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mep1811

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Haven't mounted the light bar yet . We are 2,000 miles into a 4,000 mile road trip . With the recent bad weather, I'm trying to figure out what tires I want to get.
@mep1811 oh wow! Hope you're having fun and staying safe out there. My sister lives in Pearland, TX where the surrounding 2.5m people are without electricity. It's madness! So many choices out there for tires. I have the Wildpeak A/T Trails but I have nothing to base them on so I don't really know if they are the best. I am thinking of getting Wildpeak AT3Ws next. I'd be interested to know what you are looking at and why.

Thanks . We are in Florida now. Nice and warm. I'm sticking with the stock wheels so my tire choices might not very large. I only want to go up an inch in height.
 

graybaker

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I am a new novice to overlanding and I am wanting to outfit my 2017 Forester 2.5i. I want to make sure I love this before I go cray with upgrades/mods so what would you recommend for the first steps for overlanding.

My girlfriend and I are going to build out a sleeping platform for in-car camping (during winter) and proceed with mainly storage on the roof racks.

Any tips for first steps are much appreciated.
Wow I am in the EXACT same boat. I have a 2018 Forester 2.5i and my girlfriend and I just built out our sleeping platform for the back. Getting new tires and (unnecessarily) rims next week!
 

Wawa Skittletits

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Love all the Subaru build activity lately. Looking forward to seeing your progress.

Wow I am in the EXACT same boat. I have a 2018 Forester 2.5i and my girlfriend and I just built out our sleeping platform for the back. Getting new tires and (unnecessarily) rims next week!
Theres a lot of rotational mass to be saved by swapping wheels. This can help offset the added mass from AT tires which can be substantial depending on the tire choice. When building a Subaru saving weight wherever you can should be at the forefront since they’re rather anemic without the most robust transmission. With the exception of the WRX/STi the higher HP models still suffer because they’re geared for highway mpg, not going off road.
 
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wvuoutback

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@mep1811 oh wow! Hope you're having fun and staying safe out there. My sister lives in Pearland, TX where the surrounding 2.5m people are without electricity. It's madness! So many choices out there for tires. I have the Wildpeak A/T Trails but I have nothing to base them on so I don't really know if they are the best. I am thinking of getting Wildpeak AT3Ws next. I'd be interested to know what you are looking at and why.
I had WIldpeak AT Trails on my 3rd gen Outback and loved them. I just put Wildpeak AT3W on my 4th gen Outback and am equally impressed. I would say the trails seem to do a bit better on slick ice but the AT3W's chomp through snow better. This leads me to believe they just clean out better because they have a more open and aggressive tread design. The AT3W's are not much louder on the highway. Just a very light low pitched rumble that is easy to ignore.

Also, love the Black Rhino Rumbles. I guess we both have great taste :)
 

DharmaBum

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@wvuoutback AT3Ws are next for me I think. I’d like to explore Falken a bit more as I have 0 experience with anything other than road tires until recently. I appreciate the weight I save, as opposed to KO2s for example. They also seem more budget friendly.
I’m pleased with the BR rims. Had to wash the rig the other day and they were a breeze to clean unlike other BR styles (i.e. Boxer). I wish I could have saved some weight (5lbs) by going down to 16” wheels, but alas the XT’s brakes a too big. Albeit I do appreciate the added stopping power.
 
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DharmaBum

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Finally received the brackets for the roof basket light bar. All and all I think the thing worked out. The KC universal wire hider is nice and not just for lighting. I could see myself using it for other items—I’m sure there is an off brand out there for a cheaper cost. I’ll have to see how the brackets hold up in time. Ultimately I’d like to weld something to the basket to provide more stability, and have the bar mounted underneath the basket. With that said I think having the light above will reduce hood glare. Should have an opportunity in the coming weeks to try it out in the wild.
 

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mep1811

Rank IV

Pathfinder I

1,212
El Paso, Texas
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Finally received the brackets for the roof basket light bar. All and all I think the thing worked out. The KC universal wire hider is nice and not just for lighting. I could see myself using it for other items—I’m sure there is an off brand out there for a cheaper cost. I’ll have to see how the brackets hold up in time. Ultimately I’d like to weld something to the basket to provide more stability, and have the bar mounted underneath the basket. With that said I think having the light above will reduce hood glare. Should have an opportunity in the coming weeks to try it out in the wild.
Nice
 

dennisblass

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This has been an excellent thread for me to follow. I have a 2017 Outback and have more or less the same questions. I'll focus on tires.
 
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IceBear505

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Looking at tires to fit the stock wheels .
I highly recommend the Falken Wildpeak Trails. I have had mine over a year and NO COMPLAINTS! Barely more weight than stock... Quite frankly, surprised SOA doesn't just make them standard for models in US... Especially the trail focused models (Crosstrek, Forrester, and Outback, esp X models)
 

Wawa Skittletits

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I highly recommend the Falken Wildpeak Trails. I have had mine over a year and NO COMPLAINTS! Barely more weight than stock... Quite frankly, surprised SOA doesn't just make them standard for models in US... Especially the trail focused models (Crosstrek, Forrester, and Outback, esp X models)
I honestly get a kick out of everyone pumping the Wildpeak Trail when basically the same tire has been available for 5 years in the Yoko G015.
 

dennisblass

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@IceBear505 I think the new Wilderness edition’s come stock with Falken Wildpeak A/T Trails.
I like the ideas behind a Wilderness model. Id like to emulate them on my Outback to the extent that it makes sense financially. My Subbie is in great shape and I don't see me being able to purchase the Wilderness model anytime soon.