From Lowered to Lifted; Off-Roading in a Subaru Forester

Ten years ago, it was common to see Subaru Foresters lowered and built for speed and handling.

Spurred on by the likes of Initial D and the Fast and Furious, lowering a vehicle for speed and cornering was the predominant trend. Today, however, it is more common to see a Subaru Forester sporting mud-terrain tyres and a lift kit.

Subaru Foresters have slowly become an alternative for the off-road and overlanding community. 

Mitre from @ignition_offroad is no exception, having transformed his Subaru Forester from a lowered street car to a heavily modified off-roader. Growing up in a small Australian country town at the foothills of the Victorian High Country, Mitre was an avid mountain bike rider often driving his lowered Subaru Forester into the mountains to ride the best trails. Driving a slammed Subaru Forester through mountainous back roads and tracks wasn’t always easy, and a few misadventures had Mitre in serious trouble. 

Frustrated at the lowered lifestyle, Mitre decided to transform his lowered Forester into an off-road machine with a 4.5” lift kit, custom dual-range transmission and an automatic locker. 

In the Foothills, Where it Began.

Mitre’s hometown, located in the foothills of the Victorian High Country, is at the doorstep of one of Australia’s best alpine four-wheel driving and camping destinations.  

Mitre became interested in mountain biking and racing as he was so close to some of Victoria's best tracks and trails. Mitre knew he would need a vehicle that could handle gravel roads, be packed full of mountain bike gear, and be affordable when he turned 18. The Subaru Forester and Subaru Liberty Wagon were Mitre’s choices as a first car. The Subaru Forester ultimately won out and he settled on a 1998 Subaru Forester for $5,000. By chance, the previous owner of the Forester had installed larger springs which gave the vehicle a subtle one-inch lift. However, this Forester did not become the 4.5-inch machine we see today. 

Mitre also bought a newer 2003 Subaru Forester XS a year later. 

The plan was to keep the older Forester as a beater while transforming the newer 2003 model into a lowered street car to drive through mountain roads. And so, the 2003 XS Forester became a lowered street car and the older Forester was set aside for mountain biking and camping.

Mitre caught wind of a local group called Foztrek, a group of Subaru Forester drivers who explore four-wheel drive tracks. Mitre decided to join a few trips and quickly found out how capable Foresters can be with mud-terrain tyres and a lift kit. 

Over the next few months, Mitre preferred to drive his lowered Forester XS. It was better looking, more comfortable, and more fun than the older model. More often than not, Mitre found himself taking his 2003 XS en-route to mountain bike events. Driving the lowered Forester on paved roads was addictive, but driving a lowered vehicle through mountainous back roads and fire tracks quickly became sketchy. 

Mitre realised that he needed to make his 2003 Forester XS a lot more off-road capable. 

Turning to Forester owner forums such as OzFoz, Mitre discovered a company called Subie Lift Oz, an Australian manufacturer of lift kits made specifically for Subaru Foresters, Outbacks and Imprezas. And so, Mitre sold his 1998 Forester and turned his attention to building a bigger, stronger, and more capable off-road Subaru Forester to take on the Victorian High Country.

Building an Offroad Subaru Forester.

The off-road Subaru community has grown considerably in the last decade, spurring many owners and businesses to create new parts and accessories for the Forester, Outback and Crosstrek (XV).

However, there were only a handful of off-road aftermarket manufacturers in Australia when Mitre started his Forester build in 2017. Subie Lift Oz sold lift kits, SubaXtreme offered bullbars, and All Drive Subaroo manufactured dual transmission upgrades. A constant flow of new suppliers eventually entered the market as the popularity of the off-road community grew. 

Starting with the obvious problem with Mitre's 2003 Forester XS, the vehicle was sitting very low to the ground. 

Sitting low to the ground is a major disadvantage off-road as it limits the terrain the vehicle can traverse due to the low hanging body posing poor approach, departure and break-over angles. Mitre approached Subie Lift Oz who supplied him a body lift kit that would raise the Forester 2.5 inches higher than the vehicle's factory clearance. The Forester's lowered springs also needed to be replaced with longer and heavier-duty King Springs for better comfort and performance on rough terrain. 

