Ouch ! There are some very sharp rocks ! I hope you will keep your Forester forever because I love watching Subaru off road videos....go for the 2" lift !
Don't worry, no concrete plans to change vehicles. Sometimes a 4x4 with low-range is hazy daydream, but I really do love this Forester and, yes, I think bumping up to the 2" lift is a likely future mod. Thanks Vincent!
I live about 10 miles east of Cline Buttes OHV. Enjoy riding dirt bikes there but would never try to take my SUV the places you take your Subaru. Like your videos and your ability to craft a good story. Found your channel recently; keep up the good work.
Super jealous! I MUST visit Oregon one day, I hear about it so much and would love to play on these trails! Here in Alberta “OHV” means ATV’s under 2,200 LBS... Wheeling with street going cars and trucks here is unfortunately very limited.
There are OHV areas like this all across the western states. We are fortunate to have countless miles of accessible dirt roads through public lands in the west, both in and out of the designated OHV areas. I take it for granted sometimes so it's good to be reminded how lucky we are. Thanks for watching!
Great video adventure. Those were some jagged rocks and a lot of them. Good decision not to chance the rock wall and huge jagged rock area. And the shot going up the sand dune reminded me of that viral UA-cam video of the Forester going up a huge dune. Nevertheless, great work on the color grade, composition angles and excellent cinematic style editing. And thanks for sharing this amazing landscape.
Thanks! Yeah, I know the video you're talking about...this obviously wasn't anywhere near that scale, though in person that little cinder dune *looked* super steep and soft and I actually assumed I wasn't going to make it up. I guess that underscores the benefits of playing around in OHV play areas...it was definitely a learning experience. Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated!
What an awesome area to explore! You definitely HAVE TO get back there for more! (with an overnight! 😁) That's the kind of challenging rocky trails I love but yeah, sometimes it's just to much for a Subaru (at least if you take care of it) I watched the video in two time and what a pleasure to see this awesome tee-shirt on you this morning! 👊 Definitely made my day! Thank you for sharing your adventure, thank you for your support and congrats for the 1k followers! (yes I'm a bit late ahahaha) 🙏
Thanks Jordan! It would have been interesting to push a little further up a few of those difficult trails, just to see what I could manage to navigate if I absolutely had to, but being solo and having limited time, I needed to err on the safe side. I for sure want to go back along with a 4x4 buddy or two and push the Forester to the absolute limit, so I can get a feel for what that limit actually is. And the t-shirt is AWESOME!! I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking about buying!* *Not sponsored by ALNSM Overland. Yet. 8^D
Great video Donald! Might be your best so far! Your camera shots were awesome and the editing was spot on! You really captured the beautiful colors and scenery of the area. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Dan! It's so easy to get inspired in central Oregon. I'm *finally* about to start in on editing my other adventure from the Redmond trip - I'm hoping I can convey how truly awesome it was.
I sure appreciated your explanation about trail classifications in OHV areas. I wonder if there’s a layer for that in Gaia. Looking forward to your next Central Oregon video! Oh and congrats on the 1K+ subscribers!
For sure, pretty fun, and I feel like I barely scratched the surface. There were some really interesting looking areas I had to just bypass for lack of time, and a bunch of trails I never even got to. I feel like it would be better to hit this area with a couple of buddies so you can push your limits a bit and have someone to help recover if anything goes wrong. As it was, out there by myself I was a little conservative as I absolutely needed to be able to drive off to Redmond in the early afternoon. 8^D
For sure, it's much better than I expected, and I didn't come close to exploring everywhere I could have in the Forester. Plenty more areas I wouldn't even try that I'm sure the Montero would handle with no dramas. I'd love to hit it again along with another rig so I can dare to push my limits a bit harder.
Great video - easily your best! I'd definitely go for a 2" lift. I just installed mine and I can confidently call it a game-changer as far as capabilities and the kinds of places I can go, is concerned. I have taken it through a few rock gardens like the ones you had done a bit of, and a few times, over the rocks you chose not to tackle (albeit for shorter distances. I'd say it's definitely within the Forester's capabilities though - would love to see how far someone could take a Subaru on those more difficult trails in this video. But no matter the vehicle, do it with some friends and extra tires in tow. ;)
Yeah, for sure. I'm sure I could have gone further up a couple of these trails, but solo and with no breathing room for delays, had to play it safe. And while offroading for the sake of offroading isn't really my goal, I *would* like to have a better feel for just how far I can push it when I'm out on a real wilderness adventure on primitive roads, so this seems like a worthy exercise. I do intend to return with another rig or two at some point. Thanks for watching!
