UNofficial Outback Accessories

This page contains add-ons and accessories that Outback owners have found useful or that might be better/cheaper replacements for OEM equipment. They are NOT endorsed by Subaru, though I don't believe anything would actually void your warrenty. Indented text is usually a quote from another user.

Please choose a section:

Performance

Safety

Comfort/Convenience

Appearance/Protection

Misc

Performance

• Mike Shields has opened a Subaru performance center in California (you *WOULD* have to be across the country, wouldn't you??). He sells parts, and will also make performance upgrades to your car in his shop (SPD). He's currently investigating building up a WRX-type car, and can get turbo motors and parts at good prices (also suspension and brake things as well as ProDrive and OEM Subaru performance items). He also *really* knows his stuff.

• K&N FilterCharger air filter. K&N makes free-flowing non-disposable air filters for a variety of cars. Since the filter is free-flowing, you get a boost in horsepower and fuel economy since the engine can breathe easier. It's not much (5-8%, according to K&N), but you'll never have to buy another filter again - they come with a 10-year, MILLION-mile warrenty. Clean it every 30-50k miles and you're set. Part # 33-2031-1 (designed for Nissan, but fits Subaru). NEW - part number for Subaru 2.5l is 33-2075. Dimensions are nearly identical. (thanks, ImpalaSS@misslink.net)

• Want to see some Subaru-stock performance parts from the rest of the world available in THIS country? Email SOA and tell them... I got a response from Denise Schwartz, of the Subaru of America, Inc. Internet Group, who told me they're starting a file of interested parties to judge what the desire might be. It can't hurt... *UPDATE* As most of you have probably seen by the 2.5RX prototype at the NY Auto Show, Subaru is indeed serious about giving us what we want. Recent auto magazine articles mention new exhausts, suspensions, and appearance parts. Nothing on the 2.0l turbo, though :-(

• MRT, an Australian rally shop, stocks a number of performance parts for Subarus. I'll be making a list of their Legacy parts soon. They're friendly, and quite willing to ship to the States. They're also an official Prodrive outlet (Prodrive handles Subaru's rally equipment).

• A company called Turn3 Engineering (702-375-4001) based in Las Vegas is preparing to introduce a cone filter and "cold air" kit that purports to add 8-10 HP and 6-8 lb/ft of torque. This is basically a K&N cone with heat shielding and an aluminum air horn. PRICE: $175 US. They also supposedly have other Subaru products available; I've sent for a catalog and will post more as I learn it. **NOTE: I've received email from at least one person who is extremely dissatisfied with the company that handles their orders (Robocar). If you have any experiences, good or bad, please let me know.

• Anyone with a 2.5l Outback or 2.5GT who lives in the Orlando area, or who is planning on driving there soon... SUPERCHIPS, Inc., is *VERY* interested in making a chip for our engines. They need one or two cars to play with for a few days. They'll provide a rental car and a free chip in compensation... if, that is, they can make one for our cars. SUPERCHIPS can be contacted at 407-260-0838. Since the AWD Subarus cannot be run on a dyno, they WILL need to road-test the cars.

• Subaru itself is getting into the performance parts market, first with the introduction of a performance muffler in the '99 Legacy accessories catalog. No word yet on price, but applicability should be across the 2.5l Legacy line. Other parts will follow this fall.

• Forced-air performance upgrades are arriving... First up is Rimmer, in Colorado, with its 2.5l Supercharger kit. This is a bolt-on kit (ie, no welding required) that adds about 70 hp and lb-ft. Initial production is limited to 10 units for Forester/Legacy and 10 units for 2.5RS, with more to follow. Cost is $3000, and there is little claimed loss of fuel economy. Contact Rick Rimmer for more details.

• Next up is Minnam Racing, who has released its $3900 2.5l Turbocharger. This is not quite a bolt-on, as it requires some welding of oil lines. It returns about 260 HP total from 7 lbs of boost, and also includes an intercooler and upgraded cat-back exhaust system. Contact them for more details.

• A SERIOUS WARNING: For those who do intend to add forced-air boost to their cars, read the concerns from Subaru performance expert Mike Shields, which appeared in the 2.5RS mailing list.

• Need headers? JUN, USA, a local branch of the Japanese tuning company JUN, has headers for the 2.5RS. Do they fit the Outback? Haven't heard yet.

