DCAWD.com

in our quest to find the bestest camping spots and the awesomest views of the rockies, the toaster has begun a new set of upgrades. instead of lowering like i did with the STi suspension, i'm now heading in the other direction.

first step? the largest tires possible that clear the struts. i found out today that is a 215/70/16. that translates into almost two inches of lift. me likey. next stop, suspension lift and quick disconnects for the swaybars.

Bring it!

I will be going the same direction with our's as well.
I am looking at a set of General Grabber 2s.
So 215/70 16s fit you say?
I was thinking 215/65s, but extra ground clearance is always nice.

drwrx wrote:I will be going the same direction with our's as well.
I am looking at a set of General Grabber 2s.
So 215/70 16s fit you say?
I was thinking 215/65s, but extra ground clearance is always nice.

Lil Ru no Lil no mo?

Love it.

drwrx wrote:I will be going the same direction with our's as well.
I am looking at a set of General Grabber 2s.
So 215/70 16s fit you say?
I was thinking 215/65s, but extra ground clearance is always nice.

i had originally wanted the grabbers as well, but had a tough time sourcing them (even tirerack.com was backordered!) in time for our last trip. been very happy with the performance of the geo's though. good road manners and great off-road performance. i'm sure i'll be able to comment on snow very soon too.

the 70's definitely fit. it's tight in the rear (i plan on removing the mudflaps) but that's the only concern i've had so far. after having the car on some seriously rocky terrain, i'm definitely going to follow up with a suspension lift to give some more room for travel in the rear wheel wells.

for what it's worth, i can definitely say the 70's have allowed for terrain that could not have been handled with the stock sized tires. mud, rocks, and streams are now welcomed with a grin.


now it's time to decide on how much lift the toaster is going to get.

I've run two SUVs on Geolander ATs and thought they were pretty impressive. As good off-road as any, and even better on-road.
IIRC they also come in 215/65 16, so it's good to know there are options.

Looking badass!!! Happy to hear the mods turned out like you wanted too. Nothing worse than changing your car and then not liking the new mod

the Geolander used to be the OEM tire on the FXTs... this is the tire that I considered petitioning Subaru to stop putting on a performance car. They must have really revamped that tire, not easy to get a 9.1 on Tire Rack.

You'll have to get it back out here for a particular cabin road...

There is a Big difference between the Geolandar H/T G900 (Highway All-Season) that came stock on Foresters and the Geolandar A/T-S (On-/Off-Road All-Terrain).
Kind of like comparing the Pilot A/S (All Season high performance) with the Pilot Sport Cup (Track & Competition).

drwrx wrote:There is a Big difference between the Geolandar H/T G900 (Highway All-Season) that came stock on Foresters and the Geolandar A/T-S (On-/Off-Road All-Terrain).
Kind of like comparing the Pilot A/S (All Season high performance) with the Pilot Sport Cup (Track & Competition).

Ok, that makes sense.

ElZorro wrote: You'll have to get it back out here for a particular cabin road...

that cabin road is considered paved by co standards. some of the trails we've been on are nothing short of awesome. i need to dig up some pics and vids. did my first water crossing last weekend!

i've been absolutely blown away by this car's off-road abilities. she just needed a little more room underneath.

How many inches of lift are you thinking?
I would love to know what kind of affect it has on the toaster's abilities.

right now, i'm looking at two inches of lift. so far as i can tell, it's pretty much the limit that the rest of the driveline components can handle. the parts i'm looking at even mention an inspection of ball joints, tie rod ends and cv joints.

specifically i'm looking at these two parts:

sumo 2" lift kit
sumo 2" trailing arm kit

i don't have any interest in going any higher than that to be honest. two inches is about the max of my internal price/value argument. any higher and you're wondering why you don't have lockers, individual rear braking systems to combat diagonal spin, lower gearing, etc.

my hope is that the tires and lift will allow us to continue to be active in colorado and put off the purchase of a dedicated 4wd vehicle until the forester is genuinely ready for retirement. with only 60k on the car, i'd really really hate to take the loss of selling it.


(f150 ecoboost, i'm looking at you.)

complacent wrote:(f150 ecoboost, i'm looking at you.)

RAPTOR!!!!!

