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Discussion starter · #422 ·
Any Idea if the 235/65/17 will fit with a 17x7 +48 wheels?
Sorry just saw this. It will be cutting it kind of close to rubbing on the spring perch, but I think you'll be ok. Different brands of tires actual dimensions can vary even though they are labeled the same size. To be safe I would recommend going with a wheel with offset of +40 or lower
 
Discussion starter · #423 ·
Hey Dustin,

I just signed up for this site as I am currently debating buying a 2017 Forester XT right now and looking for some more info. I've been combing through sites, trying to see the potential of the Forester, as it looks like a soccer mom's car when it's stock (no offense). I currently have a lifted 2007 Toyota FJ[/URL] (the FJ is pretty ugly stock as well, but has great potential, so I'm exploring the potential of the Forester). I'm no stranger to mods, but I'm curious what you had to do for the wheel/tire/suspension setup. I love what you did with the black accents, roof rack, etc. But my main concern lies around the suspension, tires/wheels, brakes, etc. That's what bit me in the *** with the FJ -- it just becomes too costly once you start messing in that area too much.

I'm trying to avoid as many suspension and performance mods as possible (mostly just want aesthetics). I'm trying to move away from the heavy mods like I did on the FJ (just not worth it to me anymore, and I barely taking it wheeling anymore). I'm curious what you did (parts and required installs... why it was needed or why you decided to do them), how much it cost you, and how it (if at all) affects the life of related parts + the overall fuel economy.

Happy to discuss through PM's if that works better for you. Thanks dude, your rig rocks!
 
Discussion starter · #427 ·
^Good to hear you like the style of my ride and are thinking about getting one. All or most of my mods are listed on the original post for this thread for reference. I didn't really do all that much to it, mods weren't too expensive, and I don't think they really affect the reliability or fuel economy too much.

Main thing I did was a 1.375" inch spacer lift along with a rear subframe spacers that center the rear wheel in the wheel well. Only did the latter because I got the wheel and tire setup that is 1.3" larger diameter than stock. The wheel and tire setup I got is pretty much the biggest you can go while only having very minor rubbing and equally important it weighs the same as the OEM wheels and tires. Because it weighs the same I'm not giving up that much performance and it shouldn't affect the life of anything much if at all.

If you go with a similar setup and plan on doing any rough road adventures you will have to get a full size spare and decided where to put it. I had mine on top of my cargo basket for a while, but that made for a mileage loss of 1-2MPG and added a little more sway to the handling. I have more recently made a raised rear cargo floor to fit my spare deflated and have a level sleeping area for camping trips.

I still have the cargo basket up there most of the time, but if my lady and I are taking a road/camping trip with friends I swap the basket for my Thule cargo bin. The bin doesn't look as cool but it frees up a ton of space inside, it's waterproof, theft proof and doesn't hurt the MPG's as much as the basket. I wish somebody made a low profile cargo basket like a lot of Toyota peeps have that I could mount an LED light too and still throw my cargo bin on top.

As far as cost of everything I think you'll find that all these little mods should be much less than modifying a body on frame truck like your FJ. It won't be as capable in the rough stuff, but it will be a lot more well rounded, much quicker, fun to drive on pavement, better MPG's and still pretty capable. I should note that if you do take it off pavement regularly and on to the rough stuff, some of the suspension components won't take the beating as well as a body on frame truck. I'm at 120k miles and my control arm bushings need to be replaced for the second time, which the dealer is asking like $800 to do.

Let me know if you have any more specific questions. I think talking about mods and stuff on here is totally fine because maybe others can benefit from it.
 
^Good to hear you like the style of my ride and are thinking about getting one. All or most of my mods are listed on the original post for this thread for reference. I didn't really do all that much to it, mods weren't too expensive, and I don't think they really affect the reliability or fuel economy too much.

Main thing I did was a 1.375" inch spacer lift along with a rear subframe spacers that center the rear wheel in the wheel well. Only did the latter because I got the wheel and tire setup that is 1.3" larger diameter than stock. The wheel and tire setup I got is pretty much the biggest you can go while only having very minor rubbing and equally important it weighs the same as the OEM wheels and tires. Because it weighs the same I'm not giving up that much performance and it shouldn't affect the life of anything much if at all.

