I really think the whole Subaru wagon/ SUV line is a great place to start looking for an overland vehicle for the vast majority of USA travel. With Subaru you get a comfortable, practical, reliable vehicle that gets great gas mileage for daily use. On the weekends you can haul a lot of gear, they have great ground clearance and a great traction system to get you relatively far off the beaten path without serious modifications. Ive only had my Outback for a few months, but so far it’s been excellent! I plan to add some light duty all terrain tires and a roof top box and that’s pretty much all I “need” to get into some forest roads.
Thanks for sharing your experience and the considerations that went into your final decision! Good stuff. And I for one think your car looks killer with that extra space in the wheel wells!!
I don't understand why I don't see more videos of more than 2" lifted Crosstrek wilderness's with bigger tires... Are there no videos of this? If not why not
@roamingwithjosh in my opinion the outback was kinda mommy mobile. We drove off lot 2 days ago in our 2024 Crosstrek wilderness. The outback was longer, had long hood. Did have more room for storage but I didn't need that. Also I liked the Crosstreks overall look. Was less soccer mom'ish and more MicroMini Tonka... If I could make up a term lol
@@roamingwithjosh The Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT in the size of 245/65r17 is rated at 29.8 inches, and consider that a BFG has a small diameter and narrow width for it's stated size.
just purchased a 2021 outback and want to install the ironman 4x4 lift, but I am hesitant due to not knowing if there is a rear spacer kit that properly centers the rear wheels in the wheel well. can you please shed some light on this question? And could you please tell me spacing distance of the rear tires in the wheel well. Thank you.
I'm not exactly sure what question you're asking. If you're running a larger tire then you need a positive offset to give the wheels clearance to turn and articulate properly. If you're keeping your stock wheels and tires then your car will kinda look like it's on stilts. Going up and not going out will really mess with the center of gravity you have. Hope that helps!
Hello just found your page. My wife and i are considering purchasing a new Wilderness. She recently had disc replacement in her neck. we drove the stock Outback wilderness and rode a lot softer than our 4runner. Did this lift make the ride "stiffer"? Thanks
I have a 2015 OB 3.6R with LP Aventure spacer lift kit. 245 65 17 KO2. Thinking of Ironman suspension- if I do, should I leave the spacers in or take it out?! Thoughts?!
If the clearance is a must you can leave them in, but I don't see why you would need them in with the iron man lift. It also adds another possible point of failure that I personally would like to avoid, but try it out and see if you like it if it's something you think you will need.
How did you fit the LP rock sliders with the Ironman lift, please?? On another video, they guy said he couldn't fit them after the Ironman lift. And refgarding this lift, how about the exhaust? Did you have to add the longer hangers fromLP to get away from the axle halfshafts? Thanks!
I installed my sliders before my lift and had no issues installing the lift. I'm not sure what the issue he ran into was, but that wasn't my experience. I'm also unsure what you mean by linger hangers.
@@roamingwithjosh thanks for your response. I appreciate it. Regarding the question about longer exhaust hangers, I noted that LP Aventure sells with their kit longer exhaust hangers to move the exhaust from away from your differential where it makes that crossover point real close to the inner CV joints on the rear diff..
So I’ve been driving for a couple days now and there’s something clanging around in the right rear of the vehicle. I cannot figure it out for the life of me. It has to be one of the shocks or strut bolts. I’m going to dig into it this week and see what I can find.
@@roamingwithjosh I had this issue as well. I assumed it was the rear sway bar that was loose since it would clunk when going over speedbumps. i tried tightening the swaybar mount but accidentally snapped the bolt LOL. so i decided to remove the sway bar completely. this removed the clunk from the rear. in short, im not 100% sure it was the sway bar, but when i removed it completely, the clunking stopped! hope this helps lol
i see you have the LP rock slider, i am planning to order the ironman as well. do you use the sub frame bolts from LP or the bolts from ironman provided?