• Primitive Enterprises carries a number of performance and protection options, including strut braces, and while they all say Impreza and Forester most items will fit the Outback as well. Their full catalog is here. There's some good stuff...

Safety

• Daniel Stern (dastern@nilenet.com) has comments about headlights and optional bulbs:

   

  "Let's see, your .sig talks about an AWD Subaru. If it is about a '92 or

  newer, it has the H4 lamps, but in this country they're called HB2. (Says

  so right on the lens.) If you're VERY careful when you walk into the

  parts store, and look around and make sure the light police aren't

  watching you, and wear dark glasses and a hat so nobody can ID you, you

  can buy the $4.97 "H4" bulb instead of the identical--but $8.97--"HB2" or

  "9003" bulb. I won't tell ;-)

   

  In regards to higher-wattage and alternate-color bulbs:

  You won't find these locally.  You'll have to either go to Europe (which
  is always fun, but kinda expensive) or just order them from:
  OJ Rallye
  N6808 Hwy OJ
  Plymouth WI 53073
  (414) 893-2531 
   
  This guy carries any H4 bulb you'd care to name, and has the Osram "All
  Weather" H4 bulb (which produces this yellow light I'm speaking of) for, I
  think, $16/bulb, and the Narva H4 "Multicoat Gold" bulb, which produces a
  light with a stronger yellow cast, for only slightly more.  I prefer the
  stronger yellow, but the Osram light works very well. Seems expensive,
  yes, but they're quality products, not like the cheap Chinese or Taiwanese 
  knockoff crapola..."
   

  They also sell H4 bulbs in higher wattages - 100/90, 100/55, and 120/100 (? on that last). I've ordered the 100/90, which hopefully shouldn't overload things, and I'll report on them after a bit of use. They are about $12 each.
  • Ok - I've had the 100/90's for a few weeks, and find the light output MUCH improved over the stock 65/55's, especially on wet roads. No one has flashed me, so the higher wattage mustn't be bothering anyone, and nothing is getting overly hot on the car. I also find that even at speeds in excess of 70 MPH I am not outdriving my low beams.
  • IMPORTANT NOTE: After one bulb blew out, I noticed while replacing it that the wiring harness had melted. The other side seems OK, but to be safe I've dropped to lower-heat 80/100's and stopped driving with my lights on in the daytime.
  • NOTE!! I did major heat damage to both harnesses, even with the 80w bulbs. I've now installed a high-wattage wiring kit from Competition Limited, and it solves all my problems. The kit is about $40, and installs in minutes.

   

• Horns. Yes, the stock Outback horn is wimpy and under-powered. I'm investigating HELLA disk horns as a replacement. HELLA can be reached at 770-631-7500 M-F 8am-5pm Eastern time. Update - I ordered a Hella "Supertone" high-tone horn for $35; we'll see how it performs. Update-update. I ordered the TWIN SuperTone horms for $60. The Outback has a terminal already wired for a second horn, just in front of the battery. Your Subaru service department should be able to give you the proper bolt. Final update - I installed the horns in about 45 minutes. The biggest problem is moving the socket wrench in the small area. The horns are a LOT louder, and installation was easy with one caveat - the Hella horn expects two terminals, a power and a ground, while Subaru stock horns get their ground through the mounting bracket. Essentially, I ran a wire from the ground post on the horn to the bolt holding the horn to its mounting bracket, on the horn end. I also had to loosen and reposition the mounting bracket in order for the power lead to reach. Also - I so far have not needed to use the Hella-supplied horn relay, as the stock one seems to be powerful enough. NOTE: After doing all this, I thought of another solution - Subaru sells horns for the Loyale series that used to have dual horns (like my RX) that should just slide into place with no funny wiring or mounting point changes needed. They should also cost about the same or less, and have a better sound. If you go this route, spend the money and get them from a dealer rather than a junkyard. They were mounted behind the bumper on Loyales and are a pain in the neck to remove.

• Peat Romano tells me of a much cheaper and possibly better-sounding horn upgrade.

