2004 Lifted Subaru Forester XT: Taking a Daily Driver Off-Road

This is how an 04 Forester XT looks with a lift kit

I recently met Michael on one of the local Subaru cruises. It turned out that we have mutual friends and he had even seen video of my car on the trails online. We quickly became friends and planned to hit some local forest roads.

On our first trail run, I got to take a peek at the car and wanted to share it with anyone who wants to know how their SG Forester would look with a lift kit.

Lift Kit & Off-Road Parts List:

2 inch front & 2.5 inch rear Anderson Design Fabrication lift kit

2 inch ADF trailing arm spacers

15×7 Method Race Wheels MR502

Toyo Open Country 215/75/15

Mike’s Forester did really well on the trail run. There was a mixture of gravel, mud, and snow on this trail. The road is very badly rutted by snow runoff every year and has ditches that are 1-2 feet deep in places. Even on a smaller tire than my 06 Forester, Mike’s car did really well navigated the ditches.

Lifted Forester Walk Around Video:

I not only appreciate the off-road capabilities of this Forester, but I really enjoy it from a Subaru enthusiast perspective. It’s clean, well maintained, sounds great, and has everything you would expect from a classic Forester XT.

Tire Fitment:

If you’re wanting a good daily driver tire that won’t require pulling off your mud flaps, or cutting on your bumpers, the 215/75R15 fits great when paired with the Method MR502 15×7. The MR502 has a +15mm offset and pulls the tires away from the rear spring perches.

There was slight rubbing against the splash guards in the front. But they can be massaged with a heat gun, or trimmed.