Equipping a Forester for off-Roading

wittyusername on 21/10/2020 - 18:33

I've recently purchased a 2012 Forester and wanting to soup her up a bit for some off the track adventures.

Does anyone have any recommendations to make it less likely that I incapacitate my car while out on a 4wd track? I live in WA, so mainly sand and rock, not so much mud usually.

I'm thinking a 2 inch lift kit and a skid plate should see me off on a pretty good start. Will also grab a compressor and gauge and trax.

I don't think I'd use the car off road enough to justify buying a proper 4wd, so it'd be nice to keep the Forester as my daily driver and just increase its clearance a bit.

Thanks!

Automotive Car Subaru SUV

Comments

  • brendanm on 21/10/2020 - 18:38
    +3

    Nice all terrain tyres. Skid plates are always good.

    • apsilon on 21/10/2020 - 18:48
      +1

      Tyres should be top of the list along with a compressor and gauge to adjust pressures. Bash plate next. Lift kit if the budget allows. Does the 2012 still have the low range? I can't recall what year that disappeared and Subaru began their decline. You can get aftermarket diff locks for some models so might be worth looking into depending on how deep your pockets are. Some kind of Maxtrax (do your research as they're not all equal) isn't a bad idea either. You, and most people, would be surprised where you can take even a stock one.

      • wittyusername on 21/10/2020 - 19:15

        Thanks, sounds roughly like what I had in mind (plus the tyres).

        Didn't know about the diff locks, but probably sound a bit too much for what I'll be heading down.

    • wittyusername on 21/10/2020 - 19:02

      Cheers, forgot about the tyres!

  • [Deactivated] on 21/10/2020 - 18:41
    +7

    It’s not an off-road vehicle. You’re going to break it if you push it too far. I believe the older ones are much better than the new ones, but the low range for example (off the top of my head) isn’t actually a proper low range, and there aren’t any true locking diffs. I wouldn’t bother lifting it personally, it’s not cheap to get a good lift.

    • wittyusername on 21/10/2020 - 19:32

      Cheers for the concern. I'm not hoping to do anything too gnarly, just a bit of rock crawling and sandy tracks to get to the surf. I'll invest in some good recovery gear though.

      • [Deactivated] on 21/10/2020 - 19:45
        +7

        Rock crawling is exactly what is going to destroy the car. You’ll leave with a cracked sump and radiator.

        • Euphemistic on 21/10/2020 - 20:07
          +1

          There’s rock crawling, and there’s driving along rough fire trails that are rocky. I’d suggest limiting to the latter in a soft roader like a forester.

      • Scrooge McDuck on 22/10/2020 - 21:00

        I'm not hoping to do anything too gnarly, just a bit of rock crawling

        So what's gnarly then? O_O

  • Drakesy on 21/10/2020 - 19:15

    Mate of mine has the 2006 version. they were made bombproof, the newer ones are a bit more fragile.

    Tyres first, lift kit second.

    They're alright for offroading, the lighter weight does help although the ground clearance is still an issue. Gearbox doesn't help much either.

    Fun cars to drive around town though (if its the Xt)

    • wittyusername on 21/10/2020 - 19:18

      Cheers mate, hopefully they kept making them solid up until 2013!

      Definitely aware of the low clearance they already have, hoping the 2 inches will be sufficient.

    • [Deactivated] on 21/10/2020 - 19:43

      That doesn’t make sense. The whole point of lifting a car is to fit bigger tyres. Lifting doesn’t increase the gap under the transfer case.

      • Drakesy on 21/10/2020 - 19:52

        Lifting also increases departure and approach angles. You can always buy muddies which are similar in size to those already on the car (never know the existing clearance may be adequate)

        I'd approach it this way because the op might find tyres are all the car needs rather than getting a lift kit

      • Euphemistic on 21/10/2020 - 20:03
        -3

        Lift does just that. Makes the car higher, increases the space between the ground and the underside of the car.

        You don’t have to fit bigger tyres, although if you can fit something bigger, it doesn’t hurt.

        • bhubb18 on 21/10/2020 - 23:03
          +2

          Putting bigger tyres will increase ride height, anyway. As well as going to an All terrain option will offer you a heap more traction off road, and can handle being run at low pressure.

          A twin locked 80 series on cooked road tyres won't go anywhere than a subie with mud terrains will go, if its slippery.

      • brendanm on 21/10/2020 - 20:16
        +1

        I think the component you are looking for is "differential". However, in ops case, as he has independent suspension front and rear, he will gain clearance to the diffs, as they are fixed to the vehicle. If you have live axles, then yes, only tyres will increase clearance to the diff.

      • md333 on 22/10/2020 - 13:52

        Body lifts don't increase clearance but strut spacers and springs do - which are also the easiest and cheapest way to do a small lift. Downsides are increasing the CV joint angles and potential issues with wheel alignment.

        • apsilon on 22/10/2020 - 13:56

          Most of the larger Subaru lifts also drop the subframe in order to maintain CV angle but allow larger tyres.

  • Euphemistic on 21/10/2020 - 19:27
    +1

    As long as you are aware of its limitations why not.

    What transmission is it? In the older models with low range manual most recommended the auto for off road. The low range wasn’t really low enough to crawl along. CVT may not cope well with off-road under high loads either.

    Bung in a lift, get a set of all terrain tyres and always go with a mate with a real 4wd.

    • wittyusername on 21/10/2020 - 19:31

      Not too sure on it's limitations, I work on a mine driving a Landcruiser around, so hopefully I remember I'm in my own vehicle before trying anything too crazy.

      I've got a manual, so we'll see how she goes.

      • Presence on 21/10/2020 - 19:46
        +1

        Manual without low range will struggle a lot :(

        I have an SH with low range and its still pretty difficult on hills or rocky stuff.