  There were no difficulties to the wiring the twin Fiamm horns.
  The horns ground through the brackets (supplied) all that is needed 
  is the proper bolt to mount the bracket by the battery.  I did have 
  to bend the bracket slightly close to the bolt to clear the battery. 
  The only real trick was to use some wire cutters (diagonal type) to 
  snip off the little clip on the side of the wire plug end.  That made
  it easier to plug into the horns.  I can't find the exact model number,
  however they are easily recognized.  The horns come in a pair and are
  red on one side and black on the other with a chrome grill over the
  opening.  They resemble a french horn rather than the disk type.  They
  also say "Made in Italy", on the housing.  The cost was $21.69.  They 
  are available at any chain type auto parts store like Pep Boys or 
  Western Auto.  They sound great and are simple to install.    

Comfort/Convenience

• Reader Steven Bixby (sbixby@qrsi.com or sbixby@crl.com) writes about roof rack additions:

  I ordered my Yakima system:
  "Doublecross" towers
  48" Bar
  "Steelhead" bike mount
  "Buttondown 4" ski mount
  10-pack lock cores
  This came out to a grand total of $304 & change, no tax and no shipping, from 
  "Excel Sports" in Boulder, CO.
   

  These "Doublecross" towers also supposedly allow a max load of 165 lbs on the rack rather than the stock 100.

   

• Need more cup holders? Get a Trac/Pad center console cover replacement from TracTop. It adds another set of holders that slide out from the console cover. They have a model in grey for the Legacy... *NOTE* An email from the owner of TracTop informed me that they only have Trac/Pads available for the Forester currently because of design problems concerning the cover of the center console. However, I'm going to try and make a new cover to use, and see if I can get one installed. Dick Husco appears to be very helpful, and says he'll work with me...

Direct Mail list price for Model P2(Trac/Pad) is $68.00 plus $2.50 shipping.

Mention I/Net on order and deduct 10%($61.20 net + $2.50).

 

Appearance/Protection

• CARGOLINER makes a full cargo-area liner for the Outback that extends to cover the rear seats when folded down as well as the full sides. Order via JC Whitney at 312-431-6102; specify part # 78FR7808WF, the year, make, and model, and whether you want gray, dark gray, or beige. $89.95.

• DougVC@aol.com offers the following:
  Anyway, I just got a non-Subaru accessory from my local dealer (Royal Moore in Hillsboro, OR) which I think is really cool. It is called a Monsoon magnetic nose mask and is made a few miles away in Beaverton. It is made of material that resembles a flexible refrigerator magnet, coated on both sides to protect the paint. It conforms to the hood contours, and very little gets under it (maybe a few drops of water). I just drove from Portland to Phoenix and back, and it stayed on securely. The packaging actually says Outback. I have no idea what kind of availability there is for this product, but I am very pleased with it. It is easily removed (unlike factory lexan deflector), and doesn't absorb water (unlike factory vinyl bras). The manufacturer is: Monsoon Innovative Products Co., P.O. Box 5862, Beaverton, OR 97007.

• Nick Grba adds:
  Hey Rich, you might want to help spread the word on a pretty inexpensive way to keep those darn foglights intact.I've found a self-adhesive plastic covering for the foglights that fits underneath the stock grills.It's made by 3M.The dealer has them for $25,but Novus windshield repair shops has them for $20,installed.Novus also carries custom headlight covers (made from the same material).I hope this will save someone some $.
• Tired of your grey plastic dash, and don't like the fake wood offered by Subaru? Feast your eyes on the offerings of Trimmaster. Their three kinds of wood or carbon fiber can really change the appearance of your interior. No prices yet available - I'll supply them when I get them. Note that they do not sell directly to consumers.

Misc

• Japanese-only Subaru parts? While browsing the Subaru of Japan web site, I found the Japanese (European?) version of the Outback is called the Legacy Grand Wagon. It comes with SUNROOFS. Yes, two! There's a front roof (don't know if it opens) that crosses the raised portion, and a rear one over the back seats, like the Range Rovers have. It also appears to have a limited-slip rear diff standard - I'm trying to find out if it's something I can get to replace the normal diff on the US-spec Outback. There are also several engines not available in this country - ideally, an Outback with the 280hp twin-turbo 2.0l WRX engine would be a real V8 Explorer killer. *UPDATE* And it's now (without the LSD diff) available as the 1998 Legacy Outback Limited...

• A MUST-HAVE is the new Haynes Legacy (1990-1998) service guide/repair manual. ISBN #1 56392 326 2. It's got excellent sections on how to tear down and rebuild your Outback, and how to do normal maintenance and when to do it. Available from Amazon.com for $14.95, and possibly via Borders for $12.99.