I recently finished a conversion with a 2002 Forester. I definitely
have much reduced clearance.

What I do worry about is that I am used to around 7 inches of clearance
under my old oil pan (I have an 85 which was a bit higher than 86+
vans). I now have quite a bit less. the oil pan hangs down quite a bit.
Although I am not offroading the van frequently, I do travel down a lot
of dirt roads (some deeply rutted). The first thing to hit would be my
oil pan and would probably cause me to get stuck out in the middle of
nowhere.

If it is strictly a paved road vehicle, there shouldn't be any problems.

These aren't great pictures, but they give you an idea...
http://mycommunitynet.net/gallery/albums/conversionpics/IMG_0019.jpg
http://mycommunitynet.net/gallery/albums/exhaustpics/Picture_9.sized.jpg

The second one shows another vehicle. It's still jacked up and doesn't
give a great feel for how much lower the pan does hang. I'll have to
take a picture of mine sitting on the ground one of these days.

Aaron

On Apr 26, 2005, at 5:49 PM, John Reynolds wrote:

> Eric,
> I recently helped complete an Subie. install.  That van is running 15"
> rims (Can't remember tire size) and there appears to be ample
> clearance.
> I don't have a measurement to give you right now, but if you wish, I'll
> take some measurements and get the tire size.
>
> So there's another option for you!
>
> John
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>> What about clearance?  I hear you lose a few inches with the Subie.
>> Is
>> there any suspension adjustment to compensate or is that just not a
>> good
>> idea (or too expensive?).
>