Lifting my Subaru Forester XT

In this video I lift my XT Forester with a Subieliftoz lift kit, install adjustable lateral links and fit my DIY skid plate.
For those interested in the suspension setup:
Front:
SLO 2" spacer
-Stock strut/spring setup
Rear:
SLO 2" trailing arm spacers (Will swap these for 2.5" spacers in future)
SLO 2.5" spacer
KYB rear strut
King Springs Heavy duty standard height rear spring (KSRS-43)
Whiteline Adjustable Lateral Links
Shoutout to Adventure Hunters Oz for the lift kit. You can check out their channel here: / @adventurehuntersoz4202
Interested in a Subieliftoz lift kit? Contact them via social media, or alternatively email them at [e-mail]
Whiteline Adjustable lateral links: (The correct one for SG Forester)
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[@pinzone4358]

Cool bananas. I'm glad you are still learning new things and sharing with us. I have ordered a lift kit from Subie Lift Oz also and will replay your video to get the guide

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Can’t wait to see it!

[@softroadingthewest]

Nice work, I would be a little lost under there, so this is super interesting to watch. Really well shot and explained, as usual.

[@adventurehuntersoz4202]

More than happy to help you out man! The lift kit at a guess had maybe 10-15 thousand ks on it before removed. Glad it all got to you safe! Cheers: Azz (Adventure Hunters OZ)

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Thanks mate! It will serve me well and hopefully see a lot of places around Aus!

[@hoberspank]

Loving the look, even though its a smaller lift than your past one it still look great!

[@ALNSMOVERLAND]

Nice work here ! Too bad you don't have a roof to work under bad weather. the new foz is getting better and better !

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

The foz is too tall to fit in the garage with the lift otherwise that would be perfect. A proper garage setup would be awesome!

[@raiken_au]

Your vids have been great for helping me mod my Forester. Thanks man!

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

That’s why I make them! Your welcome 😊

[@svbummin]

Ignition Offroad speaking of help....any chance your familiar with where the fuel pressure regulator is located on an 05 xt? I’ve replaced one on an 02 wrx but It’s not in the normal location on xt (passenger side above fuel rail) and it’s a different style regulator

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIHPnXiKhdKhmqc Maybe this will help. I’m still learning a lot about the XT myself so I’m not to sure.

[@svbummin]

Ignition Offroad thanks. That’s where it was on my wrx but not on a 05 xt. Subaru’s tech docs skips 05 for some reason and the regulator is only mentioned in a repair manual under fuel pressure testing procedure. And the forums were no help

[@rileyschultz88]

So much quicker just bolting them to the existing bolts on the top hat. I love how high it sits. Im about to put new shocks in and the lifted springs to go with my 1 inch lift.

[@rp90262]

The alignment shop lengthened them to much. The same thing happened to me when i installed some SPC links on my SF. Through research i found the SGXT rear axles are actually longer then SF rear axles so i installed a pair on my SF and it helped a little. If your keeping the links i would turn them down to factory length and only go out maybe 5mm or maybe 10mm max but even that may be to much.

[@Chill_Mode_JD]

Great work dude! Such great memories fighting to align the bolt holes to get top strut spacers installed... lower arms bet that made things much easier! 🔧🙃

[@granturismo4000]

About to embark on lifting my XT as well, 2” as well, love your videos. :-)

[@adventurevanconversions]

Just bought an XT :) One question was the monster lift kit better or 2 inch ? Would you lift the Subaru again 4+ inch or not. ;)

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

The 4+ inch lift does allow to fit larger tires, however clearance doesn’t change as this is mostly just a body lift. For me the legal ramifications and extra work involved was not worth it.

[@RumbleOverland]

Love following this build. It's incredible how much clearance there is in the rear on the SG vs the SH.

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Yes, the multilink design isn’t great for clearance in the SH unfortunately

[@HomebrewSubaru]

Great vid man. Interested to see how you cure the axle popping

[@Redheadsrule13]

You might not have to get rid of the adjustable links altogether. If you get a set of camber bolts and use them to get as much camber as possible, then use the links to add a couple extra mm of space for the struts to clear the fender. That way you minimise the amount you increase your track while still getting the camber correct.

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Yeah that’s a good idea!

[@FlatBrokeAdventures]

Looks good mate. You've gotta love the joy cars give us when modifying. Question. Why don't you get new struts with longer springs and shocks instead of using spacers? Aren't they available?

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Raised springs are available but only standard length shocks. I’ve run that combo before and the raised spring forces the shock to max out on every bump resulting in a very harsh ride. The other option is offroad coilovers which are starting to become available but your looking $3K plus for those options. Hence the strut top spacers are the best option for lifting.

[@FlatBrokeAdventures]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 thanks mate I thought it may have been something like that

[@oliparton375]

If both lifts where legal, would you choose the 2.5” front 3” rear over the 2” all around? Thinking of adding the 2.5” 3” to my forester but I see everyone going for 2” and want to know what is worth getting more then the other.

