Optimum mild lift for a IV gen OB

MAS,

1:
I know 06 Baja springs lift 3rd gen and I think 4th gen H-4 OB's but I am not sure they'll lift an H-6 4th gen. They're a bit stiffer and with a thicker coil so that'll afford you stiffer ride and more load capacity, but with your big heavy car (if they would provide some lift) i doubt their "stiffer" ride would be too harsh.

something to look in to

2:
Since you already have a full set of armor, I'd suggest looking at those spacers they have before you consider other plates. Perhaps you could do away with the spacers entirely and regain most of that dropped .5" or maybe remove them and replace them with a shorter drop (hardware stores will have those spacers, probably in steel and Aluminum), I have some stepping down my engine x-member plate which my skid mounts to. This drops that plate low enough to mount my skid to, which also covers my exhaust, so it's not a real loss in clearance, but adds exhaust protection.

3:
I'm really impressed at how much you've learned and proud of you for taking the leap into what, for you, was certainly the wild unknown!!! Heck, now you've got a few tools and have done some good wrenching too (preventative maint. is great and valuable!)

:biggrin:
:cool:
 
Thanks, Superu, good points about the spacers. Unfortunately, I just checked and the front plate's spacers are part of the plate itself. The AT plate has separate spacers.

I am on stand by right now, as you know. I am trying to save a bit, maybe for next year. I am also hoping to drive a few more trails of great interest to me and thus assess what I really need before I do anything else.

It is clear that it was naive to think that treadwear is the only thing that negatively affects clearance, even in the garage.

This relativizes all clearance numbers and explains why 4wd books insist on being non-committal to what "high" or "moderate" clearance are actually supposed to mean. It also means that some sort of lift that goes beyond compensating for skid plates is very much a necessity in the Southwest.

I cannot say that I am thrilled about any of this. I did never foresee spending my precious little free time on thinking about the gain or loss of 1/4" of clearance, LOL. Is it relevant? Well, I just looked at the front edge of the front skid plate while trying to see if I could remove a spacer. Clearly, every 1/4" counts.
 
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THE FINAL VERDICT (lol)

:lol::lildevil:

There is no such thing as a final verdict. BUT, I am a happy camper. My mild mods did the job without transforming the car into a dedicated off-roader, causing premature wear worries, or transforming its looks (just don't look too closely at the bottom and the underside of my front bumper cover or my front skid plate:lol:)

0.5" spacers, 225-65-17 AT tires (instead of 225-60-17), and skid plates--not to mention forum member SuperuLegacy--have helped me get everywhere I really wanted to get. I want to drive extremely scenic and/or remote trails, not to "conquer obstacles." Going over sizable rocks, one-foot ledges, and slickrock faces takes care and time, but doable after scouting and/or with spotting and/or building up the ledges.

There are two and a half trails that I really want to drive at some point for which I am not sure that my setup is sufficient, but I am not going to make any further changes for just two and a half trails.

I have also determined that my true underbody clearance, 8.5-8.7, is actually pretty good and that the almost extra inch over stock at rocker panel makes the latter passable, too. Sure, another inch would be great, but won't make me a Wrangler and is not an urgent mod. Indeed, what would make a much bigger difference is the SubaXtreme bumper. But, that, too, will have to wait for years.

Therefore, the current plan is to keep the car as is for the foreseeable future adding lift and a SubaX bumper only when it ages and/or another one becomes the primary family car.

Now, hope not to forget to carry small and big plastic clips so as to re-attach the front bumper with something other than gorilla tape when the inevitable happens:rotfl:
 
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And here is the latest: the 2 in 1 Outback.

The spacers and the skid plates are always there. But the 0.5" spacers per se make me feel no difference at all from stock. It will be the tires that will make the difference:

The real deal: Enkei Racing RP03 + BFG TA KO2 in 225-65-17. The Enkei wheel is produced using the latest tech (tilt casting and flow forming). It only weighs 17.9 lb while being independently certified (via) to the Japanese standards (jwl) with a 1530 lb load capacity and featuring solid, relatively beefy spokes (unlike the PF01 or especially the RPF1). Enkei is the largest manufacturer of wheels and it also uses an in-house certification process that exceeds jwl (it also makes my OEM wheels, I think). I do not think the RP03 is TUV certified, but the above is good enough for me. No tire gets reviews close to those of the KO2 and even the feedback from Subie owners of the original TA is extremely positive. Now, let's hope everything really fits as it should when the wheels and tires arrive! The KO2 is an LT tire whereas all other AT tires in sizes I could fit are P-metric and are thus not as tough.

The daily/long-distance interstate driver: I wish I had a set of stock sized Nitto 421Q to put on the OEM wheels. As is, I will simply keep using the Geolander AT-S for now as they have a good 20k left in them before they fall under 4/32. Then I will get a stock sized street tire that offers a decent compromise between performance and low rolling resistance.

The latest and greatest mod, however, is MOUNTAIN BIKES!!! As the kids grow up, far better options open up.
 
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