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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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Comments

  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I really like the silver. It has a coarse "metalflake" texture to it, which I find very appealing.

    Bob
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    As we all know, the new '03 North American base Forester now gets 16" steel wheels. Guess what? The rest of the world, or at least some other markets, still get the 15" steel wheels!

    Why? Why not ALL 16" wheels (or 15" wheels)?

    To me this is just another example of Subaru's endless quest to offer different variations for seemingly little reason. I know we've had discussions here before regarding this, and that these kinds of marketing decisions can be justified... But I gotta tell ya, it just doesn't make any sense to me, at all.

    I know every brand "tailors" vehicles to each market, due to legal issues, and market tastes. It just seems that Subaru (and other Japanese brands too) have taken this market-tailoring to a level of absolute absurdity. I'm convinced that Subaru could cut their parts inventory by about 33% if they were to streamline their international product lineup, and that it wouldn't adversely affect their sales. It's got to drive the bean counters nuts...

    The only advantage I see, is that it keeps many more people employed at Subaru. Afterall, It takes many more people to design, engineer, produce and maintain this bloated parts inventory.

    Bob
  • nypdaunypdau Member Posts: 38
    I still have the original Yokohamas on my 01 Forester. I am looking to replace with a tire with less noise at higher speeds, but with no sacrifice in wet road handling. Any suggestions?
    Thanks
    James
  • jeijei Member Posts: 143
    I posted this on Modifications a couple of days ago:
    *********************
    I've had Dunlop SP Sport A2s on My Forester "S" since mid-March and REALLY like them. They don't feel like "high performance" tires but are totally surefooted and stable in dry & wet. I can go around corners or through exit ramps at higher speeds than I'm normally comfortable with, and the car just corners, no problem. For me, this is a higher 7/10ths than the OEM Yokohama H/Ts, which were perfectly good. The SP Sport A2s are not bad in moderate snow either. Just a little goosey in snowy lane changes at highway speed - you know - when there's a mound of slush between lanes. Ride is firm and fairly quiet.

    These tires are very well suited to the Forester, and would probably offer fine balance on other Subarus as well.
    ******************************
    Other tires that have been well received on these boards are Bridgestone RE950s & Michelin X-ones. Good luck.

    John
  • subypowersubypower Member Posts: 50
    They should be here early next month. Funny that they took away the mud guards and the cargo tray as standard options even on the highest end model. What a pain to sell.
  • jimmyj1945jimmyj1945 Member Posts: 141
    Can you share any prices with us?

    Jim
  • subypowersubypower Member Posts: 50
    Sorry.
  • bird19bird19 Member Posts: 10
    Need some info/advice regarding:
    I've used 15" Nokias on my '98 Forester, but I intend to move on to a Subaru that uses 16' tires ('03 Forester, Legacy, or Outback models with 16" tires).

    The Nokias have a a lot of tread left, and, due to the expense of new tires, wheels, etc. I would hate to have to sell them to get new 16" version of the Nokia when I get a new Subie.

    I understand that t some U.S. versions of Outbacks and Foresters get 16" wheels/tires, while other countries may get 15" as standard.

    So, my question is: Even if I get a US version of an '03 Forester, Legacy or Outback, with 16' tires as standard equipment, would I be doing any harm to the suspension, handling, etc. if I were to continue using the 15" Nokias that I have?

    I know my odometer would clock faster, but I wonder, again, if suspension, handling, and clearance would be a problem?

    I am posting this on other Subaru Crew boards, so excuse me if you see this post elsewhere.

    Thanks!
  • nellonello Member Posts: 11
    Our 2002 Forester was very lonely so we bought a 1996 Impreza sedan LX to keep it company. What a great car. It has 77,000 miles on it, a very clean and well maintained automobile. We hope to get another 100,000 as well.
    Slainte,
    Nello
  • subypowersubypower Member Posts: 50
    Believe it or not, the antilock brake system is different for the 16 inch wheels vs. the 15 inch wheels. So it will affect how you stop. Other than that and the odometer it should be fine.
  • jeijei Member Posts: 143
    Current Subaru 15" steel wheels have the same lug pattern & offset dimensions as the current 16" wheels. I doubt the new 16" wheel will be different. I've used 15" steel Subaru "take-off" wheels for snow tires on a Forester "S" that came with 16" alloys. No handling or braking problems that I could tell. Overall tire diameter is not much different between the "L" and "S".

    Subypower or Patti, will the new 16" Forester wheels have different specs/dimensions?

