Hi all,

I'm thinking of buying a 2015 Outlander Sport, 4WD. I plan to drive mostly on pavement but occasionally take it up into the mountains to go hiking. That means driving on bumpy forest service trails. Do any of you have any experience with this sort of thing? Will the Sport handle it okay? Does it matter if I get the 2.0L instead of the 2.4?

Last question--should I buy a skid plate just in case?

Thanks!

 

8.5 inches of ground clearance with a short wheelbase and a short approach and departure should make it decent for those types of roads. It's no real offroader since it's AWD, but it'll be ok for what you're doing. If you plan on doing any off roading, definitely get the 2.4L, the extra torque helps alot.

FYI, most SUV's are going to be around the same 8.5 inches of ground clearance in stock trim, the only 2 i think with more is the Cherokee Trailhawk and Renegade trailhawk. But they have nice low range gearing for more torque getting over obstacles.

I would get a skid plate if the forest roads you take have large rocks and ruts. But another thing to consider is how tucked the transmission and rear diff are into the body of the car. I don't have an outlander sport, i have a regular outlander, and the transmission and rear diff are tucked into the car pretty well, so a skid plate isn't really necessary. Each car is different, but cars with large front and rear diffs need a skid plate.

 

Thanks for the helpful information!

 

I just took mine off roading in some deep muddy ruts and it handled like a pro. My last vehicle was a 2001 jeep grand cherokee v8 with a 5'' lift. Turn 4wd lock and traction control off and it'll handle a lot. Low end torque isn't all that great. I didn't try to go from a dead stop but a slow roll on and I'm confident the Outie will get me out. I have yokohama geolander at/s tires so that helps a lot.

 

I just moved to northern AZ and the off roading opportunities are endless. Ive been searching for a body lift kit for my Outie xls but can't find anything. Has anyone had better luck finding a source?

 

I would try searching websites in europe and australia where body on frame SUV's are less prevalent and CUV's are more common.

Here's a strut preload kit, which adds spacers into the strut assembly. This will most likely firm up your suspension a little, but will lift your car.

SPACCER car lift kit / suspension lifting kits - lift your Mitsubishi Outlander II

 

Thanks for this link... It looks promising. I was also considering putting on oversized tires to achieve some more clearance. Has anyone tried adding some sidewall height, and how large would fit without creating an interference issue. Stock is 225/55/18, tread W 8.86, sidewall 4.87, overall dial 27.74. 225/60 would add just over .45" to the sidewall and overall ht. I'm also considering 235/60 which would widen the tread to 9.26 and increase dia to 29.1. I assume this would render the Speedo inaccurate and increase the COG but cannot identify other concerns besides a possible clearance concern

 

What size geolanders are you running I want to get a set.

 

Stock size