SUBARU ATTEMPTS OLD COACH ROAD - CAPE YORK

The Subaru Offroad Forester has finally completed Old Coach Road, Cape York!
With a very heavily loaded car stocked with 2 weeks of food we headed to Maytown before tackling the notorious Old Coach Road. Normally this would have been a very easy track for us but with so much extra weight in the vehicle we struggled for low enough gearing at times giving the clutch a bit of a workout...
Perth to Cape York and back via Alice Springs in the Subaru Forester!
• 6.5 weeks
• 13,810km
• Over 5,000km of dirt roads
• 1,830L of fuel
• Solo trip with no assistance from other vehicles
• Easily more than a km of water crossings
• Stuck in water with the engine block fully submerged on 4 occasions totalling over 10 minutes
• Water in the car up to the top of lower seat cushion on the same 4 occasions
✅ Old coach road
✅ Old Telegraph Track complete - One of the first through for the season the and first to not use chicken tracks on any crossing.
✅ First through the CREB track after it was officially opened.
❌ Frenchman’s Track not complete, driven both ends to the rivers but depths not passable. The first crossing for the season was only a month later so we can’t feel too bad about this one!
• One snapped rear CV on old coach road - 15 minutes to replace
• Old crappy muffler fell apart crossing the Daintree - wired back together for the 6000km return journey and still going strong
• Wire in the alternator loom snapped - my fault for poor cable routing with insufficient slack - 20 min fix.
• Bearing under the AC pulley failed from water ingress - No AC for the return trip.
• Drive by wire throttle body decided to start sticking after the water - some cleaning and lube and she was all good
• Did a sidewall in cockatoo creek.
Apart from that she ran like a dream and survived all the abuse we gave her - still running like a dream back in Perth.
If I were to do the trip again I would probably put some heavier springs in the back but apart from that it was a great setup.
Already looking forward to heading back one day!
Music:
Dynamite by Patrick Patrikios
To Pass Time by Godmode

[@HomebrewSubaru]

Great vid thanks for taking us along

[@subaxtreme2548]

such a cool video mate :) keep up the awesome work !!

[@johnadams4559]

Love the calm can-do attitude in these vids - from 10 to 13 mins is just nuts. Nicely done, both of you.

[@SubaruOffRoad]

Cheers!

[@NotSoFlatAdventures]

Looks so fun. I was just thinking if my Subie was on that angle long enough the fuel pick up would cut out, then yours did!

[@SubaruOffRoad]

Had about half a tank in there still as well. I've had it happen before but not when there was still that much fuel in the tank...

[@jasoncurrie2597]

Unbelievable mate, well 👍. Goes to show you don't need a 4wd costing the earth to see all of our beautiful country

[@SubaruOffRoad]

Cheers. This vehicle driver combo will keep up with any stock vehicle on the market on most terrains and many modified ones as well. In this video the vehicle was limited by the weight on board which seriously decreased capability mainly due to gearing. Unloaded it will outdrive most vehicle which always surprises most people. Went out this weekend and the only vehicle that had similar capabilities was a twin locked lifted petrol 80 series on 35s

[@ItchyFeetOz]

good job man ! That's a great watch. I have a dum question Alex, why not use the winch more?

[@SubaruOffRoad]

I could have used the winch more. It just takes time to setup and pack up so driving it is more time efficient and fun. There isn't always an anchor point in the right spot either.

[@dallasvanwyk]

Skeeeeeeeetch! Looks like your left rear lateral link is a little bent ;)

[@SubaruOffRoad]

Good spotting. I didn't notice that until 10000km later when we arrived back in Perth. I believe I bent it at the same time I broke the driveshaft.

[@ChuckUnderFire]

I want that depth gage decal SO BAD!!!

[@SubaruOffRoad]

Good isn't it! It is actually a child height measurement decal for putting on the wall in a kids room. You can find heaps on eBay.

[@procrastinator1842]

Hey mate, what low range ratio and diff ratio are you running, also what front/centre and rear diffs? Great rig, good to see a subi getting tested!

[@SubaruOffRoad]

3.454 1st gear 1.59 low range. 4.44 diffs rear air locker, dccd in the middle and cusco plated RS lsd set at maximum up front.

[@MLPSPHOTOGRAPHY]

Great video!! How long did it take u to do the track?

[@SubaruOffRoad]

I can't exactly remember but we started in Maytown in the morning and camped that night on the old Telegraph Track at North Alice Creek. Most of old coach road was reasonably quick going.

[@andrewlangford88]

Great video Alex. What are your thoughts on the Subaru Auto box for offroading in comparison to your built 5mt

[@SubaruOffRoad]

I did try a 4eat with VTD in an NA forester and found it was pretty easy to hit stall in it. But if you are running turbo power then they are very capable provided you fit extra cooling to cope with all the heat. Stock the turbo autos are the most capable vehicles. Not sure how long the 4eats behind turbos last offroad though, they seem to be ok from what I have seen. The main down side of the auto is there are limited to no front LSD options.

[@andrewlangford88]

@@SubaruOffRoad yeah, been thinking about EZ30 swapping my SF but I really can't imagine my 1.59 low range gear lasting that long, so maybe I just go with the whole auto setup too, should make the swap easier. I did read somewhere that there was an LSD for an 02-07 WRX auto but not 100% sure

[@SubaruOffRoad]

@@andrewlangford88 I think the ez30s were coupled with 5eats. Down side is weird diff ratios and reverse gear is alarming tall. 1st gear is about the same as 4eats when diff ratios are taken into account.

[@SubaruOffRoad]

@@andrewlangford88 yes there are some auto LSDs but they are all helical so not amazing offroad. I believe Subarugears is currently making them.

[@Blazerdoom169]

@@andrewlangford88 after looking into transmissions and a lot of custom gear ratios, the 4EAT is a great choice. I've been off-roading for 2 years so far with an 04xt without any problems. maintenance before going out is key to longevity.

[@tpseeker3367]

Well that Didn't work!!! ""I did Stupid Shit"" with a well worth & deserved Smile. To boot only damage done was a simple drive shaft? Gotta say your little Subie Forester puts other people's $50-$100 Thousand dollar 4x4's to shame Alex. Looking forward to seeing where the Forester will take you next.

[@SubaruOffRoad]

Cheers! I did bend some rear lateral arms and the trailing arm at the same time but not enough to cause a drama for the rest of the trip.

[@ChuckUnderFire]

I have the same spare fuel tank, only I get a headache anytime I have it anywhere in the cab. What’s your secret?

[@SubaruOffRoad]

Weird. I find that provided the lids are screwed on tight and they are completely full that they are fine. Towards the end of this trip I did find I was getting slight leakage as the seals had been getting some wear from lots of use.