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Wawa Skittletits

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Did you ever disconnect your front sway bars?

Just asking because I tore the bushing and I'm debating on just saving $20 and just remove it.
I had a parts list together for disconnects but haven’t gotten around to it.
 
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Rocky

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Thank you! As I mentioned I went with the same size tire I was running previously which is a 245/65 17 but the Falken is much more squared off of a tire. No pictures but I’m going to have to heat up and move some plastic and some other plastic I flat out trimmed.

The shake in a 5th gen is synonymous with lifting and the issue is simply a wobble/shake around 18 mph. More of an annoyance than anything. Weak transmission mounts are nothing new to Subaru and the insert limits the ability for the stock mount to move. Super simple install on a 5th gen. Takes maybe 10 minutes installed my way.
Thanks
Tire size might be a little to big for the 2011 Forester, too small of a wheel well.
I might just try some new mounts on ours just to see if it helps.
 
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martin_j001

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Interested to hear how you like the tires long term. I've got the trans mounts sitting here on my kitchen table, just waiting to go into the car. Need to find some free time to make that happen before our Thanksgiving road trip for sure.
 
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Wawa Skittletits

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Interested to hear how you like the tires long term. I've got the trans mounts sitting here on my kitchen table, just waiting to go into the car. Need to find some free time to make that happen before our Thanksgiving road trip for sure.
I’m sure I’ll be commenting about the tires but I’m a fan so far.

Here’s my tip for the insert. Put a bottle jack under the center trans mount bolt, jack it up, grease the insert, and push it in from the front. 10 minutes. Don’t bother with the instructions that come with it.
 

martin_j001

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I’m sure I’ll be commenting about the tires but I’m a fan so far.

Here’s my tip for the insert. Put a bottle jack under the center trans mount bolt, jack it up, grease the insert, and push it in from the front. 10 minutes. Don’t bother with the instructions that come with it.
Interesting. I got one of the "loaded" versions that he's now making that should be an easier fit, I think (no need to squeeze in with a vise if you pull the trans mount out). I need to get under there and see if my skid plate is in the way...if not, 10 minutes sounds easy enough. Just need to snag a bottle jack first, I should have one anyway. :)
 

WhatTheZo

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Can confirm Primitive skid plates are not in the way. Even with taking our the trans mount it's a pretty easy job. The worst part is that it took me a few minutes to remember how to slide the exhaust heat shield back into place.
Interesting. I got one of the "loaded" versions that he's now making that should be an easier fit, I think (no need to squeeze in with a vise if you pull the trans mount out). I need to get under there and see if my skid plate is in the way...if not, 10 minutes sounds easy enough. Just need to snag a bottle jack first, I should have one anyway. :)
 

Wawa Skittletits

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Expo pressure continues to pay dividends.. had a nice productive morning after getting home from work and the kids still slept. This is my custom setup for my iPad and InReach.

9CF3D01A-06C1-4FB8-8AFB-633F250BDD33.jpeg

It’s a mixture of Joy Factory, RAM, and 67 Designs parts and it’s centered on a custom mount where the cell phone/change pocket used to be.

B12C032F-6DB9-4411-AD34-CC27DB2E8ADF.jpeg

I’m in the testing phase but it’s almost perfectly flush and as long as it works out I’ll end up painting/wrapping that aluminum. It’s already massively more stable than the dash mount or the cup holder setup. The dash mount didn’t go to waste though because I tied it in via a stabilizing arm.

5CA137DB-778F-4CF9-A228-31E47B9506EF.jpeg

I carry a lot of extra items behind the rear seats and I’ve wanted to address the safety factor for a long time. That said there’s nothing custom about this Travall cargo/pet barrier. I’ve been going back and forth between this and a Raingler net but decided on this. Visibility and knowing that I can leave it up and still sleep in the car in a pinch if I wanted to swayed me towards the Travall barrier.

5273BF7B-2883-48ED-8BFF-3DEC3EFFBAC9.jpeg

I still have other things to install but time is growing short. I can’t wait to pack and leave for Expo!
 

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Wawa Skittletits

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Thought I’d share a few of the very limited pictures I took and some that were taken by others on the way down to mudfest 2018 (aka Expo East).

We had a great time hitting the trails in George Washington and Jefferson National Forest.

188CFED0-C476-499F-9B4C-5C4EE56939A2.jpeg 26BBB6B7-8151-4E70-9845-8ED351FF9295.jpeg
BE12C322-66BE-4EF3-B202-2F6EEDF6D043.jpeg 9D7AB41F-8A8C-4C7D-9859-3DCEF55EA0EC.jpeg FA944026-C0AC-4F7A-A68F-5D687BC7C013.jpeg E5D06C8F-F480-4BAB-8EEA-1CCB60240863.jpeg 02600518-50D9-40AE-9EC9-8A7E239E7441.jpeg C3952A3D-46BC-43FC-90E2-23D5DC1E1EF4.jpeg

The new arm configuration worked perfectly and even when the trails were at their roughest there was next to no movement.

On to the next projects...
 

Kaiser

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Here’s my tip for the insert. Put a bottle jack under the center trans mount bolt, jack it up, grease the insert, and push it in from the front. 10 minutes. Don’t bother with the instructions that come with it.
w00t! Can't wait til I can finally do this.

I need to get under there and see if my skid plate is in the way...if not, 10 minutes sounds easy enough. Just need to snag a bottle jack first, I should have one anyway. :)
Can confirm Primitive skid plates are not in the way. Even with taking our the trans mount it's a pretty easy job.
Sweet! That was a big question of mine. It might even let me put it in sooner with my (temporarily) bum shoulder, since I won't have to take the trans plate off.
 

