3.0R vs 3.0R-B

[kroma11]

You mean, H6 + KiDo tune at its best I bet this is a similar feeling to the first time I test drove one through the twisties myself... pure amazement.

Sounds good guys. Just waiting for the right one to come along and I'll snap it up!

[Mickyboy]

Indeed. The KiDo tune turns a really good car into a great one!

[Ric]

Whereabouts are you Matt?
If you're in Melbourne, and still looking, coming along to our Mar-10 cruise would give you a chance to look at several members cars all together

[KiDo_Tuning]

You mean, H6 + KiDo tune + driver at its best I bet this is a similar feeling to the first time I test drove one through the twisties myself... pure amazement.

Sounds good guys. Just waiting for the right one to come along and I'll snap it up!

Fixed... Mick knows how to steer considering the car needs a swaybar!

[kroma11]

Whereabouts are you Matt?
If you're in Melbourne, and still looking, coming along to our Mar-10 cruise would give you a chance to look at several members cars all together

Thanks for the invite Ric. Yes I'm in Melbourne eastern suburbs - Doncaster area. I would like to come along however I have a couple birthdays on that day which I have to attend. I will take you up on that offer next time!

In other news, I think I've found the Spec.B I'm buying! If all goes well, within 1 - 2 weeks I should be the proud owner of a new car

Whilst on this topic, what would you guys pay for a '08 Spec.B H6 with 40,000km? Immaculate condition.

[Mickyboy]

Fixed... Mick knows how to steer considering the car needs a swaybar![/quote]

Swaybar went on today, Matt!

[kroma11]

Hey guys,

Finally purchased a Liberty 3.0R-B! Picked it up from Sydney yesterday and drove it back to Melbourne... what a drive! It seemed like it was never going to end, however it definitely got me accustomed to the car.

There are a couple things I've found since which I'm not sure what to do with, or if I should be worried about it.
- Slightly harsh changes from the auto at times. Is this how they are in general?
- Really sloppy logic in terms of when it changes gears for you in D mode. I much prefer using the paddle mode to hold it in gear. (I'm guessing a tune will sort some of this out?)
- Central locking remote(s) seem to work inconsistently. Sometimes they work, sometimes I have to use the key to get it as the buttons don't do anything. When this happens, the indicators don't flash so I doubt the car is getting the signal, processing it, or whatever.
- Very feint whirring noise that you can hear just off idle, after you increase the revs the engine note masks the noise.
- I think the brakes / rotors need a little maintenance (rears noted in mechanical inspection only) I'm getting a kind of warped rotor on/off noise from the front left as well, which is a little strange as the fronts have brand new pads and apparently the rotors were checked for thickness/straightness. This is standard stuff though so nothing to really worry about.

Apart from that, I absolutely love it. Perfect combination of a little bit of luxury and performance, and I can't wait to see what a KIDO tune does to it. My favorite part is down shifting to 3rd of 2nd and hearing that awesome H6 throttle blip, ahhhh tooo good!

Any tips / advice would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Matt

[Robbks]

1) - Central locking remote(s) seem to work inconsistently. Sometimes they work, sometimes I have to use the key to get it as the buttons don't do anything. When this happens, the indicators don't flash so I doubt the car is getting the signal, processing it, or whatever.
2) - Very feint whirring noise that you can hear just off idle, after you increase the revs the engine note masks the noise.
3) - I think the brakes / rotors need a little maintenance (rears noted in mechanical inspection only) I'm getting a kind of warped rotor on/off noise from the front left as well, which is a little strange as the fronts have brand new pads and apparently the rotors were checked for thickness/straightness. This is standard stuff though so nothing to really worry about.

1) Fit new remote battery
2) Timing Chain, totally normal
3) Could be a high/ hot spot on the disc, or possible wheel bearing on it's way out (big lib's are hard on wheel bearings) do you get any wobble through the wheel or pulstation through the pedal

[Mickyboy]

I found the auto much smarter and smoother after a Kido tune so hopefully that will sort your auto issues, but still prefer to go into full manual mode when really pushing on.

[kroma11]

Thanks Rob and Mik. I'll sus it out.

Mik, are you saying that your auto had slightly harsh changes before the tune, or do you mean smoother in the sense that the car changes in a more logical way?