However, lifting a vehicle higher than the manufacturer's specifications can alter the suspension geometry, pulling the front and rear tyres inwards to the vehicle's centre. As a result, the vehicle can have poorer handling, limited wheel articulation, and components in the driveline can wear out faster. The team at Subie Lift Oz were well aware of this issue and include a three inch trail arm spacer in their kits. The trail arm spacer returns the suspension geometry back into harmony and supports the installation of larger off-road tyres without limiting wheel articulation. 

Mitre’s Forester XS, now installed with a body lift, new springs and trail arm spacers, was standing much higher than before.

Credit: @rossferguson

Mitre could now move his attention to replacing his road tyres with larger, more durable, and gripper tyres. Kohmo Road Ventura MT KL71 215/75r15 tyres were the preferred choice, increasing the Forester's ability to find grip in slippery and muddy conditions. Wider tyres also increase grip, particularly when aired down, while taller tyres are better for climbing boulders and rock steps. Mitre paired his new tyres with a custom set of OX817 rims by Ox Wheels which came with a blank centre that could be bored out to match the Forester's 5x100 stud pattern and a positive 25mm offset.

Installing the new wheels and rubber on the Subaru Forester was easy, however, Mitre found the tyres were rubbing in the front wheel well. A bit of tactical hammering on the wheel well seams fixed the issue and Mitre’s Forester was starting to look and feel like a far more off-road capable vehicle. 

It was time to take the lifted Subaru Forester out for a test!

Teaming up with a friend who drives a Land Rover Discovery 2, Mitre hit some light trails in the Victorian High Country. Side by side, the two vehicles have comparable approach and departure angles. Surprising, wheel articulation was also very even, at least on mildly articulated tracks. 

Seeing the tangible improvements on the Forester, Mitre decided it was really time to get the modifications cooking. 

High alpine peaks and low valleys with fast-flowing rivers are characteristic of the Victorian High Country. Many four-wheel drive tracks pass through rivers fuelled by snowmelt and rerouting to avoid these crossings can add hundreds of kilometres to a trip. Mitre needed his Forester to be able to cross these rivers safely.

River crossing presents a real danger to four-wheel drivers. 

The Subaru Forester is lighter and lower to the ground than most traditional four-wheel drives, which are both disadvantages when fording through water. There is a greater risk that quickly flowing water can sweep the Forester away, and water can reach the low air intake. If water enters the air intake, the engine can bend pistons due to compression issues. 

Mitre’s best chance of preventing water from penetrating the air intake is to raise the air intake level from the bonnet to the roof. However, snorkel kits for a Subaru Forester didn’t exist at the time! Instead, Mitre bought a snorkel by Tuff Terrain made to suit an NK Pajero and modified it to suit his Forester. 

Next, Mitre aimed to make camping trips more comfortable in his Forester. 

Installing a set of Rhino-Rack crossbars allowed Mitre to later secure a rooftop tent by Adventure Kings. As Mitre was planning on tackling remote tracks, he wisely installed a UHF radio and antenna to maintain communication with the outside world when phone reception is limited.

Shortly after, Mitre placed an order for a sump guard from SubaXtreme. 

Subaru Foresters were not designed and built like a traditional four-wheel drive. The driveline components in the undercarriage are not as protected as they are in a four-wheel drive. For instance, the oil sump is the lowest part of the engine that plays a key role in pumping oil through the engine. However, it is vulnerable to damage while off-roading as rocks can pierce or block oil from pumping to the engine. Starving the engine from oil is a sure way to cause catastrophic failure on the drive home from the tracks. Installing a guard by SubaXtreme helps to prevent damage to the oil sump by deflecting and absorbing impacts. 

Picking up a second-hand SubaXtreme bullbar for protection against Australia’s wildlife up front was next, as well as LED spotlights for off-roading driving at night.

Credit: @rossferguson

Shortly after, Mitre decided that the Forester could do with a little more ground clearance. Contacting Subie Lift Oz again, Mitre purchased a larger 4.5-inch rear and 4-inch front lift kit with 4.5-inch trailing arms. However, lifting a Subaru Forester to new heights has a few risks. 

Constant-velocity joints (aka CV joints) are a vital component of the drive shaft that connects the front differentials to the front wheels. CV joints move up and down with the wheels and side to side when the vehicle is steering to deliver uninterrupted power to the wheels. However, CV joints work optimally at a certain angle. A significantly higher lift kit might change this angle, causing excessive wear on the CV joint's protective boot. If this protective boot is split, the CV joint can begin to fail when contaminants like dirt and mud get in. Luckily, Subie Lift Oz have solved this issue by including a driveline drop that keeps the CV geometry at an acceptable level. 

