Off Road Manual S2 Foresters N/A low range vs Turbo

BeeJ

Forum Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2012
Messages
106
Location
Perth Western Australia
Hello,
I'm having a dilemma, I'm looking at a second hand forester for a daily driver and camping 4wd.

I have done heaps of googling and can't find a clear answer.

Out of a series 2 forester 2003+ which the most capable 4wd off road, the non turbo manual with low range or the turbo manual without low range?

I'm not looking for a competition 4wd but I'd like to leave on camping trips and have the confidence that I'm not going to get stuck. I want to be certain I have chosen the best forester for my needs

Either way N/A or turbo I intend to do a 2" lift, biggest off road tyres available. I dont want to head down this track if the forester wont get the job done.

Thanks in advance.

Brett
 
Hi Brett welcome to the forum, I'm guessing your in Australia?
If you could add that to your profile that would be great, thanks...

This has been disgussed if you search.
It is a matter of personal opinion. I know people who offroad with both. The low range in the 2003+ Forester is only a 19% reduction from high range while your average 4WD is around 65% reduction from high range. In the early Forester like mine there is a 45% reduction which is very handy and can really get you out of trouble, but the cars are now getting old (over 10years) and the 2.0l N/A motor is gutless and very average in comparison the the 2.5l motor.
I'd say it almost isn't worth it being not very low, the only real good thing it can be used for is towing onroad..
The 2.5l turbo though has plenty of power, makes a nice road car. Offroad they seem to go fine, it is just when going slow, taking off on hills, reversing, rock crawling or taking off on beach sand is where you burn the clutch and have issues. However I know many people who still offroad their turbo manual Soobs(Foresters mainly).

If it's just for abit of camping and some light to medium exploring/offroading then I'd personally go turbo. If I were to do it again I would of gone turbo and put a dual range gear box in it as they are a 100% direct bolt in and it could easily be done in a day.

Hope this helps... :iconwink:
Taz

EDIT: Depending on what your wanting to do it kind of determine which is best for you. If you wanted a turbo auto you'd have no problem offroading that at all. 2" lift and some All Terrain tyres combined with the stock rear LSD and they go most places. The Foresters are pretty capable over all and make a good daily driver too.
 
thanks heaps Taza
yea im also from Perth
I'm looking to set a manual 2003-2006 XT up to be as capable off road as possible
for example would a manual XT 2" lift and off road tyres get to wedge island all off road?
beach and or track?
i want to go proper camping but dont want a big old bunky 4wd which is all you seem to get for less than 15k
 
I went through the same dilemma when I purchased my SG. I chose the NA and the 1.19:1 low range makes a hell of a difference offroad compared to high range. It's not a crawler by any means but it gets the car moving in the soft stuff without having to burn the clutch too much. I will upgrade to a custom lower range gearbox eventually. The XT with a dual range gearbox would be a weapon.
 
Unless you're prepared to drive it like Mr Turbo i.e. "like you stole it" then I'd go for the N/A with low range (my preference is still an auto though). For a lot of offroad, slow, crawling stuff there is no advantage with the turbo as it needs to spool up. It would be great if Subaru offered the features of my Triton e.g. turbo diesel, auto, sports shift, high / low range, centre diff lock, selectable AWD, 4WD & RWD.
 
i have to agree with kevin. if you wanted the car for off road driving and wanted a manual then i would get the N/A with the low range. if you wanted a turbo and take it offroad buy the auto.
remember with larger tyres crawling at lower speeds will become even more difficult.
 
Last edited:
Gidday ST & All

stilson said:
I went through the same dilemma when I purchased my SG. I chose the NA and the 1.19:1 low range makes a hell of a difference offroad compared to high range. It's not a crawler by any means but it gets the car moving in the soft stuff without having to burn the clutch too much. . . SNIP . .
Click to expand...

I have to agree with this. Many seem to write off the 1:1.196 LR as being useless off-road. My own experience with my MY06 5 MT DR is the opposite of that. The engine has so much low down torque that having lower gearing in the LR set could easily cause more problems than it would ever solve.

