Forester XT build - Overland/Bugout

[krzyboy2o]

Battery Monitor, USB ports, Switch, Lexan switch panel

Rear cargo led

Led light bar (need to get another set of amber lenses)

Beam Pattern Flood - Spot - Flood

Aside from the South Bay Cali heat it was a great weekend!



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[jerb]

Hi krzyboy, thanks for posting all of this stuff! I love the work you've done so far.

I bought a 2014 XT last year and I've been searching the internet far and wide to find info on doing more or less what you've already done. Like you, I go backpacking pretty regularly and often end up on fire roads so I'm trying to make the vehicle a bit more offroad capable. Specifically, I've had trouble figuring out the Lift/Tire situation on the stock R18 wheels. With that, I have a few questions:

* Which lift kit did you end up using? I'm currently leaning towards ADF
* Before you got that fender trimming done, when did you notice the rubbing? Street or only offroad? I'm guessing I will need this too.
* Have you noticed any abnormal wear that will cause some premature part replacement from this lift/tire setup?
* It sounds like you are pretty happy with Mann Engineering? Maybe I will go there too. :) I'm a total mechanical idiot so I won't be able to do much of this myself.
* Did you install that lift kit yourself? If not, could you recommend a mechanic?
* If you could change your lift/tire setup now, what would you do? I'm currently planning on just copying your choices. :)

That's it for now. I live in San Mateo, not too far from you. It would be cool to see your setup in person some time.

Awesome build and thanks in advance if you have the time to answer my questions!

 

[krzyboy2o]

Hi krzyboy, thanks for posting all of this stuff! I love the work you've done so far.

I bought a 2014 XT last year and I've been searching the internet far and wide to find info on doing more or less what you've already done. Like you, I go backpacking pretty regularly and often end up on fire roads so I'm trying to make the vehicle a bit more offroad capable. Specifically, I've had trouble figuring out the Lift/Tire situation on the stock R18 wheels. With that, I have a few questions:

* Which lift kit did you end up using? I'm currently leaning towards ADF
* Before you got that fender trimming done, when did you notice the rubbing? Street or only offroad? I'm guessing I will need this too.
* Have you noticed any abnormal wear that will cause some premature part replacement from this lift/tire setup?
* It sounds like you are pretty happy with Mann Engineering? Maybe I will go there too. :) I'm a total mechanical idiot so I won't be able to do much of this myself.
* Did you install that lift kit yourself? If not, could you recommend a mechanic?
* If you could change your lift/tire setup now, what would you do? I'm currently planning on just copying your choices. :)

That's it for now. I live in San Mateo, not too far from you. It would be cool to see your setup in person some time.

Awesome build and thanks in advance if you have the time to answer my questions!

Thanks Jerb [emoji109]!

The lift kit was fabricated by the guys at California Wheels in Campbell. They're great for tires and wheels but I'd suggest to go with ADF. This way you can revert back to stock height if you need to.

I noticed the rear tires immediately rubbing the inner fender while going down the freeway under full suspension compression. Issue gone after trimming. As for the fronts, minor tire rubbing on the struts at full compression and at steering full lock.

As for premature wear, nothing out of the ordinary. Right now I'm dealing with a slow leak and cracked rubber bushings.

I recently switched mechanics. The guys at Mann are great and very knowledgeable,
however they're more focused on high performance racing and can be quite costly. Garage One is another shop specializing in Subarus. They have an offices in Mountain View and Campbell which is convenient for you.

I'm always up and down the peninsula as I work in SSF. Definitely down for rigs n coffee. :) know any local fire roads?

Things I'd change:
Go with ADF and run 17's

** if you have a roof rack, NEVER use the car wash gas stations[emoji30]** live and learn!




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[krzyboy2o]

Need new crossbars

The car wash ripped the OEMs along with my basket right off!




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[WindyCity_MDX]

Need new crossbars

The car wash ripped the OEMs along with my basket right off!

dude, you got some body damage and now a battle with the car wash? you can't get a break! dare I ask if the car wash is going to help you out with replacement parts?

 

[krzyboy2o]

dude, you got some body damage and now a battle with the car wash? you can't get a break! dare I ask if the car wash is going to help you out with replacement parts?

I Know.. they have disclaimers stating they are not responsible for any damage. i think the universe is telling me to keep my XT stock.

 

[Wawa Skittletits]

I Know.. they have disclaimers stating they are not responsible for any damage. i think the universe is telling me to keep my XT stock.

I know the universe personally and that's not something they would typically say.

 

[krzyboy2o]

After running "topless" for a week my gas mileage super improved. From 19 to 24mpg. Is 5mpg loss common when running a roof basket? What mpgs are you guys getting with baskets?



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[krzyboy2o]

Finally back home. Gearing up for the Spartan Beast in Tahoe this weekend.

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[krzyboy2o]

Thank you!! Loving the new swag!

 

[krzyboy2o]

its been awhile. work is keeping me busy which is a good thing. So recently I've been hearing a constant knocking in the suspension. found the culprit to be a bent rear end link that loosen up over time. Ordered a new set from Kartboy and gonna change them out.

I've been debating between more lights or a full size spare.

