March 16, 200620 yr So I'm sure a lot of people know about my Brat but here are the specs anyway: 4/3" Byb Lift Kit 28" Swampers 6 Lug Conversion Rear 3.9 LSD Tube Doors Weber Carb Rear Disc Brakes 3500lb winch KC Lights and HOPEFULLY - D/R 5 speed Tranny with Phantom Grip + bumpers and Rollbars My question now is, WHAT MORE CAN I DO TO IMPORVE OFFROAD CAPABILITY? ea82 Coilovers help any? welded rear instead? What else? Opinions are welcome!
March 16, 200620 yr Ooooooh, good one. I'd really like to see that. dont worry, i got some designs in the works, just need to get about 300$ for the axles well, before I say anything, how much money you got to work with? theres ALWAYS more you can do.
March 16, 200620 yr WHAT MORE CAN I DO TO IMPORVE OFFROAD CAPABILITY? ! weld up the rear Diff, add a snorkel , add a few slider pipes along the rockers for those pesky rocks , Jibs I really like your Brat
March 16, 200620 yr Onboard air so you can air down on the trail and air up for the ride home. Wheel it hard till you break it. Then you'll know what needs to be modified. Experiance is the best teacher. Quit spending your money and ENJOY IT!
March 16, 200620 yr Onboard air so you can air down on the trail and air up for the ride home. Wheel it hard till you break it. Then you'll know what needs to be modified. Experiance is the best teacher. Quit spending your money and ENJOY IT! Dido!
March 16, 200620 yr So I'm sure a lot of people know about my Brat but here are the specs anyway: 4/3" Byb Lift Kit 28" Swampers 6 Lug Conversion Rear 3.9 LSD Tube Doors Weber Carb Rear Disc Brakes 3500lb winch KC Lights and HOPEFULLY - D/R 5 speed Tranny with Phantom Grip + bumpers and Rollbars My question now is, WHAT MORE CAN I DO TO IMPORVE OFFROAD CAPABILITY? ea82 Coilovers help any? welded rear instead? What else? Opinions are welcome! I've got a Superwinch 4500 and it wasn't enough to pull me up a fairly steep hill (angle was severe enough I couldn't get it started again) and my starter locked up. not enough area to turn around, and a tree stuck behind my RF wheel! If you don't already have one, get(make) a good skid plate that covers your Y pipe as well. save my engine more than once last year... I love my welded rear, but I also use sometimes as a daily, so I'm torn on that issue....
March 16, 200620 yr Get another E-brake lever and hook it up to one of the cables, one lever for each wheel, free turning brake!
March 16, 200620 yr Get another E-brake lever and hook it up to one of the cables, one lever for each wheel, free turning brake! Weld the rear for a Lincoln Locker then... Do the Dual Ebrake thing and you'll have a limited slip up front. You'll never spin a tire again! http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showphoto.php?photo=6002&cat=500&ppuser=584 Good Luck! Glenn 82 SubaruHummer 84 GL Mad Max 01 Forester
March 16, 200620 yr My question now is, WHAT MORE CAN I DO TO IMPORVE OFFROAD CAPABILITY? ea82 Coilovers help any? welded rear instead? What else? Opinions are welcome! I think that the ea82 coilovers make the rear way too stiff. I found the ea81 Soobs to be most capable with the rear torsion bar dialed down to the bottom, as soft as possible. Makes for free (er) travel, meaning the tires are on the ground more. That would mean better traction, improving off road capability. Definitely get a welded diff. I swore they'd be no different/better while I drove around in my lsd'd rig. ALL the difference!!! You too will say that. You just have to learn to be softer on the pedal to preserve axles. What else? I've been thinking about replacing the radiators in the ea81s with one not so tall. It's gotta be out there, a radiator that will cool as well as the stock one, but not be as huge. If you could lift the radiator, you can improve approach angle, again, improving offroad capability.
