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subaru forester performance in mountains at altitude

I am considering purchasing a 2005 Subaru Forester with the standard (4 cylinder, automatic, non-turbo) engine. While the engine seems to have plenty of power in the flatlands, I live in the Sierra foothills and spend a lot of time in the mountains. I'd appreciate any feedback from folks who have experience with the Forester (or any other Subaru with the same engine like the Outback or Legacy) and its performance in the mountains at altitude. Does the standard engine have enough power on the mountain roads? Any problems with performance at higher altitudes? Do you wish you had bought the turbo engine? Thanks!

Reply to
mr
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With a 5-speed, certainly. With an auto? Couldn't say. I've only spent a little time driving one of those.

Not yet. I doubt I've had mine higher than Tioga pass (9000+ feet), but no problems there. It can still pass at that altitude.

Mine is an '03, with a MAP sensor, and I think '05s use a MAF sensor, so their behavior at alititude could be different. I've certainly had cars in the past that seemed to run out of air in the mountains.

It would sure be fun, but the NA motor works fine for me.

Reply to
David

I've got the Outback with 2.5 and auto. I do a lot of driving between Portland and Sun Valley, ID so I go from sea level to about 5500 ft. My experience is the 2.5 is a very capable little engine. If you go with the 5 speed I think you would be happy. The auto is just a slush box and does a lot gear hunting pulling up grades. Even with that, by driving the auto I can maintain 65 going up Cabbage Hill outside Pendleton, OR. That is about an 8 mile 6-8% grade. Being that the Forester is a little lighter I would expect it to do even better.

Jack

snipped-for-privacy@sierratel.com wrote:

altitudes?

Reply to
jbaker

I took my OBS 2.5 4EAT on I-70 through the rockies and it did good. The trick is to anticipate major grades by putting the tranny in 3rd and keeping the revs near 4000 rpm (70 mph). This'll keep you moving with the fast traffic uphill.

Having said that, you will definately notice the loss of lower RPM torque at

8000-9000 feet elevation. -Danny
Reply to
Danny Russell

We live at ~7,500ft, and my wifes Forester is often chosen for trips into the mountains where the elevations run between 9,000 and 10,000 ft in the valleys, and 12,000+ on the passes. While you _do_ notice some power loss, particularly above 11,000ft or so, there is still plenty of reserve. The turbo will have more, of course, but you will sacrifice your fuel economy to utilize it. Also, experience suggests that it is often difficult to keep the turbo spooled on twisty mountain roads (unless you have the highway to yourself, and ignore the speed limits . . . ;-)

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101

Reply to
S

I have a 2003 Forester - automatic (took me a week to decide on manual versus auto - and I'm glad I went with the auto - fits our driving style better)

Anyways, we live on the coast and go to South Lake Tahoe regularly - and I have not noticed any power issues at 7000+ feet. I drive Hwy 50 all the time, no problems. Note however that you should manually shift into third gear to prevent "seeking" when climbing steeper grades - I have been loaded with ski gear, wife and 2 kids, and climbed steep grades at 60+mph in third no problem.

Car does great in the snow of course, but watch out for those stock Yokohama tires - they wear out fast and suck in the snow.

S wrote:

Reply to
hwolf

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