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FozRoamer said:
Got the new wheels and tires mounted up. Love the fact the my FXT is able to fit 15" wheels without any issues when compared to thew newer SJ Forester XTs (2014-2017). Also who says you cant run 30" tires on an SH Foz. This size is almost the exact same as my previous setup. My old setup was 29.5" Wildpeaks on 16" Sparco wheels. This setup weighs exactly the same as my previous setup with the benefits of more meat/sidewall. 30" is the absolute largest tire I would personally fit on a Subaru without the option to regear. I was also able to remove my ISC 25mm wheel spacers due to the +15 offset of the wheels as well.

Wheels: Black Rhino Boxer 15x7 +15 offset 5x100 (15lbs each)
Tires: Falken Wildpeak AT3W 30x9.5 (43 lbs each)

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I love watching your continued modification of your forester. Mine is a SJ and will have slightly different issues to overcome but you give me ideas. I'm saving up now while im deployed so when I get home I can start modifying mine. What's the tire wheel size combo you think I'll be able to get away with after an ADF lift on my SJ.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using OB Talk mobile app
 
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Howdy Subaru Owners,

Though not new to the off-road community, I discovered Overland Bound while researching the Subaru Crosstrek and you all played an important role in my decision to join the Subaru and Overland Bound communities. I picked up a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Premium in Crystal White Pearl in Oregon and within days drove it to Northern Virginia. Though, I haven't had the opportunity to taker her truly off-road yet, the road trip provided ample opportunities to drive through wind, rain, and rain without issue in a comfortable and efficient package. The Crosstrek is my current daily driver and will ultimately perform those same duties in West Africa in the coming months. Since the purchase, I have made a few modifications and couldn't be happier. Sorry, no photos of the modifications yet.

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Primitive Racing 1" lift with King Springs
Method 502 VT-Spec Wheels
LT215/75R15 All-Terrain KO2 Tires
RallyArmor Mudflaps
Primitive Racing 3/16 Front Skid Plate w/Drain Hole
Primitive Racing Mid-Armor Transmission Skid Plate
Primitive Racing Rear Diff Cover

I am hoping to see some more aftermarket support for the 2018+ Crosstrek while I contemplate future mods.
 
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bsmart31 said:
Howdy Subaru Owners,

Though not new to the off-road community, I discovered Overland Bound while researching the Subaru Crosstrek and you all played an important role in my decision to join the Subaru and Overland Bound communities. I picked up a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Premium in Crystal White Pearl in Oregon and within days drove it to Northern Virginia. Though, I haven't had the opportunity to taker her truly off-road yet, the road trip provided ample opportunities to drive through wind, rain, and rain without issue in a comfortable and efficient package. The Crosstrek is my current daily driver and will ultimately perform those same duties in West Africa in the coming months. Since the purchase, I have made a few modifications and couldn't be happier. Sorry, no photos of the modifications yet.

View attachment 54610

Primitive Racing 1" lift with King Springs
Method 502 VT-Spec Wheels
LT215/75R15 All-Terrain KO2 Tires
RallyArmor Mudflaps
Primitive Racing 3/16 Front Skid Plate w/Drain Hole
Primitive Racing Mid-Armor Transmission Skid Plate
Primitive Racing Rear Diff Cover

I am hoping to see some more aftermarket support for the 2018+ Crosstrek while I contemplate future mods.
Click to expand...


Welcome to the community.
 
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FozRoamer said:
Got the new wheels and tires mounted up. Love the fact the my FXT is able to fit 15" wheels without any issues when compared to thew newer SJ Forester XTs (2014-2017). Also who says you cant run 30" tires on an SH Foz. This size is almost the exact same as my previous setup. My old setup was 29.5" Wildpeaks on 16" Sparco wheels. This setup weighs exactly the same as my previous setup with the benefits of more meat/sidewall. 30" is the absolute largest tire I would personally fit on a Subaru without the option to regear. I was also able to remove my ISC 25mm wheel spacers due to the +15 offset of the wheels as well.

Wheels: Black Rhino Boxer 15x7 +15 offset 5x100 (15lbs each)
Tires: Falken Wildpeak AT3W 30x9.5 (43 lbs each)

DSC04630-2

DSC04630

DSC04633
Click to expand...


Very Nice.
How is the 4" lift doing?
 
Just wanted to throw this out there as there wasn't much info on the issue.

