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Car Forum / Subaru Cars / January 2008Forester wading depth
Anyone know what the maximum depth of water is that I can safely go through with my '01 S Turbo Forester? My route to work involves crossing a ford and on occasions it gets deep after heavy rain. Are there any known mods to increase the depth safely? Mouse over this picture to get a view of the ford when flooded. http://vamp.idlers.org/~jaffa/dp.php?Rufford%20Country%20Park1&Rufford%20Country %20Park1mo I went through it earlier last year when it looked quite deep and managed to get a wave up to the headlights. Unfortunately this ripped my front registration plate off and ever since then I have been more cautious. > Anyone know what the maximum depth of water is that I can safely go through with > my '01 S Turbo Forester? My route to work involves crossing a ford and on [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > a wave up to the headlights. Unfortunately this ripped my front registration > plate off and ever since then I have been more cautious. Ask around at www.ultimatesubaru.org . You may not need intake and exhaust mods - but IIRC the diffentials and transmission may need some special vent tube or something. Carl  Signatureto reply, change ( .not) to ( .net) As Carl said, the transmission, differentials, and I want to add wheel bearings. Should have no problems if the water is less than the ground clearance which is below the items above. This is as long as the flow does not sweep you away as the other poster noted. Blair >> Anyone know what the maximum depth of water is that I can safely go >> through with [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Carl Here's some more specific information about how little water it takes to get into trouble: http://www.wvdhsem.gov/WV_Disaster_Library/Library/FLOODS/floodsandfloods .htm And here's an amusing film for your viewing pleasure...I don't know if the driver made it out alive or not (so maybe not so amusing): http://video.aol.com/video-detail/truck-gets-swept-away-in-flood-waters/2 282344224 I'll stop here as it's getting a bit off topic, though I think very important for those of us that drive "off road" capable vehicles. Jerry > Anyone know what the maximum depth of water is that I can safely go through > with [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > a wave up to the headlights. Unfortunately this ripped my front registration > plate off and ever since then I have been more cautious. "Each year, more deaths occur due to flooding than from any other severe weather related hazard. The main reason is people underestimate the force and power of water. More than half of all flood related deaths result from vehicles being swept downstream. Of these, many are preventable." - NOAA I strongly suggest you don't do this. Please see the NOAA web site "turn around don't drown": http://www.weather.gov/os/water/tadd/ As a NOAA weather spotter (and Subaru Forrester owner *smile*) I've seen some film of just how little water it takes to sweep away a car and cause real harm to the occupents. Jerry >>Anyone know what the maximum depth of water is that I can safely go through >>with [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > Jerry Of course the warnings about the force of moving water are important. The OP didn't mention whether the water was flowing or not. Carl Signatureto reply, change ( .not) to ( .net) >>>Anyone know what the maximum depth of water is that I can safely go through >>>with [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > >Carl Flowing, but slowly, even in flood. I have seen plenty of small cars stuck in the centre of the ford up to the axles, but nobody has ever been swept away to my knowledge. Depends on how wet you want the interior to get ;-} Technique with 4x4s is to wade in first to check depth and flow (taking the usual precautions). If it looks possible disconnect the fan belt, drive in slowly and open the doors when the level is above the sills. Let it fill so it won't float, and proceed. > Depends on how wet you want the interior to get ;-} > > Technique with 4x4s is to wade in first to check depth and flow > (taking the usual precautions). If it looks possible disconnect the > fan belt, drive in slowly and open the doors when the level is above > the sills. Let it fill so it won't float, and proceed. That's all good if you are driving a trail rig with no upholstery and plain rubber floormats (and big drain holes) that you can hose out afterwards. Been dere, dun dat. > Flowing, but slowly, even in flood. I have seen plenty of small cars stuck in > the centre of the ford up to the axles, but nobody has ever been swept away to > my knowledge. If you become buoyant, it won't take much force to push you around. I would not push my Forester through more than a few inches of water. >> Flowing, but slowly, even in flood. I have seen plenty of small cars stuck in >> the centre of the ford up to the axles, but nobody has ever been swept away to >> my knowledge. > >If you become buoyant, it won't take much force to push you around. I >would not push my Forester through more than a few inches of water. This is precisely my question. I'm not intending to go so deep that I need a snorkel and axle breathers. I just want to know how deep is safe. If that means a few inches then that is the answer. I would guess 3-4 inches possibly, with mid wheel depth in emergencies as a rule of thumb? >>> Flowing, but slowly, even in flood. I have seen plenty of small cars stuck in >>> the centre of the ford up to the axles, but nobody has ever been swept away to [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > means a few inches then that is the answer. I would guess 3-4 inches possibly, > with mid wheel depth in emergencies as a rule of thumb? If I were to guess what is safe, I would say the 7 or so inches of ground clearance in the Forester. I don't know how water proof the chassis is but if submerged to that point, there will be more buoyancy and chance of being pushed with water flow. I learned my lesson a few years