Subaru vehicles are practically made for off-roading, but they need some preparation and modification before tackling the harshest and most difficult terrains. Below, we explain what every Subaru vehicle needs to off-road safely, from undercarriage protection to new tires.
Lift Kit
The first thing that Subaru drivers will want to get for their vehicle to prepare it for more treacherous terrain is a lift kit. A lift kit adds height to your vehicle and gives your vehicle more ground clearance to help protect the Subaru’s undercarriage and improve the vehicle’s balance on harsh terrain.
Some Subaru vehicles, like those part of the Subaru Wilderness collection, come with extra ground clearance standard for the vehicle, around 9.5 inches. If you’re navigating especially harsh terrain, you may still want to add a few extra inches of clearance, but in most cases, 9.5 inches is plenty to go off-roading.
Off-Road Tires
With the extra ground clearance on your Subaru, you can next outfit your vehicle with the heavy-duty off-road tires it needs to survive off-road terrain. Standard all-season tires are fine for driving on the highway and streets but aren’t nearly capable enough to handle off-road terrain safely.
Every Subaru vehicle needs quality all-terrain or mud-terrain tires to off-road safely, as they provide extra grip on even the toughest surfaces like sand, mud, rock, and snow. If you attempt to take your Subaru out into the wilderness with standard tires, you’re likely to get stuck or damage your car and harm yourself.
Undercarriage Protection
The extra ground clearance of a lift kit helps to protect your Subaru’s undercarriage, but you shouldn’t stop there. If you plan to go off-roading in your Subaru, you should invest in undercarriage protection like skid plates.
Skid plates protect the most important elements exposed in your vehicle’s undercarriage, like the fuel tank, transfer box, and catalytic converter. Without skid plates, rocks, debris, and dirt can significantly damage your Subaru and cost you thousands in repairs. Better to invest a few hundred bucks in some simple but effective protection.
Recovery Gear
Lastly, before heading out into the open wilderness for an off-road adventure, you want to bring some recovery gear for your lifted Subaru. Almost every off-road driver gets stuck or stranded in some way if they do it long enough, and when that happens, you’ll need some tools and equipment to self-recover.
Common recovery gear every off-roader should bring includes:
- Recovery straps
- Recovery rope
- Recovery boards
- Gloves
- Tow strap
- Tire patch kit
You’ll also want to consider installing a winch on your off-road vehicle to help you self-recover out of sticky situations and recover other stranded off-roaders you encounter.
