What factors make Off Road Ability?

so x mode is for test slow drive then ... and for normal drive it will be just without x mode then ....i found that VDC even on first years was good stuff , maybe it goten worse then with years.
its test ok , but how it will help you in forest where you was going faster then x mode works ? VDC then and TC on / off , they should test that , not just x mode .
because your x mode was not there in most cases where you got stuck. i think they test wrong mode there
 
@scalman I watched this yesterday. I think it's a pretty bad show of the modes. They're perpetually chainging the traction by moving the snow around, creating ice in some spots, and melting ice.
 
still we all know that x mode works untill some speed and speed is wheel spin too. so my belt is beeping still if i stay in place and just spin wheels. so x mode would stop work there . but only videos you got is about x mode .
 
Last edited by a moderator:
@scalman this person really tried all the modes. And yes, they're from a standstill. But it would still be an interesting test of all the modes IF the snow started in the same state with each attempt. And they went at it with the same exact angle. A 5 degree change in angle can be huge in a test like this
 
again i think when you drive normaly you wont stop before some place so would x mode enegage. and then you gain more speed and x mode doesnt work , what you do then ? more important you need to know how VDC works there in higher speeds too, but they never show that now , do they ?
i had 2001 outback VDC and it made a lot diff how i would drive my car because it had VDC there. so you loose your X mode after it gains speed, do you know how it works then ?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
@scalman sometimes you have to stop. So I'm not so bothered by seeing the concept of this test. I'm just bothered by the execution. I don't think you'd notice the difference between ANY of these modes if you attacked this obstacle at say, 6-8kph. You'd go right over with barely any noticeable difference in traction.
 
on parking spot sure if you need to get out of it ... wonder why they get choose this same test spot ? thats not how real life works though.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
@scalman How about a really tight turn with an obstacle?😂 Or if you just got out of being stuck and a lack of traction stops you right there?
Any test needs to be in the same spot to be fair. But they're changing the surface every lap
 
just you need to know that your car is not x mode at all , because at normal speed its not x mode working. but they never show that anymore. x mode this x mode that ... well no . no in most cases. but what sells new subaru, x mode.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
as i remember some older foresters have VDc and xmode buttons still there, or this video is maybe mistaken VDc with TC button . ? not sure can it has full VDC on/off button ? noone had that after 2005 i think. only 2nd gen outbacks had VDC button , then later ones just had TC button. but this video says its VDC off ... hmm . but still nice options at least
i think i would like that older outback 3.0 2nd gen with VDC button , better then this newer mine maybe. but well problem was to find those without rust or small rust here.
 
stock cars. just one lifted with lockers but with mud summer tires. other on winter tires some better some worse.
on snow its kinda fun to see how all those systems works or dont work.

couple subarus tries up hill as well
 
Last edited:
LOL. Some people are lucky they did not roll. The guy with the Outback would probably roll a 4x4. And what is snow anyway??? 😝

The one thing I learned when I went over to a "proper" 4x4 is what so many had been saying: that offroad mods should be chiefly about suspension.

There is a reason why my Outback put a lot more miles in the milder desert terrain of Utah compared to the AZ one (same as Baja in Mexico). The Subaru on regular suspension just cannot handle the desert here beyond a rough dirt road. The stock Toyota suspension on the 4R is just a basic one though it can go anywhere slowly, but after I put an entry level performance suspension I wondered how I put up with my Subarus offroad for so long. Nowadays, some basic offroad suspensions are becoming available for Subarus in the US, such as an Ironman setup with twintubes and a Rallytek setup with Bilstein monotubes. These are not performance suspensions by any means, but they will make life a whole lot better with a Subaru offroad.

Properly tuned suspension prevents bottoming and topping out and keeps the vehicle suspended over whatever it may be. In rocks, it allows the rear to come off big rocks and ledges without hitting and allows the front to stay 'suspended' over rocks instead of "kissing" them. The difference is extraordinary and basically makes bigger lifts completely unnecessary. I have a 1.3"/1" lift and that's it. I almost don't hit skid plates at all anymore. Of course, there is no comparison when it comes to speeds. It is the reverse of trying to chase an STi with a Prado on a track.

When it comes to traction, properly tuned suspension keeps the wheels on the ground far better than exactly the same vehicle with a basic suspension. This alleviates all sorts of issues on rocky or rutted hill climbs and the like.