@@softroadingthewest "And while offroading for the sake of offroading isn't really my goal, I would like to have a better feel for just how far I can push it when I'm out on a real wilderness adventure on primitive roads..." My thoughts exactly! I think it's important to test your skill and your rig's capabilities before you get in a situation where you're reliant upon them. Great channel btw! :)
Another great video. Cool shirt BTW :) Another channel that I follow. As an aside, we were down in Eugene (visiting one of our kids) and my wife teased me because I referenced your video, about your custom rack solution, as we passed the Jerry's.
Looks like a cool area. I was just on a power line road like you where on my Central Oregon trip. It was probably the roughest road we were on the entire trip. Sounds like your about ready to take the step into something a bit more capable....? Congrats by the way on reaching 1K! Good job. See you on the trails, George.
Well, I have no immediate plans (or, you know, financial ability) to change my vehicle, but I'll say this: I'm not married to the Forester. I truly love it, but it has its shortcomings. In some part of my daydreaming brain, I weigh the cost of making all the modifications necessary to render it more capable vs just simply moving to something more capable. I have a lot of ideas for the Forester, but I'm a little worried about investing so many thousands into modifying it only to end up with a rig which still can't quite do everything I'd like it to do. Anyway...all moot at this point, I can neither spend thousands modding the Forester nor step up to something else, so just gonna keep on truckin' with the status quo for now and DIYing what I can. There's something annoying to me about powerline roads...kills the wilderness vibe or something...but in many areas I've explored, including western Oregon, they often offer the most interesting, challenging driving. Most of the powerline roads nearest to me however are gated off or flagged with No Trespassing signs. Seems like they're more readily accessible in central Oregon. Thanks as always George, and see you out there...someday..!
@@softroadingthewest Yes, having no easy way for more lift and lack of a two speed transfer case is quite limiting. When you are looking for something more capable I would suggest a older Jeep Cherokee XJ. Still small and agile, fairly efficient and plenty of clean units out there still at good prices if you keep your eyes out. Oh, and lots of parts availability. Very capable vehicles out of the box and you can add extras as you go to more advanced trails. Ah yes... the power line roads are a double edged sword. One of the funnest and beautiful trips I have taken up in the forest around here was a power line road. If interested you can check it out, it is the 467 series. George.
In all likelihood I would look to some kind of 4x4 pickup, because I really miss the day-to-day usefulness of owning a pickup, so that particular stone would kill two birds. It's still just idle daydreaming at this point alas. 8^D I will for sure check out the 467 series (plus I still haven't watched your latest release). Thanks George!
Hey Soft roading.... Once the MUDRAT DESIGN AND FAB FORESTER is lifted. 4" and has the swampers under it... I have 3-4 rigs we can go hit this area with and do some proper trail running.... ;)
I make it a point not to climb steep trails before I know what is on the other side of the peak.. I walk them first. Two times I did there was a precipice on other side. Good thing I stopped before completely going over.
Well, it's really just temporary DIY solution so that I would no longer be completely naked under there, until the time comes when I can afford the permanent custom solution I have in mind. It's a scrap of aluminum I found, which I cut, drilled, and molded to fit. It's nowhere near as thick as Primitive's (which is the only company I've found in North America that makes one for the SH) but, considering that I've been adventuring for almost two years with NO skidplate at all, I figure an extra layer of metal can't hurt...it's that much more for a rock to penetrate before damaging my oil pan (and even having been exposed during countless excursions over the past two years, the oil pan doesn't have the slightest ding or dent on it). It's also not as wide as most, though my main concern was really just extra shielding for the oil pan. Anyway, I'm a little hesitant to show it off in too much detail because I don't want anyone to think this is adequate long-term protection. And, my DIY handiwork is not all that pretty when seen up close 8^) (though I AM pleased with how sleek it is, with no front lip sticking out). But if I think of it, maybe I'll add a brief segment to a future video explaining what I did and why and plenty of disclaimers. Thanks as always for watching and commenting!
Le coin est vraiment superbe! Pas trop frustré de ne pas pouvoir accéder à tous les spots à cause de la faible garde au sol de nos Foz? 😅 En tout cas, les mecs en motos ont certainement eu accès à de superbes vues!
