Subaru owners: Let's see your expedition rigs!

[wreckdiver1321]

Here's my "expo lite" vehicle. It's my fiance's 2009 Forester (shots taken in Northern MT).

 

[Rosco862003]

A few pictures taken on a camping weekend to Portsmouth Island, NC.
2006 Subaru Impreza 2.5i - $10,000
Ferry Ride to Portsmouth Island - $110
Watching the look on lifted truck owners faces as a Subaru passes them on the beach -Priceless

There are some thing's money can't buy, for everything else there's AWD.:smiley_drive:

 

[WMDunkin]

^^^ Looks like a blast!

 

[Thirty-Nine]

FYI, a little bit more about the XV Crosstrek I posted above:

http://www.subcompactculture.com/2014/05/the-primitive-racing-subaru-xv-crosstrek.html

 

[mapper]

Your analysis, though thorough, fails to consider depreciation. Since the XV is a newer vehicle it will likely depreciate more quickly than your current truck. Though Subarus, at a point, do hold value well...a new car is a new car. Nothing depreciates faster.

 

[T.Low]

Walker Valley?

 

[ducktapeguy]

I think a 4,500lbs winch isn't enough for this vehicle.
Primitive stated on their Facebook page that "We were limited by the size of the winch, not a ton of room to mount on the front of these Subies." and "...to be honest, we're not sure the frame could take more than 4500lbs".
This, to me, means that the winch is more for show than real use.
Back to pictures of Subarus

I don't know, I think for this type of vehicle that's the perfect size winch. Many times I've thought about mounting a small 3K winch on my subaru, because that's what would fit in the front. I know the standard rule of thumb is 1.5X the vehicle weight, but that's worst case scenario and overkill for the kind of terrain this type of car is made for. Most likely you won't be using this car for competition rock crawling or mud bogging, but mostly dirt roads and snow. In those cases, a winch would be used more as a traction aid to get you out of a slippery spot, which doesn't require that much force. Worst case, you could always double the line with a snatch block and get twice the pulling force, but like they said the frame probably isn't strong enough to handle it.

 

[Herbie]

It's also worth saying that the car in question probably weighs less than 3500 wet and loaded. For anything up to body-deep in mud, it's better than nothing. Hell, just visit the "what have you used your winch for today" thread to see people find lots of other uses than just pulling out a fully stuck vehicle...

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Thirty-Nine]

Yeah, remember: It's rare to ever be pulling the full, 100% capacity of a vehicle due to the fact it's a rolling load. Also consider the ability to double-line a winch. With a unibody Subaru, I think I'd be more worried about pulling the front end off than if the winch has enough capacity.

 

[Dranged]

Yeah, remember: It's rare to ever be pulling the full, 100% capacity of a vehicle due to the fact it's a rolling load. Also consider the ability to double-line a winch. With a unibody Subaru, I think I'd be more worried about pulling the front end off than if the winch has enough capacity.

I would consider reinforcing the unibody around the bumper mounts.
My tube bumper is bolted at the factory bumper support holes and when using a hi-lift on the bumper, the body flexes. It lifts eventually but after some unibody flex. une could weld some angle along the channel parallel in the engine bay but ultimately its just moving the fuse back.

I've considered a winch for a long time but have never been in the scenario to need one. My bumper was designed to mount one but again, I've never been in the situation where I needed one. As a FT AWD driver, one learns to not go where one can't come back out. Given I'm not in mud bogging country, and door-sill deep water is a rarity here and when its around its typically moving water which is another bag.

At any rate, that crosstrek is a good looking package and certainly capable. I doubt the true capability or the CVT (especially towing) and wish a 5EAT was an option. While dual range AWD Subaru gearboxes exist everywhere but he States, i don't know that this gen of car (the crosstrek) is compatible with the latest available DR, say an AUDM or LADM 2010 forester dual range AWD. . .


*EDIT* disregard some of the above... As it turns out a winch is handy!
I have been in need, but I was with others that had them (thanks Bret

There was that time on Lockhart Basin, north to south where I high centered a couple times and off cambered allowing the open front diff and viscous (non-locking) center to behave as AWDs do, then I did need a couple tugs....

 

[Hondaslayer]

I only needed a winch once. I got stuck in a swamp after pulling an S10 out I got stuck in the ruts I dug. Had to crawl out the window since I could not open the door :lol: High centered on rocks is easy to get out of, just use your jack to get a wheel back on the ground then drive off the jack

 

[libarata]

I bought a hi-lift with some chain, hopefully that is all I will need. Just need to find a worthy set of points to hook up at. Any suggestions?

 

[Rosco862003]

http://www.gorillaoffroadcompany.com/product-detail.cfm/prd_key/44 makes a decent looking lightbar/skid that mounts at 8 points along the sub-frame which I think would do well in terms of dispersing the load around the frame as opposed to two points. This or something custom is the route I plan on taking with my Impreza as most everything else mounts to the radiator shroud and 2 points on the frame, which I don't exactly trust to hold up to a good tug. The can even include a winch and shackle mounts.

 

[libarata]

Gorilla looks to make a great product, and suggest a 4.5k-5k lbs winch for my Forester. When I have that much to pay for the bar, I certainly WILL make the move to purchase. But, crawling around underneath it, I am not really finding all that much to tug on. Not that I plan on doing to local teenage "offrading" of finding a mud pit, and intentionally getting stuck, and seeing who could pull me out

 

[JWP58]

A 2" lift would be perfect for the crosstrek.