As someone who drove a forester with the ironman kit for the better part of a year, no change to the eyesight functionality, and did not have to get it recalibrated
This is what I am curious about too. One of the selling points of the wilderness is Subaru says they calibrate EyeSight for the extra height compared to the standard outback. With all the driver assist tech these days, it is sad that making even relatively simple mods like this makes one think twice. You guys stay safe!
So I put a total of 2.5 inches of lift on my 18 Outback. It did mess with the eyesight. Really bad. There were times I had to slam on the breaks as the gradual breaking that used to happen, I’ll just be coming in way too hot on the car in front of me. I have my eyesight set to the longest distance and it just would not see the car in front. I cracked my windshield and had to get a new one and they recalibrate the windshield so I’ve noticed It’s much better but had a near miss so now I just have to pay attention when using it. It’s not consistent anymore. That’s my experience. I rode stock for 3 years and then lifted it. Worked amazing before.
@@bruceleroy1143 This means your car is not level for some reason. It's angled towards the front so the system can't see as far and responds differently. Had it before on my Crosstrek with a spacer lift, but now with the Ironman 4x4 it's working perfectly again.
Now I’m sad I went with the LP Aventure spacers 🤣 Although I just did it for snow ground clearance. Not look to off-road a car, I have a Rubicon Gladiator for that. Love the new wilderness! Might have to talk the wife into upgrading! Great video!
It sounds like you made the right choice then! The spacer lift will do exactly what you need it to do for the snow and ground clearance. Thanks for the comment!
I've had an Outback for a few years and paid it off, ready to start some upgrades. Watching this video, and maybe I zoned out and missed it, I'm not sure I heard if the Ironman lift provides more travel? I'm assuming it does. The comment about too much space between tire and body made me wonder if the assumed increased travel would go through that space and prevent rubbing.
You will definitely get more travel out of the suspension, the issue isn’t really the suspension or travel, its the articulation. The sway bars keep the vehicle very rigid and even though you will have slightly more travel in the springs, your body will roll as it does with the stock setup. I’ve had the car in similar situations with and without the lift, the only “performance” I’ve seen with the lift is additional ride height, which is never a bad thing. I would try removing your front sway bars when you get to the trail one time, it changes the game for what the outback is capable of.
You said in video 1 you would explain the selection of spec b front and spec c rear for the lift. Ironman America indicates spec c will make for a firm ride if the 660 lb, 300kg’s for me, wasn’t normally in use. How is the ride quality with spec c rear lift unloaded? I am unsure whether to go spec b or c on rear for my Outback. What lift did you achieve?
I apologize for that! The spec c unloaded is extremely stiff and noticeable. With the spare tire carrier and the the spare tire on it's much more comfortable. we gained 3" in rear lift, but that's before we let it settle, I would have to take new measurements to be able to give a better answer to that. If you plan to have a heavy load constantly I would go spec c. If it's only occasional then I would stick with the spec B and keep a more comfortable ride. It really comes down to your use of the vehicle. Hope that helps.
I wonder how this suspension performs on a regular outback. Also I just discovered this channel, is there a locker installed now on this? I want to know more about that.
I've heard great things with the suspension on standard outbacks and on this version it's awesome. I do not have a locker and I'm torn on the entire concept due to getting mixed information on it. I will update the channel when I finally make that decision.
I would love a follow up with the trailer hooked up and gear out. I ordered the spec c for the back and ats for the front because we also have a small travel trailer. Looks great. Hopefully I am installing mine this weekend will when I get back in town!
I've heard a lot of people say that, but after putting the lift on the vehicle is 2' taller than it was with the factory struts. I'll measure the ground clearance and see if I can get a solid answer.
@@roamingwithjosh good to know I've been holding off on getting it til I was 100% sure it was a true 2". Now if only someone made a decent off-road bumper for it to improve the approach and departure angles.
I ran the standard version of the ironman kit on my old '19 forester, and I used and abused it, even going as far as getting some air. It's definitely got the best bang for your buck, but the standard version has a lot of sag with any sort of weight put in it. Customer service is also VERY hit or miss. That being said, as I mentioned on your last video on this kit, I picked up the spec-c variant for my '22 wilderness for $1,048. Can't beat that, and I also see they solved an issue my old set had that made the front struts a pain to install! Will be installing it myself. Also, in regards to a spacer lift, while I don't like them myself, I do have friends with spacer lifts that have abused their subies like an unwanted step child haha.
