Very very impressive...the improvement is striking. It was great to see the before/after on the same obstacles. Looking forward to seeing where this takes you!
There will definitely be more videos reviewing the driveline and torq locker. I’m really looking forward to pushing the limits of my forester and getting myself into some tricky situations haha
So much better. I think the low range is probably the most important part. I would much rather have the capability to safely crawl obstacles than lock the diffs
I think thats the entire mindset behind off roading Subarus. Cheep fun offroad. Yeah others will do a better job offroad, but as a gateway to off roading, they are fantastic cars!
Absolutely beautiful! I'd love to see this vs a couple of newer Foresters with traction control / X-mode etc. I know yours would win hands down but would be good to see.
It’s really changed what I can do with the car! Having better low range so I can crawl is definitely one of my favourite upgrades. More videos and reviews to come...
@@ignitionoffroad5028 With the new gearing what RPM are you at when travelling at 60km/h in 4th gear? You kept 1 to 4 standard but with 4.44 diffs and a taller 5th right?
Duuude that thing is sooo capable now compared to it's prior state. For the most part it still handled most of those situations before the ADS driveline. But now everything is pretty smooth and controlled. It is pretty obvious u do not need momentum anymore with the new ADS driveline. Now.... How to get it into my car from Australia 😂 wanna send me parts?
ADS has a shop they work with in the US. They are importing dual range gearboxes from Australia. Can’t remember the name, but email ADS and they will send you in the right direction
I may be biased because I had a CJ5 on 33s and 35s a 98 TJ on 33s a suburban on 37 Hummer tires and rims Ford ranger on 31s Grand Cherokee on 31s and a WJ Grand Cherokee on 32s
nice to see that locker in test and low gears. but even better to test it against normal forester on same tracks, not just your before and after but like maybe locker on auto gearbox vs locker on your low gear .
You were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, that you didn’t stop to think if you should. Hope you have lots of money saved for diffs and CVs
Do ADS just the the lockers. So not needing a gearbox replacement? This would be for my Liberty. Also nice work on the rig. Climbs up everything with the new driveline.
As far as I know ADS is not a retailer for Torq Master Industries, however they can certainly install the locker for you and build a driveline however you like.
Yes, skid plates are super important. Unfortunately the previous one I had didn’t fit anymore after I went to a 4” lift so this was the short period where I had no skid plate and paid the price…
Oh man that looks great! Really capable. Do you think it will save the axles some too? Since the shock load won't happen as much. Spinning in the air then slamming on the ground. I saw you didn't have the skid plate on and thought it was risky. Excuse for upgraded oil capacity? (:
Definitely hope I’m putting less stress on the axles with this setup. The front still spins with the LSD but as you seen no where near as much as it use to. Very risky without the sump guard. Unfortunately the old one didn’t fit properly anymore so I didn’t run it and payed the price...
#SaveTheManuals high way driving is the same, but town driving has definitely been effected. The torq locker in the rear is very noisy and a bit uncomfortable for tight corners while town driving
im experimenting with adding different types of silicon viscous fluid used in rc cars for the rear and centre differential. This is what ADS does to achieve their different kg ratings for their viscous subaru diffs. So far we've had success and you can achieve a much better viscous rear diff that provides limited slip but much quieter.
Its very interesting that Subaru put a clutch pack in the 4eat trans making it much better for traction off road, I never had only one wheel spinning with stock trans only diagonal spin. Very nice setup cheers
I'll break it down a bit but 20kg centre is roughly $1500, front LSD $1800, SF Low range (new) $800, 4.44 pinion gear $100? Then if you get a shop to do it your looking at labour costs as well. These are very rough estimates so don't quote me on it. I scored my gearbox that already had the SF low range and 20kg centre fitted for $900 used which saved me a lot of money. In my experience the low range made the biggest difference and would be the first thing I would look at upgrading.
Not A Juan the locker is already installed. Wouldn’t have climbed out of some of those obstacles without it. I had to install it with the new gearbox because I did the 4.44 swap. Will be filming more videos in future with more details on the locker
kiwizookoffroad the ADS 1.6 is still in prototype phase. I’ve been told I will be one of the first to get it once it’s out so I’ll definitely get it when I can
Im curious what would have been better the gearbox or to weld the rear or ad a locker to the front cus both of the dif mods would make it super capable if im not mistaken
This is the dual range manual box right? My auto box sf Forester has never really had any traction issues with terrain like that, however the lack of power and low range is it's real Achilles heel, especially as high altitudes. I really wish Subaru had made a good dual range auto transmission.
Its because auto Subaru's have clutch pack center diff, so the trans can basically lock 50:50 on demand, also noticed after manuall swap much less drivtrain loss climbing steep hills with the auto had to step on it
sap Sap depends how many parts you can source yourself but between $5-$10K for a solid offroad box like mine. My most expensive component was the front LSD which came in around $2K when you include the special oil the LSD uses. The best modification is the low range upgrade in my opinion. For less than $1k a low range upgrade gives you so much more control offroad
The rpm are great at all road speeds but with the LSD’s you have to let it roll around corners. If you put your foot down mid corner the car wants to strait line which isn’t great. That’s where selectable lockers are much needed. Just a change in driver approach and it’s pretty easy to drive just about anywhere
How do you find the gearbox and .44 final drive for general driving - guess 1st would be quite low - what is the rest of the spread like around town? You mentioned you got the highest possible 5th - guess a WRX .738 - was there any significant increase in revs on the highway in 5th with the lower final drive, or just a couple of hundred more? And how far is 5th away from 4th now?