    John
  • joseph50joseph50 Member Posts: 235
    "Believe it or not, the antilock brake system is different for the 16 inch wheels vs. the 15 inch wheels. So it will affect how you stop."

    No one at my dealership or Tirerack or on any newsboard has ever mentioned this when I switched to 15" snow tires/wheels. Is this true; and if so, how so? Anyone?
  • tlimatlima Member Posts: 124
    It should'nt, as long as the circumference of the new tire/wheel combo is close to the 15".

    I do a plus 1 sizing on my '01 Forester. Factory 15" wheels use 205/70s, plus 1 would put 215/60s on 16" wheels.

    Maybe the differences that 'subypower' is referring to is that Forester L's with 15" steel wheels standard have rear drums, requiring a different ABS system that those S's out there with 16" wheels but rear disks. (???)

    My choice was AT Italia with Yokohama Avid H4s -FWIW.

    -Tony
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Also the rear bumper step pad is now an option. I wasn't aware the rear cargo tray is now an option too. Bad moves Subaru, this screams of cost-cutting...

    Bob
  • odd1odd1 Member Posts: 227
    If you need back seat space I think it will be worth the wait for the '03. I went to the Houston Auto Show today and at 6'4" 210lb w/ a 34" inseam I could sit in the back seat with the front seat all the way back. My knees touched but did not press into the front seat. They had '02 Foresters also. In those I could barely wedge myself in the back with my legs splayed and pressing against the front seat. I don't have a Forester to be able to tell you the other differences and I never bothered to get in the present model's driver seat after trying the back seat space.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yeah I think he means the ones with drums in the back which have 15" std. are different than the ones with 4wheel disc that have 16" std.

    -mike
  • amyashamyash Member Posts: 12
    Hi...I'm new to this board and I apologize in advance if this has been covered before, but I've got one major question re: the Forester. I'm in the market for an SUV that can keep up with me, my kayak & my mountain bike. I've looked at the Pathfinder, Xterra, Santa Fe, Freelander and the Forester. For many reasons, the Forester is 1st on my list. However, many reviews indicated that the Forester is "[N]ot made for serious off-roading." Is this true? Does anyone have any experience with off-roading with the Forester (the clearance is not that high)? If so, will the Forester hold up, or would I be better off with a traditional SUV?

    Thanks
  • storytellerstoryteller Member Posts: 476
    Amy: Welcome to these pages. What sort of "serious off-roading" might you do? Do you expect to drive poorly maintained forest roads and trails, or do you contemplate actually getting off roads and crawling over rocks and stuff?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    http://isuzu-suvs.com/events


    There are tons and tons of off-road pics of subies and Isuzus. I am an off-roader and own a Trooper, arguably one of the best mid-large stock offroaders out there. Depending on how hard core-off road you want to go the Forester may or may not be for you. Let us know what kind of offroaind you want to do and I'll let you know how capable the forester is for this.


    -mike

  • subypowersubypower Member Posts: 50
    is clearance. The clearance on the 2002 Forester is 7.5 inches. This is usually very close to the larger SUV's. I would say that none of the SUV's you mentioned will be great for serious "offroading." Unless, of course, you mean dirt roads instead of paved roads. ;)
  • subypowersubypower Member Posts: 50
    We are getting the following colored Forester's. In the X model,
    Pacifica Blue Pearl,
    Platinium Sliver Metallic,
    Sierra Gold Metallic,
    Woodland Green Pearl,
    and Cayenne Red Pearl.

    We are getting a bunch of these along with one XS, one XS with a moonroof and one XS with a moonroof and leather. $225 retail to add the cargo tray and mud guards.
  • declansdaddeclansdad Member Posts: 120
    That's a little pricey for flaps and tray. I hope Subaru will bundle those options together with, lets say, the AWP.

    Looks like I'll be waiting for the 2004 forester turbo or hopefully the B4 in 2004 (that does have a nice ring to it).

    Michael
  • barkasy1barkasy1 Member Posts: 44
  • dielectric7bbdielectric7bb Member Posts: 324
    I agree that clearance is important off-road, but a minimum ground clearance number does not tell the whole story of ground clearance. Usually a minimum ground clearance number is measured front the front or rear differential to the ground. The rest of the vehicle may ride higher with much more clearance for off-road use. I would have to say that the SUVs amyash listed would do okay off-road, and would typically do much better than the subbie. Don't get me wrong though, the subbie can do a lot of stuff, but it has more limitations off-road than the others in the list. The good thing about the sub is that it will do much better on-road than the others.
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    As has already been said, the answer to your question depends upon what you mean by serious off-roading. Here are some pictures of the roads I've driven with Rufus - 2001 S:


    http://www.imagestation.com/mypictures/


    Hope this helps.


