For me, it was whipping a 1995 Ford Windstar minivan around some muddy, snowy backroads. Helluva' janky ride with the middle and rear seats out, like 200lbs less...
Subaru Owners Registry
- Thread starter Wawa Skittletits
- Start date
Member III
So things got real rowdy on the Georgia Traverse last weekend (but we did finish the entire 390 mile route) & we had a few deep water crossings. Luckily I was able to get in & out fairly quickly without any drama. I haven’t done the canister filter bypass yet, but I am ordering 1 this week. My question is - what is my estimated maximum fording depth as it is & what will it be after the bypass?
2019 Outback 3.6R Touring, 2” front strut spacers, 2.5” rear strut spacers & 2” subframe spacers running 245/65-17 AT rubber. It has Bilstein B6 struts & King Springs if that makes a difference.
2019 Outback 3.6R Touring, 2” front strut spacers, 2.5” rear strut spacers & 2” subframe spacers running 245/65-17 AT rubber. It has Bilstein B6 struts & King Springs if that makes a difference.
Expedition Master I
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My suggestion would be to make your own. I‘d also avoid doing water crossings until you do because there’s only 1 breather lower than the canister vent and it’s the rear diff. Oddly enough they're right next to each other.
Maximum fording depth is a bit of a grey area. Things like the ability to maintain a bow wake or how much water you’re ok with inside the car will impact the number but you can be sure you don’t want to hear what Subaru’s official suggestion is. It’s probably somewhere in the area of the door sills haha.
Contributor III
What Onboard Air Compressor did you use and where did you end up mounting it? I have a 2020 OB XT and i'm wanting to mount in the ARB CKMA12 and am wondering where others have found the best spot in a subie. TIA
Member III
Wowwww.... I have changed so much stuff on this list in the 14 months since I first posted this. I had the VIAIR ultra-light duty onboard system in the trunk up against the back of the rear seats. It was pretty good, but it had a 1 gallon tank that was a bit annoying. I eventually went over to 1 by Amazon Basics that does a pretty damn good job. It clips to the battery using alligator clips. I am planning on getting the ARB CKMA12 as well, but I’ve been trying to figure the best place for it. Under the hood is no good for me bc there isn’t much real estate under there w/ the 3.6L & even if there was I don’t know if I’d want to have to deal w/ the grime buildup. Under the floor in the trunk is no good either because when I’m usually airing back up all my gear is in the way. So I’m thinking I’m going to get these MOLLE style racks that go over those extra windows in the trunk. If I can mount it to one of those it would be super convenient to access as well as store the hose, nozzle & all that stuff. I already have an empty relay spot to hook it up to my switch panel, I’ve just gotta get the MOLLE parts & see how to install the compressor onto it.
Contributor III
Ya thats my problem as you trying to find any space under the hood.. Subaru loves to squeeze things in there as tight as they can haha. I've looked at the Molle racks but no one has them for the 2020 model yet since they changed up the platform. I do have some cubbies in the trunk area i'm thinking i could maybe mod up to work with the CKMA12 but for sure wouldn't work for the twin compressor.
I'd be interested to hear what mods your changed and what you kept from the original list and what things you upgraded/ got rid of. I dove in with alot of the functional mods first and now i'm putting together more technical gear and saving up for the spendy RTT.. ha Here is a list of my stuff:
2020 Subaru Outback XT
Black Rhino Sanstorm 17'
Wildpeak ATW3 245/65/17
Primitive Full underarmor
2.5" Readylift
Prinsu Roofrack
Window & Sunroof gaurds
Nameless 5" Axle Back
Nameless Strut Bar Tower
Tons of useless but stylish vinyl haha
Member III
Let’s see...
- I got rid of the ReadyLift strut spacers in the rear & installed the 2.5” spacers from ADF along w/ the 2” subframe spacers.
- I got rid of the wheel spacers.
- I did a complete delete of the rear sway bar.
- I brought in Bilstein B6 struts paired w/ King springs.
- I upgraded the ignition system, fuel system, & intake system to feed my internal Clarkson need for more power.
- The Reese hitch receiver was recessed too far underneath under the rear bumper for the tire carrier so I swapped in 1 from eTrailer. Still a Class III. I sold the Reese to another Subaru Overland Bound member in Charlotte, NC for a bargain.
