What if you outgrow your Subie?

Tweaksta

Tweaksta

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2008
Messages
615
Location
McMahons Point, Sydney
Car Year
2000
Transmission
5MT
Lately my obsession with remote and isolated desert exploration has taken me to some mind-boggling destinations in the foz, but the need to carry so much safety equipment, parts, tools, fridges, wheels, extra water and fuel has got me thinking that I am pushing the upper reaches of the poor foz's capacity.

eg: spring perches beginning to sag due to the immense weight pushing down on the HD springs.

I know that many of you taken action to increase your offroad capacity at some point - Kev, you bought a ute and several other members have utes as their heavier duty vehicles.

I am nearing the point at which I will need to decide which way to go.

I could keep the Subie, but something will need to be done to improve the strength of the KYB strut spring perch (and the strut's bendability). This could mean sourcing some OEM struts and getting them filled with good bits..

Then, I would like to go another 40mm higher, but that would seriously require trailing arm spacers and camber bolts which, if fully loaded up, may increase stress on some other areas. I also need a snorkel.

Or, I could get a Paj......even without a lift or snorkel it should be able to carry more weight, further off the beaten track and through deeper water.

Another option is to keep the Foz, not use it for heavy duty offroading any more and buy a cheap 80 series cruiser for the big trips.

What would you do?

Or, if you have already experienced this dilemma - what did you do?

Looking forward to hearing your replies....
 
A common dilemma for sure! I originally downsized from FJ Landcruiser and Rangie to Outback then Foz and, as you say, upsized to a Triton for the heavy hauling. If you decide on a 4WD wagon carefully check the GVM as you may be surprised how little some can carry before exceeding the GVM, especially the older Cruisers - I was once told that the 100 series could carry just 300 kgs and passengers would have to be included in that limit. I went with the ute because other than my rooftop camper, camping and recovery gear I carry 2 x 100 AH aux batteries, 50L of water, an extra 75L diesel in aux tanks (total 150L), 110L fridge etc etc. You'll find that no matter how large the vehicle it somehow "magically" fills up! :lol:
 
So true...

If I were to purchase a ute, I'd need one of the Mitsubishis with the AWD-mimicking 4H mode that can be used on pavement - ie: Subie mode. I think it's called Super Select II. I just couldn't go back to RWD.

I'm not familiar with any others except perhaps the 4motion Amaroks have an AWD mode for on-road usage??

All the others are primarily RWD which I find a bit archaic.

The 'yota cruisers from 80 series onwards have full time 4wd as do the prados and Pajeros making them tempting.
 
Probably a Ford Ranger XLT 2 door, with slide on camper.
 
I would go for a Pajero. You still get independent front and rear suspension and a monocoque chassis. While the extra weight isn't as nice to drive on road as a Forester, the Pajero actually goes around corners at a similar speed and is a comfortable car to drive. Lightly packed a stock Pajero is about as capable offroad as my slightly modified Forester, however the Pajero will tow a 2 tonne trailer offroad while the Forester struggles when loaded. Larger tyres and better low range as standard help, plus the Pajero does have a really good awd system even when you don't use the diff lock. A lot of Pajero owners don't use the rear diff lock as they go better with the traction control system.
 
Super Select is one reason why I picked Triton as it's the same as AWD, you can run RWD, AWD and 4WD locked; except for locked modes you can shift from RWD to AWD up to 100 Klm/hr. My son has an Amarok (8 speed auto) and 4Motion is constant AWD/4WD (so no RWD); he is very happy with the VW. The D-Max is becoming very popular and fuel economy is very good; it has a "4 high" but I don't know if it can be used on hard dry surfaces (probably not).
 
I looked at the Pajero and obviously in stock form it will handily outdo a modified Subaru offroad, at least on paper, and there is simply no comparison in terms of load capability.

Thus if you are to use it at full capacity and capability more than once or so a year, the Pajero, even stock, seems a winner. But if not...a modified H6 Outback can be great. I will believe it that the Pajero corners like a current OB when I see it :)

I would not get a Foz unless single/two people max.

We now have a fiberglass trailer with bike racks on top of it, which is only 1000lb fully loaded and the H6 barely feels it (including minimal loss of mpg) plus a big roof box from before and can thus fit all our crap, which is a lot (10x15 ft tent, very large screen house, the 4 bikes, plenty of clothes, etc) and even a large dog in the cargo area (if we get one, if not the roof box is not needed). That is with a nicely clean pax area and no stiffer rear springs and with the ability to easily access all non-trailer luggage.

I am not sure I would take this assembly on any really rough dirt roads though (and certainly no bikes on bike racks offroad).

So, an H6 OB can do it but I cannot dream of touching the Pajero's approach angle, for example, no matter the mods.

That said, unless the OB is much cheaper OR the full capacity of the Pajero rarely needed, one needs to be a die-hard Subie fan to choose the OB...
 
My 2 cts…I'd try to stay as light as possible to keep the Forester !
 
Personally, I think modifying your Subie to meet your needs is the coolest thing ever. Getting a bit more lift and figuring out the issues with the spring perches would just make your Subie all the more capable which is a ****ing awesome. That being said, you do live in a place where I imagine offroading takes a lot more demand on your vehicle than my area. If I had the funds I would most certainly add a 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro to my collection of vehicles but that's just not an option for me at the moment.