2010 Subaru Outback - We had a pretty substantial leak in the roof (no sunroof model) that I had a hell of a time tracking down. First thought was the 3rd brake light, which once I pulled it out the gasket was shot. This is a known issue, and easy enough to fix with some silicone and 20 minutes. Still had the leak though. Maybe not as bad in the rear, but near the passenger side rear door it was getting to the point of not being able to take the Soob on the next trip. Couldn't find anything useful on the Outback forums, so I did what I usually do, throw out the book and start taking shit apart. I pulled the headliner, which was a bit less daunting than it was portrayed. Not something I want to do a lot, but got it out in about a half hour by myself (with some help carrying it into the house). What I found were 3 flange bolts that hold the roof rack on were missing. This basically meant that I had 3 gaping holes in the roof as the gasket around the stock roof rack is not (and not meant to be) water tight. So I removed the rack on that side, put some goop (Black Jack elastomeric cement) around the studs, and on the nuts. Slapped it all back together. I decided to loosen the nuts on the driver's side and goop them as well, thinking it would be quick and I was already working up there. That's when the problem came up. The studs from the rack are M6 x 1.0 3/4" long, and they attach to the plastic roof rack by sliding into a channel. Well one of the studs decided to be difficult and start spinning in it's plastic retainer. Enter cut off tool... Replacing the stud would be super simple if I had the part handy, but naturally it would be almost a week to get one, and my car isn't waterproof in the mean time. We don't have a garage we can park in. So off to the hardware store. Turns out a 5/16" x 3/4" long bolt will wedge itself nicely in the place the old stud was, and with a washer and nut, or flange nut, and a bunch of goop, is plenty water tight, and possibly stronger than the OEM stud.

So there you have it, if you have a phantom leak, it's worth checking those nuts holding the roof rack on, at least on a Gen 4 Outback. Not sure why 3 were missing. Maybe they forgot to put them in, and it took 8 years to leak? Maybe a previous owner took the rack off to replace it or repair it? Who knows. I did water test it before putting the headliner back in (not as easy as removing it, but not horrible either) just to be safe. We sprayed water from a garden hose with a higher pressure nozzle all around the car with me inside inspecting things. So far, so good. But only time will tell for sure I suppose.

For reference, there are 9 studs on each rack. They are 10mm nuts. You will most definitely have to remove 2 bolts holding the side curtain airbag module in the rear storage area to the roof, they are also 10mm. It will hang safely on it's own. The rear most stud is near the gate through a hole in the supports. A deep well 10mm on a 3/8" drive socket will get there, but an extension wouldn't hurt. DON'T DROP THAT NUT! A ratcheting box end 10mm will be an absolute life saver, and this job would have taken FOR-EV-ER without it. Otherwise all I used to remove the headliner was a phillips, small blade flat head, and a prybar (I actually used a clip remover because I had one handy, but a prybar would be fine in this case) to get some of the harder to reach clips unclipped while pulling trim panels.

Should have made a video, but you know how it goes when working on projects. If you have questions on any of this stuff, feel free to shoot me a message. This info is also useful to anyone looking to swap the factory rack for another style.
 
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While it wont be set up as an overlanding rig, thats what the Tacoma is for my wife 2017 Forester XT makes one hell of a road trip and back paved road vehicle.

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Driving a bonestock 2010 Forester XT, im not planning on going too crazy with it for budget reasons and because its also my DD.
Right now plans and addons to my ride in the future are
-Front skid plate from primitive racing
-Rally Armor mud flaps
-Defender LTX M/S tires to get some more tread on the stock wheels once the current Eagle All Sport tires are worn down.
-Maybe a roof rack but at the moment I dont have any cargo space issues
 
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New here to OB, and I am tickled pink to see Subies well represented in the overloading community.

Here's my year-old Outback 3.6R:

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This is taken from the Wedge Overlook Trail in Utah.

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And this is taken just before plunging down the Burr Trail switchbacks into the Water Pocket Fold.

While I'm impressed by the ride and creature comforts, there will be things that need to be done. I need to increase approach (especially) and departure and breakover angles, and to that end I will eventually add a lift and perhaps a spring change. I also want metal bumpers to help achieve those angles, but that of course entails a holistic approach to modifying the rig: steel bumpers mean weight, which means sag, which means spring rates and lift heights . . . I get the feeling I'm about to dive into a rabbit hole! To add protection I also want to look at how feasible it would be to add rocker guards in place of the plastic cladding. How to do that with a unibody design may get interesting.

Monday I have an appointment with the good folks at Leadfoot Racing (the guys who did Fozroamer's bumper build) to talk Outback. They say they're interested in getting into Gen. 5 Outbacks. I'll report back afterwards.

Love the Methods, though, and the G015s have been great. I swear they're quieter on the highway than the OEM Duelers, and I have not noticed one single fraction of an MPG drop in fuel efficiency.
 
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Musubie said:
New here to OB, and I am tickled pink to see Subies well represented in the overloading community.

Here's my year-old Outback 3.6R:

View attachment 57855
This is taken from the Wedge Overlook Trail in Utah.