If you go with a similar setup and plan on doing any rough road adventures you will have to get a full size spare and decided where to put it. I had mine on top of my cargo basket for a while, but that made for a mileage loss of 1-2MPG and added a little more sway to the handling. I have more recently made a raised rear cargo floor to fit my spare deflated and have a level sleeping area for camping trips.

I still have the cargo basket up there most of the time, but if my lady and I are taking a road/camping trip with friends I swap the basket for my Thule cargo bin. The bin doesn't look as cool but it frees up a ton of space inside, it's waterproof, theft proof and doesn't hurt the MPG's as much as the basket. I wish somebody made a low profile cargo basket like a lot of Toyota peeps have that I could mount an LED light too and still throw my cargo bin on top.

As far as cost of everything I think you'll find that all these little mods should be much less than modifying a body on frame truck like your FJ. It won't be as capable in the rough stuff, but it will be a lot more well rounded, much quicker, fun to drive on pavement, better MPG's and still pretty capable. I should note that if you do take it off pavement regularly and on to the rough stuff, some of the suspension components won't take the beating as well as a body on frame truck. I'm at 120k miles and my control arm bushings need to be replaced for the second time, which the dealer is asking like $800 to do.

Let me know if you have any more specific questions. I think talking about mods and stuff on here is totally fine because maybe others can benefit from it.
Appreciate the detailed response!

How much of a difference do the larger tires/wheels combined with that lift does it make, aesthetically? I know it's an odd question, but I've run into the misconception a few times where I see a car/truck that, while stock looks kinda ugly, modified looks great... but the mods that make it look great are substantial in terms of price and visual differences (between stock and modified). My main concern is how the lift affects the front rake. Rakes always make a vehicle look goofy, and a reason why lifts improve the aesthetics of a car so much. The FJ is a pretty ugly machine before a lift is put on, so I'm wondering if it's the same for the Subaru.

I'm bringing these things up because my biggest worry is buying a car that I personally think doesn't look too great when stock (so I'm a bit skeptical). The things I had to do to the FJ to make it look how I wanted were way too expensive and simply not worth it to me anymore. Looking at your mod list and how your XT turned out, it seems like it's fairly minimal, which makes me more comfortable about buying one. If I could get one and make it look fairly similar to yours, I'd be happy. It kinda reminds me of the previous generation 4Runner (which were great SUV's). Again, solid build, dude!

In terms of wheeling, I'm not looking to do that anymore. I used to take the FJ out all the time, but with it being my daily driver as well, it's pretty nerve-racking when you're about to roll the damn thing while crawling... and you still need it to get to work the next day. I just want something that's still rugged looking, fun to drive, and is modifiable within reason (not to the extent of the FJ though). I also like hiking, snowboarding, hauling people/stuff, so the XT is perfect for me. It's mostly down to the aesthetics that I'm currently researching.

For reference, I'm looking at getting the 2017 Forester XT... debating on the Premium or Touring model. I prefer cloth seats (love them in the FJ). One picky concern I have, and maybe you can answer this, because I'm having trouble figuring it out -- what color is the roof racks on the Premium vs. Touring? From pictures, it looks like the Touring has black rails and the Premium has silver? I'd prefer black... was wondering if I could get the basic model yet add black rails after purchase? Not sure if the two models differ so much that I can't use parts from the other.
 
Hey @SuBooneru, awesome pics as always. My wife (who's not big camping fan) said she'd come camping if she could sleep in the car, so I've decided to copy your sweet spare storage & sleeping surface setup. I'm running the exact same tires so I expect everything should fit. I had a few questions before I go purchase lumber though:
  1. What size lumber did you use for the base? Looks like 2x8 or maybe 2x6? (Or maybe 2x8 with a bit of the width trimmed off?)
  2. From the pics it looks like you used 1/2" plywood? Is that because that's what you had on hand, or do you think 1/4" would do?
  3. What did you use to fill the sections to either side of the base, aft of the wheel wells? Looks like you might have trimmed the OEM foam piece to fit there to fill the gap, or did you come up with something else?
Thanks in advance for the info!
 