Right on! The spec-c is rock solid and I’m super happy we went with them for the rear. I’ve seen some people really get after those spacer lifts and although I don’t personally agree with the idea, people have had good experiences, I just wouldn’t want to be one of the unlucky one. Appreciate the comment!
Whats the biggest tire you think will fit with a 2" lift? Have a Wilderness on order and trying to get all the upgrades lined out by the time it arrives. Great looking ride by the way!
Thank you! I believe you can go up 1 size from where I’m at to 255/65/17, but you will need to make sure your wheel offset will allow for that fitment.
@@puffdc nope, I love it, one less vehicle to hold up all actual 4x4’s on the trail;) Please, only buy Subarus, they’re so capable;) I have one...and a Jeep too!
From what I have seen in some of his videos he could probably figure it out but he truly believes he understands things in far more detail than he does. This is fine if he's just doing his own thing but when he's out here making erroneous statements that others will take as the truth, it's not cool.
@@davep2945 Yea it's not hard to pretend your Engineering Explained. It's fine, I'm not trying to shit on the guy but instantly thinking you're an expert and start poo pooing on other things. I just feel like a lot of Subaru people waste a lot of time arguing setups when I haven't driven a Subaru pair that was wildly different than another
Im very happy with my brand new outback, but a for a $ 36 k vehicle I will expect way better reverse quality camera. I don't use it becaus eIm an old schooler but shame on you Subaru people! Great video!
You just helped me to make up my mind on Ironman lift. Wilderness will go wilder!
Thanks.
Right on! Thanks for the comment!
I really think the whole Subaru wagon/ SUV line is a great place to start looking for an overland vehicle for the vast majority of USA travel.
With Subaru you get a comfortable, practical, reliable vehicle that gets great gas mileage for daily use. On the weekends you can haul a lot of gear, they have great ground clearance and a great traction system to get you relatively far off the beaten path without serious modifications.
Ive only had my Outback for a few months, but so far it’s been excellent! I plan to add some light duty all terrain tires and a roof top box and that’s pretty much all I “need” to get into some forest roads.
We agree. The OBW has more then what most people will need to go where they want to go. Thanks for the input!
Thanks for sharing your experience and the considerations that went into your final decision! Good stuff. And I for one think your car looks killer with that extra space in the wheel wells!!
Appreciate it!
I will forever run Flatout Suspension
Nice!
I've been thinking about getting a spacer lift on my '23 crosstrek sport. After this and looking at prices a suspension lift just makes sense.
Right on!
I don't understand why I don't see more videos of more than 2" lifted Crosstrek wilderness's with bigger tires... Are there no videos of this? If not why not
I don't think the crosstrek is nearly as popular. The turbo motor in the outback makes it really hard to beat.
@roamingwithjosh in my opinion the outback was kinda mommy mobile. We drove off lot 2 days ago in our 2024 Crosstrek wilderness. The outback was longer, had long hood. Did have more room for storage but I didn't need that. Also I liked the Crosstreks overall look. Was less soccer mom'ish and more MicroMini Tonka... If I could make up a term lol
What rocker panel guards are you running or do you have a build page that shows all your options? thanks
nativenomads.us has all that info.
Love the Outback wilderness content
Thank you!
Thanks for the video. How much impact does the lift do to the mpg?
You can expect about 1-1.5 MPG loss from the lift, nothing too bad.
Was the lift needed to fit the KO2’s
Nope. They fit perfectly without the lift. 245/65/17 and I know a few guys that went a little bigger than that.
How does it effect the headlights auto level? Are there any headlight issues?
No headlight issues. I did take it to the dealer to have the eye sight re-calibrated for safety reasons.