In sum, to worry about the fine print of AWD or 4x4 systems while running on some basic twin tubes and soft springs is to put the cart ahead of the donkey...
 
im still suprised how well they made those lada 4x4 cars back in old times, because even this year model is mostly same , same under, little change exterior and inside , and how well those nivas can go on snow with diagonals even without any lockers and with small engine, not much power.
sure depens where you like what type or traccks you have there and at what speed you doing off road, russians mostly go slow in mud or snow, so its mostly slow , carefully, or with little momentum , thats how we do that here mostly and countries around mostly have same nature same type forests .
in first video that merc had there better winter tires then x5 and he did much better there then bmw x drive system, toyotas as allways very good crawling at low speed, but then that nissian navara was good surprise, did pretty good there as well.

Jeeps vs toyotas in snow and mud, i love those grand jeeps because they cheap to buy and still dont have much electronics, well not too much still, and they comfy inside , i mean not like some old toyota would be , as you just cant buy any good toyota for same price as grand, here at least.
some amazing views even for me, i mean there is track there, they not just driving in middle of fields, and that kinda rear to see here, everything is bought, everywhere is private land private forest , private road. its so boring to drive now even in local forest because all is made to drive for all people means all cars so they could like go for mushrooms or collect other stuff, so forests are just boring mostly here, it s harder and harder every year to find proper place to enjoy your car or test your car here. if VW passat drive on same tracks that you drive meaning you in wrong place or wrong car.
that WJ looks like just have some budget lift 5cm maybe , stock bumpers, snorkel and proper mud or extreme tires. and if its CRD 2.7 or 4.7 petrol model it will have quadra drive and if that still works its basicaly lockers in front and rear . thats it you ready to go off road.
WK if that CRD model with QD2 its even better there. basicaly front and rear E lockers that you can make switches for those and engage them when you need.
 
Last edited:
@MiddleAgeSubie. MAS, that's really the difference between a Forester and an Outback.

The Forester has a shorter wheelbase with much the same centre clearance, and better approach and departure angles. So while the clearance is much the same, the ramp over angles are quite different. Just enough to make a stock Forester better off road, and the Outback a more comfortable touring car.

I just really wish that Subaru would have decent underbody protection, at least as a factory option. IIRC they did in some European markets (!!), but not in Oz or the USA, Canada!!
 
That's different, @Ratbag though it is related.

The difference between factory twin tubes and aftermarket shocks unavailable for Subarus is that between an Impreza and an STi tuned for a race. Even the newly available Bisltein monotubes are just the bottom end of the monotube ladder. And I am not sure small monotubes will do well in Australia due to long washboarded roads.

I have on order Billstein 8100s with 60mm piston and bypasses, adjustable on rebound and compression that make the OME BP-51 kit look mundane with their 51mm pistons and internal bypasses. These are suspension improvements that do not exist for Subarus. Even with my small Icon 2.0 IFP shocks, I could completely unload/put in air the rear wheels at 30-40mph and not bottom out upon contact. While I don't intend on jumping my vehicle, the difference this ability makes in normal offroad driving is enormous.

Here is the Bilstein 8100: BILSTEIN B8 8100 (BYPASS) - BILSTEIN
 
When your shocks cost more then car i think its something wrong there.kinda looks bad. It feels bettee when you put good shocks on more expensive newer car. Or its cheap car but made purely for off road then.
But i know one good solution to all that:
fposter,small,wall_texture,product,750x1000.u1.jpg


So imagine if you solve that problem , all doors opens to you and all posibilitys. I would buy house make it solar have big garage and would make some electric and old school projects there for my pleasure and for profit maybe even.
As i was kid my passion where cars, big trucks, i wanted to be driver all times and i wanted fix cars myself.
Well part of it i kinda have , just part. I can be driver any time thats no problem i guess but drivers life is very diff then not much free time left for anything.
 
Last edited:
scalman said:
When your shocks cost more then car
Click to expand...
The suspension setup I'm considering for the SVX is about 3X what I paid for it..
But I've since spent a bomb on the bomb anyway..
Need to order a set of bushings for it at some stage soonish, that's gonna set me back about the same cost as I paid for the car alone!
When I think about it.. fixing the sunroof was about 3/4 the price I paid for the SVX, and it was only that cheap because I did it myself.
Air-con...
TCU Repair...
Stereo ;)
I reckon if I sold it now I'd be lucky to get 1/2 of what I've spent on it.
Still.. you've gotta have a toy after all. Life's no fun without toys.
Especially when you get older.
:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top