Newbie GTB from Sydney.

[StealthyGTB]

Hi guys,

I have been lurking around the forum for a few weeks now so I thought I might join up and say hi.
I just bought myself an MY07 GT specB wagon with the 6 speed Manual box. I am loving the car so far
and have found lots of awesome info on them here. So thanks for being such Liberty freaks.
My last car was a Peugeot 206gti french hairdressers performance model. It was a fun little car but became a bit too small for us.
We like a bit of Snowboarding and a bit of Mountain bike action so we need the space.
So a wagon was on the cards and I really liked the idea of something that looked good, was a wagon and went fast.
So a Liberty it was. I got pretty involved in the Pug clubs/forums when I owned it so I expect I'll be doing the same with the new ride.
Looks like there are way more mods you can do to the Subaru's so I'm pretty stoked about that.

Got a few questions off the bat about the GT's though.

The drive train in mine seems to have a fair bit of movement on accel and deccel.
Like the mounts are too soft or something. Is this a characteristic of the wagon?
I checked all the mounts on mine and they look fine they just seem a bit soft for a sportier vehicle.

I'm thinking my first mod might be some STI or group N mounts to tighten it all up a bit.
Pitch stop, Tranny mount and Engine mounts. Anyone else done this?

My other question is about how they feel on idle.
Mine feels fairly smooth and the needle doesn't move but every so often I feel a slight wiggle through the car.
Is this normal as well. Or should I take it back to the dealer and punch him in the face for selling me a car with a miss fire.

Otherwise the car goes hard. It's my first Turbo so I'm having fun learning how quickly you can end up in the back of a truck if you're not careful
in traffic. I'm really looking forward to getting into some mods and lurking around here asking questions.

If anyone needs any info on Peugeot 206's I learnt shedloads about modding and fixing them in the 7 years I owned it so
I'm a self proclaimed expert on them now.

-Matt.

[rooby]

Hey,

I'm new to the forum (and the Liberty) too.

Like you I don't like the soft feel and I have ordered the STI short shifter & STI RA engine and transmission mounts from Phat.
He has a section in the commercial vendors area viewforum.php?f=38 and you can email him at forumparts@gmail.com

I can give feedback once I have received them and installed them.

[StealthyGTB]

Thanks Rooby that would be great.
I'll look up Phat and send him an email.

[StealthyGTB]

It certainly is a wallowey feeling when you take off quick or let the gas off in a hurry.
Feels like the gearbox is suspended beneath you with a few occy straps or something?
But otherwise it's a great drive especially for a wagon. Pretty happy so far.
Are you in the sedan or the wagon Roobs?

[rooby]

Haha, yeah that's a pretty good description of how it feels.
I'm in the sedan.

[senator]

Nice meeting you tonight Matt at Phat's, let me know how the sti engine mounts go, they might be my next investment.

[StealthyGTB]

Hey Tony,
nice to meet you too mate.

I was pretty impressed with the amount of work done to all the cars at Phat's house. I rocked up to buy some STI mounts and ended up there for an hour and a half perving at everyone elses mods haha. Michael looks like a talented man with a spanner, amazingly neat work. I had a look under Leo's bonnet and was pretty blown away. I drove home thinking of all the things I want to do to my ride now after seeing what's possible.

I hope the adjustable Coilover system goes well at your track day? I'll have to sign up for the next one. Sounds like a blast.

[rooby]

The engine & gearbox mounts & short shifter went in today and it's definitely what I was looking for.

Everything feels much more solid now, and the shifter doesn't shoot backwards when you give the accelerator a decent poke which is nice.
I don't notice any increase in NVH either, although if there was a tiny increase my exhaust probably drowns it out.

The short shifter is nice too, just the right length for my liking.

I definitely think the mounts are good value for money if you want a more solid feel.

[hks180]

Very good Matt !!

about a year Mike suggested i should change my mounts .. and as usual i listen to his suggestion !! in some way i was thinking whats im not not much going to change from changing mounts ...... how wrong was I !!! was very happy with the result ..

anyway im sure i'll see you at phat's soon ?!?! LOL

Leo

[Penga]

welcome!

i wish phat was in melbourne........

[StealthyGTB]

Thanks for the update Rooby, I am going to put my mounts in this week for sure. I'll let you know how mine go too.

I did actually get Phat to supply and install some better Lower Control Arm bushes on Friday though.
Went and got an alignment straight afterwards, and holy crap the steering feels sooo good now.
Way more positive and responsive. I was driving like a madman around corners all weekend.
Almost as tight as my 206GTI was. I highly recommend them, well worth it.

I've only had the car a month and already started modding things. HAHA can't help myself.

Hopefully I see you out at Phat's again too Leo. Your car is a masterpiece.
You have to take me for a spin next time?

-Matt.

[rooby]

Yeah, I have recently added the jspeed LCA bushes from Phat and his Tein s techs too, which were previously Tony's (senator) and it's a lot better.
Now some sway bars would be nice and then I'll lay off the spending for a while (although tune is my top priority and I'm in the unplanned process of buying some rims too).

[StealthyGTB]

Got the engine and tranny mounts in on Monday. Really sorted the wobbly feeling drivetrain out.
Feels really good now. Also made the throttle response feel a lot better.

There is about a 15% increase in vibration but it's not that bad. I kind of like it.
Feels like a proper sports car now.