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GeoJosh's Lifted '14 XT Journal

('14-'18) 
142K views 295 replies 88 participants last post by  cosmokenney 
#1 · (Edited)
Well, I have finally started doing some modifications, which means I get to start a journal!

Thank you for looking and following along. Feel free to ask any questions!

First things done when I purchased were:

Iowa State front license plate


Tinted front windows and moonroof


Took a couple months, but now I have started making some light off-roading mods:

Smittybilt D-ring recovery point, only in place when needed.


Daystar rubber D-ring isolator, to prevent damage to paint.


Rokblokz mudflaps with grey stickers



I also have some 225/55R18 Yokohoma Geolandar A-T/S tires on the way, along with a full-size spare tire. I will post pictures once they are mounted, hopefully in a few days.

Edit: New tires installed and full size-spare added to replace the donut. Update here!





Edit: Offroading update added here.



Edit: Hail damage on hood and roof. Update found here.



Edit: Primitive Racing triple armor kit installed here!



Edit: Offroading - Round 2: Here!



Edit: OKSubies Talimena Cruise: Here!


Edit: Offroading - round 3: Here!


Edit: Hail damage, again: Here!


Rally Innovations bar and RamboWill LED bar installed Here!


Edit: Offroading - round 4: Here!


Edit: Offroading - round 5: Here!


Edit: Lift kit and new wheels and tires installed Here!



Edit: Sundog Trails Offroading - June 2016 Here!


Edit: Sundog Trails Offroading - March 2017 Here!
 
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#79 ·
Nice upgrades!! Those tires look awfully LOUD! were they your best option?
Thanks!

These tires were the only option for an all-terrain in any size close to stock. Unless I wanted to go with new 17" rims, these were my tire.

The road noise has not increased noticeably from the stock tires, actually. If I have the windows down they might be a little louder, but inside you don't notice.
 
#80 ·
Offroading Update #2!

Went out with the gang to Bridgeport, Texas to the Northwest OHV Park.

Had a great time again. It was hot, but fun. Broke a few bumper clips, but it just cut them off and will screw it back into place better.

The skidplates did a great job of protecting my undercarriage. I heard a few hard hits on them but see no signs of it.



























Some photos from @Machine1 and some are mine. Full photo set can be found here: http://www.subaruforester.org/vbull...tx-off-road-pics-vids-august-9-2014-a-371313/
 
#82 ·
Ended up throwing a balancing weight off my right front wheel during the offroad meet.

Got that taken care of for free at Discount Tire (they rock) and it ended up being 3 ounces off on the RF.

Still had a pull to the right after that, so I took it to Hibdon Tires Plus for an alignment, since my DT doesn't do alignments.

Front toe was out of whack, so $70 later it is all good to go!

 
#84 ·
Definitely has not let me down yet!

Even though it was muddy and less traction was available, since it was my second time out I knew how the XT would behave. I ended up having fewer issues this time than I did my first time out. Never had trouble going up a hill, since I knew a little momentum was needed.
 
#87 ·
I went on a cruise with the Oklahoma Subies Facebook group!

We had a great time with perfect weather. There were a lot of awesome vehicles in the group of 28 that attended, unfortunately we dropped down to 27 before the fun began.

One of our members got caught up in an incident on the interstate. The front 3 cars were able to avoid the object, but the 4th was not so lucky. As you can see in the video below, it was a pretty scary incident. Turns out a 20 pound fire extinguisher had apparently fallen off of a big rig and was laying in the middle of our lane of travel. Going 70 MPH it is not easy to avoid, especially when traveling in a convoy.

The fire extinguisher went under the BRZ and ruptured, causing a significant amount of damage under the vehicle. The airbags also deployed and the brake pedal stopped working. Thankfully he was able to maintain control and carefully use the handbrake to come to a stop down the road. The most important thing is that nobody was hurt.





After making sure everyone was okay and waiting for the police and highway patrol to arrive, our convoy continued on. We met up with a couple of members from the Tulsa area before heading down to Talihina, OK. We cooked out for lunch before heading out onto the byway.



DSCN2469-15 by jasplund91, on Flickr

After lunch we took off to follow the byway to Mena, AR where we would refuel before heading back home. We stopped at a couple of vistas along the road for some photo ops, but had to choose carefully so we could all fit in the parking area. Big group = big parking area.

DSCN2467-10 by jasplund91, on Flickr

DSCN2466-9 by jasplund91, on Flickr

DSCN2465-8 by jasplund91, on Flickr

DSCN2463-7 by jasplund91, on Flickr

DSCN2462-6 by jasplund91, on Flickr

DSCN2460-5 by jasplund91, on Flickr

DSC_1092-12 by jasplund91, on Flickr

DSC_0013-21 by jasplund91, on Flickr

DSCN2471-17 by jasplund91, on Flickr

DSCN2472-18 by jasplund91, on Flickr

DSCN2473-19 by jasplund91, on Flickr

And here are some action shots from the cars following me...






GoPro video from inside my Forester. Feel free to view in 2x speed if you want... I know it is a long video. It is in real time, so you can get a sense of speeds traveled.


 
#88 ·
Went offroading again before Thanksgiving with the Texas guys.

It was very muddy and it ended up biting me later in the day, but it was still fun!







This is where the mud bit me. I got sucked into the fence when my wheels didn't get over into the rut I needed to be in. Did some damage to the bumper cover, fender, and wheel/tire, but it is all cosmetic. See the video part 2 at 10:30 to see it happen in real time.






High-centered here












Go to 10:40 on part 2 (above) to see me get sucked into the wrong rut, leading to the fence incident.​






Photos and videos of everyone involved can be found here: http://www.subaruforester.org/vbull...eet-thanksgiving-2014-pictures-videos-413858/
 
#92 ·
#93 ·
#96 ·
The hail threat didn't develop until the storm was pretty close.

Last time I attempted to do that, I ended up driving several hundred miles. The parking garages I checked were full and I was fleeing ahead of a 2 mile wide tornado.

All in all, it is a car. I have a $100 deductible for a reason. I am safer here than trying to run and hide.

I do have plans to get a house come March, so that should be better.
 
#195 ·
Also in OKC, when there is inclement weather, I go to Penn Square or downtown and get in a parking garage. It's a huge pain because the storms often last for hours, and it's not ideal to find a parking garage for those 2am storms. My house is 100 years old and doesn't have a garage. Sometimes, I just park as close to the house as I can and hope for the best. I just bought my first Subaru and the dealership offered me a dent repair option with no deductible. I'll still try to avoid hail damage, but at least I have that as backup.

Nothing quite like that tense feeling when you're caught in a hail storm with no protection for your car. Happens too often in OKC and is always an intense few minutes.
 
#98 ·
Josh,

Where are you guys off-roading at? It kinda looks like SE OKC Moore area..

I may be driving back there in January and if time allows it would be fun to bring back some red clay on the underbelly...
All of the offroading we have done so far has been in Bridgeport, Texas.

I prefer going to legal offroad parks, so that is one of the few in the area we are suited for.

We are planning a trip to Sundog Trails in Lexington/Purcell, which is south of Norman by about 20 miles.
 
#104 ·
#105 ·
Changed my front and rear differential oil today. Did the whole job for $40 in about an hour.

Got the oil at cost $10/bottle and spent $7 on a t-70 bit for the front drain.

Once I get back to OKC, I will be doing a full how to write up with photos. All in all, it was straightforward as long as you don't get lost under the car.

http://www.subaruforester.org/vbull...-differential-oil-change-2014-fxt-cvt-436642/
 
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