4RnrRick Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 So what year/model/mods makes the Ultimate Offroad Subura? I'm refering to what people can actually afford and is realistic rather than what everyone just dreams about....... For me I think a EA82, D/R 4wd, 3.90's, rear LSD diffs, 28-30" Tires, 3-4" Lift, disc brakes. But ER-27 or EJ power would be nice but probably break too much stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archemitis Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 4xhatch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ru4x4ever Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 The Ultimate Off-Road Roo is what ever you make it! Note the biggest powerplant or the biggerst tires or lift, its in the eye of the beholder. Like on this show about drifting on TLC last night, some of these 80's jap cars were destryoying the $60,000 built drft cars. But all just my $0.02 -Sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushbasher Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 Put EFI and welded rear in the list and I'd say thats about as good as it gets, except for going solid rear and t-cased with 30+" tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 depends on if you want more than one person with you... I enjoyed my 82 lifted wagon, but my Brat is more fun... Hopefully my 87 lifted wagon will do okay with the set-up it's getting... for what you've described in other posts, your set-up above looks perfect..... 82 Brat 82 Brat 5" lift rear discs welded rear diff rancho shocks custom exhaust/magnaflow muffler ea81 with weber 32/36 27" BFG Mud Terrains custom bumpers winch dual battery 150 amp alt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 Lots of people prefer the ea81 for offroad duty, and I think I would agree for a strictly offroad car. They are lighter, narrower, and have better approach/departure angles, and you don't have to deal with T-belts. That said, I personally am sticking with my ea82 because it is my primary car for both on and offroad duty, and I like/need the extra space, what I think is a nicer ride at least compared to the ea81s I've ridden in, and I also prefer the way they look. The offroad duty mine sees is primarily snow, mud, and trails, where the larger body is rarely problematic. I also just carry extra timing belts to alleviate that concern. In addition, I am attracted to the ea82 because I like to stick with one model for parts interchangability with the other transient cars that I have, which tend to be ea82s. Parts are also generally easier to come by since the ea82 was sold until 94 in the US, whereas the last incarnation of the ea81 was sold in 89. As has been said, it's really up to personal preference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoobywagon Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 My ultimate offroad Soob would not likely be street legal. Not sure that I have the skills to actually build it either, but hey...not that it couldn't be done. Start with an EA81 hatch. Ej22 power, 4-speed D/R (lower first gear than 5-speed), T-Case, 5.70 gears at both ends (custom made), 33-35" tires on Toy 6-lug 15" wheels. Add on a full eternal cage and on-board air and you've got the beginnings of a REAL nice trail rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 EA81 hatch with a weber and good cam, welded rear, a t-case with 8-10 inch lift. Probably 8 inch for me since I dont like really high vehicles. Of course have a 5 speed d/r rather than the old 4 speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef_tim Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 RUZILLA:grin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganM Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 mtfsfabman's XT6 is pretty damn ultimate :cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 I think Ultimate is a matter of opinion If you factor in it's owner/handler (they do have a mind of their own) and their intended use and terrain your going to get a bunch of different Sub's all thought to be ultimate? I like the EA-81 platform probably in a Hatch body (If you must have a body?) I'm not sure there is one ultimate configuration. Glenn 82 SubaruHummer---body?...who needs a body? 01 Forester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 Alot of people have their own idea of Ultimate Off-Road subaru. Most would like a Hatch with a 4" lift and it would make it almost anywhere. EA81's are prefferable over EA82's most the time. Then you get the extreme ones who want dual t-cases, 8"+ of lift, lockers etc... I myself think of the Ultimate Off-Road Subaru in the same light as a Swiss Army Knife. I want more utility and useablility. I preffer to sleep in my vehicle, just enough room to toss and turn, with enough storage for the bare minimum onboard. Enough traction and low range to crawl through deserts, forests, fields... with a road, trail or footpath. All while keeping 20mpg +/- 5mpg My next off-road rig will be sure to have alittle more power and maybe a rear locker -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jibs Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 Yeah, it's all about what YOU want your ultimate subaru to look like. I'm a Brat man myself and so my dream Brat would be: 4" BYB Lift 28x8.5x14 Interco Super Swamper TSL's Stock Rollbar w/ 2 KC Daylighters Custom Front and Rear Bumpers w/ winch mount, tire rack etc. LSD rear many more options to follow. And I'm getting there too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooinater Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 for a non all out big spending machine. preferably i like to play in the bigger rocks in AZ and up in WA. so full out mods is what i go for. that's why the one i have has fallen behind in the curve i want. and i am going to be making an even better rock beast. but for the app you are looking at. i have a couple questions before i suggest.. do you want the extra room of a wagon or compromise a little room for a shorter more agile rig? if you want a shorter more agile rig i'd go with a hatch. less body between the wheels to hang up. and easier to fit around and between things on the trail. overall for offroad i'd vote on a ea81 hatch. if you want the wagon. which i've gone for. you can fit a rig full of people, family or alot of camping gear. you have the extra wheelbase which as about equvalent to a jeep. if i remember correctly it's about 95 inch