Hello! New to Subaru + questions

[Rally]

Off road torque is king. A dual range gearbox multiplies that torque further. There are some downsides. The 2.5t engine has issues. Weak pistons and weak oil pickup. The dual range gearbox won't cop abuse. I run a 2.5 t and while I still have the weak pistons, I have the earlier model oil pickup which is much better. If you were going to go the expense of converting to another engine, I would suggest getting your existing 2.5t engine re-built with forged psitons. The 2.0t engine might be able to produce good power but it will never have the low down grunt of the 2.5, especially when you run the standard little turbo. The 4 speed auto will handle the 2.5, although those that know this gearbox better than me can tell you which one allows the centre "diff" to be locked. If you go for torque in your build, you will have a far more capable off road vehicle than if you chase power.

[manno]

This gives me a whole lot more to think about. I would most definitely want a more capable off road vehicle for sure. Might need to go a search for a 2.5t with forged internals. I see the 2.0 with forged readily available but not so much for the 2.5 so far. I do really like the locked diff idea!