Forester_Ranger

29" tires won't fit under the stock spring perches of Forester struts. I have a Forester with 215/85r15 TSL's. My spring perches however have been moved up 1 1/2" to give 2" of lift and allow for fitment of 29" tires. I also used a BFH to give clearence in the fender well. I think the Impreza fender wells are smaller than the Forester which will be another issue for you.

98 Forester with 2" strut lift and 2" Scorpion body lift 29" Super Swamper TSL 10" under front Y-pipe 11" under rear diff gaurd

Here's my custom EA center console in a Forester.

nice tires. what is the overall diameter in inches? I think you should of left the wheels silver though.

Mt. Angel sounds good to me. Not too far from where I live.

Looks like a good place to go wheelin. nice shots.

I have the 21st and 22nd off. I would be interested in coming up there one of those days.

i'm interested

Here's a shot of my 98 Forester with 4" of lift and 29" super swampers. I Haven't got any good wheeling pics yet. Last weekend I took it wheelin and lost my rear bumper and destroyed the exhaust. a friend took pics on his phone and i'm waiting for him to send me them.

Well It's been a year since I broke my muffler off. About 5 months afterwards I had the cats removed since I kept getting checking engine codes. At the same time I added a free flowing glass pack for a muffler. Now it's louder than ever. I haven't had any engine problems. I do however use the Forester mostly just for off-roading. Most of the time it just sits in the driveway. So I'm not out driving around town all the time with loud exhaust.

I think the EJ dual-range for you is the best way to go. It would be pretty pricey though to import one. But you will keep the AWD and get some low-range as well. I got a ea82 3:90 Dual-range swap in my forester with 29" tires. I gave up my AWD and 4:11 gearing though. Driving around in 2wd with 29" tires is noticbly slower. But Gaining more Off-roadability in 4lo is worth it for me. Since that is all I use the Forester for now.

Awesome pictures. Nice to see some New School Subaru's off-roading. You never see that here in America.

I vote for the AA Scappoose site. Not to far for me. I would show up for that.

I think the Raider has more off-road potential. Being short wheelbase, short overhangs and plenty of room for larger tires. I'm not to familiar for the aftermarket options for Raider/Monteros. but would expect it to be larger than Subaru's. But it all comes down to personal preferences.

The Low-range climbs and does much better in all areas off-road compared to my stock tranny. The clutch is an XT-6 clutch. Which Mudrat claims is the strongest clutch you can get for an ea82 tranny. I haven't noticed any clutch slipping. I don't know what you mean by the Forester was on it's way out. The Old AWD Tranny and clutch have been working great in my SVX. On the street in FWD It is noticably more sluggish because of higher gearing and taller tires. with lift and bigger tires I'm getting about 19 MPG. Overall it is less enjoyable on the street but much more fun off-road.

great videos. Who's the music by? Would like to add a couple of those songs to my collection.

The D/R still performs as good as when it was installed. I rarely drive the Forester though. My SVX is my daily driver and only use the Forester for trips into the woods.

the Dodge Ram was at a disadvantage being in front. He had to blaze the trail. I tried to follow his tracks. but my car is narrower and i would only be able to keep one side in his tracks. The single cab toyota was a young inexperienced driver and got stuck a few times. One time he slid off the side the road on a straight away that didn't even have much snow. His truck was pretty squirlly with wide tires. I had 29" super swampers that are pretty aggressive and skinny. they would dig right down to the soil and always got good traction.

Took my Forester up to Bohemia Pass last Saturday with a group of co-workers. They had 2 lifted Toyota's and a Dodge Ram. We made it to the top of the pass. The Dodge Ram was leading and got stuck a couple of times. I was right behind the Dodge in my 4" lifted Forester. I Never got stuck. It just plowed through anything the other trucks went through. The 2 Toyotas where behind me. the single cab got stuck several times. We ran into a couple other groups as well. Didn't see any other Subaru's. click on link to see pictures. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/792800/9

awesome videos.

Me and group of coworkers from my work are planning on doing a snow run this saturday 11/12 10:30am. We will be meeting at the Chevron in Cottage Grove Then heading up to Bohemia to play in the snow. Mostly 4wd trucks. But I'm taking my Forester. Would like to see some other Suburus there.

Hey shady. You got any plans for making bumpers, swing out tire/jerry can, and roof rack for Foresters.

I got 4 used cooper discoverer STT 215/75r15 with 1/4 inch deep tread left on them sitting in my garage. I have pictures but Car Domain is down right now.

As others have said and my reply to your PM. AWD isn't as good off-road as a 4wd. You can make your Forester more off-roadable. But still won't match the capabilities of truck based 4x4. There are no easy modifications for Foresters. You will need someone experienced in modifing old and new Subarus. You could do as i did and swap trannys for a ea82 dual-range turning your AWD into a part-time 4wd with low range. This will cost you at least $2000. There are 2" suspension and 2" body lifts available. Each costing $500-$1000 per lift kit. Off-road tire choices are very limited. It's hard to find a 27-29" mud-terrain tires. You will need atleast 6" or more lift to fit larger tires. All these mods will make your Forester less enjoyable to drive on the street. It won't handle and perform like a car anymore. You should only do it if you really like Subaru's and want something that is different. But buying a real 4x4 is a much easier and better option for off-road use. My favorite choices for a new 4x4 are Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 05 or newer Xterra's with off-road package, Upcoming Toyota FJ Cruiser, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Tacoma, Land Rover LR3 and Jeep Grand Cherokee with Quadra-drive. My Favorite old school 4x4's are Toyota pick-ups, 4-runners and Land cruisers, Jeeps, Pinzgauers, and Volvo 303's. I don't have any experience driving these vehicles but am impressed what I seen and read about them.

Awesome off-road shots. Nice to see some new school Subarus off-road. Looking forward to seeing your future off-road mods and adventures.