2" Subaru Forester lift kit install, Building a budget Overlander.

[@markmeyer6800]

I have a 98 forester. I have put way more into it than it’s worth. I put a 2” lift on it as well. If you’re planning on doing this make sure you just replace your ball joints CV axles and get it aligned before driving it. Point being the wear points of the previous placement of parts will be totally different after the lift. You will have clicking popping and other issues if you don’t do this. I take my Forester on extended drives of 1,000 miles at a time, that’s 1,000 miles straight. So far I have replaced the CV axles 2 times in this period of a year. The first time was when I put the lift in, the second time was a couple weeks ago. So I got just under 25,000 miles off a set of CV axles. In my opinion you could go through more if it’s a daily driver in town due to more turns. 90% of my miles are highway and interstate miles. I am very pleased with the lift! It has given me a lot more clearance which is awesome when you’re driving through North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado in the winter! Side note I picked mine up for $2,000. I have put well over $9,000 into it. The car drives like it’s brand new! So in my opinion it’s way cheaper to buy something you want and fix it the way you want it than buy new.

[@justinvanstory3965]

I enjoyed the use of some XJ techniques to clearance the front wheel wells!!!👍🏻

[@wesgray7906]

This blows my mind! I to have been following you for several years because of tj content! I now have a recently purchase 01 forester so when I got on you and saw this and looked at and it was you I was shocked that’s awesome!

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

🤣 nice.

[@iBoogieTM]

I love that!!

[@shedmartinez5979]

Haha I just had the same double take.

[@stevencarter7999]

Man that camber tool is something I'll have to invest in.

[@wickedgriptuning7623]

I personally wouldn’t run coilovers, but I agree it’s not a terrible idea if you get the right ones. Yours were setup for stock/lower height by design. You’d have to buy specialty ones for lifting. Main reason coilovers would be cool is because of their much smaller housing. This will allow for larger tires, especially in the rear. The stock rear strut lower perch is huge, which limits the tire size. Many people switch over to the strut from an 04/05 Forester, as the perch is different and provides more room. As for the wheel issue, I don’t understand your concern with needing a special lug adapter to center them. Those steel wheels are about as basic as they get, literally any balancer would work as long as they use the correct center cone to center the wheel. Hub centric rings are really only needed when the wheel hub hole and the hub flange are different sizes. I’ve only ever seen that lug adapter used on high end wheels with unusual offsets or massive hub holes. Did the tire shop ever attempt to balance with just a tradition hub cone? I’ve mounted/balanced thousands of wheels and that was one of the worst “bent” wheels I’ve ever seen for being new. If they were all that way, chances are the balance setup was wrong. Those road force numbers were also insane, way way more than you normally see even on trashed tires. Even on the largest wheels/tires I’ve ever done, I don’t think I’ve ever seen numbers higher than 40. Something is off. Either way, cool Forester. Hopefully you’ve got it all straightened out.

[@fanismoschovitis6664]

Hey man good job for the video. I just bought a subaru forester just like that you got there so i will need more videos like these . Thank you so much man. Keep going with the good job. God bless you

[@lukesdayoff9753]

I have a jeep and a forester! I watched for the jeep stuff but it's cool to see some subi stuff too. I lifed mine and could never get the front camber right so now it is back to stock. Good stuff!

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Nice, what lift did you use?

[@lukesdayoff9753]

@@MuddyBeards4X4 it was a sumo. The rear worked out well but I couldn't dial in the front

[@aaronmyers4951]

@@lukesdayoff9753 why didn't you just get another pair of camber bolts for the other bolts to double the adjustment range? That works. Hope you give it a try. It's cheap to try. Under $30.

[@lukesdayoff9753]

@@aaronmyers4951 I did that and the front wheels still looked like I was going for a camber "stance" lol I think the lift just didnt have the right offset in the front...

[@aaronmyers4951]

@@lukesdayoff9753 that sounds like you got the strut spacers rotated to the wrong positions. Not very sure about sumo, but the ADF ones have arrows to make sure you get that right. Both are designed so that if you get the orientation correct you should be fine with the stock camber bolt set up. If you still have the lift, maybe look into that, because they are designed to correct for the offset caused by the height the spacers add.

[@jafranswa]

whooo wee! crossing the jeep Subaru divide?! im sure parts of the internet are frothing at the mouth but I sure think this is awesome =D keep the rad content coming man.