Geometry aside, lifting the Forester with a 4.5 inch rear and 4 inch front body lift means that the vehicle is not roadworthy under Australian law.  In other words, it is illegal to drive. 

The legal lift limit in Victoria, Australia, is a two-inch suspension lift and a one-inch tyre size increase. Installing a lift exceeding the legal limit can result in a hefty fine and the vehicle deemed unroadworthy. In certain instances, an engineer can certify a vehicle that has a larger than legal suspension lift, however, the process is often expensive. Furthermore, a vehicle with an illegal suspension lift can be refused a payout by an insurance company should it be involved in an accident. 

Aware of the risks, Mitre accepted the risks and decided to install the taller lift kit and chase down an engineers certificate in the future. 

The Forester was now shaping up as a solid off-roader with a ton of clearance and grip. Yet, one thing stopped the Forester from becoming a powerful four-wheel drive alternative... 

The Forester must use momentum to climb steep trails and braking to descend without a low-range transmission.

Momentum is often enough to climb steep tracks but the additional speed involved can mean there is a higher chance of damaging the vehicle's undercarriage. Think about a four-wheel drive bouncing up and down violently! Without crawling gears, driving down steep tracks can overheat the brakes and cause slipping, which is the last thing you want to happen. Subaru Foresters, after all, were not designed to crawl slowly up and safely down four-wheel drive tracks!

But that’s where the off-road Subaru aftermarket has begun to shine!

All Drive Subaroo specialise in performance and transmission upgrades for Subaru Foresters, Outbacks, and WRXs. Mitre made the trip up from Melbourne to Sydney to drop his Forester into All Drive Subaroo for a major driveline upgrade. Mitre had purchased a 5-speed dual-range transmission from an SG Forester, as well as a 1.447 low-range gear set from an SF Forester and a 20KG centre differential made by All Drive Subaroo, before heading up to Sydney.

All Drive Subaroo began overhauling Mitre's Forester's 5-speed dual-range transmission with new internal gears. The team also upgraded the final drive from 4.11 to 4.44, delivering more low-end torque for off-roading at the expense of top speed. A little top-end speed was regained by lengthening fifth gear. Upgrading the low range gearing was next, and the All Drive Subaroo team swapped the standard 1.197:1 low range gears to a 1.47:1 ratio, more than doubling the speed reduction in low range and allowing the Forester to crawl like a traditional four-wheel drive. 

All the low range in the world won’t help, however, if there are wheels hanging in the air without traction. All Drive Subaroo thought about this and included an R160 automatic locker made by American based company, Torq-Masters. 

It is a common four-wheel drive scenario to have the vehicles wheels articulated in the air or hanging loosely down. Most vehicles will automatically send power to the wheel with the least resistance; in other words, the tyre in the air or hanging loosely down. The car can do nothing but hopelessly spin wheels.

An automatic locker will force the driveline to evenly split the power to both wheels and send traction to the tyre that remains planted on the ground. 

The catch with a Torq-Masters R160 locker, however, is that it is only compatible with an open rear differential. Unfortunately, Mitre’s SG has a viscous limited-slip rear differential. The All Drive Subaroo team had to replace this differential with an open rear differential before bolting in the R160 locker. At the front, the team installed a Cusco Type RS 1.5 Way Front limited-slip differential to split power to both front wheels. 

Lastly, to evenly balance out the power delivery to the front and rear differentials, a 20KG centre differential was installed by All Drive Subaroo. The All Drive Subaroo centre differential offers more durability and reliability than the standard 4KG centre differential when splitting power evenly to the front and rear differentials. 

A heavy-duty clutch was the final addition from the All Drive Subaroo team to limit clutch slipping when the enhanced low-range crawling gears are activated.

Mitre’s Forester was now turning out to be quite the off-road weapon! 

If it Burns Down… 

Money, time, and energy had been poured into Mitre’s Forester. And, that’s when the Forester caught fire.

In a stroke of bad luck, an exposed wire in the sun visor had sparked a fire on the driver's side. Mitre, by chance, was close to the Forester when the fire started and extinguished the flames. 