[@HeidiFegles]

By another time in subie language is I’m going to fox that radiator immediately haha I plastic welded a radiator and drove 67 miles home, but once it cooled it cracked again. Milk jug and the harbor freight plastic welding divide

[@seanpurcell9587]

Good stuff mate keep up the videos mate I do enjoy watching them I currently have a 92 l series wagon an id really love to do the same mods on it but now I've just been given a 98 forester from the farther in-law so now its a question of which one to do all the work to or both lol

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Those old school Subies are great and I hope to one day get myself a brumby/brat to experience it for myself. You could always do a fusion of the two And put the good low range of the L series into the forester

[@seanpurcell9587]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 yep first thing I thought of not a lot of info on it an I've been told it's a lot of stuffing around with ratios an custom fabrication of the trans cross member but it has been done over the us im led to believe Believe me an l series is a weapon. it's done some amazing things for me an constantly amazes my brother an I can just about follow him anywhere behind his 4wds

[@ethan928]

@@seanpurcell9587 I own a 92 l series too with a two inch body lift and 27 inch muddies. Next mod is rear lunchbox locker and it will be unstoppable

[@erynforrester647]

Hey mate, great vids. Quick question. Is the spring rubbing common with a 2 inch lift using just the camber bolts? Do you know if it would be reduced in a 1.5 lift? Thanks champion

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

I’ve heard of the odd person having that problem but I wouldn’t call it common. The rubbing happened to me on my 4” lift as well, not the 2”. The strut acts like a pivot, so when you lift, the strut will move closer to the body the higher you go.

[@devinthado0od]

Is that’s a 2inch strut topper in front, 2.5 in rear with 1” added height with the king springs or just standard height king springs? Looks amazing

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Yep, 2” front 2.5” rear strut top spacers. Only standard height springs. I’ve run raised in the past. Hate them and would not recommend them to anyone. Definitely happy how it looks! I’ve swapped the muddies over now (pic up on Instagram) and it looks even better!

[@kylekok5883]

hi ignition offroad have a similar base to you with a 04 xt have a slo 2.5f and 3.5r was 2nd hand and availibe lol and also the same rear whiteline arms with camber bolts and am not having a issue with the rear cvs not sure if there is another issue going on. only other thing i dont have yet are upgraded springs hopfuly raised in front and standard in rear should level out a bit more=D

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Yeah I’m not sure what the problem with the lateral link is. I’ve seen a lot of people run them with out any issues. In regards to the raised springs front, if you’re already got a 2.5” lift front I would advise against the raised springs. 2.5” front is the max it will take and you will need subframe spacers after that.

[@kylekok5883]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 Cheers for the tip have messaged Matt Chaplin from SLO for reccomend sub lift With your rear cvs I do wonder if your arms are adjusted to long causing the cvs to pop I measured mine from centre of bolt to bolt was around 435 if that helps

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

kyle kok yep, they are definitely adjusted too long.

[@kylekok5883]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 no worries mate best of luck

[@v26224]

nice, what do you have in mind for tires

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

I’ve swapped the old muddies over after I filmed the video but eventually I want to go a lighter setup to help with the unsprung weight. Maybe methods and some A/T tyres...

[@v26224]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 nice i have just put a set of fairly modest ats on a set of stock rims, they run well, and no scrubbing on stock suspension

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Nice! I think it was your videos I seen out and about on Father’s Day on one of the Facebook groups. Looked good!

[@v26224]

Ignition Offroad yeah, can't wait until I get the lift, won't have to have dad there to pull my off the diffs

[@ejayone8184]

Gd sti lateral links should have same end link mounts as sg forester

[@abomarko8658]

Whats happened to the monster lift kit on the original foz? Will you eventually put that back in or was it too big?

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

The monster lift is still in the old forester. I will probably sell the car with the lift in it, as it’s just not legal and worth getting caught over.

[@abomarko8658]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 You can probably tell by all the comments on your vids, I'm tossing up lift kits but I'm not sure what size to get. Do you prefer the 2"/2.5" over the 2.5"/3" lift?

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Abo Marko once I learned to only use OEM driveshafts I had no problem with bigger 2.5/3” lift. If your after the best clearance that is what I would recommend. If your just after a little lift and are worried about drive shafts go the 2” kit

[@AshAirheart1995]

Yea! Go on with cha bad self!

[@kubarydl1154]

Great job!! I have 2014 Forester XT. Can you recommend me similar lift kit for my year? Thanks!

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Subieliftoz

[@itame101]

Would you still have had that issue on the rear if you had purchased the correct SG control arms?

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Unfortunately yes. The only difference is the tab between the two and to get the camber right they had to be lengthened about 1” further than the stock lateral links.

