Daydreaming about bigly lifting my Forester

Sounds like you need a Forester XT final drive ratio (and turbo ).

Note to self, look up rally coilovers. What companies sell them?

The cheap ones are HotBits at $1-2k depending on options, and it goes up from there with JVAB and DMS being the next big step up, then Ohlins and Reiger and other big super high $$$ brands.

There's also King springs as a sort of in between, I have a set on our Outback Sport and they're quite nice.

I second the portal box idea.  Seems to solve the most problems, provided you can package them within the wheel.  Could potentially mess up your scrub radius if you try to use them to move the wheel further forward (in the front), and could be a death sentence for your tie rods (or rack).

Portals.  Always a good idea.

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

I'd be hesitant to use aftermarket springs on stock/stock replacement dampers. I'm sure the springs are fine but the damping sucks. It's just not tuned right.

I've seen the light on how well well tuned dampers can transform a car. I want that in my forester's life.

unevolved said:

I second the portal box idea.  Seems to solve the most problems, provided you can package them within the wheel.  Could potentially mess up your scrub radius if you try to use them to move the wheel further forward (in the front), and could be a death sentence for your tie rods (or rack).

 

Portals.  Always a good idea.

Hmm. Portals do have a lot of advantages to them.... Lifting, gear ratio compensation, keeping the same level of stress on the factory drivetrain. They do have some disadvantages that are with mentioning though. Packaging, cost, unsprung weight, they're typically pretty bulky, and in the front it could be hell trying to get the steering geometry correct.

I imagine it would be possible to build a custom set of boxes that would be well integrated into the wheel area that also incorporates ideal suspension pickup points, unlike the ATV example on the previous page. That thing is atrocious.

In reply to freetors :

Yeah, that's why when you have them out you put Koni or Bilstein inserts in.

freetors said:

unevolved said:

I second the portal box idea.  Seems to solve the most problems, provided you can package them within the wheel.  Could potentially mess up your scrub radius if you try to use them to move the wheel further forward (in the front), and could be a death sentence for your tie rods (or rack).

 

Portals.  Always a good idea.

Hmm. Portals do have a lot of advantages to them.... Lifting, gear ratio compensation, keeping the same level of stress on the factory drivetrain. They do have some disadvantages that are with mentioning though. Packaging, cost, unsprung weight, they're typically pretty bulky, and in the front it could be hell trying to get the steering geometry correct.

I imagine it would be possible to build a custom set of boxes that would be well integrated into the wheel area that also incorporates ideal suspension pickup points, unlike the ATV example on the previous page. That thing is atrocious.

I don't know why it wouldn't be possible to keep the suspension geometry happy with portals, if that was a goal from the beginning.  I'd imagine scrub and trail would be pretty critical, with the increased load into the steering from maneuvering over rocky stuff.  So long as you can keep enough caster to keep it stable at speed.

I imagine it would be possible to build a custom set of boxes that would be well integrated into the wheel area that also incorporates ideal suspension pickup points, unlike the ATV example on the previous page. That thing is atrocious.

Well let's just... roll with your idea that your end product is not going to inevitably drive like E36 M3 compared to a stock Forester even though you're adding a ton of unsprung weight to it.  In that case we're going to bother trying to get the suspension as right as possible. Do you know about SAI? If your steering axis is inclined then it is possible to move your wheel attachment point down and outward and still have your contact patch hitting the ground in the same place your steering axis does. There's a pretty wide range of 'tuning' that aspect just from your choice of wheel offset as well. 

Wow, I can't believe I made this thread nearly a year ago and never did anything about it. Well I finally got around to ordering some lower strut spacers from anderson fab and his trailing arm spacers. They look hokey but I don't have time to fab up my own stuff right now. These will give me about 2.5" of lift. And unlike the upper strut spacers that are more common on subarus, these will actually let me fit a taller tire down the road. I still two sets of tires with 215/65-16s, one an "all terrain" and the other my altimax arctics, and they both have tons of tread on them still. So no new tires and wheels for a while. The lifty bits should be here in a week or two. My upcoming trip to Colorado motivated me to get this moving a little more. I plan to drive as many mountain passes as I can while I'm there.

You might want to check some online sources for passes that are open.  Here in the San Juans, none of the passes are open yet due to heavy snow last winter combined with very slow meltout this spring - right now we are at about 600 - 700% of normal remaining snow depth.  We actually got about 40% more total snow than normal here in Ouray County, significantly more to the south over by Silverton, but the slow meltout has left us with the high percentages for the date.  The road from Silverton to Animas Forks has several deep snowslides, one reported as 100 feet deep.  Owl Creek is supposed to open July 1st, Yankee Boy is open but difficult (took 5 times as long to open it this year, one of the slides they cut through is about 30 feet deep, still deep snow at the upper end), county is now working on Corkscrew, but several of the classic passes may not be open until late July, if then, nobody can really say for sure.  I don't know about other areas, but it would be a good idea to check ahead of time to help plan your trip.

In reply to Jim Pettengill :

Thanks for the info. I had no idea about the snow. I'm be going the last week of July so hopefully everything is clear by then. Sounds like it may be a good idea to use the winter tires just in case. The tread is way more open and aggressive than my all terrains anyway. I don't plan on attempting anything too aggressive. I don't want to be "that guy" that ends up having to be rescued. If you have any recommendations for passes with maximum scenery and not too rugged I'd love to hear them. I'm open to any areas as I'm still planning my route.

In reply to freetors :

Came here for the bigly, was not disappoint.

Assuming that they are open, I'd say my San Juan favorites for scenery and moderate trails would be Yankee Boy Basin - amazing scenery and stunning wildflowers in late July if the snow is gone - and the Corkscrew Gulch - Hurricane Pass - California Gulch route from the Ironton Park area of Red Mountain (US 550) over to Animas Forks.  You've already done Ophir.   For other possibilities, we'll have to see what is open by then, the two I have mentioned are a priority for the road crews, so they should be OK.  Another that is easy (passenger car in good weather), a trip up Owl Creek Pass is really pretty, this is where the final shootout in the original True Grit was filmed.  For other trails a bit north of us, Keith Tanner probably has some good recommendations, too.  The trails in central Colorado tend to be more difficult than those in the San Juans.  I wouldn't try going to Crystal, for example, in a Subie.  That's what Jeep rental companies are for.

Also, when you get into our area, check with the Jeep rental companies (there are several in Ouray, Silverton and Ridgway) for current road conditions.

Im going to Colorado at the same time. I'll be looking to drag a highlander hybrid AWD over mildly inappropriate terrain as well. 

My recommendations are basically the same as Jim’s for that sort of vehicle. His country is where I head when I want that kind of pass :) Vigo should be looking to see if the Alpine Loop is passable. The Forester might be able to do Cinammon Pass if the snow is clear, but the bottom part of Engineer may be too much. I like that loop for scenery and ghost towns and old mines.

If the high mountains are still snowed in, you could do the Paradox loop - hwy 141 from Grand Junction down to Naturita, then over the La Sals to meet up with 191 just south of Moab. Return via hwy 128. It’s all paved - this is a Miata road - but it’s gorgeous. Some of the trails in Moab are easily handled by a lifted Forester and snow is not a problem.