Outback '01 2.5 4eat VDC project

So couple years ago i bought myself my first subaru ever and after long time thinking took outback against forester. Didint had budget for newer one so went for some 2nd gen that i found

Top original, lower 2"" lift with BFG TA KO2 215/65 R16

It was 2001 subaru outback 2.5 4eat eith rear LSD and early VDC package. All weather with heated seats, windows, climate control.
It has rear self leveling shocks still ok condition so i left them just put 2" spacer on top. Not sure is it made car harder and less comfy but it can take load very well. But its not soft car to drive fast on bad roads
Then i cut front bumper and put steel skid plate just for engine. Diy it myself from steel sheet from scrapyard

 

[scalman]

But it is normal light and its made for city. I mean why else i would put it there? For parking of course.and its not blinding anyone so its looks fine too for people who might walk pass. Its not perfect in dark times via my tinted window i cant see nothing via rear window but for mirrors its so much better. Now i parking with seeing where i actually drive lol
And of course in bush . well for stationary light in bush wpuld be better one on roof rack i guess.
I like how those leds like invisible there. Because if you standing behind car you wont see them. And same reason they not blind you or anyone. They could blind if you low enough for it to catch you.
But more powerfull bulb in reverse light would blind more. Of course its not for mot to pass. But i made my driving much safer now as i see more.
Now if i put reverse cam in back it would make image so good there even at night. Would be perfect light for camera. Just i dont like to puy any extra screens for cameras inside car. So must think what i could use for that. Get some aftermarket stereo with screen that would show cam views. Or get some wireless camera that i could see with my phone or tablet maybe. Thats for future and best thing would be to put 4 cameras . why go less if they so cheap you could have surround view.

 

[1WD Foz]

The way you fitted the lights to the rear of your car is great and i believe it won't bother anyone unless they're driving a go kart lol

but i don't think my forester will hide the lights as well as your outback,
it will be visible from any driver behind me so i will require a switch

As for your 4 camera idea, not sure if you've looked into dash camera's?
as some come with 2 camera's?
the rear camera you position where you like and the front camera is built into the unit with a screen?
if not i would look into a small reverse camera screen mounted either on the dash or in the glovebox and then you would just need 4 x 12v cameras, and a 12v 4 channel video receiver of some sort im guessing......with a way to select from each of the 4 different video inputs ?

 

[scalman]

i see no problems to put reverse light where you want it. on bumper, under bumper or inside bumper, or on side of license plate. why you think its something wrong ?

i just dont do it yet because im not going so much at night in bush . but when i will start cuting rear bumpers and stuff then who knows what will happen haha. things might get crazy there. so what somebody gonna call police ? lol im sorry officer , yes, this man just blinded me with his reverse light ,yes so why you was looking at it ? ...

as for cameras i mean something like that

and they put 4 split screens on one screen image . would be great. just they made for parking again. and i wouldn't need that for parking but just for fun i mean you go into bush or mud or thight places and you wanna see what your front wheels doing , so with that you could see. just purely for fun for me at least. i don't need any help with parking yet thank you. would be cool if you could record video from hose 4 cameras as well.

i gues you ment those kinda stuff. yes they much more cheaper but i don't need that screen on my windshield

ideally would be 4 wireless cameras you put where you want and get split image on phone or tablet and record them as you want and such. like 4 go pros but mini versions

best that they didint need any extra space as they would be rear view mirrors and screen in one as those.

just full screen would be nice

more you look more stuf you find in internet

in case you would want to look at passenger or i duno something else

found similar as this locally . and screen area is 4.3'' which is not bad maybe and it looks like normal mirror

 

[1WD Foz]

lol I dont think somthing wrong
By having the reverse light on a swith i dont need to engage reverse to turn light on ,
i can turn it on myself so i could use for camp lighting, or to see if my rear will clear a tree or rock.... while going forward.

like i siad... i like yours , but you have a different car so bumpers different

i like the idea of the camera system you put up
looks awesome, just need to be able to record with it and yout set!!!