wheelbase. you can sleep in the back if need be. then you have the normal argument for longer wheelbase helping in some situations and hampering you in others. personally for another not so modified rig. 4/3" pk davis lift. perfect height. the extra inch in the front helps keep the front nose up and still leave the suspension down and at the softest setting. a 5 speed d/r! swapped in a ea81 body. the best year 5 speeds are supposed to be the 85 to 86. they had the lowest d/r. it's about a 1.8:1 versus a 1.6:1. trust me it's lower geared than the 4 speed. the final crawl of a 4 speed is about 20:1 while with a 5 speed it's about 22:1. which is a noticable increase in lowrange. also while using a 5 speed vesus a 4 speed you have more inbetween gearing. the 5th gear in the 5 speed is a lower gear ratio than the 4th gear in the 4 speed. so in all reality of ability to use gears. you only have a 3 speed with a 4 speed and a 4 speed with a 5 speed. cause you will never see that overdrive gear unless going down hill... a Weber carb onto an ea81. keeps it simple and adds an extraordinary increase in power. this setup keeps it simple, and reliable. the ea81 is also gear driven timing, versus an inferior belt driven setup. one less thing to worry about breaking. granted an ej would be nice. and is very welcomed! but for simplicity's and reliability's sake the EA81! if you want to go a lot deeper into the subaru, tcase, yota axles and so on i'd go straight for the ej motor... then definately a lincoln locker in the rear. beings the fact there is no after market support. you either have a lsd or lincoln... lincoln is far superior for traction! now you might say streetability... yes there's a simple fix on that. it's a lot easier job on the EA81 body style than the EA82 though. on an EA81 disconnect the bottom bolt of the shock. jack that side up. pop pins off of cv axle and pull out. about 10 to 15 minutes in or out. when you pull it out and have it in fwd. it acts like a open diff. pop it in. wa-la locked. if you just want to drive straight on the trail go with a lsd... a lot more likely to lose traction though. then either 15" yota rims or pug rims. the tire of choice i'd use would be the Super Swamper SSR's. they come in a 27" for 15 and 14 inch rims. good traction quiet on road. little faster wear... but a extremely good tire. not too big not too small for the gearing. 28" tires are puching too big for the harder trails and 26's your wishing for a bigger tire. the tire really is a 27.3 something inches tall. that'd be the basis for another simple style roo. that could conquer the subaru size trails. personally i'm sticking with my dual tase's! so many options. but the EA81 in my opinion is the far best for dependability fo a lightly moded vehicle. all my opinion and what i've seen. oh i forgot gotta have that pwr steering too!! greatly helps! makes it a caddy subaru on the dirt. Jared Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathHatch Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 is mtsfabmans xt6 the biggest subie...? what if their were taller ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsfabman Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 is mtsfabmans xt6 the biggest subie...? what if their were taller ones It's mine no more...... I'm sure you've got some plans up your sleeve to roll up to WCSS7 with a beast even larger than the XT6 I built. Huhh, Huhh, Huhh?????? Don't keep us in suspense too long. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezapar Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 My ultimate 4X Soob: A reliable ea81 with the 4/3, 27s, Weber and a LSD or welded diff. The 4 speed d/r is under rated, I love 'em. Drive comfortably to get there, feel confident you've got a sturdy competent off roader, feel free to go semi hi speed while rallying the forest roads to the serious stuff, rely on it to get you home afterwards. Oh yeah, all on one 11 gallon tank. Guess that narrows it down to one like the one I have. I came up with the scratch Mike, got really tempted, just can't let mine go. If it's not broke, don't fix it type thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsfabman Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 I came up with the scratch Mike, got really tempted, just can't let mine go. If it's not broke, don't fix it type thing. No Problem Zap! I'm going to go ahead and register the car this week and keep it. It's really a lot of fun. Besides, I need a daily driver/weekend warrior while I'll build up my new beast! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathHatch Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 It's mine no more...... I'm sure you've got some plans up your sleeve to roll up to WCSS7 with a beast even larger than the XT6 I built. Huhh, Huhh, Huhh?????? Don't keep us in suspense too long. Mike i have no idea what u are talking about .... and ur new beast eh... ya cant wait till wcss7 only about a year away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84Scoobaroo Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 It's mine no more...... I'm sure you've got some plans up your sleeve to roll up to WCSS7 with a beast even larger than the XT6 I built. Huhh, Huhh, Huhh?????? Don't keep us in suspense too long. Mike http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=24961 that is all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felipe01forester Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 I'm just fine with my 01 Forester, but it definitely needs a mod or two. I'd like a 3" lift, maybe some bigger tires (although I don't know if the 2.5L 4-cyl will handle it). Once I get a job and get some money, I'll call up Mudrat. I just don't want my parents to keep thinking that my Soob is merely a station wagon with 4-wheel drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganM Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 I'm just fine with my 01 Forester, but it definitely needs a mod or two. I'd like a 3" lift, maybe some bigger tires (although I don't know if the 2.5L 4-cyl will handle it). Once I get a job and get some money, I'll call up Mudrat. I just don't want my parents to keep thinking that my Soob is merely a station wagon with 4-wheel drive. I wouldnt worry about the 2.5L at all. I can spin 29"s on dry pavement with my stock 1.8L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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