Sump Guards - Split Thread

Rally

Rally

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Location
Sydney
Car Year
1999
Car Model
WRX
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6 Speed
The old cast alloy subaxtreme sump guards are 1 hit wonders. Sheet aluminium can take a lot more punishment. I stuffed my cast one with a mild hit at very low speed
 
I should add that cast alloy is more brittle than sheet alloy but it is also more resistant to deformation so a hit that will dent a sheet metal guard and push it onto the sump is less likely to do the same with cast alloy so they both have advantages and disadvantages. I chose the cast variety because it gives me a comparable measure of protection and is the only one that meets ADR requirements and therefore will not void my insurance.
 
I do disagree with you about the sump guard. The cast ones are brittle and had already been repaired once. I have given the sheet aluminium one a much bigger whack. As you say, it has bent but is still there. But if you prefer cast, then go for it.
 
In regard to the sump guard, I agree that your choice is no less valid than mine. I value the ADR compliance very highly and this influenced my decision to buy. If I break mine I'll review my logic.
 
After several cracks and a couple of repairs I found I needed to replace my SubaXtreme cast sump guard with sheet aluminum. Fortunately a friend had a home made job that cost me a slab ;-)

David Wilson does a very nice sump guard if and when you need to replace it: https://offroadsubarus.com/showthread.php?t=7164


Let's hope it holds up to whatever you want to do!
 
Thanks

I'll keep it in mind. In the meantime I have to depend on my risk management skills. :ebiggrin:
 
It was a few years ago, so I am not sure. I think I had raised springs 25mm. Which is what I am still running now. This video was taken this year. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dVwNIblSTxQ. The sump guard was dented but survived.
 
These photos were all done when the car was totally standard. I did not get stuck and made it all the way through with only a cracked splash guard



 
Ben Up North said:
Think of how much nicer that bit would have been with a bit of extra clearance.. ;)
Click to expand...
The second hit was because I was going too fast. Not by much, maybe 3 kmh too fast. Had I have been going slower, I may not have hit, or at least not as hard. It’s pretty steep and very rutted. To give you an idea a whole group of real 4wd’s elected to take the parallel chicken track. I wanted to maintain momentum, you can hear me apply power just before. Next time I will go more slowly and really make that rear diff earn it’s keep.

But it shows just where you can go with a very mild lift and good diffs.
 
Ben Up North said:
Think of how much nicer that bit would have been with a bit of extra clearance.. ;)
Click to expand...
Exactly.

The hit at 0.13 was purely approach angle. Doesn't matter how fast or slow you're going, only way to avoid that is with more lift.

The 2nd hit at 0.17 was a big one with damage to the sump guard (not sure about the radiator support panel, that is probably bent too from a hard hit like that). Going slower would just make the hit not as hard but it would still be a hard hit. But then you start putting the entire driveline under more load, leading to failures in the tailshaft, gearbox, or clutch (hopefully clutch first). Or you can simply lift it.

It's a compromise. This is a tough climb but I've done similar with a completely stock driveline with no hits & no damage simply because I had the appropriate lift & tyres & sump guard. This is on the way back down
 

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For god sake Mat you could not possibly say you have done similar when the video flattens everything out. Those who were there and later saw the video commented on their disappointment that the video flattens it out so much and failed so much to depict the track. I agree that a bigger lift would have meant no contact the first time and a softer hit at the second . How much softer we cannot be sure. But I could certainly have gone slower by taking advantage of the diff locker you don’t like to tell others about and the torque of the engine. I will be putting this to the test next month. I am still undecided about putting a lift kit in the car. I think I will although maybe later in the year. Damage was limited to a bent sump guard. That’s what it is there for. Even if I put a lift kit in the same thing can still happen on a different track. The point is you can still go lots of places at or close to standard height
 
Rally said:
But it shows just where you can go with a very mild lift and good diffs.
Click to expand...


Absolutely! If I could put decent diffs in at around the same price I paid for the lift I'd be one happy chappy.
Unfortunately, I reckon your diff setup is way out of reach for me.
Unless i win a lottery. Which is made marginally less possible by the fact that I don't enter them. Given the difference in odds of winning between buying or not buying a lottery ticked, I reckon I'm currently well in front.:bananagunner:
 
Ok, but look at the still photos I posted above. Standard ride height, standard diffs
 
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