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Northwest OHV Park in Bridgeport, TX March 8th 2014

machine1

Forum Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2013
Messages
137
Location
North Texas
Car Year
2013
Car Model
SH9 Forester XT
Our next meet date has been set, Texans and Oklahomans join us.

https://www.facebook.com/events/722998691052450/

Join us for some off-roading fun. We will meet at the off road park and head out onto the trails around 9:00 AM. We will have a lunch break around noon (Bring a picnic lunch). After lunch you can choose to continue on the trails or go home.

A/T tires are recommended. There are sharp rocks and some water crossings that you would not want to get stuck in.

You will need a current Texas OHV sticker (2014) that you can pick up at most ATV shops (Grapevine Kawasaki, for example). The sticker is $16 and is good until August. Entry is $25 cash only.

We will have at least one recovery vehicle with us at all times.

There will be plenty of picture and video opportunities, we will take our time on the trails.

Here is a summary of the trails we take...

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G504HUF8ffA"]Northwest OHV Park Bridgeport TX 1-11-14 Subaru Forester Jeep Liberty Dodge Dakota - YouTube[/ame]

OHV Park Website...

https://www.cityofbridgeport.net/index.aspx?nid=322

Trail map...

https://www.cityofbridgeport.net/DocumentCenter/Home/View/629
 
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Here is the current attendee list as of 2-20-14

Vinay (Me), Athena - 13 Subaru Forester XT
Josh A. - 14 Subaru Forester XT
Derrick N. - 14 Forester XT
Dusty - SG Subaru Forester
AB - 04 Subaru Forester XT
William W. - 14 Subaru Forester 2.5
Andrew Darr - Jeep Liberty Diesel 4x4
Wade S. - Jeep Rubicon
Brian B. , Cody Y. - Jeep JKUR
Tylor B. - Jeep JKUR
Bryan R. - 99 Jeep YJ V8
Dan - Dodge Dakota Crew cab 4x4, 96 Jeep XJ V8
Mike R. - Dodge Ram 4x4
Adam M. - Ford F150 4x4
Ryan D. -Toyota Tacoma 4x4
Young, SR. - Toyota T100 4x4
Bradley - 07 Toyota Tacoma 4x4
Fernando D. - 1992 Toyota PU 4x4, Honda 400EX
Omar - 04 Toyota 4Runner (Project, DARK HORSE)

Maybe list

Shay A. - 12 Subaru Forester
Andrew D. - Subaru Outback
Ian W. - 14 Forester XT
Mike C. - 14 Forester XT
David B. - 14 Forester XT
Don Johnson - 95 Yamaha Timberwolf
Ryan Heller - Nissan XTerra Pro4X
Graham C. - Dodge Durango
 
Wow, hope you have fun! Let me know if you ever come to AZ!
 
Wow, hope you have fun! Let me know if you ever come to AZ!

Thanks! And if I ever make it out that way I'll definitely let you know.

My next prospect is Black Bear Pass into Telluride, CO. My Forester isn't equipped enough to make it this year but maybe by Summer 2015 I can get a group of Subarus to go down there.
 
Well, well. Our plans for this summer call for at least one week of camping near Durango and perhaps some time up the San Juan Mountains. My goal is the Alpine Loop. I am not sure we will get there this year actually, so 2015 is a possibility.

Have you done the Alpine Loop?

As for the BB, there is a youtube video of a guy who did that in a stock II gen Forester, I think.
 
Wow, that looks like a trail I would want to go on (The Alpine Loop).

Before I go out there I would like to lift my Forester 2" and have a spare tire/jerry can mount built. That's why I set the date for 2015.

Maybe in 2015 we can plan something.
 
My understanding is that a current Subaru does not need a lift for the Alpine Loop. One of the two segments should certainly be doable. The other has a ledge section on the western end. But I do not know what it looks like.

Two inches are out of the question for me and I am still totally undecided which way to go with a milder lift. Currently ruminating over the 0.5 vs. 0.75 options (0.25 is almost nothing but super cheap, the next 0.25" lead to a huge increase in cost, even if rewards will cover most of it, making 0.75" financially more palatable. But then I am unsure if it would not affect handling and my Subaru dealer recommends 0.5....).

I am equally stuck on the spare tire issue. It seems that a used 225-60-17 GeoL AT-S is impossible to find. I am reluctant to spend money on a shaved new one, especially as I think that my next set will be 225-65-17.

