Forester XT Offroad/Lift help.

Glenn 20

Glenn 20

Forum Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
29
Location
Bundaberg
Car Year
2006
Car Model
Forestor XT
Transmission
Manual
I'm ready to go have some fun on the beach/bush.

I was thinking of doing the following: to My XT 06 Manual

1" Gorilla blocks and raised King springs all round Sump guard from subaxtreme Getting maybe some 16" Steelies so I didn't care if I dented the rims with some BF Goodrich AT tyres. And maybe fish oil or something for rust prevention.

What do you guys think? Is it worth? If you have better ideas/Cheaper setup, Please Share.

I have seen a few XT 06 auto offroad, How do the manuals XT go Offroad?

Thanks for reading and helping out a Newbie.
 
That would be a good set up for beach work. Should be adequate for cruising down the beach, still legal height and not really any negative side affects.

XTs go fantastic offroad, the mountain of power is fantastic. Auto XTs are probably the most capable subaru offroad bar heavily modified.

Manual XTs are good offroad due to power, however the gearing unfortunately means you must be careful where you stop as taking off in soft sand will be challenging and hard on your clutch. For just dunework such as at two rocks/ lancelin etc that setup should be sweet.
 
I can say that a stock as a rock manual '06 XS will get on just about any beach. I ended up putting a 1" Paranoid lift in just so I wasn't dragging my belly when following larger 4wds tracks. But Subarus generally do really well in the sand due to their light weight, decent power and superior awd system. All up it sounds like a good set up. If you want to save money you could probably cut some things out depending on how difficult the tracks you are doing.

Autos tend to be better in sand due to quick shifts and not wearing out the clutch, but some will argue that the manuals low range gives an advantage. I went for a manual purely because I find them more fun to drive and driving a subaru is all about having as much fun as possible.

If your just doing worn out sand tracks, work out how deep the tracks that you are following are then lift it so you are a little higher. I only needed 1", but some more chewed out tracks may need 2". Higher lifts are just for more hard core stuff.

HT tyres have a better tread for sand, but AT's tend to have thinner side walls which baloon out better for sand.

Alloys are good because they are light weight, takes a bit to scratch the XS ones because the tyre over hangs a fair bit, not sure about XT.
 
Thanks Davidov and Red XS. :)

Anyone taken there XT Manual Off-road/Bush?
And what are you guys using for rust prevention?

Keep the info coming guys. :)
 
I have fitted to my Forester MY03 initially raised king springs and KYB struts ditching the self levelling. I was really happy with the additional clearance and the ride. However after a couple of high country trips I decided to put in a one inch Gorilla lift kit. Really easy to fit if you know what you are doing. Very happy with the additional height and I haven't noticed any difference in ride.
I have been meaning to do a post on fitting. Gorilla were really good to deal with. The kit theoretically cost $115 US plus postage $35 US. I ended up buying two kits and got a very good deal from Gorilla. I am yet to fit the kit to my other Forester.
I am also now running 215-65-16 AT tyres now which add about an extra 9 to 10 mm, so the Forry looks awesome!
 
Glenn 20 I assume you have a self levelling rear, so you have to ditch the struts if you get raised King springs and replace with the KYB. I also suggest you replace the fronts with KYB.
 
Glenn 20 said:
Thanks Davidov and Red XS. :)

Anyone taken there XT Manual Off-road/Bush?
And what are you guys using for rust prevention?

Keep the info coming guys. :)
Click to expand...

Ive driven a gt (earlier turbo forester) offroad and it goes great because of the forced induction in sand. Ive also driven mine which is turbo and same thing, just taking off in really soft stuff is troublesome.
 
Thanks havachat. :)

Yes, I have self leveling rear. Was thinking about the replacing the struts, but wasn't sure till now. :)
Yeah,Gorilla was the cheapest i could find,and Really good Reviews. :) Yet to check postage to Australia.
 
Thanks Davidov, yeah thats what i will have to watch for, don't want to kill my Clutch. :P
 
Glenn 20 said:
Thanks havachat. :)

Yes, I have self leveling rear. Was thinking about the replacing the struts, but wasn't sure till now. :)
Yeah,Gorilla was the cheapest i could find,and Really good Reviews. :) Yet to check postage to Australia.
Click to expand...

My other Forester still has the standard struts/ self levelling and springs. It feels too soft compared to the kings/ KYBs.
Email Gorilla and Derek will provide you mailing quote. I would expect it to be about $35 us, he used the US Postal Service. Their service was good from order to delivery. Kit comes complete with longer bolts and locking nuts.
Cheers
 
$35 dollars is quiet cheap for postage from the USA. :)
 
In regard to postage I thought so to.
Steve who helped (that means he did most of the work !) has fitted several sets of Subtle and he thought the Gorilla are pretty good.
Cheers
 
Any information on what to use for rust prevention? :)
 
I rang the local Fulcrum suspension for information on parts etc.. They said it is illegal to use 1" Gorilla blocks unless it's ADR Approved? :S
Queensland transport says Raising the vehicle with a body lift kit provided the original vehicle height is not
increased by more than 50mm is legal.
NRMA said it would cover as long as it was legal.

Can someone give some light on the subject?
 
Glenn 20 said:
Any information on what to use for rust prevention? :)
Click to expand...
I just give the under body a very thorough hose as soon as I'm back from a trip. You have to get right up under there into all the nooks and crannies, but as far as I can see no rust has started yet.

All the electronic rust protections only works in theory. People on the Pajero forum have had bad experiences with them.

Best thing to do would be to get under there and make sure everything is coated well in paint and fix up anything thats not. After that there will be other things you can coat over the paint to help, but it doesn't matter what you use for rust protection, hosing of the salt will still be the most important thing as over time the sea air will eat through everything.
 
Gidday Glenn

A warm :welcome: to the ORS forum, mate.

The best advice that any forum member (any forum, anywhere) can give you about modifications and legality is that you need to talk to your insurer, and then make certain that any/all modifications made are listed individually on your insurance policy. After all, the insurer is the one who will say "yes" or "no" to your claim ...

You should also check with your local government registration authority (Main Roads Department in Qld).

Search for "ADR" on this forum for more specific information.

Ultimately, you need to cover your rrrs as to your comprehensive cover, your third party property damage cover (your own insurer); and your third party personal injury cover (statutory authority in your State). It it's OK with the State registration authority, then it is automatically OK with the statutory insurer.

** NOTE ** this advice is only good for Australia. People in other countries should check with the equivalent relevant authorities as to what the rules are!

DO NOT rely on any information provided by anyone (including me) on any Internet forum ...
 
As long as you check withyour ensurer and get it on paper that you are covered and the department of transport even you should be good.
 
Glenn 20 said:
I rang the local Fulcrum suspension for information on parts etc.. They said it is illegal to use 1" Gorilla blocks unless it's ADR Approved? :S
Queensland transport says Raising the vehicle with a body lift kit provided the original vehicle height is not
increased by more than 50mm is legal.
NRMA said it would cover as long as it was legal.

Can someone give some light on the subject?
Click to expand...

Hi Glenn 20,
you will need to go through the Queensland Dept of Roads and Transport website. There is a heap of information on it. Here is the link for modifications
https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Safety/V...cations/Light-vehicle-modifications.aspx#qcop

Cheers
 
Thanks Everyone. :)

Found what i need on the Queensland Dept of Roads and Transport website.

Will see how we go over the next few months. :)
 
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