Also, I run a 255-65-17 and its awesome! Only the slightest rub and i mean BARELY at tight turns. Nothing annoying . 30" tire
I’ve heard that a couple of times lately and I may be on the hunt! Thanks for the comment!
@@roamingwithjosh The Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT in the size of 245/65r17 is rated at 29.8 inches, and consider that a BFG has a small diameter and narrow width for it's stated size.
Right on!
Yup you are right about the way your going I'm planning the same system.
Awesome!
Do you have the spec C for rears? Or standard medium load springs?
Spec c is what we have in the rear
Which iron man kit did you get?
Spec a for the front and spec c in the rear.
just purchased a 2021 outback and want to install the ironman 4x4 lift, but I am hesitant due to not knowing if there is a rear spacer kit that properly centers the rear wheels in the wheel well. can you please shed some light on this question? And could you please tell me spacing distance of the rear tires in the wheel well. Thank you.
I'm not exactly sure what question you're asking. If you're running a larger tire then you need a positive offset to give the wheels clearance to turn and articulate properly. If you're keeping your stock wheels and tires then your car will kinda look like it's on stilts. Going up and not going out will really mess with the center of gravity you have. Hope that helps!
Hello
just found your page. My wife and i are considering purchasing a new Wilderness. She recently had disc replacement in her neck. we drove the stock Outback wilderness and rode a lot softer than our 4runner. Did this lift make the ride "stiffer"? Thanks
The lift does make the ride a lot stiffer.
I have a 2015 OB 3.6R with LP Aventure spacer lift kit. 245 65 17 KO2. Thinking of Ironman suspension- if I do, should I leave the spacers in or take it out?! Thoughts?!
If the clearance is a must you can leave them in, but I don't see why you would need them in with the iron man lift. It also adds another possible point of failure that I personally would like to avoid, but try it out and see if you like it if it's something you think you will need.
I would like to know how the eyesight work with a lift if it stills working or no or how it do it ?
How did you fit the LP rock sliders with the Ironman lift, please?? On another video, they guy said he couldn't fit them after the Ironman lift. And refgarding this lift, how about the exhaust? Did you have to add the longer hangers fromLP to get away from the axle halfshafts? Thanks!
I installed my sliders before my lift and had no issues installing the lift. I'm not sure what the issue he ran into was, but that wasn't my experience. I'm also unsure what you mean by linger hangers.
@@roamingwithjosh thanks for your response. I appreciate it. Regarding the question about longer exhaust hangers, I noted that LP Aventure sells with their kit longer exhaust hangers to move the exhaust from away from your differential where it makes that crossover point real close to the inner CV joints on the rear diff..
You know whats interesting is Jon DZ uses P load tires when he is off roading in his passport. Crazy!
Another awesome video. Mow much ground clearance now?
I’ll have to measure, but definitely pushing 14”
@@roamingwithjosh I was wondering on the OB wilderness to
What tire size did you end up going with after the lift?
still got the 245/65/17 but I think I'm going to go a little bigger.
How did this help with the rear clunk when coming off an obstacle?
Haven’t came off an obstacle in it yet, but I can find a speed bump and give it a try.
@@roamingwithjosh it's the one thing bugging me about mine right now. And I feel it's the rear shocks nothing loose in the rear
So I’ve been driving for a couple days now and there’s something clanging around in the right rear of the vehicle. I cannot figure it out for the life of me. It has to be one of the shocks or strut bolts. I’m going to dig into it this week and see what I can find.
@@roamingwithjosh that happened to my 2018 crosstrek might want to check the lower control arm bolt/bushing
@@roamingwithjosh I had this issue as well. I assumed it was the rear sway bar that was loose since it would clunk when going over speedbumps. i tried tightening the swaybar mount but accidentally snapped the bolt LOL. so i decided to remove the sway bar completely. this removed the clunk from the rear. in short, im not 100% sure it was the sway bar, but when i removed it completely, the clunking stopped! hope this helps lol
Nicely done
I LOVE MY OUTBACK WILDERNESS!!!
Ever think about a prinsu roof rack?
Definitely have. I'll probably be making changes to the roof set up before too long.