In the meantime, I got out of a wash with some really loose, steep, and rocky exit just last Saturday as I am (which is 8.2 to skid plates). The terrain often allows for finding a way to get over something in the middle that may be more than ground clearance.

My wife is getting hesitant about our planned brief March vacation. If we do not go to Utah, I will probably drive around some nice places in AZ to see just what more I really need.
 
How much higher will your next tire size raise your car?

I'm sitting at 9.7 (calculated) right now. With springs and strut spacers I'll have 11.7" of clearance. That should give me enough piece of mind to go anywhere.

I'm not buying a fifth tire until the ones I have wear out. I don't know if I'll be changing wheel sizes or not. I already gouged up my 17" wheels on the trail last time, I think more sidewall would be better.
 
As a permanent set, I would go one size up only, for a 0.45 gain. By then, I should have added 0.5 or 0.75 by way of spacers (if I ever make a choice!), or 0.25 if I chicken out or go cheap. So, I am looking at everything between 8.9 (skid plates)/9.4 (exhaust system) to 9.4/9.9, respectively.

As for spare, I am not too worried about the occasional weekend drive. But my key goal this year is the White Rim Road. While it should not present rocky challenges, what if I puncture a tire in the middle with serious climbs either way? The plan for this March is to do the Smoky Mtn road in Utah, 70 miles, not difficult when recently maintained but can be impassible in bad weather. What if I bust a tire in the middle of it, if the road is in the usual for such roads middle, neither easy nor impassible condition? These are the questions that worry me.

I notice you are talking about 8.9 of factory clearance. Is that a III gen Forie thing? I am pretty sure the 2014 Forie is 8.7, as the OB.

9.7 sounds great. The Fj Cruiser comes with 9.5, I think. I also think that the cheaper Wranglers have less than that. If I had 9.7, I would call it a day. I cannot think of places I want to visit that would require more than that, especially if this is with skid plates installed (so 10.2 to lowest unprotected). And I would be happy to be at 9.2 to skid-plates, honestly. Beyond 9.7/10.2 we are no longer talking the occasional serious obstacle but rather the kind of terrain that would strain a Subie's everything, if regularly negotiated. My 2c. Of course, if the car is fully owned then this is not all that much of a concern.

Furthermore, going to 11.7 may be considered a serious modification and you may want to double-check with your insurance. I was told that the lifts I want to do are perfectly fine but things like 3 inches over stock would be a problem. So, you may want to check with your agent if they want you to stay under, say 2".
 
Thanks Mr. Turbo!

As always we'll have pictures and videos. This time there's an amateur/pro photographer coming along.
 
I followed your facebook link. Funny you went to Taos in late January: we were there in early January!

We should indeed try to do a drive together at some point. Then there is Superu in Moab, too.
 
I followed your facebook link. Funny you went to Taos in late January: we were there in early January!

We should indeed try to do a drive together at some point. Then there is Superu in Moab, too.

We were in Taos in late December, learned how to ski there. It's a nice little town. We first went to Taos in 2009 and have been going there ever since. We also visited Vail and Breckenridge in December.

What do you guys do in Taos?

It would be nice to get a group of Subarus to meet up in the mountains. Keep in touch, maybe we can get something going.

Our Subaru group is only 6 months old and we're at almost 40 members. We started with three. Didn't realize there was so much interest in Subaru off-road.
 
What do you guys do in Taos?

.

Nothing, actually, but get coffee. We went to drive around northern New Mexico and stayed at a hacienda near Espanola. We went through Taos while doing the circular drive around the mountains there. We passed through Red River, which we liked. We looked hard for good camping sites for summer but could not find any that we like enough.

From a driving experience standpoint it was a disappointing trip as all the unpaved roads we did were not only super easy, which I knew would be the case, but also completely dry--I had hoped for some mud/snow.
 
Yes, I noticed that thread:) glad you had fun!

Do you have any videos of descending that same hill? I am just curious to see if you descend loose hills the way I do.

Were you able to compare the CVT/X-mode Foresters to the EAT, no-X mode head-to-head on that hill or another?
 
Yes, I noticed that thread:) glad you had fun!

Do you have any videos of descending that same hill? I am just curious to see if you descend loose hills the way I do.

Were you able to compare the CVT/X-mode Foresters to the EAT, no-X mode head-to-head on that hill or another?

Yes, there should be a couple of videos of me descending the hill. Just waiting on the others to post pictures/videos. We might also have some closer comparison videos too. I started a new thread in trip reports, I'll post everything there.
 
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