2006 Subaru Forester 2.5 X premium from North America - Comments

No problems.

Just got back from a 3100 mile road trip, and was very happy with Forester. Good seats, great handling, low cabin noise. Average about 25 mpg which should go up as the tires wear and the engine gets a bit looser.

The engine has plenty of power and the 4-speed automatic shifts smoothly. In fact, the 2006 Forester is a sporty vehicle that is fun to drive because of its low center of gravity.

2 things that I have done to the original vehicle is that, at 500 miles, I changed the lousy OEM tires to Goodyear ComforTreds (greatly improved handling and ride and no tire noise) and I added sound damping material to the doors and the rear cargo floor. This resulted in a couple of improvements: the stereo sounded much, much better and there was a significant reduction in road noise.

Subarus have a distinct personality and you have to read the owners manual to operate the vehicle correctly.

Will probably replace the "donut" temporary spare with a regular tire spare since on a long road trip I wouldn't want to be bother with fixing a flat immediately.

Overall, the fit and finish of the car is very high and its all-wheel-drive system provides a lot of traction in bad weather situations. Also, a very safe vehicle with a 5 star rating.

How did you add sound dampening material to the doors and rear cargo area? I just got a 2006 X Premium and I'd like to do the same. Send me a message at mw@hhresidents.org.

I would also like to know how you added sound dampening material to doors and rear cargo area. Would be great if you could email me at df108g@yahoo.com thanks.

May I share this info from you? Thanks so much! liao_jay@hotmail.com.

Hi, I would like to know how to reduce the noise?..Please e-mail me at thirdback@hotmail.com..Thank you.

I admire Subaru for their original design. Unlike other japanese makers, they are not tailing europeans or americans for design. We can debate the H engine origin, but not is improvement by the company. Not to mention the AWD tech, that resemble the 1973 Jeep Quadra-trac. Drive train noise is minimal, insulation is good, but don't hit a pothole. And what about those frameless windows. They shake and rattle like a 60's Chrysler Hardtop.

Sorry is has taken so long to post the information.

Basically, the areas I treated were the doors, under the back seat, the cargo floor area, and the hood. It takes time to apply the material, but not very much technical skill.

You need to use two materials to achieve good results. The first material is called B-quiet ultimate. There are other brands out there so research them for the best deal.

http://www.b-quiet.com/ultimate.html

And the second material is called ensolite mlc foam. I used the 1/8" and the 1/4" stuff. You need some 3M auto spray adhesive to stick the foam in place. On the doors it is best to apply the foam to the inside of the door panels.

Anyway, the b-quiet stuff once applied sticks like crazy. No way is it going to fall off. You can double up on too if you want. Inside the doors I only covered about 40% of the sheet metal.

I bought two thicknesses of the ensolite MLC foam, 1/8" and 1/4". I used the 1/8" foam on the doors and 1/4" every where else. Of course, no foam under the hood. Just put the hoodliner back in place.

Doors: apply the b-quiet to the inside of the exterior sheet metal, cover about 50% or whatever you can reach. Use utility scissors to cut the stuff and wd-40 to clean the scissors. Apply the1/8" foam to the inside of the door panels using the 2M auto spray adhesive. Spray the adhesive on the foam. You want to cover as much of the panel as you can, but 80%+ is fine. Of course, don't cover the speaker holes. Work slow at first to get the hang of it, but like I said you get to be a pro before too long.

Hood: take the hood liner off and apply some of the b-quiet to the smooth sheet metal between the ribs. You will need to get some replacement hoodliner retainers because the subaru ones can't be re-used. Dorman 799-145 headliner retainers work fine. Buy them at O'reillys, etc.

Under the back seat: Unbolt the back seat and remove, apply a lot of the b-quiet, in some places 2 layers and then glue the 1/4 foam in large pieces to the b-quiet.

Cargo floor and spare tire well: repeat above. This area will take the most time. You will see that the quarter panels and wheel wells have a thick foam sound proofing material on them.

I didn't do any place else because I didn't want to mess with the seats. And I didn't put any around the engine compartment because I didn't want to spoil the looks. In fact, there is really no way one can tell that I did the sound damping project. The areas I did are the top road noise areas and you will be impressed with the difference.

Thanks for the great description of "soundproofing" your Forester. I obtained all the materials recommended and after about two hours of fussing around, it seems that the stock stereo is now a $600 after market premium brand. Road noise at 70mph is greatly reduced as well. It's amazing. Thanks again.

Glad to hear that your Forester "sound damping" project went smoothly.

I was so impressed with the "before and after" difference I went ahead and did another, older car that I have since I had plenty of material left over.

A new product on the market---Valeo windshield wipers-- also reduce wind noise. I put them on all 3 of my vehicles because of the improve wiper action and because they make the cabin quieter.

I know that the next time I buy a new car, the first then I will do the sound damping project. Makes long interstate trips a lot more enjoyable and less tiring. I will be driving my 2006 Forester to Las Vegas in a couple of days (1200 mile trip one way) and should be back at the beginning of May. Will post additional comment about the Forester at that time.

Thanks for your feedback!

Well, just got back from a 3200 mile road trip to Las Vegas, NV. My 2006 Subaru Forester performed flawlessly. Gas mileage on the highway was 26 mpg travelling 75 to 80 mph. Drove though some thunderstorms and the AWD kept the car glued to the road. The weather-band radio came in handy in getting the latest weather forecasts out in the middle of no-where. The interior cabin was very quiet, even at 80 mph, so was able to put in some 750 mile days. The non-turbo engine had plenty of power to go up mountains even with a fairly loaded vehicle.

All in all, the more I drive my Forester the more I like it. Plan another road trip this fall to Virgina and will definitely use my Forester. The AWD gives the driver a huge edge over adverse weather conditions.

I am thinking about adding quieting insulation to my 2003 Forester. How difficult is it to remove the inside door panels?