With the bigger wheels I run 1-4th with the 4.44 is about the same as the factory 4.11 setup and standard wheels. Fifth gear is a fair stretch off 4th but it works well on the freeway. I sit at about 2800 rpm at 110km/h
@@ignitionoffroad5028 Thanks - will have to see how my ADS drivetrain revs on standard wheels. Have an ADS gearbox being built at the moment for an SH - not as radical as yours - the lower low range, the taller 5th, Torsen front diff, 20kg coupling, basic LSD rear, and .44 final drive. Idea is better traction climbing on loose surfaces and better descent control than stock. Frankly, I could not find a car I consider more fit for all-round purpose than my 2009 X, and given the fundamental all cars are ultimately worthless, decided to mod the one I own to suit my use case. That's broken fire trails in all weathers and steep stuff with slippery granite sand like Bald Hill in Abercrombie River NP, which I can't climb with the standard drivetrain. Had a classic case of the slips in the pine forest at Lowes Mount on the weekend - as soon as I lost grip on one wheel, I could not move an inch, even though the car was happy to navigate that loop in the opposite direction. Really like the way your first build just chugged up hills at moderate revs with no need to charge a slope, something I really hate to do. Undecided about suspension mods. If there's a way around a marginal obstacle I'll usually take it.
@@johnadams4559 sounds like your almost getting the same gearbox as me. It’s definitely been a good thing for the car and as you said there are few cars as versatile as the forester. I can rally around in the XT, and then pull a leaver and crawl up steep climbs with ease. It’s truly an amazing vehicle!
Georgi Kovachev that’s the first time anyone has ever said that to me but yes, there’s always room for improvement in driving skills. What did you pick up on?
With a centre diff, rear locker and front LSD it is terrible on road. Pretty much fully locked constantly. I’m pretty happy with the 20kg centre. Can’t comment about the 12kg as I don’t have one. If I was to do this again I would ditch the front lsd as I do more touring then off-roading now and like a little better handling on road.
@@ignitionoffroad5028 Thanks for your answer. I'm just thinking about a new center differential and maybe an LSD rear differential. Because my center differential is dead. I'm just not sure about the center one versus the OEM 4kg. How much does the centre differential close? Do you think the new 20kg/12kg differential and open or LSD rear is a good choice for normal road driving. And the improvement in winter conditions?
My EU Spec SG has an OEM rear VLSD. It is easier for me to modify my rear diff (and center) to 20kgf, than finding an open rear diff and install a Torqlocker. What's your opinion on this? I do not do extreme rock crawling. Do you think this is a good mod, or I have to go for the TorqLocker?
The Torq locker works amazing offroad, but if you do mostly daily driving I wouldn't recommend it. Its loud and clunky and you have to adjust your driving style to suit the locker. Does your forester have a dual range? If so, upgrading your low range is one of the best modifications you can do. Gives you a lot more control offroad and you'll be less likely to break traction. Plus a low range gear set is one of the cheaper components when upgrading the gearbox.
Lachlan Frappell I mostly busted cv’s because I can cheap replacement parts. Since sticking to OEM I’ve had no problems. Lift wise I recommend a 2” front 2.5” rear lift kit
@@lexusvip4003 Well he still has an inferior off road car, better than it was but still not as good as a car that is already built for this sort of thing.......an old WJ would do all this for half the cost he has spent. As for the mpg thing, you do get we are talking about off roading, not about a car for taking the kids to school or the wife shopping? That said, a WJ, WK, WK2, ZJ etc would all do well in both worlds......more room in the back for the kids and shopping and more power for the off roading thing. I kinda get that your a 2lt. man and never needing to tow much more than a small trailer, if mpg is such a worry for you, you could always buy a bike........
@@crazyt1ger08 Some people aren't trying to tackle the Rubicon Trail though. The Forester is a much lighter, much more efficient vehicle and some people like having the ability to go off the paved road for a minute, to get around roadblocks, drive through mud or sand, move in Snow etc. A wrangler, not a grand cherokee, which weighs even more, from 2003 with the inline 6 gets around 250 miles on a full tank and I've checked all the forums and asked friends with Wrangler and they all agree on that. Some much worse, some slightly better. A Forester, with a gas tank that is almost 4 gallons smaller, you get 350 miles per tank roughly. Smaller tank, smaller vehicle, further range on less gas. For somebody who wants a decent, slightly capable, efficient daily driver the Subaru makes perfect since. If you've ever been to those off-roading meet ups, half of those guys trailer their Jeep there and run 30' or bigger tires, manual transmissions, lockers, 4+ inch lifts and a thousand other things. I just want a road legal, slightly capable vehicle that I can give my girl the keys to, if need be, and she can still drive it comfortably. Subarus have made it to some places a person would never think they could go. When it comes to driving off-road, a lot of it comes down to the driver anyway. I've seen people with 60k rigs get stuck in the first mud pit before, I've seen people with $600 stock jeeps from the 90's leading the pack also! I'm not denying that the Jeep is a MUCH more capable off roading machine. Especially from the factory... I'm just saying, for the Family man who wants to go off the paved roads sometimes and doesn't want to buy two vehicles, one for the highway and one for the elements, a Subaru is a great compromise. I love this guy's Forester build, and I would gladly take it out on the trails for a good time with the fellas! It's fun being different!