[@paulchristiansen7014]

this some good stuff as just got a 1st forester and looking to build a bug out forseter and a weekender for my family..

[@garrisonkelley7053]

Dude same. 02 sport. I wanted to go bigger than 2 inches on the lift but it's gotta be fabricated.

[@CraneArmy]

I had that cutoff wheel next to a brake line anxiety.

[@makinawake9178]

ADF is awesome and thanks for sharing. But If you truly like over building you might be better to spring lift. Does the same lft with more suspension travel... I have ADF on my newer forester but my first gen outback needs spring lift to gain any offroad capability. (I know you know this, it's for the kids watching)

[@JohnLewis-ij1gp]

Unfortunately that's why race part sometimes don't make it to the street the basset rims are made for tires that you don't balance because racing you scrub off so much rubber you don't balance them because it wouldn't hold it

[@RumbleOverland]

Great vid! Love the first gen Foresters. Lightweight wheels win every time for Subies. Look forward to seeing the build come together.

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Thanks👍🏻

[@MiraSubieGirl]

The lifted Subie scene is quite large in Russia :) people often tell me my cross sports needds spacers and bigger ats/mud tyres -_- They dont know what unsprung weight is, I kept the lightweight STi 17 inch wheels and have dunlop AT1 215 60s on :) she loves the beach and mud!

[@SWBCrawler]

Hey! MXR! Nice! I recently put their track bar on my Jeep. Good folks from what I could tell.

[@SWBCrawler]

Wow, two out of three products fail. :P Those MXR coilovers look nice. They didnt have anything that fit any of my applications, but it was pretty curious.

[@timothstephenson4932]

I saw my house on top of the hill.

[@jameshall4385]

That sucks about the rims. You would think the shop that balanced them would have caught that. It looks great anyway

[@johnodell9841]

Dude, your Subie looks badass!

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Thanks👍🏻

[@SpottedMau]

Hang in there!

[@amandag9099]

Unfortunately my ‘99 fozzy is so rusted, I’m scared to even invest in any builds.awesome work on yours tho!

[@jamesgoldman6711]

You see a lot of race wheels with 45 degree lug nuts. There is more surface area for the lug nut to to hold the wheel. I have a set of beadlocks like that.

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Yea, I had never heard of it until I bought these wheels. It makes sense, but the lug nuts are functional but not good looking, lol.

[@603jeeper7]

The Local jeep club purchased a skid of rims and the one's on the bottom were bent.

[@rallitek_official]

We actually don't recommend the Basset wheels here at our shop for the exact reason you found. We have only played with one set and the customer came to us with the same complaints. We put them on our balancer and found that his wheels were all out of round, I suspect that they are out of round due to how they are manufactured. Definitely not a road friendly wheel option for your Subaru.

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Good to hear it’s not just me. luckily I explained my situation to summit racing and they are allowing me to return them even though they have been installed. That’s what I get for trying to go cheap on the wheels!

[@Fix_It_Again_Tony]

Bummer about the coilovers and wheels. What was the spring rate on the coilovers? Usually when you buy coilovers like that for a "car" the spring rates are higher than stock because people install them to improve on-road handling. I bet they are valved stiffer too. I think the factory struts are a better option for what you are doing with the vehicle.

[@aaronmyers4951]

The Maxpeedingrods coilovers are adjustable damping from softer than stock to rock hard firm. That part of them is good. The coils are firm at first, but they soften and sag horribly by 4000 miles in the front if you set the preload to give a little lift. The rears I thought were better, but 32,000 miles later one of them sagged enough to blow out a seal and leak oil also. The first thing to fail in their coilovers (at least the Subaru ones) is the coil springs followed by the seals. I bought another set to experiment with using longer coils from a 2001 Toyota Tacoma that had a 4 cylinder. The weight on the front coilovers is only about 200 Lbs more than a stock Forester, so after off-road winch bumper and strut braces the coil spring swap should be right. If it doesn't work I will order a set of Eibach springs next. I am also installing limit straps this time, because the seals that blow out first are from overextension. I had 2 inches of front and rear lift that was all suspension for 3400 miles, and I drove back 600 miles to put the stock struts back on. During the return trip the other front Maxpeedingrods coilover failed, leaving the front end bouncy and making stopping quickly dangerous, I recognized failure in height was from the coils collapsing and also that the failure of damping was from over extension.. this is correctable with 3rd party parts and isn't expensive.