        • Euphemistic on 21/10/2020 - 20:01
          +1

          I had an SG with low range too. The low range was only about 0.8 ratio. Perfect for carparks, not great for rock crawling. Ultimately it is still too tall.

  • Lead Wings on 21/10/2020 - 19:54
    +2

    Proper recovery points are highly recommended to. So if (when) you get bogged, you don't rip the front out of your car trying to get it out.

    Also recommend a shovel, and one of these - great for triming back branches on the tracks to they don't leave their mark on your car as you squeeeze down….. https://www.bunnings.com.au/fiskars-two-positions-powertooth…

    • wittyusername on 22/10/2020 - 10:20

      Cheers - recovery points are deffo something I'll end up needing!

  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 21/10/2020 - 20:04
    +1

    Might have some relevant info: https://www.subaruforester.org/threads/offroad-tyres.110373/

  • Euphemistic on 21/10/2020 - 20:04
    +1

    What wheel size have you got? Might help to step down in rim size to get more sidewall height too. No good comes of off roading with low profile tyres.

    • wittyusername on 22/10/2020 - 10:31

      From memory I'm on 215/65R16 - what would you recommend the rim size being?

      • Euphemistic on 22/10/2020 - 12:01

        16 are probably the smallest you can fit. They need to clear the brakes. If you had factory 17 or 18 it’d be worth changing them.

        • Lead Wings on 22/10/2020 - 15:06
          +1

          Look into upsizing your tyres too - you will need to find out what size you can go up to. One tyre size larger diameter can add 1-2" of diameter, which is equivalent to 1/2 - 1" of lift - and lifts the diff etc too, which a suspension lift won't.

          Note it will add a bit of extra strain to your driveline.

  • [Deactivated] on 21/10/2020 - 20:09
    +2

    AT/MT tyres. Deflation gauge. Compressor.

    I wouldn't bother with recovery tracks for an AWD. Chances are, if you're stuck, you're going to need four and if you're that stuck, you won't have the gearing to climb out anyway.

  • Euphemistic on 21/10/2020 - 20:20
    +1

    Before you invest in anything, invest some time online looking at videos of Scoobyroos off road to get an idea what they are capable of.

    • bhubb18 on 21/10/2020 - 23:04
      +1

      Which is realistically the limit of what most people with Patrols / Land cruisers who need a big 4wd will do anyway haha.
      Everyone seems to think you need a lifted 'proper' 4wd to do anything off road, but a little subie will get to a fair few places, absolutely with its limits though.

      • Euphemistic on 22/10/2020 - 05:36
        +1

        Totally agree. There’s a poster above who is always commenting that you can’t go ‘proper off road’ unless you have a real 4wd with all the gear but every time mentions the toughest tracks anywhere. Says that SUVs are completely useless off road etc etc because they can’t do those toughest tracks etc etc. The reality is that a well driven 2wd will go a lot of places - not withstanding that if you exceed the limits you will be a lot worse off than if you had driven the same spot in a 4wd.

        https://youtu.be/JQOBV6zpwe8

        • Euphemistic on 22/10/2020 - 07:01

          I watched the rest of that video, one of the comments is the owner has recovered lots of land cruisers, jeeps etc most likely reason why they got stuck and he could extract them was poor driving.

        • apsilon on 22/10/2020 - 09:54
          +2

          The reality is that a well driven 2wd will go a lot of places

          This is true. When I was a kid you wouldn't believe the places dad took us in standard Falcons etc. The driver and picking the right line makes a massive difference.

  • minas01 on 22/10/2020 - 09:29
    +2

    Ignore the comments re "get a proper 4WD" etc. I had an auto 06 SG which I setup for the exact same reason. They're quite capable cars in stock form. With a few other mods they'll get you to most destinations, within reason. Along with recovery gear I did the following: 2 inch lift (combo of spring/strut top spacer), bash plate, up a profile in AT tyre to 215/65/r18 I think from memory. That was it. They excel on the beach because of the weight compared to larger 4WD's. As long as you're not rock hopping or wading through deep water you'll be fine. I've upgraded to a larger 4WD now but loved my forester. There's heaps of info within subaru forums (https://www.offroadsubarus.com/) and FB groups.

    • wittyusername on 22/10/2020 - 09:39

      Cheers mate

    • wittyusername on 22/10/2020 - 10:19

      I'm in a stock SH and gotten places people with big cruisers reckon I never had a chance. Sounds like tyres are the first thing I need to look at!

      Will scope out the forums as much as I can.

    • Euphemistic on 22/10/2020 - 15:42
      +1

      Did you mean 18” or 16” tyres?. A 215/65 18 sounds pretty big for a forester.

  • OzHunterNSW on 22/10/2020 - 09:38
    -4

    You should have thought of this in the first place, now you have a mediocre vehicle that is inadequate for your needs

    • Euphemistic on 22/10/2020 - 10:01
      +4

      On the contrary. He has a great touring vehicle that is comfortable on the highway, pretty good around town and capable of more than it is given credit for.

    • wittyusername on 22/10/2020 - 10:18
      +1

      What a helpful comment!

  • bookworm1707 on 22/10/2020 - 16:23
    +2

    Have a look at the sump guards at https://www.subaxtreme.com I had one for a forester, great product for the type of 4wd work a forester is good for.

    The two I have owned have been great for beaches, get larger and wider tyres and it will go most places with a bit of skill and care. Lots of fun!

    Mine did a heap of beaches around the country, some high clearance tracks (slowly and carefully) in the NT and lots of places people will tell you they can't go. I now have a dual cab ute, needed more towing capacity, I can think of only one place where I would not have taken the forester that I have the ute and that was one track in a 4wd park.

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