A la fin, pour mes "vraies" excursions dans la nature, je n'ai pas trop besoin de pouvoir faire du "rock crawling" serieux, tout au moins, pas en Oregon - pourtant ça pourrait être bien utile en l'Utah ou dans les déserts de Californie. Heuresement pour le moment j'ai toujours mes pieds quand j'ai besoin de grimper. 8^) C'est vrai que l'avantage des motos est apparent...sauf quand il pleut. 8^D
Hey, do you have a lift on your Forester, if so what is your clearance? Also are you using skid plates, if so where are the plates located, front middle and back?
I have 1" (front)/1.375" (rear) lift from ADF. I've never measured the exact clearance. As it sits, for most of the primitive roads I tend to explore, it's largely adequate. At this OHV area with so many rocks, it's amazing how quickly that clearance gets consumed. 8^) I currently have a temporary front skid plate I DIY'd out of a scrap of aluminum which is a little on the thin side but is at least an extra layer of metal; it's some interim protection while I work on a long-term custom solution. I have no other protection currently (and have been running trails for about 2 years now with none) but am interested in the new 4EAT transmission pan Subiewerks has developed. Then maybe the Primitive armor for the rear diff. Thanks for watching!
Well, part of the reason this lift is relatively inexpensive is that the kit doesn't include the multilink spacers and other additional components that come with the 2" kits. It IS indeed possible to run just the 1" strut-top spacers with nothing further. It shifts the rear wheel a bit forward in the wheel well, and I ended up doing some trimming and hammering to give my tires a little extra breathing room. No way to squeeze on 235/75/15s however without some kind of hardware to recenter the rear wheels, just too tight in the front of the rear wheel well. The 215/75/15 have been just fine though. Thanks for watching!
@@fourbyforester Correct, no multilink spacers. It's actually only 1.375 (1 3/8) on the rear, not 1.75, which is far closer to 1" than to 2". And I think I probably could have got away with not modifying the wheel wells given I'm not running hugely oversize tires, but the trimming/hammering was easy enough to do, and the extra breathing room at the front of the rear tires just looks visually better to me as well...helps the wheel appear less off-center. 8^)
@@softroadingthewest Thanks for addressing this, I too was curious about your skid plate/protection setup as I'm considering some mods similar to what you and @JonDZ Adventuring have done. Want to go with the ADF 1" in the front but am debating whether to go with the 1" or 1 3/8" in the rear. Need to determine if it's better to have the extra 3/8" for sag when loaded or better not to for use as a daily driver/better .. your thoughts would be welcomed!
@@jesseturk1353 My Forester is my daily driver as well. The extra 3/8" in the rear is so slight as to be virtually unnoticeable. Even with it in there, my rear end still sags significantly when I'm loaded down with my camp setup, extra fuel, and now with a full size spare in the trunk as well. Unloaded/daily driving, the car looks perfectly natural. If you get the 1" lift, I wouldn't hesitate to include the extra 3/8 in the rear. I hope to eventually upgrade to the 2" lift actually, and when I do, I plan to get the extra half inch in the rear.
Hey i know you have the 1" adf lift and 3/8ths in the rear, so how does it look with no extra weight in it, does it look funny or is it not really noticeable? Also i reallllyyy want to get the bull bar you have, but i can only find the bar itself and not the skidplate that it comes with to mount it to. Where did you get it? Thanks!
Honestly, the extra 3/8" is not even enough to compensate for the saggy rear of the Forester. It doesn't look at all odd unloaded, rather, I'd say it looks like it should have looked from the factory. Loaded down, even with the extra lift in the rear, it's still saggy. For a number of reasons, I would recommend the 2" (front)/2.5" (rear) lift kit if you can swing it. I'd rather have the 1" lift than none at all and it has served me well, but there are a number of shortcomings to taking this approach and I expect I'll eventually end up paying someone to taking everything back apart and install a 2" lift instead. As far as I know, there isn't a skid plate designed specifically to mesh with the Rally Innovations bar. The skid plate options for the SH are rather lacking actually. Primitive is the only company I've found that offers a skid plate for the SH. I don't know if it will work with the Rally Innovations light bar...if not, I imagine with some tinkering, it could be made to fit. Currently what's on my car is a DIY solution I made with a scrap of relatively thin aluminum. It's nowhere near the protection of something like the Primitive plate, but my current plan is to develop a custom skid plate solution integrated with a custom front bumper so I'm going to keep taking my chances with my interim DIY job until I can swing that project. At least I have an extra layer of metal that needs to be penetrated before my oil pan is pierced.