Molten fabric and plastic had splashed all over the dashboard, steering wheel and seats. 

The damage was extensive and unrepairable, but thankfully the fire hadn’t spread through the entire vehicle which meant that many parts were salvageable. Mitre signed the contract to purchase an XT Forester a few weeks after the fire. 

Excited to get to work on building a turbo dual-range Forester, Mitre began the process of swapping over the modifications in the burnt-out Forester to the new XT.

Undeterred by the fire, Mitre installed a radiator shroud by APHN Industries on the new XT to magnetically hold tools when working on the car. New and stronger KLC144 end-links by Whiteline were installed to the front sway bar, adding more strength and durability when off-roading. The ECU was also relocated from the passenger footwell to the glovebox, decreasing the risk of water damage when crossing through rivers and bog holes. Improving the vehicle for longer camping trips, Mitre also installed a dual battery system, inverter and sliding fridge in the back to open up longer and more self-sufficient trips into the bush. 

Mitre had grown increasingly concerned about the illegal lift kit in his vehicle over time.

Mitre approached multiple engineers in Australia to legally approve the four-inch lift kit in his Forester. However, all engineers turned Mitre down as the Forester is a unibody chassis. So, it was time to reduce the Forester back to a 2.5 inch rear and 2 inch front lift to stay legal and carefree.

Staying on the safe side, Mitre installed new rated recovery points by SubaXtreme, making the vehicle safer to recover than inadequate factory tow points. Lastly, Mitre bought a brand new rear bar by SubaXtreme featuring an integrated tow bar, spare wheel carrier and jerry can holder. 

With all these modifications, it is time to see what the Forester can do off-road!

Modifications:

Lift Kit: 4 inch front and 4.5 inch rear lift kit by Subie Lift Oz with 4.5 inch trailing arm spacers and driveline drop to maintain CV angles at a standard 2.5/2” inch lift.
Suspension: Kings heavy-duty springs at the rear and standard springs at the front.
Sway Bar: Rear sway bar delete and front sway bar installed with WhiteLine KLC144 heavy-duty adjustable end links and Subaru STI aluminium control arms.
Tyres: 215/75/R15 Kumho Road Ventura KL71 Mud Terrains.
Wheels/Rims: OX 817 15” wheels with a blank centre bored out to a 5x100 stud pattern and 25mm offset.
Gearbox / Drivetrain: SG Forester dual-range gearbox with SF low range gears, rebuilt with new internals, a 4.44 final drive with lengthened 5th gear, low range gear upgrade to 1.47:1, and 20KG centre differential by All Drive Subaroo.
Rear Locker: R160 automatic locker by Torq-Masters installed on an open rear differential.
Front LSD: Cusco Type RS 1.5 Way Front LSD.
Clutch: XTREME.
Front Bar: SubaXtreme SG Front Bar.
Rear Bar: SubaXtreme SG Rear Bar.
Spotlights: Adventure Kings 7” inch LEDs.
Roof Cage: Rhino-Rack crossbars with a Rhino-Rack aluminium rack.
Awning: Adventure Kings 2m x 2.5m awning.
Sump Guard: SubaXtreme.
Recovery Points: SubaXtreme rated recovery points.
Snorkel: Tuff Terrain NK Pajero.
Radiator: Mishimoto.
Radiator Shroud: APHN Industries.
Exhaust: UEL headers and a 2.25’ Exhaust.
Mudflaps: Red mudflaps by Rally Armour / Black mudflaps by RokBlotz.
ECU: Relocated from front passenger well to glove box.

How Off-Road Capable is a Subaru Forester?

The Subaru Forester was not designed to be a garage queen.

It is built to explore, and Mitre’s Forester has tasted plenty of dirt, snow and sand over hundreds of miles of tracks across Victoria, New South Wales and Canberra. Mount Terrible, Donnelly Creek, Licola, and Walhalla, are just a handful of the destinations Mitre has explored in the Victorian High Country. Heading to Canberra, Mitre has also tackled Mount Corre with a familiar off-road Subaru Outback build, the @jacked_outback.  

Mitre's most memorable trip was a five-day trip through the Border Track and Big Desert with a convoy from the Off-Road Subaru Club. The adventure through Big Desert had all the makings of an adventure; remote tracks and campsites, great people, and Mitre even managed to accidentally drive his Forester into a tree at the top of a dune. Luckily there was no lasting damage!

The key to Mitre’s confidence in driving off the beaten track is his occupation which involves driving a Toyota LandCruiser through fire tracks. Through work, Mitre has discovered that 90% of bush tracks are accessible by all-wheel drive vehicles like his Subaru Forester. 

Mitre states that an unmodified Forester will take you pretty remote in itself. Add all-terrain tyres and a lift kit, and you can go even further if you know how to drive off-road. Sinking money into more complicated modifications like a custom gearbox will give you more confidence, but it isn't required to start exploring the wilderness. 

The capability of Mitre's Forester is still limited, however. 

Subaru's designers never intended to build the Forester as a hardcore four-wheel drive. Mitre is aware that the Forester has a limited ground clearance and that he must carefully choose lines to avoid bottoming out. Although his Forester was a low-range transmission, it still requires more driver input than a traditional four-wheel drive like a Jeep Wrangler. Traditional four-wheel drives use very little power to climb up and down steep tracks with comprehensive dual-transmission systems. The Forester, even with low-range, needs to use a little more momentum. For many, though, the demand for more driver input is an exciting benefit as the challenging tracks can be found easier, closer, and with less risk of damage. 

Nobody is impressed when a four-wheel drive makes it to the top of a powerline track. But, everyone is interested when a Subaru Forester makes the climb.

Mitre is appreciative that his Forester is easier to live with as a daily vehicle. It is cheaper to run, more comfortable with independent front and rear suspension, and light on sandy tracks. Needless to say, Subaru’s AWD system makes gravel and snowy roads a breeze too. 

Learn How to Build an Off-Road Subaru Forester!

Subaru Foresters are an excellent and affordable entry point to four-wheel driving.  

A used Subaru Forester sells for between $4,000-$8,000 and many used examples have clocked over 300,000-400,000 km (186,000-248,548 miles). Generally speaking, used Subaru Foresters should be reliable if treated well, easy to wrench on, and old enough not to worry if the body is scratched or dented off-road. 

Larger all-terrain tyres, a lift kit, and a skid plate can be installed for a little extra and opens up the vehicle to more wilderness areas. What’s more, if you become disinterested in off-roading, you can always disassemble the modifications and use the Subaru Forester as a daily beater, a learner car for a new driver, or simply sell it on. Finding a reliable off-roader for a similar price as a Subaru Forester is a struggle.

Building an off-road Subaru Forester is now easier than ever.

Many suppliers are creating off-road components and accessories specifically for the Subaru Forester like Subie Lift Oz, SubaXtreme and Torq Masters Industries. There are a ton of tutorials and resources available on the web. Mitre’s YouTube channel, Ignition Offroad, is an example of one such resource.

Mitre started his channel in 2017 and has covered the build of his vehicle from start to finish. There are tutorials covering modifications like step-by-step lift kit installation, bullbar installation, sump guard Installation, ECU relocation, snorkel installation, and many more! There are also plenty of videos that demonstrate the abilities of a modified Subaru Forester in the Victorian High Country. 

Mitre’s channel has been steadily amplifying the capabilities of modified Subaru Foresters in Australia, and over 5 million people have viewed his content around the world. 

Mitre continues to document the process and adventures of his Forester build with plans to improve his Forester with a stainless steel snorkel and custom airbox, a 3” inch exhaust, rock sliders and more. 

Ready to Explore More! 

Mitre’s Forester has come a long way since it was slammed for blasting through twisty roads.

Building an off-road Subaru Forester has taken him to some of Australia's most amazing places and introduced him to new faces. If Mitre has learned anything from his build, it's that Australia is an incredible country to explore, and you don't need an $80,000 four-wheel drive to see it. 

The Subaru Forester is one of many affordable soft-roaders that can be lightly modified for better capability. But most importantly, whichever vehicle you own, Mitre advises you to learn how to drive off-road by enrolling in a driving course or joining a local club. Knowing how to pick lines, drive to the limits of a vehicle, and recover a vehicle safely will keep you and others out of trouble in the bush, no matter the vehicle you drive. 

Tag along with Mitre in his adventures and keep up to date with his off-road Subaru Forester! 

Mitre can be followed on Instagram and YouTube at @ignition_offroad.