Wawa Skittletits

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w00t! Can't wait til I can finally do this.

Sweet! That was a big question of mine. It might even let me put it in sooner with my (temporarily) bum shoulder, since I won't have to take the trans plate off.
Yeah there’s still plenty of room and I’d say that if you were up for trying you could install it one handed. I was going to mention that in the other thread but either way a large pair of channellocks can give you the last bit of push to get it to pop in if one side hangs up a bit.
 
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bumpo83

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Awesome build! Can't wait to really start to dive into building my '15 Outback! Quick question for you... where did you mount the switches to run your aftermarket lighting?
 

Wawa Skittletits

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Thank you @bumpo83! The answer to your question was all the way back on page 8. Please feel free to ask any questions you have about your Outback.

Expo is right around the corner which is great because it's forcing me to get things done. It's not great because I've been working a lot of OT and even I need some sleep haha.

So I finally got around to redoing the previously marred trim.

View attachment 34771 View attachment 34772

Came up with a stealthy idea for mounting my Switch Pros panel. Aside from being completely hidden when I don't need it, it faces me perfectly when I do.

View attachment 34773 View attachment 34774

I still need to add the legends but I'm loving this setup. No fuses, no relays and a host of options that can be adjusted using the panel...

View attachment 34775

or via Bluetooth.

View attachment 34776

Night lighting is super difficult to truly capture but you get the idea. I need to spend some time aiming them but I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish they were less spot and more flood.

View attachment 34777 View attachment 34778
 

bumpo83

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Awesome! I must of scrolled past that when I initally was looking at this post.... I do have another question in regards to the multi link spacers. I have a 2" Ready Lift SST kit for my '15 but nowhere on the Ready Lift site do they mention the need to run multi link spacers. They say that the lift keeps the geometry the same as factory with the way it was designed. Is that really the case or do you think I should run the spacers with that kit?
 

WhatTheZo

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Ready Lift kits are a point of contention in the subie community right now. It is a cheaper kit for sure, but there is a reason why they include it in all others 2" kits. The caster is already kind bad on the OB's, so you'll more than likely run into rubbing issues with oversized tires or being loaded. Not sure how they can make that claim of the geometry bring the same. My 2 cents fwiw.

OP has been in the game longer than most of us 5th Gen Outbacks and is more articulate than me so I'm curious about his take.
 
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bumpo83

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Ready Lift kits are a point of contention in the subie community right now. It is a cheaper kit for sure, but there is a reason why they include it in all others 2" kits. The caster is already kind bad on the OB's, so you'll more than likely run into rubbing issues with oversized tires or being loaded. Not sure how they can make that claim of the geometry bring the same. My 2 cents fwiw.

OP has been in the game longer than most of us 5th Gen Outbacks and is more articulate than me so I'm curious about his take.
Yeah, I’m not to sure about the kit to be honest but I was able to pick it up cheap, like less than 50% of the cost of msrp. I knew someone that had one but never installed it before trading in their gen 5. I would love to install this kit and get new springs for even more lift and clearance. Hopefully I can get some good insight into this kit...
 

WhatTheZo

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Yeah, I’m not to sure about the kit to be honest but I was able to pick it up cheap, like less than 50% of the cost of msrp. I knew someone that had one but never installed it before trading in their gen 5. I would love to install this kit and get new springs for even more lift and clearance. Hopefully I can get some good insight into this kit...
Can't argue with that savings! Good news is you can throw on any fabricators subframe spacers if you decide to pick some up.
 
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Wawa Skittletits

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Ok here we go @bumpo83 haha... This discussion gets interesting because of the verbiage used by both the manufacturer and consumers. The following has been muddied by myths, old/irrelevant information, plain old incompetence, etc..

Here is the purpose of sub frame spacers. Unlike older Subaru’s our rear sub frame incorporates 100% of the suspension components. That includes the short trailing arms so when you lift the car the rear wheels get pulled forward. Sub frame spacers simply ‘correct’ that. In older Subaru’s you could space the trailing arm mount alone to achieve the same thing which in my eyes is much better. Functionally sub frame spacer completely rob the clearance you would have gained. Aesthetically the car appears 2” taller. Some will also claim that they save wear/tear on the rear CV’s but they’re completely fine due to the length of the axles and the resulting angle. The fronts are under significantly more stress. So the bottom line is do you need sub frame spacers? Absolutely not. If you want to run 245/65 17’s it’s going to be tight out back without them and I’m sure it’s one of the reasons Ready Lift only did 1.5” lift in the back.

Also I think that when they claim their lift retains factory caster/camber they were only referring to the front and the fact that there is no need for additional cam bolts or adjustable arms front or back. This isn't surprising since things don’t really start changing until you go above 2”.

Here are a couple more POI’s that Ready Lift and many others confuse...

Lifting doesn’t help fit larger tires on this car. The largest tires that fit at stock height are still the largest tires that fit at 1”, 2”, or 3.25” where my front sits.

Sway bar endlinks for our car would need to be SHORTER in the front and longer in the back to correct the angle of forces acting on them after a lift. It’s 1:1 (lift:length) up front and 1:0.5 in the back.
 
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bumpo83

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Awesome info, thanks! So what would I need to do if I was planning on running the Ready Lift kit and new springs front and back? Something similar to your setup. I love the way the Outbacks look with that extra bit of lift.