Thanks! Whenever possible (i.e. sunny days), I just keep the footage as close to clean as possible and make minor grading tweaks to get the assorted cameras to match up. When it's a blah day I'm more inclined to push into a more "cinematic" styling. I usually start with whatever preset film LUTs in Premiere that looks closest to what I'm after, then refine that a little further until I achieve a look I'm happy with. I don't really have any particular expertise, I've just been finding my way as I go here. I was pretty happy with how this one turned out though given how dull and lifeless the light was that day. Thanks for watching (and subbing)!
These desert scenes are even more striking when the sun is shining and the sky is blue...all the colors pop so nicely. But yeah, we've got some nice country here for sure, and so easy to get off pavement onto public lands all across the state. Thanks for watching!
It depends on the conditions I'll be driving in. Here, I went down to around 21psi, making the tires nice and soft for grip over rocks and increased puncture resistance. On typical forest roads I usually only go down to 25psi, mostly to soften the ride. On sand, down to 15psi or lower. I do generally air down as soon as I get off pavement because...why wait? It makes the driving so much more pleasant. Thanks for watching!
Yes. But it's easy for street legal vehicles, you don't have to pass the test ATV riders take. Just purchase the permit, ~$12 for a 2-year permit. Generally available at ATV dealerships.
@@softroadingthewest so weird. I was at cline buttes last week camping 1st time there. I decided to UA-cam videos. Saw yours. watched the whole thing and now randomly see you in person the next day. Crazy. I was THIS close to stopping and saying HI
@@softroadingthewest lol. It was pretty cool. My brother and his friends did the rock crawling thing. I watched for a while, i did some trail runnin on a Polaris RZR Coyotes every night, i was going around at night with a UV light finding scorpions. It was a good time.
So basically it's just dirt 2 wheel drive roads that you have to dodge dirt bikes on? So easy a car can drive em... Oregon needs better harder trails for class 2 ohv only. Good video, not too bad for a car
Lots of easy dirt roads, yes, though there were multiple places where I simply couldn't proceed because it was too much for my little car. You don't see the difficult terrain in this video because I couldn't get there. :-) The stuff I could drive was not that different from conditions I encounter just on unmaintained BLM roads out in remote backcountry. The open "play" areas definitely offered some interesting challenges for more hardcore offroading where my Subaru wouldn't stand a chance, though like most OHV areas I've been to around Oregon, the majority of it seems to be oriented towards tearing around on a dirt bike. I think I may have been the only 4-wheeled vehicle I saw out there that day. :-)
No, this is a 2012 and it predates X-Mode. Personally I'd rather have this model Forester with the 4EAT transmission and its very well implemented traction control than a later CVT model with X-mode. I'm not convinced an X-mode Forester can tackle any terrain I can't (though this would be an interesting comparison to side-by-side test out someday).
@@softroadingthewest got a 2017 2.5 forester 2 weeks ago. Been watching your videos like crazy. It would be nice to see the inside mods you have done to it!
Yep! I love it! I can plan my routes on my desktop computer looking at a large monitor, and they automatically show up on my devices. And I can pre-download the maps for the areas I will be in (because cell service is extremely rare in the Oregon wilderness) and choose the map layers I want to include (e.g. satellite image, National Forest roads, public land status, etc...all super useful). Thanks for watching!
Interesting terrain. Thanking you for stopping to film. Lovely horizons and closeup beauty there in the rocks and plants.
Looks like a fun place. And I like that your being smart and not tearing up your vehicle.
Ouch ! There are some very sharp rocks ! I hope you will keep your Forester forever because I love watching Subaru off road videos....go for the 2" lift !
Don't worry, no concrete plans to change vehicles. Sometimes a 4x4 with low-range is hazy daydream, but I really do love this Forester and, yes, I think bumping up to the 2" lift is a likely future mod. Thanks Vincent!
So much fun to watch you having fun too. Old age is limiting but you tube makes it better.
I live about 10 miles east of Cline Buttes OHV. Enjoy riding dirt bikes there but would never try to take my SUV the places you take your Subaru. Like your videos and your ability to craft a good story. Found your channel recently; keep up the good work.
Thanks! One day I want to get back out there with fewer time constraints and explore more of those off-trail areas a little more thoroughly!
Great video Donald and congratulations on breaking 1K subs. You camera angles are amazing and as always I love those Broll shots.
Thanks Jon! This one was fun to film, just wish I'd had more time!
Super jealous! I MUST visit Oregon one day, I hear about it so much and would love to play on these trails! Here in Alberta “OHV” means ATV’s under 2,200 LBS... Wheeling with street going cars and trucks here is unfortunately very limited.
