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My experience with ARB

OneSixty

Forum Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2018
Messages
117
Location
Outer Perth Area, Western Australia
Car Year
2003
Car Model
SG Forester 2.5X
Transmission
5 Speed Manual
Today I finally got to go inside the local ARB store to have a look. Not going to say the guy was rude but he certainly wasn't the nicest guy.
He said that ARB don't make parts for Subarus (I already knew from the website) because "you can't really do much to them". He then further went on explaining how I should get something other than a Subaru and that in the outback (Australia) a Forester would get as far as a Ford Falcon (not far).

This has only made me want a Forester even more to prove him that Subarus can do just as much as any other 4wd.
 
Haha, they saw you coming - no shiny new cruiser or patrol out the front or you waving a platinum credit card as you walked in the store.

Both of those mean you'll be "work" for them to get any loose change out of you...

Seriously don't let them bug you, they're afraid of anything that's outside the norm. I reckon if I pulled up in their carpark in my L series they'd have a laugh, check it out and tell me to get a real 4wd.

Yet it'll do a lot of what a modified "traditional" 4wd will do, and some different things too (like tight turns, float on soft stuff).

Cheers

Bennie
 
He's trying to compare the offroad abilities of a Forester
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSQrtBBr-Aw"]Forester Mundaring Powerlines 1/10/17 - YouTube[/ame]

And a Falcon
https://www.facebook.com/OffRoadFal...863052109/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab

https://www.facebook.com/OffRoadFal...321784232/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab

to a real 4wd? :rotfl:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMpYG3JQ-7U&t=7s"]Mundaring Powerlines 11/6/16 - YouTube[/ame]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEC_RZFyULQ&feature=youtu.be

ARB is targeted at people with deep pockets then Subaru owners. When ARB bought Smartbar the cost of Smartbars went up by about $1000 across the models. We're not missing out on much...
 
Seeing those comparison videos between the Forester and the Patrol has really given me a boost, I was feeling like maybe a Subaru wasn't good enough after all but this has helped me make my decision between a "real" 4wd and a Forester.

Edit: I have heard of Mundaring a lot and it would be great to take the Forester there when and if I get it, it's just way too far if anything goes wrong.
 
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Really doesn't surprise me from ARB, they don't have the best reputation.

As for Subarus not going far in the Outback haha. 2 years ago a group of 7 Subarus did 10,000 kms in the outback on tracks like the Gunbarrel, Gary, & Eagle Hwys, & the Madigan line in the Simpson Desert. We did it easier than a 4wd would, with way more comfort & for the later model Subies with excellent reliability. It was only the earlier EA Subies that had any issues, not surprising for 30 plus year cars. But we all still finished!!

Gunbarrell Hwy, Gibson Desert, WA:


Gary Hwy, Gibson Desert, WA:


Madigan Line, Simpson Desert, NT:


Another one on the Madigan Line, Simpson Desert, NT:


Salt pan, Simpson Desert, Qld:


Climbing Australia's tallest sand dune, Big Red, Simpson Desert, Qld:
 
I don't want to play authority about Australian conditions, but I will say this, as a general rule:

I am not surprised. Tell them next time that your #1 concern in the Outback is reliability and that you would therefore not consider a Jeep or a Land Rover.

That huge factor aside, the best way to think about it, imo, is to consider two distinct poles on the same continuum.

One end has the Subaru as king (but you gotta have a VDC model to fully benefit and to avoid doing extensive traction enhancing mods). This is when we talk dirt, sand, speed, handling, long distances, VALUE, and the like. This seems to be very much what OZ style offroad is mostly about.

The other has the Wrangler Rubicon as the best. This is the rock crawling end of the spectrum, a US thing chiefly, it seems, where a Subaru will indeed not get far. But it is not only rock crawling, the Wrangler's crazy angles and the short wheelbase of the 2dr allow it to navigate the deserts here in Arizona like no other vehicle can, 80 series Land Cruisers or my 4Runner Offroad included. AZ terrain is harsher than Utah or Colorado overall even if there are extreme trails in all three states.

In between, you have the over-landing style rigs, think Land Cruiser. They are not nearly a Subaru on dirt or a Rubicon on rock. They suit most uses though and allow much higher carrying capacity than either Subarus or Jeeps. For these reasons I now have a 4Runner Offroad Edition, which is the best Toyota offers in the US nowadays.

As long as you stick to the best of each kind, you will have something great but it may not be the right tool for you. You gotta understand what you are getting. A Subaru is the most versatile overall and the best overall value. A Toyota is the most versatile when it comes to heavy duty but suffers outside of those heavy load/serious 4x4 moments. A Jeep is the most capable but it really is chiefly a toy, a US thing for US trails, for which it is perfect.

In sum, I fully support your Forester inclination! Better start from the most versatile and best value car overall and then see if eventually it is not enough.
 
Agreed. The Toyota/Nissan blokes think their cars are best everywhere off road. Where they excel compared to Subarus is where articulation and clearance are critical. Any car with solid axles will, or should, have far better articulation than cars with independent suspension. But I and others have shown that in other conditions a Subaru will be as good or better. Jeeps you don’t see much of off road, they have a poor reputation for reliability and as MAS said, rock hopping isn’t so popular here.
 
We need some like buttons in here...

My mate with a jacked up and now turbo'd patrol talks down on my subi even though he's not seen it out bush yet.

Depth of water crossings is another issue for our Subi's - can't go nearly as deep as a heavier, taller 4wd, or have a go in the same sort of currents those vehicles can.

Cheers

Bennie
 
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