Subaru Owners Registry

[Baipin]

Changed up the camper cabinet a bit. The wood was cracking so I just went full-tilt and welded up a nice little tube steel frame for it:

View attachment 164845

And also did a resin pour that doubles as a cabinet light + interior light!

View attachment 164843

View attachment 164844

Also, new tires! As far as I know I'm the only SJ Forester running 235/70/R16 Pirelli AT+ and 16" Method 502's in +15. They're designed to fit over STI calipers (or in my case; the larger XT front brakes).

View attachment 164849

I'll get better pics another day. ;)

 

[Sasquatch SC]

Changed up the camper cabinet a bit. The wood was cracking so I just went full-tilt and welded up a nice little tube steel frame for it:

View attachment 164845

And also did a resin pour that doubles as a cabinet light + interior light!

View attachment 164843

View attachment 164844

Also, new tires! As far as I know I'm the only SJ Forester running 16" Method 502's in +15. They're designed to fit over STI calipers (or in my case; the larger XT front brakes).

View attachment 164849

I'll get better pics another day. ;)

I love this! I want to get a smaller something like this for just the trunk area of my OB. However, having just finished building a new casting deck on my flats fishing skiff Sunday - I’m not all that confident in my craftsman skills.

 

[Baipin]

I love this! I want to get a smaller something like this for just the trunk area of my OB. However, having just finished building a new casting deck on my flats fishing skiff Sunday - I’m not all that confident in my craftsman skills.

Thank you! Well as far as wood goes, I can say I'm not a craftsman either... Metal is where it's at for me. The whole reason I took on this project was because screwed up the table the first time, not accounting for warping. :P Love how it turned out though, all things considered. This was my first time working with resin, and that light has a nice soft glow to it.

 

[Sasquatch SC]

Thank you! Well as far as wood goes, I can say I'm not a craftsman either... Metal is where it's at for me. The whole reason I took on this project was because screwed up the table the first time, not accounting for warping. :P Love how it turned out though, all things considered. This was my first time working with resin, and that light has a nice soft glow to it.

Yeah... I'm not great with either medium. I don't have any experience with metal working. I think I would need to take a class on welding or something, which I don't really have time for. I've done a few good small wood projects, but not many. The boat I built the casting deck on was an aluminum boat and I understand that aluminum is an entirely different ballgame when it comes to welding. I need to start with just a big drawer frame about as high as the wheel tubs and then let it evolve from there. I will say - I used some of that PVC-composite decking wood on my boat project and I love that stuff. Water or dirt and smudges just kind of slides right off of it.

 

[ca_rage]

Question for all you Subi lovers: If money were no object, what would you do to your suspension?

 

[blendorbot]

I did King Springs, new struts, and lift from Primitive on Outback. Love my vehicle but doubt I would do much more than that on suspension. It was a great upgrade but ultimately the vehicle is limited.

 

[offroad.GX]

Question for all you Subi lovers: If money were no object, what would you do to your suspension?

Realistically, Gorilla Offroad long travel suspension.

In my dreams, a custom 4-link setup with serious axles.

 

[Hobie01]

Question for all you Subi lovers: If money were no object, what would you do to your suspension?

I did the Rallitek springs on the OEM struts shortly after getting my forester. id like to add a 1 inch spacer before the next snow but i agree, not much really to do aside of springs and spacers and maybe struts. For me if money was no concern id replace the struts, control arms, and basically anything i can buy that replaces stock parts. aside of the strength it doesn't seem like it would do that much for me but it would look great! that also depends on where you are taking your car. my 19 forester is a daily driver and weekend fun mobile but i live in the woods where i need high clearance in the snow and getting to hunting grounds. but as is, with a rallitek half inch lift spring and bfg ko2 tires, i've never been stopped by the trail or been stuck.

there are LOTS of options and when i was planning my lift and upgrades i contacted a few companies to ask them for suggestions. Rallitek was by far the nicest and most informative. they sell king springs and struts too, in addition to their own springs. anderson / adf was also very helpful but since i went spring for part one i didnt use them. i plan on buying an adf 1 inch kit soon.

good luck! let us know what you end up with!

 

[Hobie01]

Realistically, Gorilla Offroad long travel suspension.

This is awesome! im all of the sudden excited for replacing my suspension at 100 something thousand miles now. never considered this.

 

[Sasquatch SC]

Realistically, Gorilla Offroad long travel suspension.

In my dreams, a custom 4-link setup with serious axles.

4-link with solid axles would pretty much just make it a buggy with a boxer engine.
Yes to the long travel though.
I have 2" front strut spacers, 2½" rear strut spacers, 2" subframe spacers, Bilstein B6 struts, King Rally springs with 245/65-17 tires. In a no-holds-barred scenario on a car that wasn't also my daily driver I would love to have a 4" lift from the Australians with more articulation space and bigger tires. There are a ton of components that would have to be completely replaced on all corners plus it would need an upgraded steering system and a ton of body cuts to not scrape the tread off the tires.

