# subaru forester



## CrawFish (Sep 23, 2003)

is this beach worthy? anyone has one? your comments please.


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## AtlantaKing (Jul 7, 2002)

Tell me you're not getting rid of the 4Runner!


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## Fishbreath (Nov 11, 2004)

Naw...he's just positioning the wife for her car...


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## oldschool (Apr 8, 2008)

http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/showthread.php?t=576431&page=2

Phosgene on stripersonline says his works fine on sand and I've seen them running well in soft sand on YouTube. I'm still worried about clearance though and haven't tried mine.


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## CrawFish (Sep 23, 2003)

AtlantaKing said:


> Tell me you're not getting rid of the 4Runner!


it's not the matter of who's having the biggest truck anymore. It's about who's having the thickest wallet. I can trade mine in for a brand new Forester which I can get alot better mpg. 



Fishbreath said:


> Naw...he's just positioning the wife for her car...


You know me so well.


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## Jesse Lockowitz (Feb 13, 2006)

ive seen one several times when i was up in buxton, its a green one, guy was yakin out baits. but it seemed to boogy right through the sand just fine..


im sure u just gotta get used to it.




Jesse


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## Sea2aeS (Jan 7, 2005)

I wouldnt worry about ground clearance with the amount of beach we have left to drive on anyways. Its not like youll be driving long distances in the soft stuff anymore before the next enclosure.


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

Jesse Lockowitz said:


> ive seen one several times when i was up in buxton, its a green one, guy was yakin out baits. but it seemed to boogy right through the sand just fine..
> 
> 
> im sure u just gotta get used to it.
> ...



not too much more beach ya can boogy on....


Dang Teo.....makin' me think of tradin' in my Nissan Beeter.


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## basstardo (Jun 5, 2006)

I saw a cat driving one two years ago buried up to the frame by the dunes at 44. He was aired down, but he just hit a patch of sand that was a bit too soft for him. He said he usually did fine with it. I got bogged down in that same patch of sand. It was partially red sand though, which is rough no matter what.


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## Jesse Lockowitz (Feb 13, 2006)

Nserch4Drum said:


> not too much more beach ya can boogy on....
> 
> 
> Dang Teo.....makin' me think of tradin' in my Nissan Beeter.


its starting to be MPG > HP ....soon 4$ a gallon, after that, who knows what..



Jesse


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## Fishbreath (Nov 11, 2004)

Nserch4Drum said:


> not too much more beach ya can boogy on....
> 
> 
> Dang Teo.....makin' me think of tradin' in my Nissan Beeter.


Hey Al, you mean you're going to get rid of the Titan or do you have a smaller Nissan like a Pathfinder or something?


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

Most of those vehicles that really aren't intended for offroad use handle alright on the sand. I drove a Honda CR-V for years and never had problems. I've also seen Toyota RAV 4s and Subaru Outbacks.

The two biggest problems with these vehicles are 1) their narrow wheelbase, which constantly jerks you around as you try to stay in the rut carved by the giant vehicles and 2) the lack of clearance.

I only got stuck once, and only because I didn't air down. Those smaller vehicles are so light they practically float on the sand. And with gas the way it is, you may see a lot more of these on the beach.


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## Ryan Y (Dec 1, 2005)

Ground clearance....They get stuck qick down here becaue of it.


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## atblis (Jul 20, 2003)

*Well*

The Ford Escape actually has a bit of ground clearance and is relatively clean underneath (older model that actually has 4wd). I always thought they'd make a decent beach buggy. With a manual trans, they should get 25ish mpg.

The 4 cylinder Amigos with 5 spd seem to get okay MPG.

A 4wd Toyota with a 2.7 and 5 speed will do 22-24ish mpg Hwy. Friend has one and he calculates MPG religously.


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## Thumb-Burner (Dec 3, 2002)

*i have a forrester..*

love the vehicle but haven't had it on the sand yet. I can tell you though, that regarding clearance, it has a tad more clearance that a 4X4 explorer.. sounds goofy, but it's true.


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## atblis (Jul 20, 2003)

*Exploders*

Explorers do sit really low and have all sorts of crap hanging underneath (especially the new ones). I think they keep them low for the old people.

However, we took my friend's mother's trailblazer out on the sand one year (newer model). I thought it would do horrible because of how low it sat. It definitely drug, but it slogged its way through like a champ. Surprised me considering how much it did drag. Never felt close to getting stuck.

Just about any 4x4 on the market will get you where you need to go 99% of the time as long as you're not stupid about it.


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## jmadre (Jan 3, 2008)

*Ford Escape*

My brother-in-law has a Ford Escape that he says is 4WD/AWD and he does fine on the Hatteras Is. beaches. He airs down and straddles the ruts so he doesn't bottom out.

He has a cargo hauler with a rod rack welded on the back. I've noticed that the cargo hauler does drag the sand quite a bit.


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## Fish Hunter (Jul 31, 2002)

Got an Escape AWD and so far so good. Yep, the rack on the back would drag, but added a lift angle to it and solved that problem.

I just air down and make new ruts. Make sure you add a tranny cooler to it if possible.


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## Snapperhead (Jun 5, 2008)

*subaru outback wagon*

just had my wifes wagon on the beach at carolina beach north end, went well but did drag alot when in the deeper ruts. it does have 1/2 inch more clearance that a ford explorer at the rear axle housing which is the lowest point. my brother is a subaru master tech and is working on lifting one we can fish with, there are several places that sell lift kits frame and body that you can get 28" tires on. i did a search on the web, there quite pricey and can be built with very little cost. ill post pics after the monster wagon is built and in action. should have it by spring.


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## lmthompson87 (Oct 28, 2008)

Well the wagon is well on its way, the body and suspension lift is complete. This car drives and handles great on the road, cant wait to get it to the beach. Total clearance at lowest point is 10 1/2 " at rear end housing, and takes a 27 1/2 " tire well.Its had a body and suspention lift, the suspention is all factory components. My brother has been hard at it this winter and still has some modifications to go. Next will be a tubular front bumper with rod holders and winch, and a cooler rack w/ spare tire on a swing away on the rear, and some KC lights front and rear mounted high. On the roof will be a cargo carrier and a rod rack. For the interior, the rear seat has been removed and a hinged lid for storage installed. He has added 2 large batteries in the spare tire well and switched them to be charged off the alternator if needed. The interior will have some LED lights, 12 volt power points and a 110 power inverter & nice stereo system. The head liner has a nylon cargo net streched front and back to store rods overhead. As for the engine its stock as there pretty much bullet proof, the trans has a large aftermarket cooler. It drives great on the road and should do good on the sand, as clearance is usually the problem with these outbacks, even though the stock ones had 1/2" more clearance than a Ford Explorer. If anyone is interested in lifting one, give me a email as he builds the kits and installs them too. The pics are taken beside my wifes Outback that we had on the beach last year. See thread on Lifted Subaru Outback by Snapperhead.


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