There are OHV areas like this all across the western states. We are fortunate to have countless miles of accessible dirt roads through public lands in the west, both in and out of the designated OHV areas. I take it for granted sometimes so it's good to be reminded how lucky we are. Thanks for watching!
Great video adventure. Those were some jagged rocks and a lot of them. Good decision not to chance the rock wall and huge jagged rock area. And the shot going up the sand dune reminded me of that viral UA-cam video of the Forester going up a huge dune. Nevertheless, great work on the color grade, composition angles and excellent cinematic style editing. And thanks for sharing this amazing landscape.
Thanks! Yeah, I know the video you're talking about...this obviously wasn't anywhere near that scale, though in person that little cinder dune *looked* super steep and soft and I actually assumed I wasn't going to make it up. I guess that underscores the benefits of playing around in OHV play areas...it was definitely a learning experience. Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated!
Nice alnsm sweatshirt! Another good channel to watch!
I'm a fan for sure! So amazing what they're doing!
What an awesome area to explore! You definitely HAVE TO get back there for more! (with an overnight! 😁)
That's the kind of challenging rocky trails I love but yeah, sometimes it's just to much for a Subaru (at least if you take care of it)
I watched the video in two time and what a pleasure to see this awesome tee-shirt on you this morning! 👊 Definitely made my day!
Thank you for sharing your adventure, thank you for your support and congrats for the 1k followers! (yes I'm a bit late ahahaha) 🙏
Thanks Jordan! It would have been interesting to push a little further up a few of those difficult trails, just to see what I could manage to navigate if I absolutely had to, but being solo and having limited time, I needed to err on the safe side. I for sure want to go back along with a 4x4 buddy or two and push the Forester to the absolute limit, so I can get a feel for what that limit actually is.
And the t-shirt is AWESOME!! I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking about buying!*
*Not sponsored by ALNSM Overland. Yet. 8^D
Love that area around Sisters I actually lived there for a while.
Best video to date mate, well done on the camera work 👌
Thank you sir, much appreciated!
Great video Donald! Might be your best so far! Your camera shots were awesome and the editing was spot on! You really captured the beautiful colors and scenery of the area. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Dan! It's so easy to get inspired in central Oregon. I'm *finally* about to start in on editing my other adventure from the Redmond trip - I'm hoping I can convey how truly awesome it was.
I sure appreciated your explanation about trail classifications in OHV areas. I wonder if there’s a layer for that in Gaia. Looking forward to your next Central Oregon video! Oh and congrats on the 1K+ subscribers!
Awesome Area, I'm going to have to check it out next time we are out that direction.
For sure, pretty fun, and I feel like I barely scratched the surface. There were some really interesting looking areas I had to just bypass for lack of time, and a bunch of trails I never even got to. I feel like it would be better to hit this area with a couple of buddies so you can push your limits a bit and have someone to help recover if anything goes wrong. As it was, out there by myself I was a little conservative as I absolutely needed to be able to drive off to Redmond in the early afternoon. 8^D
Man! Guess I need to get out to Cline Butte and check it out. Looks like a lot of fun stuff to tool around on!
For sure, it's much better than I expected, and I didn't come close to exploring everywhere I could have in the Forester. Plenty more areas I wouldn't even try that I'm sure the Montero would handle with no dramas. I'd love to hit it again along with another rig so I can dare to push my limits a bit harder.
softroadingthewest well next time you’re over here we should do that!
Great video - easily your best! I'd definitely go for a 2" lift. I just installed mine and I can confidently call it a game-changer as far as capabilities and the kinds of places I can go, is concerned. I have taken it through a few rock gardens like the ones you had done a bit of, and a few times, over the rocks you chose not to tackle (albeit for shorter distances. I'd say it's definitely within the Forester's capabilities though - would love to see how far someone could take a Subaru on those more difficult trails in this video. But no matter the vehicle, do it with some friends and extra tires in tow. ;)
Yeah, for sure. I'm sure I could have gone further up a couple of these trails, but solo and with no breathing room for delays, had to play it safe. And while offroading for the sake of offroading isn't really my goal, I *would* like to have a better feel for just how far I can push it when I'm out on a real wilderness adventure on primitive roads, so this seems like a worthy exercise. I do intend to return with another rig or two at some point. Thanks for watching!
@@softroadingthewest "And while offroading for the sake of offroading isn't really my goal, I would like to have a better feel for just how far I can push it when I'm out on a real wilderness adventure on primitive roads..."