I am happy with my current set-up as a daily driver and adventure vehicle. I have horrible approach/departure angles and I have to fight the CVT. I keep hoping someone comes out with an aftermarket bumper replacement so I don't have to try to find someone to fabricate something for me from scratch. The CVT issues I have can be negated with a LSD and a trans cooler, but doing anything on that would void the 70k miles of warranty I have left on the drivetrain.

 

[Shokgoblr]

Money is not my biggest concern with this car. I dont have kids. I have a job. I could put whatever I want under it. I am building the car for cross country trips to go to mountain places we dont have in PA. That means a lot of miles before and after off roading.
What I have done is 1" ADF lift, and I am adding another .5 in Rallitek Overload rear springs next time I plan some garage time. I am running 215 tires too. This gives me a lot more wheel travel. The reason I did what I did, is its a daily driver. I do a lot of miles on muddy and stoney forest roads. I do a TON of highway. It doesnt make sense for me to run through CV joints and axles by stretching them to 2"+.
I often wonder how many miles people with 2" + lifts drive weekly.

 

[Baipin]

Question for all you Subi lovers: If money were no object, what would you do to your suspension?

I'd stick with what I've got now on the SJ XT Foz; 2" front 2.5" rear 2"subframe ADF spacers, add in fully boxed in lower control arms (I've dragged them across dirt and mud and they haven't received a single dent, but still...) Boxing in a junkyard pair or buying Rallitek ones would be great for the extra insurance and mild lift you can get from flipping them. A gamechanger would be the Gorilla long travel suspension. I plan on that in 5 years or so, if this suspension is shot by then. Pricey, but I think it complements Subarus superbly: We do best off road - sometimes even better than traditional 4x4's in certain muddy or sandy terrain - when we can throw ourselves around with speed and momentum. The long travel suspension would let us do that safely and effectively. Only other components I would change would be driveline; Spiider CVT controller (basically a DCCD for the Forester, Outback, and Crosstrek) and a Torq locker or switching out to a R180 from a WRX, and then putting in a ARB Nissan locker in the latter.

I keep hoping someone comes out with an aftermarket bumper replacement so I don't have to try to find someone to fabricate something for me from scratch. The CVT issues I have can be negated with a LSD and a trans cooler, but doing anything on that would void the 70k miles of warranty I have left on the drivetrain.

Learn metalworking skills in the meantime. Either it takes so long until someone makes a bumper, that you can make your own by then, or, atleast you learn some useful skills anyways...

Speaking of trans coolers, I'm thinking of this:

Summit Racing SUM-331200 Summit Racing™ Fluid Coolers with Fan | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Summit Racing™ Fluid Coolers with Fan with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Fluid Coolers at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

I like that it has a fan, so it will still cool effectively, even at lower speeds. I'd say that's necessary to be effective on the trail? I'll wire it up to a relay and a switch in the cabin. It's the largest cooler I can find that'll fit in the Forester SJ XT. I'll pair it with a Derale thermostat to route the fluid through either the OEM cooler/heater if temps are below 180F, or through the aftermarket Summit cooler if temps increase beyond 180F (i.e. only through the larger cooler in the summer, not the winter). I'm not missing anything here, am I? (Aside from plenty of hose and clamps)...

 

[Sasquatch SC]

Learn metalworking skills in the meantime. Either it takes so long until someone makes a bumper, that you can make your own by then, or, atleast you learn some useful skills anyways...

Speaking of trans coolers, I'm thinking of this:

Summit Racing SUM-331200 Summit Racing™ Fluid Coolers with Fan | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Summit Racing™ Fluid Coolers with Fan with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Fluid Coolers at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

I like that it has a fan, so it will still cool effectively, even at lower speeds. I'd say that's necessary to be effective on the trail? I'll wire it up to a relay and a switch in the cabin. It's the largest cooler I can find that'll fit in the Forester SJ XT. I'll pair it with a Derale thermostat to route the fluid through either the OEM cooler/heater if temps are below 180F, or through the aftermarket Summit cooler if temps increase beyond 180F (i.e. only through the larger cooler in the summer, not the winter). I'm not missing anything here, am I? (Aside from plenty of hose and clamps)...

I wish I had the time to learn metal working! I considered buying some gear and trying to teach myself, but I don't know what to buy. I definitely don't have the time or energy to take a class. I work as the operations officer for a company that sells specialty engineered valves, controls & components used in manufacturing but our biggest clients right now are pharmaceutical, sanitary and chemical customers. We sell the stuff that turns raw materials into actual products. The Covid-crisis hasn't slowed down our business but it has really hurt deliveries and import/export. With all the craziness going on it has been taxing on me to keep the logistics on track when a lot of stuff is sourced from outside the US. I have to be up crazy early in the morning sometimes to coordinate with my counterparts in Europe & South Africa. Other times I'm still working after hours to coordinate with counterparts in Brazil. Outside of work, I am a volunteer with Make-A-Wish and during hurricane season I am with search and rescue. I get maybe 1-2 weekends a month to go off-grid overlanding or fishing. Besides the time involved, I can't justify throwing money at buying the materials to experiment. I have two student loans (one for bachelors, one for masters) and the payments are mind-melting.