Discussion starter · #431 ·
Hey @SuBooneru, awesome pics as always. My wife (who's not big camping fan) said she'd come camping if she could sleep in the car, so I've decided to copy your sweet spare storage & sleeping surface setup. I'm running the exact same tires so I expect everything should fit. I had a few questions before I go purchase lumber though:
  1. What size lumber did you use for the base? Looks like 2x8 or maybe 2x6? (Or maybe 2x8 with a bit of the width trimmed off?)
  2. From the pics it looks like you used 1/2" plywood? Is that because that's what you had on hand, or do you think 1/4" would do?
  3. What did you use to fill the sections to either side of the base, aft of the wheel wells? Looks like you might have trimmed the OEM foam piece to fit there to fill the gap, or did you come up with something else?
Thanks in advance for the info!
Haha funny my GF much preferes sleeping in a tent than inside the car on my sleeping platform. I think that's just because the one time she stayed in there was at the coast it was humid and I brought too warm of sleeping bags. Anyway glad your interested in copying my setup and I'm happy to answer your questions:

I should mention first that although we have the same tires, the one I'm using for the spare is used, probably half original tread, so it's possible yours might not seat in there quite as low. Shouldn't sit too much higher though and I think it should still clear the top platform. Only thing to consider is you might have to raise it up a bit if you want to do the table cover thing like me.

For the base frame I used 2x8 and then trimmed the width down to about 7" I think. It runs front to back on top of the plastic clip retainers for the foam side pieces.

Used 1/2" plywood because that's what we had on hand, but I probably would go that thick anyway just for durability. I guess it depends on the quality of the plywood you use because cheaper and or thinner tends to warp over time.

For the sides of the base we just trimmed the foam pieces to fit snug. Easy to do with a hand saw and is nice because you don't have a huge void there to lose things. I keep my Torque wrench and lug breaker bar on both sides there along with other misc. things.

I think I answered all your questions. A little advice is to measure and check clearances and levelness with the seat back multiple times before cutting to be sure you don't screw up and go to low, especially if you're going to try to add the table thing. Before doing any measurements or anything deflate your spare as much as you can and secure it in there, since everything kind of revolves around clearing that. I went a little short on the frame, so the top platform was pushing on the table towards the front, teetering on the tire slightly and it was lifting it off the back plastic resting point. Had to add little cabinet stoppers as spacers to get it high enough.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions. Not that complicated of a job and pretty fun
 
So I currently have the base roughed in, similar to your positioning, and it looks to have enough clearance for the table, but it seems a bit too high (I'm using full-width 2x8s still). I've added cutouts to my side pieces to work both on top of the plastic clip retainers, and on the outside of the raised section where the clip retainers are located (which lowers it by a fair bit; I figure I could add felt pads underneath them to raise them 1/8th or so). Anyhow, to properly test clearance I'm going to need to fasten down the spare, and so I was wondering: where did you get the aluminum square piece you're using to secure the wheel? Thanks!
 
Discussion starter · #434 ·
So I currently have the base roughed in, similar to your positioning, and it looks to have enough clearance for the table, but it seems a bit too high (I'm using full-width 2x8s still). I've added cutouts to my side pieces to work both on top of the plastic clip retainers, and on the outside of the raised section where the clip retainers are located (which lowers it by a fair bit; I figure I could add felt pads underneath them to raise them 1/8th or so). Anyhow, to properly test clearance I'm going to need to fasten down the spare, and so I was wondering: where did you get the aluminum square piece you're using to secure the wheel? Thanks!
Nice to hear you've made good progress! To hold down the spare I just found that square metal piece at the hardware store. Not sure what it's for or what it's called, but seemed to do the trick. You'll need to buy an extended bolt for that too as the stock one was way too short.
 
Nice to hear you've made good progress! To hold down the spare I just found that square metal piece at the hardware store. Not sure what it's for or what it's called, but seemed to do the trick. You'll need to buy an extended bolt for that too as the stock one was way too short.

Yep, I had to order an M8x120mm bolt from Amazon and it works nicely.

I figured out what that piece of metal is called, it's a "slotted bearing plate". :)
 
Got a chance to take some better quality pics with the new all terrain tire and wheel setup. I also recently got a 1.0" lift installed that I will post pics of soon, but these shots are before the lift.

For initial review I have to say I've been very impressed so far with the on and off road handling characteristics and minimal noise of these Hankook Dynapro ATM tires (size 235/65 17). I was expecting a much bigger sacrifice on pavement going to an all terrain tire that is 1.3" bigger in diameter than stock, but honestly the differences are very minimal and pretty negligible actually.