The light bar is great however its more flood than spot. So I'm thinking to add 2 or 4 7" Round Auxbeams on a SSD Performance lighbar.

if not, a full size spare with steelie rim

Decisions....

 

[Wawa Skittletits]

its been awhile. work is keeping me busy which is a good thing. So recently I've been hearing a constant knocking in the suspension. found the culprit to be a bent rear end link that loosen up over time. Ordered a new set from Kartboy and gonna change them out.

I've been debating between more lights or a full size spare.

The light bar is great however its more flood than spot. So I'm thinking to add 2 or 4 7" Round Auxbeams on a SSD Performance lighbar.

if not, a full size spare with steelie rim

Decisions....

This is an easy decision. You want that full size spare.

 

[krzyboy2o]

This is an easy decision. You want that full size spare.

Thanks! but after seeing your light setup, priorities get jostled around.

Tires it is!

 

[Wawa Skittletits]

Thanks! but after seeing your light setup, priorities get jostled around.

Tires it is!

Haha thanks. Lights are great but you need 4 tires to get home and when it comes to Subarus your difs will thank you if happen to get a flat.

 

[krzyboy2o]

The Subie is now official! Thanks @Michael for badging OB2976.


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[krzyboy2o]

Took a detour on the way home yesterday...


Going back today with the go pros. [emoji4]

Location: Skyline Open Reserve


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[LandPirate]

Definitely go for the full sized spare. I was 40 minutes into a national forest last week when I tore a sidewall. Full sized spare, the correct tools and 15 minutes and I was back on the trails. It's really not optional as far as I'm concerned. Great build, keep up the good work!

 

[Sierrahotel83]

After running "topless" for a week my gas mileage super improved. From 19 to 24mpg. Is 5mpg loss common when running a roof basket? What mpgs are you guys getting with baskets?



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I've had this experience on my car, and I have a rather small basket, 26" wide. It probably knocked about 5MPG.

 

[krzyboy2o]

Weekend fun..

Got my Trifecta and did some trails at Hollister Hills.

Yes, the Subie made it through blues and black without issues. Video to come as I know some of u want proof. [emoji38]

The taco was our insurance policy.

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[jerb]

Thanks Jerb [emoji109]!

The lift kit was fabricated by the guys at California Wheels in Campbell. They're great for tires and wheels but I'd suggest to go with ADF. This way you can revert back to stock height if you need to.

I noticed the rear tires immediately rubbing the inner fender while going down the freeway under full suspension compression. Issue gone after trimming. As for the fronts, minor tire rubbing on the struts at full compression and at steering full lock.

As for premature wear, nothing out of the ordinary. Right now I'm dealing with a slow leak and cracked rubber bushings.

I recently switched mechanics. The guys at Mann are great and very knowledgeable,
however they're more focused on high performance racing and can be quite costly. Garage One is another shop specializing in Subarus. They have an offices in Mountain View and Campbell which is convenient for you.

I'm always up and down the peninsula as I work in SSF. Definitely down for rigs n coffee. :) know any local fire roads?

Things I'd change:
Go with ADF and run 17's

** if you have a roof rack, NEVER use the car wash gas stations[emoji30]** live and learn!

hey man, sorry for the delayed replay. I wanted to make some progress before responding and my progress is... slow lol. Since we last spoke, I have done the following:
- installed the 3-part primitive skids
- ordered a 1.5/1.75 ADF kit (like 3.5 weeks ago, I guess he's still building it...)
- spent what seems like an eternity trying to find 17" wheels that I think are cool and actually fit our fxt (STILL haven't decided after nearly two months of searching)
- built a sleep system for the back
- installed some crossbars for the top and ended up going with a box even though the baskets look so much cooler :(

Nice job in hollister, I'd love to see the video for inspiration, not proof.. :) To answer your fire road question, I don't know of anything special but I can list the few that I have been notable for me:

If you are headed to Bull Run Lake in Carson-Iceberg wilderness, there's a "no cars allowed" road all the way up to the trailhead. Most people park right off the road but I took the challenging road for a ways before it got too crazy. Probably not exciting compared to what you've done but, hey, if you are going to backpack anyway it's kind of a fun road. Had to negotiate a bunch of ruts and a couple of 2 touch-point spots.

Similar to the above, I ended up on another "no cars allowed" (sign posted) road that I really probably shouldn't have attempted, considering my lack of rescue gear and shitty tires. Anyway, if you leave the Summit Ranger District station near Pinecrest lake and head east towards Gianelli Cabin Trailhead (in Emigrant Wilderness), there's a maze of fire roads back there that will get you to the trailhead. There's actually a paved way in that we missed and our nav sent us down this crazy path instead. I am not supposed to post links yet but if you search for "4N34 Pinecrest" on Google maps, you will find it.

I also had some trouble on the fire roads in Yolla Bolly - Middle Eel wilderness out in Mendocino but I can't be as specified without some map study. A lot of roads are fun for me but those two I mentioned above were both signed and a little scary/exciting... :) I'm sure you can handle them easily.

Anyway, since I finally have something reasonably cool that I could show you if we met up (my sleep system), I would be down to catch coffee sometime on your way up and down the peninsula. Shoot me a PM if you want to figure something out.