[@denisklampanis4717]

I want to change rear suspension and springs ,what you proposed , I have self leveraging

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

If you have the self levelling shocks, you will have to change them to something else like KYB or Gabriel shocks. For springs look at something like the rallytek or king springs. Go for a heavy duty standard height. The raised springs are no good.

[@denisklampanis4717]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 thanks a lot and happy new year

[@mattyosborne1453]

God I want one of these kits

[@ethan928]

What is the clearance from ground to the bottom of the rear diff?

[@robertgwinn8406]

Cool. Ty gor sharing

[@dejotachamo]

great video!

[@traviswillis5559]

Do you have to have the trailing arm spacers?

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

It is highly recommended. If you don’t space the trailing arms it pushes the wheel forwards and gives you less clearance. The best method is to match the trailing arm height to the lift height to have the rear wheel central.

[@kylefox2341]

Are your kind springs standard night or +20mm?

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Standard height heavy duty rear. I’ve run raised springs in the past. Never again, they are just too harsh.

[@tengsocia6446]

Been trying to lift my sg9 as well but can’t find SLO here

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

As in they won’t ship to your country or you can’t find any contact info?

[@ksmiles5333]

How much of a lift do you recommend to be able to run 225/70/16 ? Thanks

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

You should be able to run them with a 2” lift but might have to do some slight clearance modifications to make them fit.

[@ksmiles5333]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 I know you were having issues on one of your lifts. Something in the rear kept popping out , I am just going to be putting a 2 inch spacer lift maximum do you think that I will have any issues with that? Once this is done what things should I keep an eye on for additional wear and tear due to the lift ? Only doing this to get some higher clearings for the tires . What type of notifications for the Clarence are you talking of ? Love the street sign skid plate I'm going to use that idea . Thanks and you have a great channel 👍

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

The issue at the rear was due to my adjustable lateral links being pushed out to far, so that’s not an issue you have to worry about. For clearance you will probably have to hammer in a seem weld on the firewall at the front. Also what offset are your wheels? With a bigger tyre there is more risk of the tyre rubbing on the strut if the offset is too positive. Other mods as you mentioned get a skid plate, diff breathers and a snorkel if your taking yours anywhere near water.

[@ksmiles5333]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 stock offset

[@jamesstone8731]

How did you find the brush guard for the one on the right

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Scrap metal pile at work

[@jamesstone8731]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 I wish I could get that lucky lol

[@mdc503]

What are your plans for the SF lift?

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

SF lift?

[@mdc503]

The OZ lift that you had installed on the Subaru that caught fire. I saw that you used the struts and skid plate on your new Subaru and so I had thoughts of you parting out the older “SF” model Subaru.

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Ah right. Yes, I will probably sell the old lift at some point. I think your getting your models mixed up however. The SF forester was the 98-02 and SG was 03-07. Both my foresters are the SG model.

[@mdc503]

Mixed up indeed. Wife has a SF and that model is always at the forefront of my brain pan. Guess I will have to stop watching your videos. 😉

[@ehholden2376]

Why its only a Subaru not a 4WD

[@aaronandleeazza01]

Do you still have your lifted XT?

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

@@aaronandleeazza01 I do. Just been spending a lot of time overseas and haven’t had much time to focus on the channel

[@aaronandleeazza01]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 well I enjoy your vids man, I have an 07 SG FXT with a two inch spring lift and white line sway bars, drives better than on road slicks

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

@@aaronandleeazza01 sway bars are such a great mod for handling performance!

[@MiniLuv-1984]

Such a shame about the rear drive shafts. Bugger! Aside from that it went flawlessly. Very cool Miter.

[@LanceUngerBBYFOZ]

I have a spare xt rad if U want it 😊

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Got a new mishimoto one on the way, but thanks 😊

[@nathanturner2482]

the turbo is a much better car.

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Both N/A and turbo have their strong points, but I’m loving the turbo life so far! 👌

[@nathanturner2482]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 only strong point for the NA is the standard box being dual range. are you swapping your flywheel in too?

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Yep, but I’m already running an XT flywheel in the other one so it’s all good 👌

[@nathanturner2482]

@@ignitionoffroad5028 ok, so the XT one is already heavier??

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

im_nathan_turner not sure about the weight. Know when I fitted my heavy duty clutch we realised it only mounts to the XT flywheel, so we put one into the NA.

[@paulrevere2928]

Subaru engineers these vehicles with high ground clearance and low center of gravity on purpose for optimal performance. Why f-ck with it?

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

To go more places. Yes you sacrifice performance by lifting, but that’s just how the game works

[@hoberspank]

Wow.. someone needs to live a little haha. Due to the low center of gravity allows us to lift a couple of inches without sacrificing too much.

[@STipugpower]

Replace that OEM rad with an aftermarket rad. I’m on my 4th rad; apparently a weak point in the USA fxt.

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

Yep, got an alloy one on the way. If there’s an opportunity to upgrade I’m taking it 😜