The acceleration does seem to suffer a little with the bigger diameter tire, but only slightly. What helps and is important to note I think though is that the tire and wheel weight info I've found online of this setup comes in exactly the same as stock wheels plus tires at 50 lbs. on each corner. Not too bad.
Nice 17x8J +35 rims and tires setup. After I saw your forester pictures, I regretted selling my RAYS VR CE28N Bronze, 17x8J, offset +38, dual PCD 5x114.3 and 5x100. I should have kept them for my 2018 forester.
 
Not the best pics, but just got some bigger AT tires Hankook Dynapro ATM 235/65 17 tires mounted to Drag DR-31 17x8 +35 wheels. Pretty cheap and light setup for AT tires that I'm very happy with so far. Just clear the front struts by less than 0.5" and so far only have a slight rubbing of the tires on the fender plastic on full turn and when suspension is near full compression. The ride is pretty nice on the street/highway, but haven't had a chance to offroad with them yet. Also got a 5th wheel and tire of the same type for full size spare. I'm probably going to do the 1.0" spacer lift soon.
Did the spare fit in your wheel well?
 
^Good question! My Hankooks are about in need of replacement after ~50K miles and I'm going to get them again and was considering going up to the 245's. I think it will be pretty close to hitting the strut perch, but just might clear. I've decided that even if it does clear it's not worth it to me to go a size up though.

Only gains from going up to the 245 are a little more lift and more aggressive appearance. The negatives are there will definitely be more frequent rubbing on the fender liner and factory mudflaps if you have them. There will be more loss of MPG's and performance with the added weight and diameter. Handling probably won't be as good. Could be harder on the CVT. Snow will build up in the wheel well more easily, which could cause the vehicle to struggle and lose traction.

've been really happy with the 235's so don't want to be greedy and push it to where I create problems. I hope somebody does try 245/65 17 though. I know the Outback guys are running that size in the BFG K02 and I've heard they run small, so those could fit I think. Super heavy though and will definitely sap performance.
I’m running 245/65 with STI 17x8” +53mm in my FXT but with 30mm spacers. If someone is thinking to go this way, expect lots of trimming and a lot of mudflap rubbing. Looks awesome but Im thinking to sell the BF 245’s and buying 235/65 instead. Less stress to the CVT is the principal reason... you can feel the difference between stock wheels and this ones while speeding up, even when reversing you need to give it more gas. More MPG’s, les stress to the CV, etc.
 

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About to be doing this to our 2017 Forester XT. I reached out to LP Aventure and they were telling me the largest i could fit would be a 225/60r17 with a 2" lift. We'll be buying the same wheels that have been posted here too; Drag DR-31's in a 17x8 +35. I'm ideally wanting to start with just wheels and tires, then look to lift as a next step down the road once the wheels/tires on are.

Looking at either:
-BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A K02 SIZE: 225/65r17
OR
DYNAPRO AT2 - SIZE: 235/65R17

Like mentioned above, LP Aventure said the 235/65r17's would not fit, but from this thread, it looks like the OP had no issue installing these even without a lift. Is there something i'm missing?
 
About to be doing this to our 2017 Forester XT. I reached out to LP Aventure and they were telling me the largest i could fit would be a 225/60r17 with a 2" lift. We'll be buying the same wheels that have been posted here too; Drag DR-31's in a 17x8 +35. I'm ideally wanting to start with just wheels and tires, then look to lift as a next step down the road once the wheels/tires on are.

Looking at either:
-BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A K02 SIZE: 225/65r17
OR
DYNAPRO AT2 - SIZE: 235/65R17

Like mentioned above, LP Aventure said the 235/65r17's would not fit, but from this thread, it looks like the OP had no issue installing these even without a lift. Is there something i'm missing?
I’ve been running those Dynapros on 17x8 +35 Enkei RPF1s for 25K miles on my ‘17 FXT (1.5” front/1.75” rear ADF lift) with no major issues. I did have to trim my mudflaps a bit on the inside to avoid rubbing at full lock, and still get occasional minor rubbing when braking at full lock, but not enough to cause issues. LP is probably just being conservative here.


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