What Makes Subaru's Good Overland Vehicles?
Subarus excel as an Overland vehicle because of a few key reasons.
1) Subarus are lightweight vehicles because of their unibody chassis composition. This allows them to easily climb up and over terrain and obstacles. This also plays an important role when in low-traction scenarios like mud and snow.
2) All Symmetrical AWD is another key factor in what makes a Subaru a good off-road platform. Despite not having a real 4WD system, Subarus are unique in that their AWD system is symmetrical.
This means that the drivetrain runs centerline down the vehicle, making each left and right axle the same length. By doing this, they can apply power evenly to each wheel. This allows for the best traction possible.
3) Subarus serve as reliable vehicles that can take you anywhere you want without risking stranding.
4) Along with reliability, they also get great gas mileage, allowing a high range of distance between fill-ups!
How to make your Subaru Off-Road Capable
To make your vehicle off-road capable, you will want to consider adding accessories. Things like lift kits, suspension, skid plates, and all-terrain tires will be your first major steps to building your overland rig.
Lift Kits
Lift kits are important for giving your vehicle enough ground clearance. This helps you get over obstacles during your adventures.
The most common lift kit for a Subaru is a 2" Suspension Lift Spacer Kit. This gives the vehicle 2 inches of ground clearance. It does not affect the reliability of the drivetrain and suspension parts. This also provides a better approach and departure angles, making your vehicle more capable.
Suspension
Suspension is an important factor when building an overland vehicle. The OEM suspension can't handle the extra weight from accessories for your overland adventures.
To keep the ground clearance from your lift kit, you need a suspension. This will improve your weight capacity. This will also reduce rear-end sag and poor handling.
When you choose a suspension, you will often encounter a slew of options. Choosing the right option is critical to ensuring the proper handling, ride quality, and weight support needs of your build.
First, you will encounter all sorts of brands of struts. Align the strut with its intended purpose and the spring rate you plan to utilize. Bilstein shocks and struts are our go-to because of their special valving for off-road driving. As well as a better damping rate to control your higher spring rate.
Second, you will see many options for the spring rate. The spring rate supports the weight that it carries. The choice of spring rate will come down to a balance of support for the weight in the vehicle and ride quality.
Offerings like what RalliTEK springs offer, like Sport, Overload, and Super Overload. Each spring has a weight rating, which helps you find the right spring rate for your overland build.
Skid Plates
Skid plates are also an important addition to your overland build. Skid plates give protection to the underside of your vehicle, so when you come into contact with rough terrain you're protected.
These play a vital role in keeping your vehicle safe and your moving down the trail. The most common front skid plates are the Engine, Transmission, and Rear Differential Skid Plates. These protect the key fluid points on the vehicle that keep your Subaru moving.
All-Terrain Tires
All-Terrain Tires are one of the most important things to add to an Overland Build. Being tires are your contact point for the road underneath you it plays a critical role in your vehicles performance.
When choosing a tire, the important things to consider are wheel and tire weight, sidewall, and tread.
Keeping tire weight down is important, as every 1lb of tire weight is equal to about 20 lbs of weight in the vehicle. This directly affects the gas mileage and power output of the vehicle. Tires designed for crossover-type vehicles generally feature lighter sidewalls for these lighter-weight vehicles.
Getting the right sidewall thickness is important. A tire with too low a ply has a high risk of punctures. However, a sidewall that is too thick will make the tire bulky and heavier than necessary.
Tread profile is important as this is what grabs and grips the ground. A lot of All-Terrain Tires feature a 3-peak snow rating which means they have provisions for snow and ice driving. Choosing a tire like this will be important for you if you live in an area where snow and ice are common occurrences.
Conclusion
Overall, building an overland vehicle can be hard and complicated. By following these simple steps, you can prepare your Subaru for any adventure and start your overland build.
Examples
Here are some great examples of overland Subaru builds to spark your ideas for your rig.
Subaru Forester Overland Build
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