My thoughts exactly! I think it's important to test your skill and your rig's capabilities before you get in a situation where you're reliant upon them. Great channel btw! :)
Another great video. Cool shirt BTW :) Another channel that I follow. As an aside, we were down in Eugene (visiting one of our kids) and my wife teased me because I referenced your video, about your custom rack solution, as we passed the Jerry's.
Ha! That's awesome. I love Jerry's, we're so lucky to have this resource here. Thanks for watching!
Love your mods and Subaru!
Looks like a cool area. I was just on a power line road like you where on my Central Oregon trip. It was probably the roughest road we were on the entire trip. Sounds like your about ready to take the step into something a bit more capable....?
Congrats by the way on reaching 1K! Good job. See you on the trails, George.
Well, I have no immediate plans (or, you know, financial ability) to change my vehicle, but I'll say this: I'm not married to the Forester. I truly love it, but it has its shortcomings. In some part of my daydreaming brain, I weigh the cost of making all the modifications necessary to render it more capable vs just simply moving to something more capable. I have a lot of ideas for the Forester, but I'm a little worried about investing so many thousands into modifying it only to end up with a rig which still can't quite do everything I'd like it to do. Anyway...all moot at this point, I can neither spend thousands modding the Forester nor step up to something else, so just gonna keep on truckin' with the status quo for now and DIYing what I can.
There's something annoying to me about powerline roads...kills the wilderness vibe or something...but in many areas I've explored, including western Oregon, they often offer the most interesting, challenging driving. Most of the powerline roads nearest to me however are gated off or flagged with No Trespassing signs. Seems like they're more readily accessible in central Oregon.
Thanks as always George, and see you out there...someday..!
@@softroadingthewest Yes, having no easy way for more lift and lack of a two speed transfer case is quite limiting. When you are looking for something more capable I would suggest a older Jeep Cherokee XJ. Still small and agile, fairly efficient and plenty of clean units out there still at good prices if you keep your eyes out. Oh, and lots of parts availability. Very capable vehicles out of the box and you can add extras as you go to more advanced trails.
Ah yes... the power line roads are a double edged sword. One of the funnest and beautiful trips I have taken up in the forest around here was a power line road. If interested you can check it out, it is the 467 series. George.
In all likelihood I would look to some kind of 4x4 pickup, because I really miss the day-to-day usefulness of owning a pickup, so that particular stone would kill two birds. It's still just idle daydreaming at this point alas. 8^D I will for sure check out the 467 series (plus I still haven't watched your latest release). Thanks George!
@@softroadingthewest I use a trailer to work as my pickup. That and a roof rack.
@@swidahooverlanding2867 Unrelated, but just finally listened back to ASPW's live session from the other day and I do believe I heard your name!
Hey Soft roading.... Once the MUDRAT DESIGN AND FAB FORESTER is lifted. 4" and has the swampers under it... I have 3-4 rigs we can go hit this area with and do some proper trail running.... ;)
Sounds awesome!!
I literally, like 30 minutes ago, got home from there.
I think youtube is watching me since this was at the top of my recommended
Ha! Hope you had a fun day!
I make it a point not to climb steep trails before I know what is on the other side of the peak.. I walk them first. Two times I did there was a precipice on other side. Good thing I stopped before completely going over.
8:31 I like your skidplate! Can you post more pictures?
Well, it's really just temporary DIY solution so that I would no longer be completely naked under there, until the time comes when I can afford the permanent custom solution I have in mind. It's a scrap of aluminum I found, which I cut, drilled, and molded to fit. It's nowhere near as thick as Primitive's (which is the only company I've found in North America that makes one for the SH) but, considering that I've been adventuring for almost two years with NO skidplate at all, I figure an extra layer of metal can't hurt...it's that much more for a rock to penetrate before damaging my oil pan (and even having been exposed during countless excursions over the past two years, the oil pan doesn't have the slightest ding or dent on it). It's also not as wide as most, though my main concern was really just extra shielding for the oil pan.
Anyway, I'm a little hesitant to show it off in too much detail because I don't want anyone to think this is adequate long-term protection. And, my DIY handiwork is not all that pretty when seen up close 8^) (though I AM pleased with how sleek it is, with no front lip sticking out). But if I think of it, maybe I'll add a brief segment to a future video explaining what I did and why and plenty of disclaimers.
Thanks as always for watching and commenting!
Le coin est vraiment superbe! Pas trop frustré de ne pas pouvoir accéder à tous les spots à cause de la faible garde au sol de nos Foz? 😅
En tout cas, les mecs en motos ont certainement eu accès à de superbes vues!