In my experience offroading/camping/adventuring is the best when it is carried out in the most minimalist ways possible. Living out of wilderness areas that I travel to makes things more difficult but ultimately more rewarding and that's one of the things I love about using Subies as adventure vehicles. That's just my favorite way to go about it - not saying everyone should.
 
this is the reason why we are different from the "normal 4x4 crowd "... i am yet to do any sort of off roading in my 06 h6 outback but i can see its potential .. yes it will have its limits just like any other 4x4 but with good research it can make it a very capable vehicle that can surprise some big 4x4s.... plus then when you are back on the road it drives like a normal car unlike many 4x4s that are pretty unstable when you see them going round corners .. so its best of both worlds i reckon
 
I proudly boast defeating a Pajero at Bendethra. It had brand new AT's fitted- in fact, they may well have been MT's a the tread was pretty chunky I think. Either way, I was on road tyres and on top of which I was towing a camper trailer. He got stuck twice on the water crossing. I made it through first go.


MiddleAgeSubie said:
I looked at the Pajero and obviously in stock form it will handily outdo a modified Subaru offroad, at least on paper, and there is simply no comparison in terms of load capability.

Thus if you are to use it at full capacity and capability more than once or so a year, the Pajero, even stock, seems a winner. But if not...a modified H6 Outback can be great. I will believe it that the Pajero corners like a current OB when I see it :)

I would not get a Foz unless single/two people max.

We now have a fiberglass trailer with bike racks on top of it, which is only 1000lb fully loaded and the H6 barely feels it (including minimal loss of mpg) plus a big roof box from before and can thus fit all our crap, which is a lot (10x15 ft tent, very large screen house, the 4 bikes, plenty of clothes, etc) and even a large dog in the cargo area (if we get one, if not the roof box is not needed). That is with a nicely clean pax area and no stiffer rear springs and with the ability to easily access all non-trailer luggage.

I am not sure I would take this assembly on any really rough dirt roads though (and certainly no bikes on bike racks offroad).

So, an H6 OB can do it but I cannot dream of touching the Pajero's approach angle, for example, no matter the mods.

That said, unless the OB is much cheaper OR the full capacity of the Pajero rarely needed, one needs to be a die-hard Subie fan to choose the OB...
Click to expand...
 
LOL, that is awesome--and also why I added "on paper." :)

The funniest I have seen is when a Wrangler did not want to go down an Oregon beach due to deep sand on the hill. The Tribeca on street tires went up.

I agree that modifying the Subie is more fun (though I would have never gone this route had I known better when I started lol). Being just another Wrangler or Tacoma on trail would be...not interesting?
 
The crossing that proved too much for the Pajero to cross first go. Or second.
 
Yeah, I definitely have reservations about going up in size and weight.....sure the Paj has proper low range and a great 4x4 system but it's bulk takes it back down a few rungs.

Prados do better off road, but are boring as bat guano to drive anywhere else....the driving experience is so important too. I don't think I could drive something so vague.

A post by jf1sf5 a while back says a lot & puts things into perspective https://offroadsubarus.com/showthread.php?t=6393. I experience this a lot. Just last month playing on Big Red in the Simpson I found that I was able to float up the dunes almost effortlessly whilst 4wds I was once envious of seemed to struggle - mainly due to weight. This has me biased towards either beefing up my 16 year old Foz, or upgrading to a newer model aiming for a light-offroad build of an SH XT or maybe SH Diesel with an 80mm lift and a snorkel (provided they have a rear LSD which I have found to be brilliant in difficult terrain - vital).

The question is - although an SH is a heavier vehicle.....is it a heavier DUTY vehicle than the SF? It is a bit bigger inside and will fit more, but what about the weight?

Here's a snippet of some nice relaxed dune driving we did in the Simpson. You can hear that the engine is barely working at all....fuel consumption was around the 10L/100km mark.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8qdlLr1Hlw"]Simpson desert - YouTube[/ame]

An 80mm lifted diesel Outback would be a nice upgrade, but the H6 is too thirsty for desert treks - I'd have to go for a diesel - but no CVTs please. I would've hated to try and get up Big Red with a CVT. You need direct mechanical coupling, revolutions and pure newton metres.
 
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If you really want to beef up your shock to handle the load, i have a set of front and rear complete shock spring top hat ready for you to pick up. The shocks are gone but good for experiment. There will be no charge, only thing in return is your complete journal of the custom suspension built.

Cheers.
 
Just to confirm...do you mean the whole OEM (factory) strut assembly with really worn shocks for an SF model?
 
I have the 5 EAT but I have not heard of a CVT car having issues on hills (if equipped with paddle shifters). I drove a sequence of steep mountain passes in company of an H4 CVT Ob and the only issue it had was running out of steam due to high elevation, loose surface, small engine, and no low range. You can set the CVT in 1st or 2nd as you wish. On road, the FXT with CVT is simply stunning. Haven't driven the H6 CVT but said H4 owner moved to an H6 and loves its "high-torque" CVT.

If you travel alone or +1, an FXT would be great. But with kids, I would not take a Foz for a long/heavy trip vehicle. In addition, the OB is a lot more comfortable on long trips.

With the H6 (or diesel) you would not need low range anywhere unless you want to do a lot of serious rock crawling in which case a Subie is bad choice anyway (does not seem that this kind of offroading experience is popular in Australia per this forum).
 
That's true, I'm not keen on rock crawling really....

An FXT is a logical upgrade from my GT, however my doubts are still whether a CVT would stand up to the stresses it gets subjected to on steep, soft sand dunes. My imagination tells me that if you kept momentum and revs up then a CVT might make it up a steep dune.....but......sometimes I get halfway up a dune, and I see a photo opportunity that I can't ignore, so I stop. In order to get moving again, I can drop the clutch at 4500rpm and blast my way out of the sand pockets my car has stopped in. From what I've heard, the CVT can't do that - the stresses are too great so the software says no. I think an FXT with a conventional auto can though.

Here's us going up Big Red:
https://youtu.be/9AXWyz5TFiQ

My next car has to be able to climb dunes that easily.....
 
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