Rock sliders on a unibody?

[escape_the_paradigm]

Seems like nobody makes rock sliders for the Subarus.
I am wondering if it is a a unibody limitation or if it is just because there is not enough demand out there.

What are your guys thoughts about mounting rock sliders on a unibody that has no frame rails of any sort.

 

[EscoTerrestrial]

I dont kno much but ill share the little i do. I myself have a tacoma double cab 15' i dont have trouble finding rock sliders i just cant justify paying such a high price, rather than just building them myself or getting them custom made at a shop. W that said i have found a pair from nfab half the price of the competition. I definitely believe demand plays a part. Newer models of subarus may be difficult to find, i kno ppl put them on older models. Primitive is a co. That comes to mind. Building your own may be a best option. This also may help link below on this subject. Hope this helps.

OB Member #2590

http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=93959

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[F4T XJ]

Plenty of unibody vehicles have rock sliders available, what model is your scooby?

 

[escape_the_paradigm]

Plenty of unibody vehicles have rock sliders available, what model is your scooby?

It is a 2017 forester XT.
One issue I see is the bottom of the car appears to be totally flat with just a seam weld. Most of the other unibody cars I have owned usually had a channel like frame rails running along the body.

 

[Verent Chan]

I had a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee that was Unibody. There were a number of vendors that made sliders for it so I think it's either something unique to your vehicle or just market size that's the issue.

 

[F4T XJ]

http://get-primitive.com/side-rails-rock-sliders/172-2014-forester-rock-sliders.html

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[escape_the_paradigm]

http://get-primitive.com/side-rails-rock-sliders/172-2014-forester-rock-sliders.html

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I do not think those are really rock sliders. They seem to be more for looks and I did see one person with cross trek who head them and they bent after the first contact with the rock.

I think if they had at least 2 more attachment points they might be an interesting option.

 

[1derer]

Well you can give Primitive Racing a call ask about the material they use for their sliders. 1020 DOM .120" wall is about the industry standard on a truck or SUV I'd imagine you wouldn't need quite that much on a Subaru?

 

[Daryl 32]

Couple of thoughts.
#1 having been in the auto accessory aftermarket industry for a few years - market size keeps medium to large companies from making parts for a vehicle
#2 Has more to do with my thoughts on
a. Rock sliders that bolt to the frame and come close to the body pinch weld are usually made with 1/4" or 5mm thick tubing and are super braced to allow the driver to pivot the vehicle up against a huge rock on an actual rock crawling cross. Not sure this design is really needed for your vehicle?
b. The origin JK Rubicon rock sliders do not bolt to the frame if I recall correctly. But they bolt to the inner body panel and the holes in the bottom of the pinch weld itself. These mounting points are where all factory and aftermarket side bar/steps mount. These protect the bottom of the body if you high center it or come off the rock compressing the suspension so that the body smacks the rock for a second.

I think sliders or protectors that just bolt to the bottom of the body for most overland vehicles/drivers will do the job just fine. Especially on a vehicle with the size and weight of your Subaru. The key factors in their design would be material thickness, enough mounting points with strong hardware to disperse the weight of the entire vehicle along the whole bottom of the body by itself. Proper bolting/mounting points will allow the slider to gain strength from the vehicle itself also.

Also keep in mind that the factory jack points for your factory jack are two reinforced points on the pinch weld - so it is strong enough to left the vehicle up and off the ground to change a tire. But because of this you need to design into the slider a pocket for the factory jack or a jack that will lock it to the vehicle for safe tire changing when needed.

Not sure all my rambling helps - but makes me feel good ... LOL

Daryl

 

[escape_the_paradigm]

Couple of thoughts.
#1 having been in the auto accessory aftermarket industry for a few years - market size keeps medium to large companies from making parts for a vehicle
#2 Has more to do with my thoughts on
a. Rock sliders that bolt to the frame and come close to the body pinch weld are usually made with 1/4" or 5mm thick tubing and are super braced to allow the driver to pivot the vehicle up against a huge rock on an actual rock crawling cross. Not sure this design is really needed for your vehicle?
b. The origin JK Rubicon rock sliders do not bolt to the frame if I recall correctly. But they bolt to the inner body panel and the holes in the bottom of the pinch weld itself. These mounting points are where all factory and aftermarket side bar/steps mount. These protect the bottom of the body if you high center it or come off the rock compressing the suspension so that the body smacks the rock for a second.

I think sliders or protectors that just bolt to the bottom of the body for most overland vehicles/drivers will do the job just fine. Especially on a vehicle with the size and weight of your Subaru. The key factors in their design would be material thickness, enough mounting points with strong hardware to disperse the weight of the entire vehicle along the whole bottom of the body by itself. Proper bolting/mounting points will allow the slider to gain strength from the vehicle itself also.

Also keep in mind that the factory jack points for your factory jack are two reinforced points on the pinch weld - so it is strong enough to left the vehicle up and off the ground to change a tire. But because of this you need to design into the slider and pocket for the factory jack or a jack that will lock it to the vehicle for safe tire changing when needed.

Not sure all my rambling helps - but makes me feel good ... LOL

Daryl

Those are very good points and sums up what I am thinking really well.

I think the primitive rock sliders would work well if they had at least one central support mount in the middle. The goal is not to use this for rock crawling but to protect the pinch weld and the doors in case I misjudge a rock on the trail. As the new Subaru Forester does not even have a rocker panel and the door sits flush with the lowest part of the body.

Here is a photo to give an idea of what I mean:

 

[Daryl 32]

Those are very good points and sums up what I am thinking really well.

I think the primitive rock sliders would work well if they had at least one central support mount in the middle. The goal is not to use this for rock crawling but to protect the pinch weld and the doors in case I misjudge a rock on the trail. As the new Subaru Forester does not even have a rocker panel and the door sits flush with the lowest part of the body.

Here is a photo to give an idea of what I mean:

The Ford Super Duty's are the same design - the bottoms of the doors are it.

Looking at your picture you might be able to do something creative and replace the plastic bottom of the door to cut down on ground clearance lose.

 

[escape_the_paradigm]

The Ford Super Duty's are the same design - the bottoms of the doors are it.

Looking at your picture you might be able to do something creative and replace the plastic bottom of the door to cut down on ground clearance lose.

I was actually thinking after looking closer that I might be able to fit 2 support brackets bolted flush to the door sill area using vertical plates

 

[Daryl 32]

I was thinking the same, just make sure not to put them high enough the door seals close on them as this may cause them to leak when you cross the Colorado River....LOL