A la fin, pour mes "vraies" excursions dans la nature, je n'ai pas trop besoin de pouvoir faire du "rock crawling" serieux, tout au moins, pas en Oregon - pourtant ça pourrait être bien utile en l'Utah ou dans les déserts de Californie. Heuresement pour le moment j'ai toujours mes pieds quand j'ai besoin de grimper. 8^) C'est vrai que l'avantage des motos est apparent...sauf quand il pleut. 8^D
C'est vrai que sur ce genre de sentier, tu peut aller plus vite à pied qu'en y allant doucement en voiture! 😅
Hey, do you have a lift on your Forester, if so what is your clearance? Also are you using skid plates, if so where are the plates located, front middle and back?
I have 1" (front)/1.375" (rear) lift from ADF. I've never measured the exact clearance. As it sits, for most of the primitive roads I tend to explore, it's largely adequate. At this OHV area with so many rocks, it's amazing how quickly that clearance gets consumed. 8^)
I currently have a temporary front skid plate I DIY'd out of a scrap of aluminum which is a little on the thin side but is at least an extra layer of metal; it's some interim protection while I work on a long-term custom solution. I have no other protection currently (and have been running trails for about 2 years now with none) but am interested in the new 4EAT transmission pan Subiewerks has developed. Then maybe the Primitive armor for the rear diff.
Thanks for watching!
Well, part of the reason this lift is relatively inexpensive is that the kit doesn't include the multilink spacers and other additional components that come with the 2" kits. It IS indeed possible to run just the 1" strut-top spacers with nothing further. It shifts the rear wheel a bit forward in the wheel well, and I ended up doing some trimming and hammering to give my tires a little extra breathing room. No way to squeeze on 235/75/15s however without some kind of hardware to recenter the rear wheels, just too tight in the front of the rear wheel well. The 215/75/15 have been just fine though. Thanks for watching!
@@fourbyforester Correct, no multilink spacers. It's actually only 1.375 (1 3/8) on the rear, not 1.75, which is far closer to 1" than to 2". And I think I probably could have got away with not modifying the wheel wells given I'm not running hugely oversize tires, but the trimming/hammering was easy enough to do, and the extra breathing room at the front of the rear tires just looks visually better to me as well...helps the wheel appear less off-center. 8^)
@@softroadingthewest Thanks for addressing this, I too was curious about your skid plate/protection setup as I'm considering some mods similar to what you and @JonDZ Adventuring have done. Want to go with the ADF 1" in the front but am debating whether to go with the 1" or 1 3/8" in the rear. Need to determine if it's better to have the extra 3/8" for sag when loaded or better not to for use as a daily driver/better .. your thoughts would be welcomed!
@@jesseturk1353 My Forester is my daily driver as well. The extra 3/8" in the rear is so slight as to be virtually unnoticeable. Even with it in there, my rear end still sags significantly when I'm loaded down with my camp setup, extra fuel, and now with a full size spare in the trunk as well. Unloaded/daily driving, the car looks perfectly natural. If you get the 1" lift, I wouldn't hesitate to include the extra 3/8 in the rear. I hope to eventually upgrade to the 2" lift actually, and when I do, I plan to get the extra half inch in the rear.
Hey i know you have the 1" adf lift and 3/8ths in the rear, so how does it look with no extra weight in it, does it look funny or is it not really noticeable? Also i reallllyyy want to get the bull bar you have, but i can only find the bar itself and not the skidplate that it comes with to mount it to. Where did you get it? Thanks!
Honestly, the extra 3/8" is not even enough to compensate for the saggy rear of the Forester. It doesn't look at all odd unloaded, rather, I'd say it looks like it should have looked from the factory. Loaded down, even with the extra lift in the rear, it's still saggy. For a number of reasons, I would recommend the 2" (front)/2.5" (rear) lift kit if you can swing it. I'd rather have the 1" lift than none at all and it has served me well, but there are a number of shortcomings to taking this approach and I expect I'll eventually end up paying someone to taking everything back apart and install a 2" lift instead.
As far as I know, there isn't a skid plate designed specifically to mesh with the Rally Innovations bar. The skid plate options for the SH are rather lacking actually. Primitive is the only company I've found that offers a skid plate for the SH. I don't know if it will work with the Rally Innovations light bar...if not, I imagine with some tinkering, it could be made to fit. Currently what's on my car is a DIY solution I made with a scrap of relatively thin aluminum. It's nowhere near the protection of something like the Primitive plate, but my current plan is to develop a custom skid plate solution integrated with a custom front bumper so I'm going to keep taking my chances with my interim DIY job until I can swing that project. At least I have an extra layer of metal that needs to be penetrated before my oil pan is pierced.