- I bought a Wilco Hitchgate Classic from another Overland Bound member in Washington State for a hell of a bargain so I have an easy solution for carrying a fullsize
- I still have my CB but it only gets used when I’m trying to listen in on truckers to find out what the deal is w/ traffic. I went w/ the Midland MXT275 GMRS base unit w/ a 6dB gain antenna. It is so much better in range & quality. The added benefit of the radio sharing some channels w/ cheap walkie talkies makes it so much easier w/ a spotter for short range, line-of-sight while they are out of the car
- I extended my Thule basket for now but I want to eventually get a Prisnu
- I made my own brackets to hold traction boards on the basket
- I put in a front bumper rally bar from Rally Innovations.
- I have a set of (2) Hella 500 lights w/ amber lenses on the bumper bar, another set of (4) going across the top of the basket, (1) Baja Designs S2 Sport pod in the basket facing port, (1) facing starboard, & (2) more facing rear. I call the rear facing set my F-You lights bc they make an excellent tailgater repellent.
- I didn’t want to drop like $800 for a switch panel controller like the SPods go for, so I went w/ an alternative from Infinite Offroad. The buttons in the car are unobtrusive & convenient. The fuse & relay box took a little work to fit under the hood but it’s a solid unit. The company mainly markets products for those side-by-side ATVs so I have a lot of confidence in the box not getting anything nasty to rain hell on my electronics.
- Primitive Racing engine, transmission, & rear diff armor
I looked real hard at the Nameless Exhaust kit bc the 3.6L dual exhaust sounds amazing w/ it. But at $500+ for the dual exhaust w/ 5” mufflers there isn’t any performance gain, & the weight savings is nominal at best - the only benefit is the intoxicating sound of the boxer growl.
I want to get some vinyl done bc I hate the chrome. On my 2019, the folks at Subaru decided to put MORE chrome on the Touring package than the rest of the packages. Unfortunately, I don’t have the steady hands or the patience to do it myself so I am looking for someone to do it for me w/o charging me an arm & a leg. The search continues. I’m also considering changing the wheels to a matte gold to compliment the amber lights.
Here are a few shots from the last few months of rambling around the hills in the Appalachia Wander Wagon! There is a long, grueling lack of adventure between the last snow in February & more recently thanks to the stupid apocalypse.
View attachment FullSizeRender.mov
View attachment FullSizeRender.mov
Enthusiast I
Just picked it up this week, 2019 Crosstrek Premium. Can’t wait to take it adventuring!
Slick looking ride, @Joshbright ! Always glad to see another overlanding Subie out there.
I've been working on a new roof rack these past few days. Lighter weight; more rigid, larger, and lower than the OEM room rails, so once finished with fairings, it should be a bit more aerodynamic as well!
Just roughing out the final position for it... I'll be adding a light bar and removing the two rally lights up top for a more finished look, and better aerodynamics.
So far, so good! If anyone wants the .DWG files to get your own side panels cut via laser or waterjet, I have uploaded them here: Gofile - you'll need 5" x 69" x 3/16 or 1/4 aluminum, minimum.
I've been working on a new roof rack these past few days. Lighter weight; more rigid, larger, and lower than the OEM room rails, so once finished with fairings, it should be a bit more aerodynamic as well!
Just roughing out the final position for it... I'll be adding a light bar and removing the two rally lights up top for a more finished look, and better aerodynamics.
So far, so good! If anyone wants the .DWG files to get your own side panels cut via laser or waterjet, I have uploaded them here: Gofile - you'll need 5" x 69" x 3/16 or 1/4 aluminum, minimum.
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Hey! New member with a 2019 Crosstrek. My GF and I do a cross country camping trip every summer and the Trek is the prefect vehicle for us. We have no kids, and are very happy without them. We love to camp and travel. What sucks is our trip is seriously curtailed this year due to Covid, so I made a ton of upgrades I wont be using right away. So far, just the standard upgrades:
1" ADF lift (picture is before the lift)
215 General Grabber AT2
Motegi MR139s
Tepui Ayer Sky 2 (hate the look, but love to sleep in it)
Custom built folding spare carrier
Tyger Basket
LED bar in the grill
Upgrades on the way:
Smittybuilt Awning is in the mail
Warn Hidden Winch bumper is ordered but wont be installed till fall when I can afford the winch too.
