I guess as steep as it can before it tumbles over backwards....and as steep as it can until it starves for oil and the engine locks up..... Guess someone needs to test it out!!! LOL Sorry, I couldn't resist!

 

There are quite a few streets in San Francisco that have >30 degree inclines. I can say that the Foz has no problems there.

 

This true. Some streets in China Town are scary at the stop lights with a manual transmission. Going down hill, you best keep it in first gear.

 

I've done a few steep inclines before, but nothing lengthy. An incline steep enough to starve the engine for oil would also be to steep to actually climb anyway before the wheels start to spin, or you stall out the car (regardless if 5MT or 4EAT).

They are capable of quite a lot of climbing ability though. (8:35 in the video)

 

I've done a few steep inclines before, but nothing lengthy. An incline steep enough to starve the engine for oil would also be to steep to actually climb anyway before the wheels start to spin, or you stall out the car (regardless if 5MT or 4EAT).

They are capable of quite a lot of climbing ability though. (8:35 in the video)

Subaru Forester Off-Roading - YouTube

Great video, I think you answered my questions, BTW your Black Bear Video is the best off-road video I've seen.

 

video sure beats what I've done w/ my '99 AT

 

I've thought for years that a transmission/brake shop in San Francisco would be a goldmine.

 

in my legacy outback i literally ran out of horsepower before i ran out of traction. i had a couple people in the car and going up a steep power line in the summer, we got two thirds of the way up and the car wouldnt go anyfurther, no tire spin, just wouldnt go, not even in first gear (4eat)

 

^^^ wow. that's encouraging to know because it's an activity I might actually do somewhere / sometime.

 

the 2.5 in mine was replaced with a 2.2 which didn't help. The subarus get excellent traction. Its only hold back offroad its its low approach angles and now reduced gearing. My other vehicle is a Land Rover Discovery with a 3" lift, 33" mud terrains and bumpers made for offroad, They both have there pro's and cons obviosly the rover will go much further but only because it has the ground clearence, i can take it in 36" of water, i stop at 12 inches in my subaru. And when it comes to hill climbs the rovers v8 and low gear range really helps, most times the subaru will climb the same hill but if it doesn't you have to reverse back down, having a 4:1 low range in the truck to put it in reverse and just let the engine control speed while you steer is nice. The subaru, well, just try not to pick up speed going backwards and no sudden jerks of the wheel. Give me a snow storm, heavy rain, or quad trails and its subaru all day long. I had forester suspension on my legacy to lift it and offroaded the crap out of it, so much that the body got trashed and i eventually let it go for $600. I got the Forester now with a pretty clean body and want to keep it that way so the majority of my offroading now will be in my Rover. You can get a Series 1 discovery for around 1500 bucks. They're alot like subarus as far as head gasket and wheel bearing problems, expect rovers head gaskets and wheel bearings are MUCH easier to replace, but mines been good, lift kits are cheap and you dont blend in with every other jeep on the road.

 

When I was 'stalking' my 2004 Forester, I had a chance to compare four different Forester configurations: 1)Forester X w/4EAT; 2)Forester X w/5M; 3)Forester XT w/4EAT; and 4)Forester XT w/5M.
For a climbing test, my salesman took me to a cul de sac that the west side cut into the hillside with a 30% cut slope before returning to the natural forested slope.
Configurations 1, 2 weren't able to ascend more than two-thirds of the way, with the 4EAT edging the 5M slightly.
Configuration 3 ascended slope to forested slope, backed halfway down, ascended to top of cut slope again.
Configuration 4 ascended slope to forested slope, backed halfway down, but was unable to start back up again.
THe XT configurations both had advantage over the X's, with limited slip rear differentials. In addition, both XTs had superior engine torque at low rpms (a function of the turbo-charged engine) that gave the Forester the power it could use with the rear LSD.
Configuration 3 was superior to Configuration 4, with it's ability to more gradually add on power (very difficult to 'feather' the 5M clutch in mid-slope).

Five years later, I had occasion to climb a fill slope in order to regain access to a road. The fill slope was 45 degrees, a slope possible because it was large aggregate (uniformly sized rock the size of uhmm, a lunchbox).
My FXT 4EAT with new but OEM Geolanders climbed the 50 foot grade easily at half throttle, without slipping, and in full control.

Tonight, an inch of rain has fallen on icy streets, and with the best Norwegian studded tires, I had sufficient traction to idle away without a slip...

Conclusion? The FXT has sufficient power to break traction on most slopes and tractive surfaces, but with driver skill, the FXT can master most slopes and surfaces, particularly with the 4EAT.
-Quick

 

I've climbed some seriously steep dunes without a problem in my 09 FXT. Recently pulled a stuck Ford Ranger pickup up a steep forest service road (much of it snow covered) without so much as breaking a tire loose. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos.

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