What brand of light bar is up front?
You gained yourself a sub man! What kind of LUTs do you use for your videos or do you grade them by hand?
Thanks! Whenever possible (i.e. sunny days), I just keep the footage as close to clean as possible and make minor grading tweaks to get the assorted cameras to match up. When it's a blah day I'm more inclined to push into a more "cinematic" styling. I usually start with whatever preset film LUTs in Premiere that looks closest to what I'm after, then refine that a little further until I achieve a look I'm happy with. I don't really have any particular expertise, I've just been finding my way as I go here. I was pretty happy with how this one turned out though given how dull and lifeless the light was that day. Thanks for watching (and subbing)!
Love your videos. You ever looking for someone to explore with let me know. Live in pdx.
man, its beautifull
in Fl its all getting overbuilt, and the only offroad is crazy clay. you need beater Toy and big a.. tires
These desert scenes are even more striking when the sun is shining and the sky is blue...all the colors pop so nicely. But yeah, we've got some nice country here for sure, and so easy to get off pavement onto public lands all across the state. Thanks for watching!
Dope
Anyway to pass on your tracks?
do you deflate down to 24psi? If so do you do it as soon as you leave pavement?
It depends on the conditions I'll be driving in. Here, I went down to around 21psi, making the tires nice and soft for grip over rocks and increased puncture resistance. On typical forest roads I usually only go down to 25psi, mostly to soften the ride. On sand, down to 15psi or lower. I do generally air down as soon as I get off pavement because...why wait? It makes the driving so much more pleasant. Thanks for watching!
Do you need an ATV permit for street legal vehicles here?
Yes. But it's easy for street legal vehicles, you don't have to pass the test ATV riders take. Just purchase the permit, ~$12 for a 2-year permit. Generally available at ATV dealerships.
I'm pretty sure i was behind you today on 99. Jerry's.
Yessir, I was out at Jerry's just a little bit ago looking for parts for my next DIY!
@@softroadingthewest so weird. I was at cline buttes last week camping 1st time there. I decided to UA-cam videos. Saw yours. watched the whole thing and now randomly see you in person the next day. Crazy. I was THIS close to stopping and saying HI
@@sjswarthy Ha, no way, that's amazing! For sure stop and say hello next time! How was Cline Buttes?
@@softroadingthewest lol. It was pretty cool. My brother and his friends did the rock crawling thing. I watched for a while, i did some trail runnin on a Polaris RZR Coyotes every night, i was going around at night with a UV light finding scorpions. It was a good time.
So basically it's just dirt 2 wheel drive roads that you have to dodge dirt bikes on? So easy a car can drive em... Oregon needs better harder trails for class 2 ohv only.
Good video, not too bad for a car
Lots of easy dirt roads, yes, though there were multiple places where I simply couldn't proceed because it was too much for my little car. You don't see the difficult terrain in this video because I couldn't get there. :-) The stuff I could drive was not that different from conditions I encounter just on unmaintained BLM roads out in remote backcountry. The open "play" areas definitely offered some interesting challenges for more hardcore offroading where my Subaru wouldn't stand a chance, though like most OHV areas I've been to around Oregon, the majority of it seems to be oriented towards tearing around on a dirt bike. I think I may have been the only 4-wheeled vehicle I saw out there that day. :-)
Do these year forester have x mode??
No, this is a 2012 and it predates X-Mode. Personally I'd rather have this model Forester with the 4EAT transmission and its very well implemented traction control than a later CVT model with X-mode. I'm not convinced an X-mode Forester can tackle any terrain I can't (though this would be an interesting comparison to side-by-side test out someday).
@@softroadingthewest got a 2017 2.5 forester 2 weeks ago. Been watching your videos like crazy. It would be nice to see the inside mods you have done to it!
Is that Gaia gps on your iPad?
Yep! I love it! I can plan my routes on my desktop computer looking at a large monitor, and they automatically show up on my devices. And I can pre-download the maps for the areas I will be in (because cell service is extremely rare in the Oregon wilderness) and choose the map layers I want to include (e.g. satellite image, National Forest roads, public land status, etc...all super useful). Thanks for watching!
@@softroadingthewest NICE!, thanks for posting!
Joe Satriani?