[@jmpsavescars]

Great video, my two cents on the bassetts ive used them a bunch and they are lug centric not hub centric. They should center pretty well if they are 5x100 but im guessing they are a close sae size. Ive found they never really are that true. Not a problem on a racecar but for roadcars deff noticable

[@Jtiger222]

Great Video. I’m getting ready to do this on my 98 SF. I also bought the ADF 2 inch. What wheels did you get? I’m thinking of getting 15 inch methods

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Thanks, I ended up going with the DX4 X-trail wheels, they look similar to the method, but cheaper. So far I like them a lot.

[@zacjohnson8404]

Yeh I thought it was a bit unorthodox to be using coilovers for an overland build. Not because of the height, I thought they would go higher too, but I thought they would be way too stiff and harsh.

[@JohnLewis-ij1gp]

Dude you so stole my idea I've only owned a subie for about 2 weeks now and thought to myself throw some basset rims on it that thing would look sick I got a 02 Forester

[@imzackson]

nice video! sucks that new no longer means good in this industry

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Thanks. And yes, Very true

[@altarancho]

Seems like a lot of work to end up with a stock height xj.

[@knighthawk1784]

Do you have your rear struts on the wrong sides

[@LuckyWill311]

Dude, that sucks about the coilovers! I've been looking at similar ones on eBay for my Gambler500/HooptieX car named Sendica (Celica) and build some spacers. Not sure if I should pull the trigger or not now.

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Yea, I was bummed. The coilovers would work if they are able to do stock height. You would need to see the specs on the lengths to verify if they are for lowering only.

[@iBoogieTM]

You forgot to do another video on the new tyres bro.

[@oscarlarby5833]

Very helpful vid, can you fit 215/75R15 tyres on stock struts?

[@jackiejoe8930]

Is this going to The Gambler 500? Nate just finished "Mini Cooler" where are you at?

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Yes, this will be at the gambler 500

[@jackiejoe8930]

@@MuddyBeards4X4 I'd or finished or is there still more to be done before then? The video left off with the bent rims

[@foresterboy2011]

Hello fella, forgive me for asking but why do you guys in America buy the mk1 and 2 foresters instead of getting a 3rd gen. Is it price or ease of maintenance?

[@mateograu]

Hey man, I had a quick question. Do I need to cut the clip for the brake line even when If I’m going to reuse the stock struts? Or did you do that because you were replacing with separate coil overs?

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Only because I was going to coilovers. So not necessary

[@GingerNingerGames]

Cut one side only, that way you can bend it out of the way when needed, survives quite a few bends, in my WRX the struts have been in and out of that car probably 10 times in the 2 years I've owned it and a tab only recently broke off.

[@RyanColquitt]

Doing a 3" lift on my SF5 soon. I can't find any subframe lowering kits for my model year, but I feel like the 3" lift would wear out the axles, diff, etc very quickly if I don't install one. What's your take on this? Great video btw!

[@lukeharvey5410]

2” is about as high as you can go without lowering the drivetrain

[@ChonkaLonka]

Let me know if you find subframe lowering kit. I am having same issues on my sf5

[@alfacampieter7089]

Hi! I can't seem to get my trailing arm spacers installed. They holes line up but when i push it upwards to the chassis the bolts don't line up anymore. Any tips? What did you remove to install those

[@mamad021nobar]

Hi I'm thinking about buying a first or second gen Forester as my first car and a project car to literally try everything on it Is that a good idea?are they easy to work on?

[@pospouris]

Hi, i just want to ask for your opinion. I want to use 1.5" lift for my front struts and a 2.0" lift at the rear because I like the look of the car when the rear is a little higher than the front. I'm not going to use the vehicle in serious off roading but I do tow a boat. Will that difference in height give me trouble in my everyday driving?

[@aaronmyers4951]

If you lift the rear more than the front you will lose caster. That's not good. To keep stock safety in handling on-road you need to keep as close to stock wheel alignment as possible. I would do the same lift to the front and the back

[@VotEtoPizdets]

a 5 lb sledge? why not use a body hammer with a welded weight on it? Thats what i used. And boy did i ever use it. I imagined myself dressed as Thor the whole time and i believe i scared my neighbors with all of the chantings.

[@joehoward7106]

Can you fit struts from an 04 forester onto a 99 sf?

[@dlanorbrak287]

The rear struts should fit, this actually gets done more often due to them being a little bit smaller in profile and allowing for more clearance, theyre the same height though

[@jophillips2868]

They should make a kit that fits all the hammering and cutting is crap

[@robertbonnewell9523]

What ah hatchet job.