At the moment I'm keeping it in manual mode full time! The control is nice, without a clutch

[Mickyboy]

I would 't say the changes were harsh pre tune, I'd say they went from average-good for an auto tranny to a smoother change like you'd expect in a premium euro vehicle. In general driving I often don't feel the tranny changing gear at all it's so smooth! During harder driving its a touch more noticeable but still smooth.

[Jaisah]

Hi everyone! I'm new here. I've owned a 2005 Legacy 3.0R Sedan Japanese import here in New Zealand for about 3 and a half years and I'm currently in the process of selling it because I bought a 2004 Legacy 3.0R Station wagon Japanese import with 41,000km . I'm trying to work out if they're spec B or not. Both of them are auto, they both have creme leather interior, they both have Bilstein suspension and they both have alloy front swing arms and some alloy suspension parts in the rear. I don't know what options were available in Japan and every Jap import I've looked at had the Bilstein suspension and alloy suspension parts. Can anyone help to clarify this for me? I managed to find a website that has the original specs for the '08 model legacy and the 3.0R spec B has a slightly higher final drive ratio (3.272 vs 3.083) but I'm not sure if that applies to the '03-'05 pre FL models. For reference my 2nd gear maxes out at just over 110km/h.

Any help would be much appreciated

[666]

Hi Jaisah and welcome. Sounds like you have a Spec B because of the Bilstein suspension, but those alloy front and rear arms are unique because here in Australia those parts were only available as Subaru aftermarket components supplied and fitted by dealerships. Possibly the Japanese market had them as standard fitment? As to the final drive I'm not sure what the auto would use, a lower ratio seems logical.

Rob.

[Jaisah]

Hi Jaisah and welcome. Sounds like you have a Spec B because of the Bilstein suspension, but those alloy front and rear arms are unique because here in Australia those parts were only available as Subaru aftermarket components supplied and fitted by dealerships. Possibly the Japanese market had them as standard fitment? As to the final drive I'm not sure what the auto would use, a lower ratio seems logical.

Rob.

Cheers for your reply Rob. Do you have, or know anyone that has, the 3.0R auto non-Spec B who can confirm the top speed of 2nd gear? If you're interested, here is the website where it lists a whole bunch of info about the '09 model Legacy's. Scroll down to see the 3.0R. http://www.subaru.com.bh/09legacy_spec_wagon.html The final drive ratios are 3.083 (Auto non-Spec B), 3.272 (Auto Spec B) and 3.9 (Manual Spec B). If mine tops at ~110km/h and its a spec B then a non-Spec B should top at roughly 110*3.272/3.083= 117 km/h.

Cheers,
Jay

[JBM3.0NZ]

Hi Jaisah and welcome. Sounds like you have a Spec B because of the Bilstein suspension, but those alloy front and rear arms are unique because here in Australia those parts were only available as Subaru aftermarket components supplied and fitted by dealerships. Possibly the Japanese market had them as standard fitment? As to the final drive I'm not sure what the auto would use, a lower ratio seems logical.

Rob.

Cheers for your reply Rob. Do you have, or know anyone that has, the 3.0R auto non-Spec B who can confirm the top speed of 2nd gear? If you're interested, here is the website where it lists a whole bunch of info about the '09 model Legacy's. Scroll down to see the 3.0R. http://www.subaru.com.bh/09legacy_spec_wagon.html The final drive ratios are 3.083 (Auto non-Spec B), 3.272 (Auto Spec B) and 3.9 (Manual Spec B). If mine tops at ~110km/h and its a spec B then a non-Spec B should top at roughly 110*3.272/3.083= 117 km/h.

Cheers,
Jay

Interesting also got a jap import here in NZ ....07-- 3.0 GT(well thats whats on the badge) with bilsteins auto /paddleshift (brilliant), SI drive ...be interested to see what diff ratio I have ..most likely 3.083

talking round the Manual Vs auto ....after test driving a manual Spec-B I was left pretty unimpressed to trade up from my previous 3.0r auto...(onto my third H6 now) ....didn't like the clutch at all really high take-up ...and found the motors torque not being idea compared to the V8's owned of the same type KW in manual(lower RPM torque) ... and also performance wise with my limited manual skills of late I couldn't get away from the 3.0 auto following me in the test drive ...(was a rolling start 20kms to 120kms)....and what is with that 6th gear pretty much pointless outside interstellar travel which motor can't pull,,,,