1WD

 

[scalman]

Ohh sure make switch. Or turn ignition on and put on reverse. Haha. If i had roof rack id put separate lights on it from all sides on switches for bush.
I think to make reverse light on switch its complicated you need to make switch just before light in the end. And then how car ecu would react that your rear light is on.

 

[1WD Foz]

for my car a Switch is the best idea
like i said if i want camp lighting or if i wanted to use the rear lights while moving forward at all then your idea wont work, best way for me i think is to engage the light manually

no no its not that hard, the hardest part would be laying the wire from where i want the switch to the rear lights, I would get constant power from my rear 12v socket
everything else is plug and play
just need some wire, a fuse, and a switch, put it all together and you have lights that work with a switch... seperate to the cars lighting.... running off the battery.
For my bigger led bars i use a relay and connect directly to the battery, but for the small ones you and I have it shouldnt need that.
you should get a roof rack & basket! then you could put heaps of lights!!!

1WD

 

[scalman]

I would put separate light for that. Less troubles.at least mostl ppl do that. Its easy to put there just one wire and other just take ground . its just need long wire from led to switch. Same as if you would put rear camera.
Easy method would be just make switch near light then no need do much. But you need to activate it like from trunk or something. Like overlanders do in their cars. As i saw they put separare lights for bush and you allready have roof rack so its easy put couple lights on rear roof rack. I want roof rack too. Thinking make it myself from tubes. Saw many examples. Simple roof rack best. Maybe make it modular even so it could be just flat if i need or with extra modume if i need to put bags there or something . then just put 1 or 2 leds on rear 1 on each side and something for front . and they could have just 3 switches or 1 switch with 3 or 4 positions.
Yes relay needed. And i have second battery in trunk . would be nice to make some connections so it could charge there. Now was couple times that i used main battery too much so i couldnt start car anymore so i just connected that second battery . its almost new still and its fully charged now just sits there for when it would be needed.
Then again my car living on street. So not best thing to put many stuff on it for view. Could bring trouble if someone would like to take my led bars. So one reason i wanna its stay as much original look so that its not catch eye

 

[scalman]

starting new year with nice drive to forest and relax before work

not much of a winter when its +8 outside, but what can you do. less salt on roads at least.

 

[scalman]

bought 2x 48w flood leds

now wonder where would i put them. can connect instead fog lights on fog lights cable and switch as i remove them with bumper cut.
should be nice result if not put them too close to each other as they are flood ones.h
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/82XTEpjg4eg/maxresdefault.jpg
to put them as that is bad as main light goes like on center car. one light on center would do similar result i guess. or at least turn them to sides then

 

[scalman]

so then testing. put them on original antifog light place. at least for now. that was easy just put there, then took connector from original antifog too and just used that on new led light. i tried to move light with hand in total darkness and see how its afects and how much its lights. so if it would be on bumper not under it maybe it would make some more light in front but really not that much . and they not best looking to put them on bumper in front. not sure that i would wanna do that. so testing. most impressive is when in some forest narrow road with trees on side. then its just wow. when road open its gives much more on sides. because i turned them more to sides too. why keep them in front there low beam doing job. so on sides they just great.

yes its not ideal place i can hit them with something or scrap if angle would be steep. but maybe i could move them more back. well will see more testing later

from top both low beam+LED , then just low beam and lowest is just LED. and they Flood light.

in pictures all its more brighter. in reality just low beam is pretty dark and scary alone in forest. pictures makes all more bright. so go from that dark with just low beam to that super bright with LED its really amazing.

and because its sits one 1 bolt so i can turn it if i need like all over to side completely. for now they turned little to sides. so they not looking at front.

 

[Ben Up North]

Would you say they throw further than the low beam? It's a bit hard to tell, but the last set certainly seems to suggest that.