Ditto the vLSD at the rear (and centre). While there may be better arrangements for some uses/drivers, this device covers most situations pretty well, while having only a positive impact on on-road handling and performance.

Also, according to the owner's manual, one should not exceed 188 km/h in LR 5th ... :iconwink: :cool: :lildevil: ...
 
I also figured that the turbos lower compression ratio would make it a little sluggish under 2500rpm which is where you would be for any technical offroad sections. That coupled with the lack of low range was enough to convince me. The 16" wheels on the XS were the icing on the cake. The 1.19:1 makes for excellent half gears also. I often change between high and low in the same gear offroad. I can downshift to low 1st during a hill climb with very little loss of momentum.

Whatever you get Beej there's a few of us here in Perth always keen for an offroad adventure.
 
My brother has an 03 X man and I have an 07 XT man and we would use the X every time for off road driving. The extra power of the XT is harder to control and in almost every situation is not needed. However the low range sometimes is. And the 16" wheels and tyres are more suitable. Go the X.
 
G'day BeeJ & :welcome: to ORS.
I suppose it depends on how much offroading you intend on doing :iconwink:

Like Kevin says & I have to agree.
For the majority of (hard) offroading, slow & steady works well, so having a turbo isn't that much of an advantage as the revs are low & you won't be on boost. (boost starts around 2800-3000rpm)

However, in some situations, like a long, steep climb, the turbo is handy. But in saying that, you need to find that sweet spot.
Too low with the revs (off boost) you'll stop mid way up; too high with the revs, you'll start spinning wheels. Like I said, you just need to find that sweet spot.

Personally, I think a N/A with low range will have a better advantage over the turbo.
But since I've only ever driven a turbo (never tried the N/A) it's hard to say & just my opinion.

Hope his helps & just hasn't confused you even more.

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
Thanks everyone for your help. Ended up getting a Manual LR XS
Can't wait to take this beast out.
I have been doing some reading, where is the best place to get a bash plate from if your in Perth?
Also on the second gen 2003-2005 foresters what is the biggest and best off road tyre you can fit?
 
Steel Bashplate shipped from crossbred performance in qld.
225/70/R16 fit but they rub like hell until you bash everything with a mallet, remove the front fender liners and melt the rear mudflats and fuel filler tube guard out of the way.

215/70 will be a little better but 215 or 225 in a 65 profile will cause you much less hassle.

None of these sizes are legal btw.
 
Have a look through the sticky in the tyres and wheels section. I'm liking my procomps but they are wearing quickly.
 
BeeJ said:
Thanks everyone for your help. Ended up getting a Manual LR XS
Click to expand...

you wont be disappointed im sure

most people run 215/65r16 tyres on there subies as there is more choice for tyres.

subaxtreme is also what most people use for sump guards as they are air bag approved, just give them a google, or crossbred as stilson mentioned is the other bolt on option. otherwise its a custom home job
 
Congratulations BJ

BeeJ said:
Thanks everyone for your help. Ended up getting a Manual LR XS
Can't wait to take this beast out.
I have been doing some reading, where is the best place to get a bash plate from if your in Perth?
Also on the second gen 2003-2005 foresters what is the biggest and best off road tyre you can fit?
Click to expand...

:ttiwop

From my Batphone
 
Thanks Stilson & MR Turbo
Yea i hate people asking the same questions in a forum and I have really tried searching. Theres heaps of in for on the gen 1 foresters regarding biggest tyres, I couldnt find any specific to gen 2 foresters though.
Do all generation foresters have the same max tyre size?
I'm happy to do some basic mods to get bigger tyres to fit if it will significantly improve the scoobie off road.
So to double check on a gen 2 scoobie 225/65R16 or 215/70R16 will fit minimal troubles?
Between the 2 what do you think would be better off road?
215/70R16 just because of the higher clearance?

@Ratbag
I'm picking her up in an hour or so. Will put some pics up ASAP
 
215/65/R16 will fit the spare wheel well, won't rub, and will be a good compromise between lift and gearing. Same with 225 but I'm not sure if it will fit the spare wheel well.
 
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