiring?

You may be able to turn off that feature threw the ecu? just a guess.

[ProDarwin]

Originally Posted by orangustang

I would like to, someday, find a Legacy rolling chassis, put a native FWD (transverse-mounted) drivetrain under the hood, and do exactly what you're talking about with the rear wheels. That would do away with the additional drivetrain losses of RWD over FWD (from changing the plane of rotation), retain AWD functionality, and gain the advantage of a light hybrid system.

IMO, best starting point would be a Civic. You can keep the transverse FWD section and use the very lightweight rear drive-train section from a CRV or the late 80s Wagovan AWD model. There are a few AWD conversions floating around on the web for Civics and there are enough parts that they don't require serious fab-work that I know of.

[pete c]

Originally Posted by grinderdust

BTW...still looking for a hillbilly way to get rid of the rich burn bump start problem. Scanguage is nice but I would like to save money. Would a fuel pump cutoff be possible? Any suggestions for wiring?

Maybe you are right, but, as fuel prices get higher and higher, the desire to get every MPG possible becomes more important and I think trumps the desire to have AWD, especially for the majority of owners who honestly have no need for AWD.

Subaru makes enough cars that their engineering/manufacturing capabilities won't be spread too thin by the added models. And I doubt their very loyal customers will forget that they've got a little experience with AWD.

I think the biggest question is, does the added cost of additional lines raise the price of their AWD models more than a few bucks. if it does, then I agree that it makes sense to stick with an AWD only lineup.

[grinderdust]

Thanks everyone. ecomodded, It seems altering the ecu would be exactly what I want but I have no idea even where to begin. I was hoping to be lazy and find someone who already knows how. Pete c. I have to humbly disagree with you that Subaru has the engineering/manufacturing capability to design and build more/different cars. Just my opinion but from what I've seen they are very slow in releasing new designs and a bit smaller than the competition. Redpoint5 is thinking like the big wigs at soob. I for one would like to see them release FWD or even RWD as an available option on all their models. No confusion. You just order the thing the way you want. They would be rather expensive for a 2wd vehicle though. ProDarwin I like your Idea and agree a civic is a great, great car for mileage but I don't have one. I used to have a wagovan and loved it but the rust ate it so completely that it wasn't safe. I do have an accord wagon so a link to some of those parts would interest me. Right now though I am broke and I need my Subie for the snow and mountains and off road. A quick note: Redpoint5 mentioned the safety factor of the Subaru AWD and I can personally vouch for this after a near miss in which I simply used the shoulder to avoid an accident happening in front of me. The legacy wagon is absolutely incredible at soaking up huge bumps and staying stable and in control while carving a four wheel rut through the wet grass at 60+ mph. Definitely safer than a truck or suv and more able than a car. My girlfreind was with me and wants one now too.