[Biplanefrk]

:banana:Okay,
So my parents have 2 2009 Subaru XT's. They love them. Me being a rebel said I didnt want a subaru I wanted a VW. Boy was I wrong. Ive had my golf for about a month now, and all I want is a Forester, like my parents. We live in AZ and have summer home in flagstaff. I need something outfitted to play around up there not some stupid front wheel drive car that cant manage to get out of its own way. I want to deck it out to the furthest extent to hang in there with my friends jeep. My first mods will include the basics, a 1"-2" lift with some off road tiers like a bf goodrich TA, a brush gaurd, and a skid plate. I will later buy some hella lights or something and put them on. My question is where do I get all this??? I need help! Thank you
-Kyle

 

[Straycatkid]

Hey Kyle, good luck with the project. Here is some of what you're looking for.

Go to get-primitive.com for your skidplate. They have front plates and rear diff protectors.

For the lifting blocks, go to Subtle Solutions. There's not much in the way of brush guards in the USA. Australia gets most of that kind of stuff. But keep in mind, a guard like that will also severely hurt your approach angle off-road.

 

[Blue Fox]

I have a couple of questions to answer your questions correctly.......

1. What kind of Jeep are you trying to keep up with, and what Mods does it have?
2. What kind of terrain are you going to be building the Foz up for?
3. What Foz do you have/will be getting? (XT? X? Year?)
4. Are you nervous about getting scratches/scrapes/dents/bumpers ripped off?
5. How much experience do you have with 4WD vehicles?

Once I get answers to these questions, I'll be able to tailer my answers and suggestions a bit better. :biggrin:

 

[sofast]

To be honest if your going to get rid of your vw so you can hang with jeeps just buy a jeep, or even better an 80 series landcruiser they are coming down in price. It will save you a lot of time and effort. Also you wont have to suffer from beating up your foz on the trail. the forester is very capable just be ready to do more maintenance beyond the normal procedures. A jeep is built for offroading so it has grease fittings which prolong the life of joints etc. Also solid axles are a HUGE benefit when off roading and are something the Subaru lacks. At the end of the day the forester is still based off of a car chassis.

 

[Straycatkid]

Agreed, sofast. Good point. I really would love an XJ Cherokee myself, but I can't see dropping a solid 10-12 mpg right now.

 

[Smash81]

I think others have made excellent points. Some clarification of more precisely what you hope to do with your Forester will really help!

 

[SubieGaz]

A Subaru is not a Jeep. And that is a good thing!:biggrin: A properly equipped Jeep can do remarkable things off-road with a trained driver.

Take your time, and really think how you will be using the Subie vs what a Jeep can do. If you find a higher-percentage of your time will be spent on paved roads and mild to medium dirt roads/trails, with the Subie being your primary transportation, a Subaru may be a perfect fit. But in my opinion, don't expect a Subaru to be more than it is or designed to be even with modifications.

A Subaru Forester is a remarkable vehicle engineered to be safe, reasonably fuel-efficient providing years of great service with affordable cost of ownership. A Jeep has an unmatched heritage with built-in engineering for off-roading with far-less paved road manners than a Subaru.

It appears if you purchased a VW Golf, your off-roading wasn't a primary concern to begin with. Whatever vehicle you end up, drive to the conditions of your environment and avoid those driving envrionments that tax the limit of what you are driving.

 

[Kevin]

A Subaru is not a Jeep. And that is a good thing!:biggrin:

Absolutely! My son's Jeep Wrangler spends a lot of time offroad - in the workshop! 45% of business days since he's had it!:icon_rolleyes:

G'Day & Welcome Kyle - as the others say, let us know what you want to do with it (you won't keep up with a Jeep though :icon_wink

 

[2jz929]

Jeeps are rubbish, buy a patrol. At least then you will have a tough reliable car. I have never heard of a trouble free Jeep (well at least not here in AUS).

 

[bmthomas1138]

Jeeps are trouble, just follow the line of broken axle-shafts from improper lift kits. In the states, we aint got the Patrol but we do have the Xterra, which is probably the greatest thing made by Datsun at the moment.

 

[Biplanefrk]

thanks guys,
im looking to keep up with a '97 jeep wrangler. it has been beat up hard. My friends have thier doubt about foresters but i know what they are capable of. The jeep just has bf goodrich ta tiers and a simple 2 in body lift. its nothing special. Here in AZ we really dont have much of what you call off roading, just more simply, desert. The reason why i dont have an intrest in a jeep is the gas mpgs. When we go up north to Flagg I want something to get back in the woods. nothing serious, but more just for getting up in there to do some downhill mountain biking or something..

 

[Kevin]

OK - so you're on the right track from your original post; a lift, maybe raised springs, sump guard etc will be good. What model are you thinking of buying? For tyres e.g. BF Goodrich you will need to check the sizes available as a wheel change may be necessary. I had to change from 16" to 15" wheels to get BFG - and you then need to think about clearance for brake callipers if you go with smaller wheels.

 

[Biplanefrk]

alright man thats what i was thinking about. um... idk i will take any forester i can take that looks good man. The trails that we are doing are very moderate. its nothing hard.. hah its something to do after work, just go play in the desert for a while ya know?

 

[Biplanefrk]

and if you guys know anyone who is looking for a 2004 golf gl thats in perfect condition let me know asap!!

 

[bmthomas1138]

thanks guys,
im looking to keep up with a '97 jeep wrangler. it has been beat up hard. My friends have thier doubt about foresters but i know what they are capable of. The jeep just has bf goodrich ta tiers and a simple 2 in body lift. its nothing special. Here in AZ we really dont have much of what you call off roading, just more simply, desert. The reason why i dont have an intrest in a jeep is the gas mpgs. When we go up north to Flagg I want something to get back in the woods. nothing serious, but more just for getting up in there to do some downhill mountain biking or something..

AZ is great for offroading in my opinion. I have a major soft spot for Prescott, Jerome, Sedona, Lake Pleasant and Flagstaff. My fondest off-road memories reside in that beloved state even though I live in So Cal.

My avatar pic to the left was taken on the Perkinsville road to Jerome. Loved every second!

 

[Biplanefrk]

haha thats sick man!! thats what I want to be able to do!! :woohoo: