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How do offroaders look at terrain and decide yea or nay for their vehicle?

Have been tempted to go up some smooth, steep roadside hills that suddenly level off at the top. Looks like would make it up just fine, then get high-centered but then again maybe not. Then there are abandoned overgrown roads, gravel hills around old quarries, former railbeds, etc.

What BC/BF undercarriage parts get destroyed even when taking it slow & easy?

I've just got a FWD so I don't have to worry about hanging up my rear diff but the main things you need to worry about are - oil pan, tranny, rear diff, and then of course you have to watch your control arms and linkage. If you know your car well and where you are in the road you an take these Legacy's a lot of places. I live in the mountains and can honestly say I've used all of my 8.75" of ground clearance. The control arms are little more forgiving if you get hung up on them, they won't leak... but do watch your diffs and oil pan.

if you hop over to www.ultimatesubaru.net/forum there are some very intelligent people there that have lifted their legacies and imprezas up a bit and put bigger tires on so they have lots better ground clearances and can go different places..

there's also a guy that has a dual range 5 speed manual transmission from an 80's subaru installed in his 200x forester so he's got crawling gears

the possibilities are endless, for these cars

I always seem to get high-centered. If you let the wheels go over any rocks (crawling implied) then all the soft stuff gets moved out of the way. Broad based dips will pwn you every time though... i just take them fast and let the chassis rails get abused.

I took my car mudding and on some trails. I was surprised at what I could go over if I was careful where I put the tires. I should get that video clip my friend has of me climbing a hill.

scottzg wrote:I always seem to get high-centered. If you let the wheels go over any rocks (crawling implied) then all the soft stuff gets moved out of the way. Broad based dips will pwn you every time though... i just take them fast and let the chassis rails get abused.

I was concerned about the pinch welds (where the stock tire-changing jack is used) anyone make plastic shields to protect ?

Have a split steering rack boot, will have to replace before offroading again.

the gas tank is pretty vulnerable for offroading in legacies. oil pan is a big one. for what they are though, legacies do ok but it is really 98% driver and how much you care about the vehicle.
If you are going to build something for off road dont start with a subaru. independent suspensions(mac strut, even worse), no ground clearance, no crawl ratio, unibody, no aftermarket, weak CV's especially when lifted etc.
get a toyota, samurai, XJ or something. /flame suit on
but if you are set on a subaru, do a ea82 wagon or ea81 hatch or brat. not a legacy. low range and true 4x4 being one of the benefits.

I was trying to track down my brother
in-law a few years back at his hunting lodge (4000+ private wooded acres). A couple guys told me what feeder he and some other guys were working on but said I wouldn't be able to make it in my Legacy. I did a creek crossing through 2-3 feet of water and went up a rocky, leaf covered dirt road (if you can call it that) that was beyond steep (probably 40+ degrees). When I got up there all these guys were crapping their drawers! Some of the guys had gone up on their four wheelers because they were worried about getting stuck in their Durangos and Explorers! A couple guys in lifted trucks that made it were razzing me saying I was screwing my ride up but Subarina had no problem whats so ever and I didn't know what all the fuss was about personally. They should see the crazy shit me and my friends used to get into out in Oregon.

I can't imagine what you guys with awd can do knowing what just fwd is capable of. After getting his Jeep stuck following me a few times, my brother no longer asks me to go off-roading with him.
...remember to be kind to the terrain while out though.

My fwd GLs were impressive off road, too.

Steve

evolutionmovement wrote:My fwd GLs were impressive off road, too.

Steve

4WD GL's are awesome off road. The one we had..that thing would be dragging bottom in 8 inches of snow and it would still move.

check out some of the offroad stuff over at www.ultimatesubaru.net you won't be disappointed!!! (there are a few guys with lifted legacies I think, one forrester with 4" lift and 29" super swampers... most are old gen cars though)