As for that trans-cooler, my concern would be where you could actually mount it that it would be effective? I wouldn't want to get anything without it's own thermostat to control it. You don't want to overheat the transmission, but you also don't want to drop the temperature below optimal operating temperatures. Most purpose-built transmission coolers are in front of the radiator so that it receives the fluid first and allows the heat exchanger to work properly. I would go with a Mishimoto kit that would have everything you need as a one shot deal with the thermostat control hoses and all included. You can monitor your trans temp with a scangauge or some other OBDII tools.
If you really want to go all-in, Cusco (who also make a LSD for soobs) has a high performance transmission and rear differential cooler kit that includes a heat exchanger, inline pump, and a magnetic debris cache to keep the flow clean.

 

[Baipin]

As for that trans-cooler, my concern would be where you could actually mount it that it would be effective? I wouldn't want to get anything without it's own thermostat to control it. You don't want to overheat the transmission, but you also don't want to drop the temperature below optimal operating temperatures. Most purpose-built transmission coolers are in front of the radiator so that it receives the fluid first and allows the heat exchanger to work properly. I would go with a Mishimoto kit that would have everything you need as a one shot deal with the thermostat control hoses and all included. You can monitor your trans temp with a scangauge or some other OBDII tools.
If you really want to go all-in, Cusco (who also make a LSD for soobs) has a high performance transmission and rear differential cooler kit that includes a heat exchanger, inline pump, and a magnetic debris cache to keep the flow clean.

Oh, this would definitely have a thermostat to control it. The Derale one, like this thermostat. It'd be routed as follows:

View attachment 169213
Red is the OEM cooler/heater circuit. Normally fluid follows the light blue path. I would add a thermostat (yellow box) to keep it following that path if under 180F. If over 180F the thermostat would open and fluid would follow the purple path through the aftermarket cooler (green box). The aftermarket cooler (green box) would also have a fan, to further aid in cooling when at low speeds. Shouldn't that work? It would be mounted in front of the radiator. Yeah, I'd definitely monitor temps with an OBD tool, too!

I have two student loans (one for bachelors, one for masters) and the payments are mind-melting.

Oh trust me, I feel this. Going into teachers college now (what a career nowadays, yikes. I love working with kids but less so with all the covid stuff going on - they can be little superspreaders and I'd get hit hard if I got it). The time and money investment for school is a bit much to put it mildly. Save the welding and stuff for later. ;)

 

[Wawa Skittletits]

Don't know if I see a reason to overthink or over complicate a trans cooler. Mounted in front of the radiator, like the stock one already is on the 5th gen Outback, will get air pulled across is when the fans kick on. The thermostat issue can be solved by a proper stacked plate cooler with multiple orifices that regulate flow based on viscosity. Here what I use..

 

[Baipin]

Don't know if I see a reason to overthink or over complicate a trans cooler. Mounted in front of the radiator, like the stock one already is on the 5th gen Outback, will get air pulled across is when the fans kick on. The thermostat issue can be solved by a proper stacked plate cooler with multiple orifices that regulate flow based on viscosity. Here what I use..

Thanks wawa, link didn't work though.

 

[Wawa Skittletits]

Thanks wawa, link didn't work though.

Interesting.. I can see the preview and everything so I wonder why. Regardless its the B&M 70264 cooler if you can't see the details. Rated higher than what we should need but theres nothing wrong with a little overkill haha.

 

[Baipin]

View attachment 171681

Took the Foz out for a bit of fun!

View attachment 171682

View attachment 171683

Transmission cooler install next weekend, methinks... One day I'll find some more free time :P

 

[ca_rage]

Hello all,
Finally getting back to this.
I have a 2018 Outback 3.6R with a 2" lift and RalliTEK springs:
0.75" Front Raised Springs
0.75" Rear Overload Springs
I sometimes carry a 400 lb motorcycle on a hitch carrier.
When I don’t have the extra weight I need to load a bunch of rocks in the wheel well.
I’m looking for an all in one solution to get the ride hight I want as well as adjustment for load when needed.
Someone mentioned Gorilla suspension.
They look great! Does anyone have experience with them?
View attachment 171758View attachment 171756
View attachment 171757

 

[Wawa Skittletits]

Hello all,
Finally getting back to this.
I have a 2018 Outback 3.6R with a 2" lift and RalliTEK springs:
0.75" Front Raised Springs
0.75" Rear Overload Springs
I sometimes carry a 400 lb motorcycle on a hitch carrier.
When I don’t have the extra weight I need to load a bunch of rocks in the wheel well.
I’m looking for an all in one solution to get the ride hight I want as well as adjustment for load when needed.
Someone mentioned Gorilla suspension.
They look great! Does anyone have experience with them?
View attachment 171758View attachment 171756
View attachment 171757

That’s quite a load on the hitch but it’s looking good! How long have you had the springs? Still running a rear sway bar?