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Hey all,

I decided to start a new thread to tell my experience with my beloved Forester XT. I won't be posting anymore to my previous thread here.

Back in mid-2007 I was looking for a new car and the Forester was always high on my preference list (keep in mind I never had a Subie before, so was still looking at other brands also). I was waiting to see the new model Forester come out to compare with the current at the time and make a call on what to get.

Down deep I knew I wanted the SG9 model and when I first saw the sheer size of the SH - which I thought was too big, I didn't waste any time. I was really going for the base X model - really believe me! - but I came across what is now my car sitting in Geelong and advertised for pretty much the price of the base model. I thought: this is a sign!

This is the car as it was at the dealer in Geelong:


And a very clean turbocharged engine:


The car's got a 2.5 turbocharged engine under the bonnet (EJ255) and an auto transmission (4EAT). It was a demo model and only had 113 kms on it (didn't do much demo'ing, i guess..) when I took delivery in early Feb 2008.

Here's a photo I took taking it for a spin in Torquay the day I got it:


Over the following days I will add more posts with my journey with the car, so bear with me for a bit. I want to make this a register of the mods I made - and will make - as well as the good times already had and to be had!

Cheers,
Pedro.

Ooh look at that engine bay...so clean lol

Looking forward to the "Pezimms 2007 Foz" journey...esp the bullbar episode

The very first mod to the original condition of the car was done on the friday night before Queen's Birthday weekend 2009

Removing the flimsy air flaps in front of the front tyres:

(Photo taken a couple days ago...)

That was the time I first suffered with these little things!!!:mad:


They are an absolute PITA to remove. My best experiences were achieved with a blast of compressed air to remove the dirt that gets them stuck prior to twisting them - took me a long while to figure them out, though.

As many of you know, the following day was spent out and about around Lerderderg and the Wombat Forest - it was my first outing with the Foz beyond a gravel road

And I achieved this on the Powerline Track (ahhh that famous puddle!!):

I love this shot!

Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLpZrJPRiYE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVro3K3mt3E

Pedro.

Fast-forward a few months and we're now in May 2010...

After a couple ventures offroad, I went down to the Otways with some of the boys in the forum and I reckon that was the turning point - I had to modify the car a bit more!

Couple shots of that day include a little muddy turn where I got a wheel up in the air (for the first time):


And a grueling climb that had me planning my attack initially and realising that the car was actually quite capable after getting to the top:


After that day I was convinced I needed a lift kit. The question now is which way do I go? Options are strut tops or heavy duty springs. Choices, choices!!

Pedro.

After weighing my options for some weeks, I decided to go with a strut top lift. I could've gone with a 2in block, but instead decided to "start small" and purchased a 1in block set from Subtle Solutions.

They arrived in the mail and looked like this:


First impressions where: very solid blocks, well made out of aluminium. Their design doesn't incorporate any camber off-set and in installation, the top-hat studs are replaced with long screws (about 2 in) that go through the top-hat then screw in the block prior to mounting on the car.

Blocks installed on front strut:


And the final look of the car with the blocks in:


It certainly sits a bit higher and has an ever so slightly more bumpy ride, but car looks great and feels great!

NOW THE TYRES LOOK TOO SMALL!! What do do next???

Pedro.

pezimm wrote:NOW THE TYRES LOOK TOO SMALL!! What do do next???

Indeed tyres are next (silly comment as I'm catching up with my mods on the journal...)

Anyways, on December 2010 the original Yokohama G900 215/55R17 tyres are replaced with a set of Geolandars A/T-S on size 215/60R17.

Here's what the new tyres look like:


Only trouble is the new tyres don't fit the spare wheel well. Short of making a rear wheel carrier, the next best option is to carry out some plastic surgery on the well to make the bigger tyre fit.

Wheel well in original condition:


Changes in progress:


And the final product:


The first outing on new lift and tyres was a road trip to Mount Hotham and down the Great Alpine Road.

Here's the Foz at Danny's lookout:


And again:


Pedro.

Ah yes, much better. & that lookout is great

Time for an update!

After getting the new tyres sorted out, it was time to put them to the test...