    Ross

  • hayduke01hayduke01 Member Posts: 128
    Thanks for the info on window tinting. I've found a local shop (recommended by my salesman) that will do seven windows for a price ranging from $139 up to $249. Price difference is dyed film vs. metallic. Dyed film carries a one-year warranty; metallic carries a lifetime warranty. I'm leaning toward the metallic, even though more costly. There's a lot of surface area to cover, and if it's better at rejecting heat then it's worth the added cost, especially with the better warranty.

    On my '93 Civic I added tint, but don't remember the cost or type of film. It held up well, with only a couple of scratches that were entirely my fault. No fading or bubbling.

    Also thinking of adding a trailer hitch. For those of you who've done that, what's involved? My wife was horrified at the relatively minor drilling required for the cargo net installation, so I'd be more likely to attempt it if the holes are already there. I don't even own a trailer, but would add the hitch receiver for a bike rack, since that rack would be a lot easier than the top mounted rack.
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    Subaru now follows the other Japanese manufacturers - and GM - in decontenting. Disappointing.

    Ed
  • rexaroorexaroo Member Posts: 174
    for all the useful tire reco's mentioned on this forum. We were disappointed in the snow performance of the standard Geolanders (though they handled very well on dry pavement) and went to BF Goodrich Precepts. This is an 80,000 mi. tire available at Discount Tire Centers, and has surprisingly decent handling over-all and very acceptable in snow conditions. $83 bucks, good ride and not too noisy,
    although we might try the Dunlop SP Sport A2s recommended here next time. They appear to be a great performance value judging from the stats at Tirerack.

    Also, wanted to mention we have used Mobil 1 synthetic since 1500 mi. and it really helped quiet some noisy engine clatter--now runs fine (26,000 mi.) and purrs like a champ.
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    you have to post the album link, not the generic imagestation 'my pictures' section. it should have the album id in the link.


    like this: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4292019983


    -Brian

  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    When I try my link it gets me to the point where I can choose any of the three albums: Rufus, Fun Roads & More Roads. Don't you get there?

    Ross
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    ...since you're signed in to the site. try signing out and then try your original link. when I click your link, it asks me to sign in and then takes me to MY personal page - not yours.

    I think this is the album you were trying to link:

    http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4292743515

    This is the link to your Rufus page. I can see 2 albums of your by doing a member search on armac. The other album must be not public, like mine are. That way I can invite people just by giving them the link(s).

    -Brian
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    I'll try it again


    http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4292470983

     

    and


    http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4292506555


    These are the ones I wanted. I'm a slow learner, is it right now?


    Ross

  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
  • jeijei Member Posts: 143
    Ross -
    Thanks for posting your pictures. Several questions:
    Did you bottom out or scrape anywhere, like on Tough Going 2? Did your tires give you enough edge traction to steer so you could stay out of deepest ruts in the rutted parts of the road? A couple of your pictures showed straight ruts fairly far apart, suggesting full sized trucks. How did you drive that part? Were you able to keep both wheels out of ruts or did you drive with one side in and one side out?

    John
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Also the worst thing that all subies suffer from off-road is angle of approach and departure. With the boxer engine up front and the long overhangs in the rear, cause it to not perform as well as it could off-road. Die's assesment of the "numbers" on ground clearance v. actual clearance is true. My Trooper has "only" 9.X" of ground clearance, but that is only at the rear diffy, everywhere else it's 10-12+

    With that said, depending on what kind of "off-roading" you plan to do, will dictate if the Forester will work for you.

    -mike
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    Pictures 21, 22 confirm that mike is right about the approach and departure angles. Traction, even edge traction, was never an issue, much to my surprise. This was the roughest road driving I've ever done and I had no spotter with me. Basically it was "pick a line, cross my eyes and pray" on a couple of the crossings. Actually I did "walk" a couple places before attempting them. My depth perception is extremely poor so I did more sweating than memorizing how I got through. Getting stuck may very well have meant waiting a day or two for help. I love my Subie!!


    Ross


    http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4292743515

  • storytellerstoryteller Member Posts: 476
    In this part of the world (Minnesota & Wisconsin) I spend a lot of time on roads just like Ross photographed, usually in fall during grouse hunting season. The real hazard is not getting stuck so much as it is banging some precious body part too hard. Around here a lot of those muddy puddles have big old rocks hiding in them, and if you go through at speed you can really whack the diffy or some muffler part.

