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Subaru Overlanders Guide - Essential Tips for Outfitting Your Subaru for Off-Road Adventures

January 17th, 2023 5:18pm 5 minute read

Subaru Overlanders Guide - Essential Tips for Outfitting Your Subaru for Off-Road Adventures

In the last few years we have seen Subaru's on the trail more often. In stock form, Subaru's are very capable vehicles for fire roads and inclement weather. However, if you want to equip your Subaru for adventure and depending on your needs, there are a few important modifications you should consider when outfitting your Subaru for Overlanding.

Increasing Ground Clearance

The Subaru Crosstrek, Forester, and Outback already come with impressive ground clearance but for more serious overlanding trail conditions, a lift kit will most likely be necessary. Unfortunately, Subaru's drivetrain layout forces the engine to sit entirely in front of the axles making for a terrible approach angle. A lift kit will allow the body to sit higher, making for a better approach, breakover, and departure angles. Another benefit of a lift kit is rocker and underbody clearance. A two-inch lift kit may not seem like a lot, but combined with larger tires, it can mean all the difference on getting caught up on a rock or gliding over it.

Keep in mind that lifting your Subaru does come at a cost - notably your CV axles. While CV axles can typically last the life of the vehicle (over 200k miles), lifting your vehicle 2+ inches can shorten the life of them causing them to wear out prematurely. While it isn't a concern, you should be aware of it. For lift kits, we highly recommend Primitive Racing. Primitive Racing lift kits come with King Springs from Australia, along with rear sub frame spacers (included with 2" lift kits) to keep suspension geometry in spec. We also offer replacement struts and assembly for an additional charge.

Protecting Vital Components

Skid Plates are crucial to keeping underbody components safe from damage when overlanding. For most Subaru's, there are three types of skid plates available: engine, skid, and rear differential. The most important in our opinion is the engine skid plate. Subaru oil pans hang low and are susceptible to damage from rocks and debris. An engine skid plate keeps the oil pan, and exhaust manifold safe from damage which can quickly not only ruin a trip, but ruin your motor as well.

The second most important skid plate in our opinion, is the transmission. Since the transmission is close to the break-over point of a car, it can be damaged quite easily. The third most important skid plate is the rear differential. While these can be damaged from rocks, you're more likely to damage your lower control arm since they hang much lower.

For skid plates, we highly recommend Primitive Racing. They are lightweight aluminum and are available in two thicknesses. These skid plates have been proven to withstand rallies.

Increasing Storage

Storage is always a concern when overlanding into the wilderness. The best way to increase storage is a roof rack or basket. There are quite a few options on the market for your Subaru. Depending on your need, there are platform racks that have accessories such as shovel and axe holders, light brackets, tire tie downs and more. Baskets are much more useful for gear, however since they have raise sides and help keep gear in place.

We recommend Rhino Rack, Yakima, and BajaRack roof racks.

Another interior addition option is to add an "attic" Companies like Blue Ridge Overland make over-head storage options that are simple to install and add a great location for soft goods, like pillows, blankets, and jackets, rather than using another duffel bag to carry these items.

More Aggressive Tires and Wheels

You can have the most sophisticated AWD system in the world, but it won't do anything for overlanding unless the tires can find traction. That is why we highly recommend equipping your Subaru with an all-terrain tire. We have great experiences with both BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2, Toyo Open Country AT, and General Grabber AT2's. These tires still maintain great road manners but will undoubtedly get you further down the trail when you overland.

Another important aspect is the wheels. Depending on which Subaru model you own and the factory-size tires that come equipped, you may be limited on which tires you can run. Unfortunately, the majority of all-terrains are unavailable in the most popular car and SUV sizes that come equipped on Subaru vehicles.

Fortunately, there are several wheel manufacturers out there that allow you to drop wheel size (down to 15"), which opens up many options for all-terrain tires. If you're interested in aftermarket wheels that are tough and heavy-duty, we recommend Method Race Wheels and Nomad wheels.