Bought my Forester three weeks or so back, but this last weekend saw the first round of (minor) updates.
The first couple of things were done at Pronto Brake and Muffler in Oxnard, CA (my brother has worked there for years). At some point, a cheap generic replacement muffler had been attached, and the production welds on the muffler itself were starting to crack, making for an annoying rattle at the rear under acceleration. After cutting it off and then holding several different mufflers up to the open pipe, we decided a small two-chamber Flowmaster had the right combination of growl without any harsh noise. It was capped off with a black, angle cut rectangular tip. While it was up on the lift, the broken front swaybar link was also replaced. (Holy crap, it actually corners now!)
After departing Pronto, I backed it up into the driveway at home and replaced the taillights with '08 Sport units. I also popped the door panels loose, replacing the stock speakers with coaxials from Memphis.
Next weekend, Plans are to do the front. The right front headlight is fogging up, so I have a pair of Sport pieces on their way to replace those. While I have the bumper off, I may also do something with the foglights and that grille, too.
That should complete my first round of mods. Next will likely be suspension (Swift/Koni), followed soon after by wheels/tires. I can't tell you guys how much help all of the threads on this forum have been to me so far, from the galleries to muffler sizing for an NA, to sizing on the replacement speakers... Thank you all!
-Dave
The first couple of things were done at Pronto Brake and Muffler in Oxnard, CA (my brother has worked there for years). At some point, a cheap generic replacement muffler had been attached, and the production welds on the muffler itself were starting to crack, making for an annoying rattle at the rear under acceleration. After cutting it off and then holding several different mufflers up to the open pipe, we decided a small two-chamber Flowmaster had the right combination of growl without any harsh noise. It was capped off with a black, angle cut rectangular tip. While it was up on the lift, the broken front swaybar link was also replaced. (Holy crap, it actually corners now!)
After departing Pronto, I backed it up into the driveway at home and replaced the taillights with '08 Sport units. I also popped the door panels loose, replacing the stock speakers with coaxials from Memphis.
Next weekend, Plans are to do the front. The right front headlight is fogging up, so I have a pair of Sport pieces on their way to replace those. While I have the bumper off, I may also do something with the foglights and that grille, too.
That should complete my first round of mods. Next will likely be suspension (Swift/Koni), followed soon after by wheels/tires. I can't tell you guys how much help all of the threads on this forum have been to me so far, from the galleries to muffler sizing for an NA, to sizing on the replacement speakers... Thank you all!
-Dave