Forester: ExPo Subaru Project

[Humvette]

I have owned 2 subarus recently
- 2005 Legacy Gt
- 2008 Legacy Gt Spec B
I would strongly consider the turbo swap! I was getting 28mpg in my Spec B with just a downpipe, intake, exhaust, and a cobb stage 2 tune! I drove my LGT's lots of places and they stick very well. I love the build by the way :victory:

I had gotten a skidplate from Rallytech about 2yrs ago that was stainless steel. RCE Race Comp Engineerin or Turnin Concepts would be amazing vendors to deal with. I had the RCE Tarmac 1's and they felt great and i could have gone taller than stock. I would change the sway bars for sure as suggested earlier. Many people on the LGT forum cracked their's!!!

Note you might be able to get that 1" you are looking for with camber plates instead of the stock pillow blocks. This would give you a lot more adjustability. You will feel the road more, but it should not be too bad.

Another thing when doing the install is to replace the oil pick up tube with one that has been rewelded and the block connection. This is a typical failure point for sti engines. Not an STI engine will bolt directly up

If you are looking for some cheap wheels check out the classifieds on Nasioc or Legacygt.com.

If you are looking for a brake upgrade you could get f/r off of a 2005-2009 Legacy Gt for $500 easy with rotors. They are far bigger and will not cause any wheel fitment issues that i know about.

I am really looking forward to this build. Build some custom bumpers and rock sliders

I have tons of info on subarus, i work on them a lot lol. :coffeedrink:

mark.pyles@gmail.com

The only counter to this rig for mpg's would be a diesel 3/4 ton. I get right at 20 mpg's with my F350 FX4

M

 

[Sleeping Dog]

I'd give my left testis for Subaru to offer a manual transmission, 2-speed t-case version of the Forester or Outback in the US market. :drool:

Or if 1st was a granny gear like on the VW Type lll Syncros.

 

[Elliot Press]

Sorry to see he (SKT- as i know him) had to sell it!

Yeah man I use to go wheeling with him all the time when he lived on the West Coast of Aus. Got to see some big changes to the car. Even had the (dis)pleasure of being with him when he drowned his engine and on a seperate occasion when he overheated it and blew the HG. haha.

We filmed him drowning his Forester. Was a classic. You can see me in the background in my Forry getting ready to pull him out. :coffeedrink:

 

[Brian McVickers]

Update:

We have the Forester back up in Prescott now and we're preparing to dive into the engine issues in a couple of weeks once the travel schedule relaxes a bit.

In the meantime we are continuting to plan out the suspension upgrades and protection options.

Brian

 

[Paladin]

I have owned several subies and some if my friends have had subies....between myself and friends about 15. All but 1 blew up. Some of those were grocery getters, some were just short of full blown race cars.

Yup, buddy of mine had a 9-2X Turbo with some mild mods and his motor popped too. I don't really get it. They have such a great reputation. And my car was fantastic for the 80,000km I put on it. But I hear about so many engine failures.

I can't comment on all the other cases, but my friend is meticulous in his upkeep, and doesn't abuse his cars. Sure, some may consider trackdays abuse, but it really shouldn't be. Lots of other econoboxes don't have a problem with it.

Another question:

We will be swapping out the springs but we would also like to upgrade the shocks at the same time. What are the strut upgrade options that are available?

Look into Hot Bits coilovers. It's sort of a waste because you already bought springs. But they are an affordable, entry level rally-quality setup. Lots of privateers are running them.

 

[CA-RJ]

I am curious what the fuel mileage is on a modified Subaru? If I remember, they get something like 28 mpg on the highway. After lifting it, adding skid plates and more agressive tires, how much do you loose? Like others, I am thinking about selling the 4Runner and getting a Forester. If I could get 25 mpg with a modified Forester I'd be happy.

 

[Paladin]

My stock WRX used to get 24mpg at 100mph... And at 60mph. Weird.

 

[Humvette]

I would say 25mpg's is possible, just stay out of the boost hehe 9hard to do) this is only on the turbo'd models

Pick light tires!

 

[Superu]

My non-turbo Outback gets a solid 25mpg hwy at 70 - 80 mph.

Stats:

• 2" body lift
• 1" suspension lift
• Primitive Racing skids front and rear
• upsized Yokohama Geolandar AT/S

 

[Humvette]

great outback!!!

 

[ktrout01]

This build is awesome timing ! I just replaced my Jetta TDI with a 2003 Forester. I needed the AWD to get back and forth to work and we really like my wife's 2010 Forester. I've already bolted on a Rola roof basket and a class II trailer hitch to drag the dirt bike and camping gear around. I'm looking forward to a couple inches of lift and some skidplates.

My overall goal is upgrading on and off road capabilities while improving reliabilities. I'm not looking for a full out rally car, just something I can take off the beaten path on the weekends and still drive to work every day with decent MPG.

 

[RB1]

With the volatility of gas prices these days I'm considering downsizing. Around here Subarus are almost the state vehicle there are so many of them.Looking forward to the build!

 

[casm]

Just found this thread, and am going to be keeping an eye on it as I'm planning on doing something similar in the next few months, though with an as-yet-to-be-purchased SF Forester. I'd really like an SG similar to the one you're doing the build on, but the pricing on them puts them out of my planned budget.

One thing that may be useful to the build: it's possible to modify the 4EAT transmission to operate in what's effectively equivalent to a centre diff lock mode. About $25 in electronic components, some soldering, and a patch into the TCU harness later and you've got actual 4WD with a permanent 50:50 front/rear torque split. The thread on rs25.com detailing how to do it is here; something tells me this is going to be in mine about an hour after I eventually pick it up

Definitely interested to see what you do for suspension. My eyeballing of them over the past few weeks seems to indicate that 2" is about enough to get the rockers at or slightly above the axle centreline, which, for what I want out of it, would be about perfect. It would also allow fitting 215/70R16 tyres, which opens up some good possibilities in that department. My gut feeling is that BFG T/A KOs would be a good match for this vehicle.

Watch out for head gaskets and timing belts; both were notoriously problematic prior to about '04 on the 2.5, but some '03s and '04s have also been known to have issues. Take a look here for more info on that.

FWIW, the goal of my build will ultimately be to have 30-40% of the off-road capability of the lifted & locked 2000 XJ that's my current DD with 50% better fuel economy. It looks like you guys are going for something pretty similar, so this is definitely a subscribed thread for me.

 

[Incusus]

watching this thread. great stuff here.

 

[Scott Brady]

We are still working out the engine issue, which will likely take a few more weeks minimum. Some parts are starting to show up though, like the Ironman Coil Spring lift.

More updates as soon as we have one