March 17, 200620 yr Author Thanks thats a good idea. I was also thinking of getting a custom oil pan made, smaller maybe. That'd help A LOT! I'm sure. I don't wanna go to T-case, subframe etc right now, thats TOO much work for me. I may have an idea for my next rig though involving all that stuff though. Later. Thanks for the replies. I think that the ea82 coilovers make the rear way too stiff. I found the ea81 Soobs to be most capable with the rear torsion bar dialed down to the bottom, as soft as possible. Makes for free (er) travel, meaning the tires are on the ground more. That would mean better traction, improving off road capability. Definitely get a welded diff. I swore they'd be no different/better while I drove around in my lsd'd rig. ALL the difference!!! You too will say that. You just have to learn to be softer on the pedal to preserve axles. What else? I've been thinking about replacing the radiators in the ea81s with one not so tall. It's gotta be out there, a radiator that will cool as well as the stock one, but not be as huge. If you could lift the radiator, you can improve approach angle, again, improving offroad capability.
March 17, 200620 yr second vote for EJ22, you'll love it. and it will turn those beefy tires alot better than the motor you got now. ~Josh~
March 17, 200620 yr I'm not to sure on the welded diff idea. Only if you wanna trailer your brat from trail to trail. If not, your gonna have to remove the rear axel every time you drive on the tarmac. Then when the weld breakes you gotta re weld it.. sounds like a huge pain in the a@@ in my opinion. If you wanna rock crawl I suggest a different vehicle.
March 17, 200620 yr I'm not to sure on the welded diff idea. Only if you wanna trailer your brat from trail to trail. If not, your gonna have to remove the rear axel every time you drive on the tarmac. Then when the weld breakes you gotta re weld it.. sounds like a huge pain in the a@@ in my opinion. If you wanna rock crawl I suggest a different vehicle. Subieman, have you ever had or built an off roader? Are you speaking from experience or from what you've read? I can change out/in a rear axle in a lifted ea81 in about 6 minutes or less, including pulling out the hammer and putting it away. WHAT MORE CAN I DO TO IMPORVE OFFROAD CAPABILITY? He asked. What do you suggest?
March 17, 200620 yr I'm not to sure on the welded diff idea. Only if you wanna trailer your brat from trail to trail. If not, your gonna have to remove the rear axel every time you drive on the tarmac. Then when the weld breakes you gotta re weld it.. sounds like a huge pain in the a@@ in my opinion. If you wanna rock crawl I suggest a different vehicle. I beg to differ. if you weld it right, and wheel it better, you won't break the welds. swappin out a rear axle isn't that hard if you really are pushing your subaru to the limit on a regular basis. but, if you daily drive it, and wheel it for a few minutes, and drive it home. or, like me, daily drive it in a city that get's alot of snow, an LSD is more for you. beyond that, a snorkel, if you find yourself in the water often. big recommendation for the dual ebrake from me!!! it would go real well with your phantom grip. it's not good for everything, but if you get in a real tight situation, it can be that little help you need to pull yourself over something. It all really depends on what you're doing. The best thing you can do is go wheel it, take it where you want to go, and if it falls short in something, try to find a way to make it better.
March 17, 200620 yr I beg to differ. if you weld it right, and wheel it better, you won't break the welds. swappin out a rear axle isn't that hard if you really are pushing your subaru to the limit on a regular basis. Zap high five's Nubchux.
March 17, 200620 yr How about getting the y-pipe out from under there. Qman's turbo crossover pipe swap and Zap's radiator swap would dramatically improve front end clearance and approach angle without costing much $.
March 17, 200620 yr Author Would the dual e-brake wear out the brakes faster though? Good ideas. Getting the exhaust done is another priority, after lifting the Brat, it hangs down painfully low.
March 17, 200620 yr If you put a tailgate back on: I got a rear tire carrier off a old Ram Charger, and it will fit perfect, attaching to rear steel bumper, and the body right above tail light. swings out so you can lower the tailgate. the swing lock attaches to the tailgate....
March 17, 200620 yr Also how about the Rguyver rear axle mod. EA82 long cups on both ends of rear axles gives more down travel without hyperextending the joints.
May 2, 200619 yr Get another E-brake lever and hook it up to one of the cables, one lever for each wheel, free turning brake! I've been thinking of doing this on my Forester for the rear e-brake. I tried searching with no luck, so does anyone have any install tips or links?
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