And it came along with some terrific beaches and sandy tracks in Robe, South Australia. An excellent trip report by El_Freddo on that outing can be found here, but I take the liberty of adding my preferred shots:





It was the first time I went to Robe and the place blew me away. It's just a fantastic little spot!

The lift and the tyres went great on this trip! I took the additional precautions of removing the plastic sump guard and the side skirts (below the doors), which appeared a little fragile and exposed.

At the end of the trip, I can't remember bellying out in anything other than some sandy bits, but overall very very happy with the setup so far.

Pedro.

And a quick shot of a milestone achieved in mid June/2011:



Took me 3 years to achieve this one, time to stop and remember all the nice places this great car has taken me... Let's see how long it takes to double it!

Cheers,
Pedro.

some great pics mate! the car looks fantastic, good to show people what a relatively unmodified forester can do!

And another little addition - this time on the inside: a ScanGauge II



I tried mounting it on the side, between the steering wheel and the door (where the mobile phone mount is), but the reflection on the window's glass at night was a bit of a let-down...



By mounting it on the centre instrument cluster, it keeps the unit away from direct sunlight and right in my field of vision.

Note that at the moment it is only being held by 2 bits of bluetac... Plans for the future include a cut-out of the plastic surroundings of the cluster, so it can be "integrated" with the other instruments. I already have a spare plastic piece to play around with and figure out the best position for the unit.

Pedro.

Those scan gauges seem like a pretty cool add on... Just need some money lol

pezimm wrote:And a quick shot of a milestone achieved in mid June/2011:

Nice, spot on 100,000 too

It's a good read Pedro, You know we all love seeing you out there in your foz.

And it's always a pleasure taking the crew out to new places - or Robe again

Keep up the good work!

Cheers

Bennie

We're back to suspension upgrades as I got used to the mere 1in lift and wanted more (Bennie, you were right: 1in is not enough!) - will this end?

The car went into Suspension City in North Melbourne following Greg's (Dulagarl) advice. I found them friendly and down to earth, no fuzz... Price was also fair.

The car just before being stripped of its OEM suspension


As I had the self-levelling suspension on the rear and I wanted raised King Springs, I decided to change the whole lot; springs and struts all around!

Got the tried and tested KYB-Kings combination and I am very happy with them!


Gotta love these yellow springs!

In case anyone needs, part numbers as follows:

Struts Front: 334468/69
Struts Rear: 334344/45

Springs Front: KSFR32SP
Springs Rear: KSRR43

This is what the car looked like as I pulled up at work:


I got a wheel alignment at Trutrack, also in North Melbourne. Although a tad dear, the place is fantastic and the guys in the workshop completely obsessed with setting the angles right to the "n"th degree. Plus I got to perve at some old school Ferraris and Porsches driving in and out.

Pedro.

And again, some cool shots at yet another trip to Robe:





Cheers!
Pedro.

The beginning of the end of my Geolandars A/T-S


A side-wall puncture (notice the silver tape marking the spot) while at the Wyperfeld National Part required a replacement tyre, which turned out to be unavailable.

The tsunami in Japan in 2011 caused - in addition to all the losses there - major disruptions in manufacturing industries, including tyres. The one I needed was not going to be available for another 3-4 months, so Yokohama offered me 5 brand new Geolandars H/T-S on the same size.

I took their offer, but also started looking for some 16in steel rims to use as my "off-road set".

Pedro.

so how many inch do you have know? were they lifted struts or standard height?

thunder039 wrote:so how many inch do you have know? were they lifted struts or standard height?

Struts are standard height, combined with raised springs, which gave me about 1 inch. That, plus the 1 inch lift block I had before gives me about 2 inches in total.

Larger tyres gave me another half inch, so all up it sits about 2.5 inches higher than stock.

Pedro.

looks fantastic! so whens the next off road adventure with the new sprigs

So the chase for some 16in steelies took me to QLD. Well I was going there for New Year's anyway, so a few more stars aligned and I also came across a very nice SubaXtreme bullbar sitting in Orange, NSW.

One trip, 2 ticks on the "wanted" list!!:-D

This is how to fit 4 rims and a bumper in the back of the Foz!


And this little baby goes on tomorrow!!


Pedro.