Canning Stock Route Feedback

Gidday

There is a very active Subaru club here in WA That would be a good starting point for info

www.subaru4wdclubwa.asn.au

Cheers

POB,

Not sure where you are from but it might be a good idea to take you friend out to a beach somewhere and see how the Forester goes.

There is a article on this site about the Canning and what is recommended for the trip, vehicle prep, fuel plus more.

I did come across the Subaru club at Well 6 a few years back, from what I can remember about the vehicles is that they were modified with raised suspension. I think that they also had a 80 Series as a back up vehicle.

I have done the Canning, but not in a awd and my recommendation is for your friend not to do it in a Forester.

Wayne

Pob Forester's in general are not suitable for the CSR mainly due to their lack of ground clearance & load carrying capacity. I was a member of the Subaru club in Melbourne & many members fitted lift kits, wind up struts, high profile rally tyres etc which made them more than capable in sand but one still had to pack light on big trips to avoid suspension failures. With some appropiate modifications & backup to carry some of the fuel load, I'd have little hesitation taking a Subaru, in fact I'd say they would climb the dunes better than many full sized 4by's.
As previously suggested, speak to members of one of the Subaru car clubs for some specific advice.
Cheers Craig..........

I've travelled the CSR back in 2006 and I'm currently a very proud owner of a 2001 Subaru Forester. These things are lightning offroad and are more than suitable to tackle the CSR. It will need to have stiffer raised springs and the rear struts replaced (about $700 for parts all up) to handle the load in the boot. The only thing is, the driver needs to be very smart about how he drives the vehicle. With Subarus lacking ground clearnence (untill you lift them) you've got to pick your driving lines well.

The engine is plenty powerfull and the car weights less than 1 and a half tonne (without the load). It'll get up most of the dunes fine, but may occasionally need digging out or winching....but so do most 4WDs. If you want more info feel free to email me on soedigital@iinet.net.au and I'll be more than happy to help out in any way.

Are you guys located in Peth?

I agree with the other comments about the Forester - first try it on a beach and see how it goes! What about fuel - it's only got a 60 L tank, so that means a lot of jerries of fuel and 2 x water - very heavy suspension and very different from standard tyres will be neaded at a minimum. In all, I don't think I'd take a Forester!