    Fun pix, Ross.
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    I do have the differential protector so I was not too worried about that. I may still get a sump guard. We too have a lot of lurking rocks so most of the difficult crossings were done at "all ahead slow". When the roads were just rough, on the other hand, it was more like "damn the torpedoes" (American reference for the week). :~)
  • burnsmr4burnsmr4 Member Posts: 318
    Did anyone notice the shifter in the auto-tranny Forester on Edmunds.com -- in the 2003 preview story? It's the same one from the 2002 Outback Sport.

    I test drove the Outback Sport when deciding on a new car, and I can tell you that the auto-tranny shifter was a sticking point. My wife couldn't stand that staggered shifter in the Outback Sport -- it felt cheap and was not easy to shift between reverse, neutral, and drive.

    Are all the Subarus going to this shifter type? I hope not -- it really feels cheap compared to the plain black forward/backward auto-tranny shifter.

    Anyone else have thoughts on this "new feature?"

    Thanks,
    burnsmr4
  • mst3kguymst3kguy Member Posts: 10
    continuing the tinting thread, has anyone had their moonroof tinted (forester or other)? when i asked the place who tinted my forester windows about the moonroof, they stated it generates too much heat. anyone had any success getting a moonroof tinted despite this? or is my only option getting an auto glass place to actually replace the glass with tinted glass (which i'm sure will cost a pretty penny, considering the size of the glass)?

    tia,

    dean
    cincinnati, ohio
    '02S+
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I'm not wild about this shift to "gated shifters" by Subaru either.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    My moonroof came tinted. You can buy film by the foot and cut it to fit, if you're handy.

    Most Subies do get the zig-zag auto shifter, but the good news is the shiftronic style ones don't. They are straight, and have a separate section on the right for manual shifting. Better yet, it's fore and aft instead of side to side like Chrysler's AutoStick.

    Now I just hope we get it on the Forester.

    Hmm, I'm not happy about losing the mud guards, or the cargo area mat. Both are useful, especially that mat. For $225, I'd go aftermarket, though, that's too high. I think MacNeil sells the mats for about $80 for most SUVs. Mud guards can't cost much. I'd put some one, but maybe not those if the price is so high.

    The bumper step pad - was that standard before? I have it but I thought it was an option. That is custom sized so you'd pretty much have to go OE for that.

    Still, you can't sneak the cost-cutting by us. At least they added some stuff, too. But they'd better keep prices about flat - we should figure on a $225 increase for the mat and mud guards alone.

    Dave: the 2002 seems like a bargain for below invoice. There are no rebates, so the dealer is basically giving you his holdback and not making any money on the deal.

    15" snows on a 2003? I'm not sure there would be enough clearance for the bigger brake rotors up front.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    rear bumper step pad was standard.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    image

    2nd attempt, thanks for the tip, Brian.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    image is still MIA...

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Bob: Subaru may have looked at the competition and seen that they don't offer those things. But still, content was one of the main reasons I picked Subaru in the first place. That was their edge, they should not give it up.

    I hope they add those things back for 2004. They added power mirrors in 1999, then keyless, a 2nd odo, and a temp gauge, all for less-than-inflation price changes.

    The Yen has lost value, so really there is no excuse for cutting costs right now.

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Do you other folks see that image? I took off the part Brian mentioned. I can see it.

    -juice
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    burnsmr4 -- I actually like the gated shifter that's becoming standard on most Subarus. Although I normally drive stick, I've rented auto Subarus when I've had work done my my Forester. I like how the pattern lets you flick between D and 3 for quick downshifts but keeps you from going all the way to 2 or 1.

    juice -- I can see the photo.

    Ken
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I see your pic fine too, Juice. Wonder if it's an AOL thing?

    Steve
    Host
    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Anyone else? Why is Image Station picking on Bob? Sony got something against you?

    Off roading: I've been on sand a few times, mostly in the Outer Banks. The vehicle's lightness pays big dividends as it floats well over sand. I never bottomed out on the Pine Barrens run, so choosing the right path and driver skill must play a big role.

    I have the rear diffy protector, worth it for just $80 or so. You can get an aluminum front skid plate for a couple hundred. Want more? 2" taller springs run about $360. Beyond that, it's not a Forester any more. Get a truck.

    Ground clearance is pretty good, though:

    image

    -juice
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