Sabre wrote:

complacent wrote:(f150 ecoboost, i'm looking at you.)

RAPTOR!!!!!

for 20k over the ecoboost? pass.

it's a bad-ass truck for sure though.

I wonder what affect the lift kit will have on the spring rates and ride quality?
I've always thought the Forester was a bit soft and had a bit too much initial body roll, but tightened up nicely after that first 3/4" of compression.

On a side note, I just purchased my 215/65 16 Grabber 2s.
Apparently, you were correct about availability. When I asked if they were in stock he claimed he had 8. I took half of them.
Sadly, the 215/65 16s are not rated for "Severe Snow" I suspect that means that they do not have provisions for studs, as it looks like some other sizes do.
I wonder what "Severe Snow" is anyway? 3 ft.+ perhaps?
I'll throw-up some pics when they are installed.

/thread highjack

complacent wrote:

Sabre wrote:

complacent wrote:(f150 ecoboost, i'm looking at you.)

RAPTOR!!!!!

for 20k over the ecoboost? pass.

it's a bad-ass truck for sure though.

As the driver of an F-150 Ecoboost, I approve this train of thought After testing several models, no other full-size catches my eye since the EB. It's bad-assedness comes from the engine, engine, and the engine.

Cameraphone pic from before I left the east coast. I really should take moar.

drwrx wrote:I wonder what affect the lift kit will have on the spring rates and ride quality?
I've always thought the Forester was a bit soft and had a bit too much initial body roll, but tightened up nicely after that first 3/4" of compression.

i don't expect much of a difference at all with spring rates. this kit just lowers the mounting points of the strut bodies by two inches. the trailing arm extensions help to re-center the wheel after changing the mounting point of the strut bodies. most that have it installed said the tires were the bigger detriment to ride characteristics and i'm inclined to agree. i'm sure it will be a little more tip-happy though.

drwrx wrote: On a side note, I just purchased my 215/65 16 Grabber 2s.
Apparently, you were correct about availability. When I asked if they were in stock he claimed he had 8. I took half of them.
Sadly, the 215/65 16s are not rated for "Severe Snow" I suspect that means that they do not have provisions for studs, as it looks like some other sizes do.
I wonder what "Severe Snow" is anyway? 3 ft.+ perhaps?
I'll throw-up some pics when they are installed.

/thread highjack

i haven't seen a single review that didn't do anything shy of jump for joy about the grabbers. i'm sure they'll serve you well. i don't know what severe snow means either. i'm sure they'll be more than adequate for east coast winters.

GaToR wrote:As the driver of an F-150 Ecoboost, I approve this train of thought After testing several models, no other full-size catches my eye since the EB. It's bad-assedness comes from the engine, engine, and the engine.

the four door has an absolutely ridiculous amount of room inside. it's seriously cavernous. i love the way the rear seats completely fold into the rear cabin wall. once they're folded up, you can fit two large dog crates side-by-side in the back. the boosted motor (that runs on 87!) is just a huge bonus in my mind.

i have a serious hankering for one, just can't really justify the cost right now.

complacent wrote: the four door has an absolutely ridiculous amount of room inside. it's seriously cavernous. i love the way the rear seats completely fold into the rear cabin wall. once they're folded up, you can fit two large dog crates side-by-side in the back. the boosted motor (that runs on 87!) is just a huge bonus in my mind.

i have a serious hankering for one, just can't really justify the cost right now.

To do it again, I'd get the full 4-door. The back seats in even mine (2+2 rear-opening doors) are comfortable for adults.
But the visibility out of the 4-door is better, since at every angle you can turn your head there is greenhouse. On mine you get a large blind spot from the rear pillar being where it is.

Because I am a sheep / lemming / copy cat, I had to follow Colin's example and shod my FXT with some AT goodness as well.
Behold, the General Grabber 2 ATs:
(These are 215/65 16s so you can see the difference in height compared to Colin's 215/70 16s)

I should add that we will be breaking these in with a trip up to WV in two weeks.
Some of the Forest Service roads we travel are AT worthy.

looks great man!

edit: did you get skidplates yet? if not, i highly recommend one. saved our bacon a few times now

Damn it, you all are making me jealous with your off road prowlness!!!!