ago in taking my Forester through a field and driving through drifted snow. All 4 wheels were lifted off the ground and I had to dig snow from under and back out. You could do a calculation from weight of car and total bottom surface area, what psi would make it totally buoyant. Offhand ~ 0.25 psi or maybe chassis submerged in about 6 inches of water. Engineering type in group can comment. Also many years ago in a different car, I had the experience of water planing at about 50 mph. Truly scary when you have no control of car. > This is precisely my question. I'm not intending to go so deep that I need a > snorkel and axle breathers. I just want to know how deep is safe. If that > means a few inches then that is the answer. I would guess 3-4 inches possibly, > with mid wheel depth in emergencies as a rule of thumb? I drive a 1999 Forester S, and have driven through a number of fords. My husband and I are both experienced off-road drivers. (He's an archaeologist, so it's part of the job for him, and I've been driving Subarus for over 20 years and love the back country.) I haven't seen many fords that ever get even close to axle depth in normal, non-storm conditions, and I wouldn't worry about water less than, say, eight inches deep. (That's around axle depth on our Forester.) The vehicle can handle it, even if the water is flowing fairly rapidly. Actual flooding conditions are completely different matter. They are *extremely* dangerous, not because of the depth of the water (which might be navigable when you check), but because that depth can change rapidly and without warning. We would *not* attempt to cross a wash or ford during a storm or when water levels are changing unpredictably, even if it was dry, except in a life-threatening emergency. I was in an actual flood once -- the 1995 Russian River flood in northern California. My Subaru almost got swept away when the water went up more than two *feet* in a period of perhaps thirty seconds. Fortunately I made it to the top of the next hill. I was driving on a low-lying road, not a ford or wash, but -- trust me -- you do *NOT* want to risk a similar experience. SignatureCatherine (Hampton) Jefferson <ariel@spambouncer.org> The SpamBouncer * <http://www.spambouncer.org/> Personal Home Page * <http://www.devsite.org/> > Anyone know what the maximum depth of water is that I can safely go through with > my '01 S Turbo Forester? My route to work involves crossing a ford and on [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > a wave up to the headlights. Unfortunately this ripped my front registration > plate off and ever since then I have been more cautious. I guess the air intake is high, like my Impreza, but don't get in water that could get in the intake. A nephew hydrolocked a Mitsu that had the intake down low, and bent rods. VF >I guess the air intake is high, like my Impreza, but don't get in >water that could get in the intake. A nephew hydrolocked a Mitsu that >had the intake down low, and bent rods. > >VF Don't make the mistake a friend of mine made and think that the intercooler intake scoop on the bonnet (hood in the US?) is the same as the engine air intake. :-O > >I guess the air intake is high, like my Impreza, but don't get in > >water that could get in the intake. A nephew hydrolocked a Mitsu that [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > :-O No turbo here, but Good point...(( VF Hi Stewart, All! >Anyone know what the maximum depth of water is that I can safely go through with >my '01 S Turbo Forester? My route to work involves crossing a ford and on >occasions it gets deep after heavy rain. Are there any known mods to increase >the depth safely? I've taken my old GL wagon thru stream crossings up to perhaps 18 inches (~knee deep) w/o problems. I wouldn't hesitate to take my '99 Forry thru 12 inches of water; about mid-wheel depth. If I had to ford 18 inches, or turn around, I'd certainly try, but that's just the way I am. General rule is that if you submerge your diff(s), you will need to drain/refill ASAP, but that won't stop you from getting home, just creates another project :-) Remember that the Soobies, unlike a solid axle ORV, carry their rear diff fairly high, and a mid-axle deep ford taken gently is unlikely (IMO) to result in water even getting near the vent. The front diff is integral to the tranny, and so vented at the fill neck; unlikely to aspirate water before the engine does. The engine electricals are all on top. The hubs are reasonably well sealed. The engine air intake is (unless you've installed a CAI) about even with the top of the radiator, so that's not a trouble-spot either. The door seal is also good, and unless you get stuck in the middle, you aren't likely to get the interior wet, any more so than at the coin-operated car wash. With that in mind, here's another good rule: If you can clearly see the bottom ALL OF THE WAY ACROSS, go for it. If not, better to wade thru first to check for deep spots, sticky mud, stopper rocks, etc. If it looks too gnarly to wade, you probably won't want to drive thru anyway. You can get a lift kit for the Forry, but it will only help a little with the diff height unless you also install oversized tires. You can run a slightly taller tire with the stock suspension, but only slightly because of the rear strut. A 215-70-15 fits OK on mine, a 225 might not. You could also install a vent tube just like the big boys do if you were so inclined. Hope this is helpful. ByeBye! S. Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101 >With that in mind, here's another good rule: If you can clearly see >the bottom ALL OF THE WAY ACROSS, go for it. If not, better to wade >thru first to check for deep spots, sticky mud, stopper rocks, etc. If >it looks too gnarly to wade, you probably won't want to drive thru >anyway. The particular ford I go through every day has a solid concrete bottom, so no problems there. Other fords I have encountered in my area I wouldn't tackle without a good inspection. >Hope this is helpful. Very helpful, thank you. |
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