Custom Topo hood blackout and chrome trim wrap (just gotta find a good shop)
Need to figure out an extra fuel can.... maybe a jerry can on the spare or a rotopax on the roof? I dunno...
Need to figure out a portable/solar? charging system for my 12v battery box
1" ADF lift (picture is before the lift)
215 General Grabber AT2
Motegi MR139s
Tepui Ayer Sky 2 (hate the look, but love to sleep in it)
Custom built folding spare carrier
Tyger Basket
LED bar in the grill
Upgrades on the way:
Smittybuilt Awning is in the mail
Warn Hidden Winch bumper is ordered but wont be installed till fall when I can afford the winch too.
Custom Topo hood blackout and chrome trim wrap (just gotta find a good shop)
Need to figure out an extra fuel can.... maybe a jerry can on the spare or a rotopax on the roof? I dunno...
Need to figure out a portable/solar? charging system for my 12v battery box
Member III
Nice! I'm really jealous of the Warn options they made just for the Treks... leaving the big wagons out of all the fun.
I am really excited. It was a big purchase. I hope I get to use it! I think I have seen an outback with a hidden winch on youtube?
I just wish I could gain a better approach angle without cutting my fogs and wiper tank out.
Member III
They do, but it isn't nearly as solid as the complete Warn package. I'm not going ahead with the winch option because I am wrestling with the bumper issue myself right now. I found an adapted wiper fluid reservoir, but I know I don't have the skillset to cut my bumper and fab a new guard. I also don't have an extra vehicle right now for someone to hold onto my car while they work on fabricating it with a winch beneath. So until then, I'm going to make sure I wheel with friends with heavier rigs in case recovery is needed. I just hope I find a bumper option that works for me before I accidentally rub it hard enough to break the bumper clips beyond repair.
Enthusiast I
One thing to keep in mind is that you can buy a brand new replacement bumper off of ebay for like.. 120 bucks. If I were to go this route, i'd order one from ebay and cut that one, and, leave my stock one alone and just swap them around.
Member III
Very good point, but either way I don't plan on being the one to do the cutting. I have very unsteady hands in general.
Times being what they are now, I haven't traveled much this summer this summer. Been doing a lot of gardening though, and the Subaru has pulled like a champ; even with 2 cubic yards of topsoil in a 5'x9' Uhaul, it didn't feel like I lost much power, and the big brakes on the XT handled it very well. I wonder how much that weighed? Rough estimates would put it around the UK Forester XT's capacity of 4400lbs.
Also had a chance to finish that new roof rack I designed...
Really happy with how it turned out!
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I took off my roof rack and rails last weekend since the rack needed to be painted, and I came across this issue. It looks like my "spirited driving" on the trails might have caused the rail mounting to rub through the paint in all four spots. Has anyone had this happen (2011 Impreza OBS for reference)? Any suggestions to remedy it? The paint on the car is shot anyways (most of those white spots can not be removed) so I'm not looking for a new car look, just something to keep it protected. I'm also considering a rubber gasket of some sort to keep the plastic from the rail mount from rubbing and causing more damage. OR, I can finally get off my lazy butt and make those low profile custom rails I always wanted...
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Enthusiast I
I dont know if this is the stuff, but, i've seen people use something like this to attach like, a camera with a magnet attachment base that would go on the car, they just put this stuff on the car first so that the magnet doesn't scratch the paint. 3M Paint Protection Film
Got around to lifting the trek and putting some under armor
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Enthusiast I
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- Hull
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25134
We are glad to see there is an active Subaru community here on Overland Bound. Sarah and I are happy to share our journies with Sigourney (our 13XV), Pearl (our 17XT), and our aging pup Roxy as we see the CONUS and OCONUS locations God has blessed us to visit. We are learning to once again take the time to get out, visit our National Parks, and live a bit more relaxed. We are still primitive campers, by most accounts, as we still use a ground tent, a mostly stock Subaru platform drivers, and practice our care of nature with minimal impact. If you ever see us out, please feel free to say Hi, Roxy will greet you with a wagging tail. Sarah, Roxy, and Daniel
