Ultimate sand dune setup for L-series?

sss1600 · Post by **sss1600** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 2:47 pm

Where we go camping each year has alot of dunes and secluded fishing beaches which i would like to access. Stock landbruisers and hilux's got to all of these spots ok and I am wanting to try and setup my 89 L-series wagon as best as possible to tackle the soft sand and try to reach these same spots.
Besides the lack of power from the carbied ea82 my car has a 2inch lift d/r box and 14inch nangkangs.
What would be the best types of diffs to get for the front and rear? Clutch pack/viscous/helical, etc?
Any other suggestions that people would think would make the subaru keep up in the sand....?

Willie · Post by **Willie** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:44 pm

Tyre deflators and a good quality electric pump.

Due to the relatively light weight and the mods you already have, these cars are very good in the sand, even with open diffs. That has been my experience, anyway.

If you're keen to get a LSD, just get a rear LSD from an RX turbo to start with and see if that is sufficient. Start getting into it much more than this and the dollars will start adding up pretty quickly.

Cheers,

BlackMale · Post by **BlackMale** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:54 pm

Well said Willie, other then the LSD your there, also ditch the 4WD tread for some road tyers as they will not dig into the sand as much.

lukes6 · Post by **lukes6** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:01 pm

A weber realy healped me in the dunes. Lots more low down torque,
and yeah tyres as big and as wide as you can go with really low pressures.

Subafury · Post by **Subafury** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:06 pm

if u get in a bad bog let the tyres right down to like 17psi but dont forget to pump em back up after like i didnt - and it came off the rim!

BlackMale · Post by **BlackMale** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:51 pm

subi wrote:if u get in a bad bog let the tyres right down to like 17psi but dont forget to pump em back up after like i didnt - and it came off the rim!

WHAT!?!?! depending on conditions they should be this low and then if you get REALLY bogged then let em down to about 10-12psi and yes be careful or remember to then put em back up.

Subafury · Post by **Subafury** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 5:05 pm

depending on conditions they should be this low

oh yea thats right - its been awhile since ive been 4wding and it shows.
my tyres were down to about 13-14psi when it came off the rim.

sss1600 · Post by **sss1600** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 5:45 pm

Well compared to spending at least another $5000 on a toyota i wouldnt mind spending a couple thousand on the subaru if it will perform just as well.

A weber with mechanical secondaries sounds like a great idea! Does anyone make adaptors?

I was reading up just now that the clutch type lsd's are better than viscous and helical for 4wd because they will still drive the wheels even if ones in the air and lost traction.

Would this mean the best diffs for 4wd'ing would be a factory rx rear lsd and a Cusco/Kaaz up front?

Is a front lsd worth it? does anyone have one fitted to theirs?

What about suspension? Last time i went out with a light load i bottomed the car out twice. Are stiffer springs better or worse in the sand?

Thanks for your responses so far guys.

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 6:46 pm

forget the front LSD - your talking huge money

fit an EJ22 and a rear LSD and you will have an absolute dune buggy

PHATnob · Post by **PHATnob** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 7:33 pm

In Tas there are some dunes down at Henty. I went there wit a couple o mates, and my 84 wagon wit 2", and 27" nankangs went fine, but U gotta let the tyres down a lot.. Before the tyres were down, I got stuck a couple o times, but after, the car was un-stoppable

I pissed off a couple of doodz wit land cruisers and hiluxes cause they were so heavy, and I was so light ha! I just went where they could not lol..
They were dumbfounded ha.

_curlie_ · Post by **_curlie_** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:28 pm

listen to vincentvaga as i have the ej22 for the low end power and i have a vlsd in the back
i dont have had no probs on the sand running bfgs at 18 psi

cruzingbrumby · Post by **cruzingbrumby** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 12:20 pm

You can use a piece of wire to lock the primary and secondary actuators on the standard carby, so that it will open the secondary mechanically when the primary is about 60% open (like a weber does), rather than by vacume as standard, this will help a lot

MUDRAT · Post by **MUDRAT** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 5:12 pm

10 psi on a Subaru isn't a lot when you consider the weight of the vehicle - my tire deflators are set there permanently. You could go all the way down to 6 if you wanted, just don't corner too sharply!

Your L series should get more places than most large 4x4s. Weight is the real killer on the sand.

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 3:25 pm

sss1600 wrote:A weber with mechanical secondaries sounds like a great idea! Does anyone make adaptors?

I remember a thread (or maybe the tech manual?) last year that showed you how to make your own adapter... anyone know where this is kick'n around?

Hope this is of some use. And an interesting forum you've got going here, two thumbs up

lukes6 · Post by **lukes6** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 4:04 pm

sss1600 wrote: A weber with mechanical secondaries sounds like a great idea! Does anyone make adaptors?

Adapters are only like $30 from a good auto shop so i reckon its worth buying one for the time it would take to make one properly. Redline are the ones who make them.

SubbyDave · Post by **SubbyDave** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:25 pm

El_Freddo wrote:I remember a thread (or maybe the tech manual?) last year that showed you how to make your own adapter... anyone know where this is kick'n around?

Hope this is of some use. And an interesting forum you've got going here, two thumbs up

The Wikipedia page is a great idea

http://www.ausubaru.com/wiki/index.php/ENGINE:WEBER