Forester 2006 X 2.5 - Touring set up

Gandalf

Forum Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2020
Messages
7
Location
Sydney
Car Year
2006
Car Model
Forester
Transmission
Manual
Hi all,

I have just started a project with my 2006 stock forester turning it into a camping beauty! However the issue is that I am a 21 year old University Student in High school teaching so money is always tight. Hence why I would love any help I can get.
I have plans around a custom made draw system with fridge holder to start with a custom made skid plate.
However moving forward I am looking to do the following:
1: Lift the forester 2.5 rear and 2 front (More chassis clearance for better angles)
2: Redo the suspension (To adjust for new load and offroading)
3: Fit All terrain tyres (Sizing is a struggle)
4: Dual battery to run fridge and camping lights (Or ways to do this without a dual battery)
5: Would love a rear and Front bumper but they just cost so much!
6: LED lights

Any tips and tricks would be really good to know, and also things to avoid?

Kind Regards
Gandalf
 
Welcome to the forum!

Gandalf said:
I have plans around a custom made draw system with fridge holder to start with a custom made skid plate.
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If done correctly, you won't need a skid plate on your fridge slide. ;)

As an alternative (this is something I'm considering) have you considered a drawer fridge? Engel make a pretty compact 30L job, low enough at 25cm high to put a sleeping platform on top if that's your poison, or the Everkool version which is a bit higher (8 cm or so) and performs a bit better I believe (can freeze, I think the engel would struggle.
Most feedback I read about the Engel drawer fridges is they're good as a second fridge. They do have a compressor that can be positioned elsewhere which is pretty cool.


1: Lift the forester 2.5 rear and 2 front (More chassis clearance for better angles)
Click to expand...
Can only lift 2" legally in OZ if that is important to you.
2: Redo the suspension (To adjust for new load and offroading)
Click to expand...
Not really needed unless you want long travel in which case skip the lift and install hotbits. Perhaps a heavier spring in the rear if you really plan on loading it up.
3: Fit All terrain tyres (Sizing is a struggle)
Click to expand...
Most with SGs run 215/65/r16 which are readily available. can go to 70 but it scrapes a bit without a hammeriing.
4: Dual battery to run fridge and camping lights (Or ways to do this without a dual battery)
Click to expand...
I've been looking at 'portable generators' (basically battery, charger & inverter all in one) recently. one of these with a solar panel would pretty much cover you I reckon. plus a lot of them will charge from a 12v socket in the car while traveling.
5: Would love a rear and Front bumper but they just cost so much!
Click to expand...
If you know a fabricator, you can get a rear one made up I don't believe there's much ADR restrictions on the rear bumper. for the front, it's taken me about 5 years to get mine, but I did get a parts car thrown in. :)
6: LED lights
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Meh. Halogen/Hid for driving is my view. LED are great for camping lights though :) If you do go LED get something without a ridiculous temperature, most are way to white/blue.

My biggest tip is travel as light as possible and don't skimp on water (and fuel).
I'm also a fan of dragging something behind me, something most others here don't seem to be into. :)
 
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Have to agree with almost everything Ben wrote.

I also spent years building my camper trailer and general go anywhere pack mule.
Unfortunately, age and osteoarthritis and osteoporosis have caught up with me before I could use it. My back is no longer happy enough to erect it.

My build thread might give you some ideas (see my signature link).

Every bit of weight you can tow is better than loading your vehicle. My trailer springs can happily carry 12cwt each (about 610 kgs each, they are light springs, so ride soft). This is far higher than the total legal carrying capacity of our cars, for EACH spring. The axle and hitch are each rated for 2 tonnes. The McHitch hitch can rotate through 180° in every direction.

Track is the same as my 2006 Forester. Wheels and tyres are the same as the car.
 
@Ratbag
That is a beautiful forester you built yourself there, I am just waiting for those bull bars to come second hand as they are so pricey new! Definitely will need new shocks and suspension as it sinks considerably when I sit in there!
 
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Welcome to the forum, @Gandalf!

@Ben Up North pretty much covered your concerns.

Make sure to use high-quality fuses, especially when you are adding LED lights or any other aftermarket accessory to your vehicle's interior/exterior. LED arrays have more points of failure and cheap ones can short. When such happens, poor-quality fuses don't do their jobs and compromise your electrical system. Here in our region, I always use/carry Narva spares.
 
Subaru's are generally very limited in the payload they can carry, once you add in the passengers,
Ben Up North said:
If you know a fabricator, you can get a rear one made up I don't believe there's much ADR restrictions on the rear bumper. for the front, it's taken me about 5 years to get mine, but I did get a parts car thrown in.
Click to expand...

Depends if you integrate a towbar in it or not, that's where the engineering pains come from
 
Hi Kevin, yes it is looking like that. However I am more trying to understand what are some cheap starter things to do, hence the drawer system. However quite worried about the bum sag as I add more weight would it be a benefit to add kings springs to my original shocks?
 
I put a set of variable rate heavy duty Pedders full strut replacements in mine when it got saggy butt syndrome. Works wonderfully, but not cheap.

The X model did not have self-levelling struts, so maybe a s/h pair of them might help.
 
Gandalf said:
would it be a benefit to add kings springs to my original shocks?
Click to expand...
Well, it would but are the struts themselves OK; if not you'll have a bouncy uncontrollable bum rather than a saggy bum ;)
You could do a raised progressive rate Kings KSRR-43 for the rear.

Ratbag said:
so maybe a s/h pair of them might help.
Click to expand...
But then you'd have to change the springs and top hats anyway ;-) Would you really trust a 2nd hand pair of SL struts! :)
 
NOT s/h SLS, Kevin - s/h non-sls. The X model didn't have SLS, IIRC.
 
Thankyou, decided to go with some 30mm lift springs and heavier duty to take the load and give the old foz a bit of a boost. The suspension is still in fine nick for now....
 
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