View attachment 57856
And this is taken just before plunging down the Burr Trail switchbacks into the Water Pocket Fold.

While I'm impressed by the ride and creature comforts, there will be things that need to be done. I need to increase approach (especially) and departure and breakover angles, and to that end I will eventually add a lift and perhaps a spring change. I also want metal bumpers to help achieve those angles, but that of course entails a holistic approach to modifying the rig: steel bumpers mean weight, which means sag, which means spring rates and lift heights . . . I get the feeling I'm about to dive into a rabbit hole! To add protection I also want to look at how feasible it would be to add rocker guards in place of the plastic cladding. How to do that with a unibody design may get interesting.

Monday I have an appointment with the good folks at Leadfoot Racing (the guys who did Fozroamer's bumper build) to talk Outback. They say they're interested in getting into Gen. 5 Outbacks. I'll report back afterwards.

Love the Methods, though, and the G015s have been great. I swear they're quieter on the highway than the OEM Duelers, and I have not noticed one single fraction of an MPG drop in fuel efficiency.
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It sure does look right at home sitting on those Methods and covered in dust/dirt. Definitely curious to see where your adventure into the rabbit hole takes you.
 
Yes I am alive... Just made a big move hundreds of miles away and been dealing with life stuff as of late. I had a new bumper built by Stellar Built in Sacramento. Finally got everything painted just gotta do some wiring cleanup. Dont have a total weight for it yet but by my rough calculations is that its about 40%-ish lighter than my previous bumper, which was 1/4" plate steel. Below are some pics and I am really happy with the design. I mainly redesigned this bumper to cut down on weight and to have a dual swing arm setup so that I can get into my rear hatch when towing my trailer. With the previous bumper the one large swing arm would hit the trailer so I would have to disconnect it to get back to the rear hatch area to access the fridge, gear, etc.

Includes Expedition One latches (patent pending) CBI dual jerry can holder, FrontRunner Outfitters Drop Down table, and Synergy heavy duty spindles.


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Very Nice, your latches are pretty sweet.

Do you have any pictures of how you have it bolted to the Forester?

Again, very nice.
 
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Checking in - See avatar for 2015 Outback Limited. Currently stock, but I reckon by end summer/ beginning of fall, there will be new wheels and tires in place...then maybe some skid plates, and a brush bar and Oh God, I can see me losing control...

So, a question for the folks that did lifts on their Outbacks...how much has it affected handling? I'm typically loath to jack with automotive centers of gravity and I know a lift could throw things off somewhat. Also, were there issues with ball joints and other suspension components wearing out too soon, due to the lift?
 
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Awesome rig!

I just got a 2018 forester xt. Are you happy with all of your mods? Anything you would change?
 
RunningPirate said:
Checking in - See avatar for 2015 Outback Limited. Currently stock, but I reckon by end summer/ beginning of fall, there will be new wheels and tires in place...then maybe some skid plates, and a brush bar and Oh God, I can see me losing control...

So, a question for the folks that did lifts on their Outbacks...how much has it affected handling? I'm typically loath to jack with automotive centers of gravity and I know a lift could throw things off somewhat. Also, were there issues with ball joints and other suspension components wearing out too soon, due to the lift?
Click to expand...

Welcome! Making these changes to your vehicle becomes addicting so just enjoy the ride haha.

In regards to your questions.. Pretty much any change from what the engineers planned will have a negative impact on reliability. This is something we know and we just accept it but with that said there’s no saying just how much a parts life is shortened. We aren’t chewing anything up regularly if that’s your concern. Typical Subaru lifts have almost no affect on ‘normal’ day to day handling. That kind of lift retains stock springs/dampers so the ride quality is exactly the same. The angle of forces applied to the sway bars is changed due to the incorrect length endlinks but this isn’t easily noticeable. It wasn’t a sports car before and it won’t be after.
 
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Wawa Skittletits said:
Welcome! Making these changes to your vehicle becomes addicting so just enjoy the ride haha.

In regards to your questions.. Pretty much any change from what the engineers planned will have a negative impact on reliability. This is something we know and we just accept it but with that said there’s no saying just how much a parts life is shortened. We aren’t chewing anything up regularly if that’s your concern. Typical Subaru lifts have almost no affect on ‘normal’ day to day handling. That kind of lift retains stock springs/dampers so the ride quality is exactly the same. The angle of forces applied to the sway bars is changed due to the incorrect length endlinks but this isn’t easily noticeable. It wasn’t a sports car before and it won’t be after.
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Thanks! I'll have a look at your build thread to check out your suspension set up, closer.

Also, in regards to your handle - is Wawa a reference to the convenience store? (I used to live in Macungie many years ago, and WaWa had outstanding coffee, IMO)
 
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