Any major changes to the performance and mpg after the upgrades?
I’m getting 19.2 after everything. I guess that answer lies with what you can deal with.
i see you have the LP rock slider, i am planning to order the ironman as well. do you use the sub frame bolts from LP or the bolts from ironman provided?
We used the Ironman bolts and since there’s already a spacer for the sliders we didn’t use the Ironman spacers.
@@roamingwithjosh perfect, thanks!
My youngest bought a Sub today geez…..lol
I love it!!
Look into the Nokian Outpost AT. Amazing tires and IMO of 30 years selling tires, Better tires. Love the channel.
Awesome! I’ll look them up. Thanks!
How did Eyesight respond to the change?
What do you mean?
As someone who drove a forester with the ironman kit for the better part of a year, no change to the eyesight functionality, and did not have to get it recalibrated
This is what I am curious about too. One of the selling points of the wilderness is Subaru says they calibrate EyeSight for the extra height compared to the standard outback. With all the driver assist tech these days, it is sad that making even relatively simple mods like this makes one think twice. You guys stay safe!
So I put a total of 2.5 inches of lift on my 18 Outback. It did mess with the eyesight. Really bad. There were times I had to slam on the breaks as the gradual breaking that used to happen, I’ll just be coming in way too hot on the car in front of me. I have my eyesight set to the longest distance and it just would not see the car in front. I cracked my windshield and had to get a new one and they recalibrate the windshield so I’ve noticed It’s much better but had a near miss so now I just have to pay attention when using it. It’s not consistent anymore. That’s my experience. I rode stock for 3 years and then lifted it. Worked amazing before.
@@bruceleroy1143 This means your car is not level for some reason. It's angled towards the front so the system can't see as far and responds differently. Had it before on my Crosstrek with a spacer lift, but now with the Ironman 4x4 it's working perfectly again.
Now I’m sad I went with the LP Aventure spacers 🤣 Although I just did it for snow ground clearance. Not look to off-road a car, I have a Rubicon Gladiator for that. Love the new wilderness! Might have to talk the wife into upgrading! Great video!
It sounds like you made the right choice then! The spacer lift will do exactly what you need it to do for the snow and ground clearance. Thanks for the comment!
I've had an Outback for a few years and paid it off, ready to start some upgrades. Watching this video, and maybe I zoned out and missed it, I'm not sure I heard if the Ironman lift provides more travel? I'm assuming it does. The comment about too much space between tire and body made me wonder if the assumed increased travel would go through that space and prevent rubbing.
You will definitely get more travel out of the suspension, the issue isn’t really the suspension or travel, its the articulation. The sway bars keep the vehicle very rigid and even though you will have slightly more travel in the springs, your body will roll as it does with the stock setup. I’ve had the car in similar situations with and without the lift, the only “performance” I’ve seen with the lift is additional ride height, which is never a bad thing. I would try removing your front sway bars when you get to the trail one time, it changes the game for what the outback is capable of.
@@roamingwithjosh Ah yes, articulation was what I was thinking of. Good point about the sway bars, I will have to try that. Thanks!
Subaru looks really good! Do you still intend to install the locker?
Still weighing my options. I’m getting mixed reviews so I don’t know yet.
You said in video 1 you would explain the selection of spec b front and spec c rear for the lift. Ironman America indicates spec c will make for a firm ride if the 660 lb, 300kg’s for me, wasn’t normally in use. How is the ride quality with spec c rear lift unloaded? I am unsure whether to go spec b or c on rear for my Outback. What lift did you achieve?
I apologize for that! The spec c unloaded is extremely stiff and noticeable. With the spare tire carrier and the the spare tire on it's much more comfortable. we gained 3" in rear lift, but that's before we let it settle, I would have to take new measurements to be able to give a better answer to that. If you plan to have a heavy load constantly I would go spec c. If it's only occasional then I would stick with the spec B and keep a more comfortable ride. It really comes down to your use of the vehicle. Hope that helps.