 

[1WD Foz]

nice man , the same lights as i have on my roof basket, they are impressive and great bang for you buck, congratulations on a good buy

1WD

 

[scalman]

Not further as they flood ones. You can find same size just spots if you need more further. But i wanted more spread so flood is more for that.
On last pic yes led do so much better with trees then low beam. So for forest its really best thing. Low beam kinda dissapears on trees. And maybe because led is so low its lights ground a lot. Seems like most light goes to ground where i almost dont see it from car just in front of car.
And my low beams are upgraded to superior osram night braker laser which say gives 130% more light . but its still kinda bad. Imagine how bad it would be with normal bulbs.
First i thought they would be too low but i tried just put them on top bumper in front and it was small difference.
Well with tall grass or bushed maybe higher position is better. But they blinding so not for road using haha. Tried today morning after rain so was wet road was alone on dark road so tried them and they just went to sides so much. I never saw so much road on side before in dark.
Now you would see if animals running on road or just people walking on side road on country roads. I feel safer with them to seeing more means more control . i can just imagine what extra led bar on roof would do. When i put roof rack i will think of that then.
Other interesting thing that leds eliminate your yelowish car lights if they on same spot. So if leds pointed same spot that car lights are they just eliminate all that yelowish light and yoh just see white light from leds. Thats why i turned them more to sides so they would complete my low beams on sides.

 

[scalman]

now that i looked at pics more it seems like even tht leds on sides tey give as much light to distance as low beams goes. if i would point them to front they could even be more then low beams.
as this another pic shows just leds goes so far to that electric pole in distance and lights it with more spread light. well low beam is more focused on one line when leds are not

and they nice warm white color. on cam it looks more cinematic with iso100 and 1/250s

my test at my garden place with fence there it can be seen how much fence is seen from light. and its just driver side one led light

and then original fog light that was inside bumper before i cut it vs new LED . i just held both in hand and tried to point at same spot. that fog light is very focused beam again so its not spreads at all

that fog light is not that bad really , just it was so rubish when was on car. must be bad angle and bad height for it maybe.

 

[scalman]

pure fun and washing that nasty salt from roads

 

[scalman]

Planing of making roof rack. Thinking steel tube one or aluminum tube. Steel cheaper and weld myself but heavier. Aluminum would buy tubes and make on bolts or find who would weld it for me. Whats better? I know aluminum lighter maybe twice lighter so is that means i could carry more on that rack or no? Like subaru says its sjust 80kg load on roof bars. Its very little. Put heavy steel roof rack and only half is left of it.
Or im wrong here and its so much big deal to put there heavy steel roof rack? And its better use existing bars or remove them and make roof rack on roof.

 

[Kevin]

It's better to leave the existing roof rails on the roof. The good thing about using steel is that they can be smaller than aluminium bars. Have a look at Thule square bars - these are steel and I use them.

 

[Ben Up North]

I've got Prorack Whispbars on my roof, I wouldn't use anything else, don't even know they're up there when unloaded.
But.. they are only bars.
Personally, I loathe wind noise, so that counts out pretty much anything else being put on the roof from a comfort point of view.
My opinion is that if it doesn't fit inside the car, it's either not necessary or you need a trailer.
Trailers are good.
They can carry lots of stuff.
They do tend to weigh a bit, but at least it's not on the roof!
Roof bars are noisy. Roof cages are really noisy.

on the loading topic, AFAIK that's specific to when the car is in motion, which is why roof top tents work - they don't weigh much, and the roof is strong enough to support a couple of adults when not moving..
I don't think replacing the OEM rails on the rooof will mean you could increase the load, if you really want to increase the carrying capacity, double up on the roof bars (or at least one more) would be my suggestion as that would spread the load and increase the number of fixing points (although you may need to fix the rails to the roof a bit more..?)

 

[Kevin]

You have to be very careful when adding extra roof racks to ensure you do not get a see-sawing effect i.e. they have to be absolutely level with each other otherwise you can damage the roof rail mounting points or the roof itself once pressure is applied. In the past I discussed this option with a roof rack specialist and he was very much against adding a third rack because of these issues.

 

[scalman]

So what you saying is that this kinda setup
https://forums.bowsite.com/tf/pics/00small19717596.JPG
Would be bad for car and very noisy. Well my tires are not quite ones either.

Maybe spare tire carier could be done as some foresters have
https://www.subaruforester.org/vbul...1410536409-winch-forester-20140912_164938.jpg