[@ricardolopez-ey3wm]

What size tires are you on? Just got A 01 and I want to lift!

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

215/75/15 is what I ran

[@hugojr5290]

Do you have a link for the lift kit , please and thank you

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

awdadventure.com/collections/1998-2002-subaru-forester/products/1998-2002-forester-2-strut-spacers-w-trailing-arm-spacers

[@kumeintown7963]

link for lift kit pls

[@gavenjardine3757]

How hard was this to do? Like how long did it tak you

[@acceleratedequipmentservice]

What is the biggest tire size you are able to get with the factory struts?

[@aaronmyers4951]

215/60r17 allows use of General Grabber AT2 All-Terrain tires. You have to take a heat gun and bow the plastic fender liners or turning will wear holes through them in certain maneuvers. Also different amounts of lift change where they would rub and how badly.

[@kaboom06]

How much did you have to hammer the rear well?

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

It’s wasn’t too much, just a little massaging..

[@kaboom06]

Thank. I might have to hammer mine

[@dreww47]

eBay coils lol love it

[@johncitizen5377]

Budget build. Ok let's start by overbuilding and using the more expensive parts.

[@akdiddy666]

What was the strut clearance issue? I haven’t heard of struts not clearing the body on this style lift.

[@FirstAidIndustries]

I know this was a while ago but I think the strut clearance issue is likely to be the bottom perch to tire clearance? For example, If you use standard legacy struts (on a legacy) you can't put bigger tires on but if you swap out to the outback shocks you have an extra 30mm for tyre height before you get near the bottom perch and that's before adding wheel spacers 😁

[@aaronmyers4951]

Your video is great. Your choice of Maxpeedingrods coilovers will bite you. They suck. Particularly the coils will sag substantially faster and more than they claim, and their warranty is useless. When the coils soften it will blow out seals on the coilover shock.. then, when you want them to replace the shocks, even just 2 of them, they will tell you that they want 3/4 of what you paid for a set of 4 including shipping, and they say that is just shipping cost. BS. It is possible to use their coilovers, as long as you buy the springs for them separately, from Eibach, which isn't that expensive. You can get 2 inches of lift on an SG Forester with that set and NO Strut Spacers. I have another set that I bought that I am replacing the coils before installing them, but I am trying lightly used 2001 Toyota Tacoma coilover springs. They are stiffer, and the springs are longer, so this should be perfect for supporting the car with my custom steel off-road winch bumper. I love seeing others modding their Foresters for better off-road performance, while still maintaining good on-road manners. Good luck with your Forester. I do miss my 1st gen Forester, but after adding a torq locker to my SG I am even happier than my SF and it's limited slip rearend. I don't know about your tire balance issues, I went to 215/60r17 tires to get something aggressive enough for fun trails. Stock rims. They run 90MPH smooth with General Grabber AT2 tires all the way down to the wear bars. Hope you figure it all out.

[@NickYates-re7um]

I just put on a 2" adf lift on my 05 outback and am ab to throw 31" mud terrains on it. I know it will lose some of it's crawling and mudding potential doing this, but does anyone know anything ab regearing on these cars. Also curious of any front diff lockers on a 4eat.

[@eze8024]

Can get locker for rear, can wire up locker for center, but don't know of a locker for front. Modena made lsd for front.

[@Pyrolysis2142]

Umm I was just looking at coilovers like that the manufacturer clearly states that they are 1.25" lower than factory. A little research goes a long way

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

It did not say that when they sent them to me. They changed the description after I had this issue and talked to the engineer about it.

[@arthurgriffin-noyes1702]

I tossed my bassets in the dumpster. They are total trash. Black rhino for the win

[@BLOODED.38]

Привет можно мне такие проставки

[@eriknash1585]

ABG

[@doc_ds]

They are HORRIBLE coilovers. Yeah they're cheap and I could have bought 20 sets for the price of my whitelines but they really arnt worth it

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Yup, I didn’t use them and I won’t be using them. Suspension is something you should spend your money on and not cheap out.

[@doc_ds]

@@MuddyBeards4X4 mate thats exactly right, mind you i didnt realise how the amount of maintenance required increased dramatically. the amount of wheel bearings and ball joints i go through is ridiculous and its caused because my coilovers are set to max height due to fozs coilovers are really wrx coilovers.

[@djmysticalone321]

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