That helps, thank you
I wonder how this suspension performs on a regular outback. Also I just discovered this channel, is there a locker installed now on this? I want to know more about that.
I've heard great things with the suspension on standard outbacks and on this version it's awesome. I do not have a locker and I'm torn on the entire concept due to getting mixed information on it. I will update the channel when I finally make that decision.
How was the camber adjusted?
Took it to tire discounters and they adjusted it for me.
I would love a follow up with the trailer hooked up and gear out. I ordered the spec c for the back and ats for the front because we also have a small travel trailer. Looks great. Hopefully I am installing mine this weekend will when I get back in town!
I have a few updates coming on the various items I’ve installed and how they’ve held up.
A lot of people claim the ironman won't give a true 2" of lift on the wilderness and only gives 1" overall. Is this true or false?
I would say that is false. We definitely got more then an inch.
@@roamingwithjosh I figured I think a lot of wilderness owners believe they have to remove whatever lift came stock when adding a new lift.
The slight lift for the wilderness comes from longer struts so you do loose the lift with the Ironman suspension
I've heard a lot of people say that, but after putting the lift on the vehicle is 2' taller than it was with the factory struts. I'll measure the ground clearance and see if I can get a solid answer.
@@roamingwithjosh good to know I've been holding off on getting it til I was 100% sure it was a true 2". Now if only someone made a decent off-road bumper for it to improve the approach and departure angles.
I ran the standard version of the ironman kit on my old '19 forester, and I used and abused it, even going as far as getting some air. It's definitely got the best bang for your buck, but the standard version has a lot of sag with any sort of weight put in it. Customer service is also VERY hit or miss.
That being said, as I mentioned on your last video on this kit, I picked up the spec-c variant for my '22 wilderness for $1,048. Can't beat that, and I also see they solved an issue my old set had that made the front struts a pain to install! Will be installing it myself.
Also, in regards to a spacer lift, while I don't like them myself, I do have friends with spacer lifts that have abused their subies like an unwanted step child haha.
Right on! The spec-c is rock solid and I’m super happy we went with them for the rear. I’ve seen some people really get after those spacer lifts and although I don’t personally agree with the idea, people have had good experiences, I just wouldn’t want to be one of the unlucky one. Appreciate the comment!
Whats the biggest tire you think will fit with a 2" lift? Have a Wilderness on order and trying to get all the upgrades lined out by the time it arrives. Great looking ride by the way!
Thank you! I believe you can go up 1 size from where I’m at to 255/65/17, but you will need to make sure your wheel offset will allow for that fitment.
Most capable Subaru still can’t perform as well as many stock SUVs ;)
I feel like I’ve heard someone say that before.
haters gonna hate especially the jeepers haha
@@puffdc nope, I love it, one less vehicle to hold up all actual 4x4’s on the trail;) Please, only buy Subarus, they’re so capable;) I have one...and a Jeep too!
ironman is chinese made. that alone I will not get this setup.
Yea, China pretty much makes everything.
lol this guy cant even install his suspension, yet this is probably his first offroad car and he immediatly starts shitting on spacer lifts. haha
That was a good one. Someone has a spacer lift that he installed… impressive.
From what I have seen in some of his videos he could probably figure it out but he truly believes he understands things in far more detail than he does. This is fine if he's just doing his own thing but when he's out here making erroneous statements that others will take as the truth, it's not cool.
@@davep2945 Yea it's not hard to pretend your Engineering Explained.
It's fine, I'm not trying to shit on the guy but instantly thinking you're an expert and start poo pooing on other things.
I just feel like a lot of Subaru people waste a lot of time arguing setups when I haven't driven a Subaru pair that was wildly different than another
Im very happy with my brand new outback, but a for a $ 36 k vehicle I will expect way better reverse quality camera. I don't use it becaus eIm an old schooler but shame on you Subaru people! Great video!
I totally agree. Both front and rear cameras are terrible. Thanks for the comment!
I would like to know how the eyesight work with a lift if it stills working or no or how it do it ?
I took it to the dealer to have it re-calibrated and it works as it did previously.