@@lexusvip4003 Hmm......you've made most of my point for me. "Some people aren't trying to tackle the Rubicon Trail", you said but this gentleman has built a Subaru just for that, lots of dollars to do the same thing as a Grand Cherokee Limited with Quadra Drive 1 or 2. Yes I have done my fair share of off roading, here is just one of the tracks we do over here..... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wXIhh1PH1nY.html&ab_channel=Bruceanderson Sure your Subi would be able to do some of it then other parts I doubt it unless you do a build like this guy. I for one have never seen anyone bring their 4x4 in on a trailer, all these guys would be using their every day drive as I do.......must be an American thing. I have a WH, you'd know it as a WK in the US, standard it comes with Eaton E-lockers on the front, back and has a centre lock. I've got a OME 2" lift and a ARB bull bar with a winch and I can do anything any of the others can do unless they have a 8"+ lift (which is illegal here anyway). My point is a cheap 2nd hand older Jeep GC with QD as standard will do a track like above whereas the thousands this guy has spent on his Subi would still have trouble with much of it. I wonder how many years you'd have to own the Subi before you'd be in front with the cost of fuel.......perhaps you can see my point a little better now?
The exhaust was tucked up for clearance due to the 4” lift. So custom axle back that’s still the standard 2” pipe with an aftermarket muffler that is still pretty quiet due to not wanting droning on long trips. Not sure what brand muffler they put on.
Mate, love your work and glad you could see my bad sense of humour! Thanks also for the round cost figure, as I love my 06 forester but no too sure the handbrake will still love me if I spent that much in Suby?
I wouldn’t recommend it to the average person. It was purely done for to be a unique car, and if your pushing your forester as hard as I do I recommend getting a different car
Sure is. Honestly I think I just got it off eBay if I remember correctly. I have a video on it here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7Fw9jcHO-ws.html
Isaac Castillo In this video the setup was a 4” front, 4.5” rear subieliftoz monster lift kit, with 2” subframe spacers and king springs heavy duty springs in the rear
I have not seen it done, but I believe it should be a direct bolt on. At least the trans to the engine. You might need a different length driveshaft. Give AllDriveSubaroo a call and see what they say
ADS sales must be good.... they can't be bothered replying to my inquiry via their multiple email options. I'm not in a position to ring them (due to work hours). I'd seriously consider their gearbox but am less than impressed with their customer responses...
Thats unfortunate that you haven't had a response, however the offroad marketing is done by a single guy who also works on vehicles in the shop so he has a lot on his plate. Hopefully you get a reply soon.
@@ignitionoffroad5028 Thanks, dude. Do you know of any sane way to get them to America? Do they do business with any American shops? Are there any other companies making similar stuff?
Subaxtreme ship to the USA but it’s pretty expensive. Other than that look for a local fabricator and they might be able to sort something out for you.
Awesome video man! that offroading looks fun! I dropped a like and I also subscribed. Could you give our channel a look when you get a moment? We do crazy and funny stunts with dirt bikes, fireworks and cars! In our last video we found an abandoned jeep in the woods! Again sick video man. looking forward to see more!
That's a lot of money spent on a vehicle that still can't outperform a jeep and to top it off the jeep is now cheaper than your built Subaru. Nice rig though.
@@garyking508 Jeep only performs when it's heavily customized, !! There's a vehicle made by the Soviets that is a true 4x4 the UAZ and with any modifications is much capable than a Jeep
@@ignitionoffroad5028 I am Australian. Used Jeeps are extremely cheap. Parts for older Jeeps are extremely cheap. Same goes for Mitsubishi. Parts for Nissans isn't too bad. Parts for Subaru are bloody expensive. I know. I owned one. There is no amount of bullshit you can say that makes a forester a serious off-road vehicle. But, the challenge and fun you are having trying to make it a serious off roader can be seen a mile away. Just don't fall in the trap of trying to compare it to real off roaders. It is not. However, in the small SUV category, I doubt anyone will find anything more capable. Looks mean as hell with the lift and tires too.
Daniel Beard thanks man, I’m definitely aware of the difference between my forester and a proper 4wd and the title is really just me being a bit cheeky. The forester is just something unique and that’s about the only thing that keeps me going with it. I disagree that Subaru parts are expensive, especially as you can find parts at any wrecker but each to their own