Baja Blast: Methods and KO2s

After the Baja's turbocharged Boxer got rebuilt earlier this year, it also got a bit of a lift kit.  While nothing crazy, the 1" Spacers from Anderson Design Fabrication gave it a little more clearance.  This time the Baja gets taller by way of bigger angrier tires fitted to some of my favorite wheels ever!

Here's the Baja Blast as it sits on it's new METHOD 502 Rally VT Spec wheels and BF Goodrich KO2 tires!  They're 215/75 R15 and only needed minor tweaking to the inner fender well to get 'em to fit right without rubbing.  I could've gone with a smaller tire, but after seeing them on the car, I have no regrets.  Besides looking mean, these tires are nice and wide thanks to the offset of the Method wheels, which has helped give this Baja some well needed stability in the corners as well as adding to the already aggressive look of the All-Terrain tires.

The off-road capability of this little "truck" has been vastly improved.  Since getting them on, I've wasted no time in finding as many treacherous and tricky roads to test it out on.  With the ADF Lift fitted to OEM Suspension and the taller tires, the distance from the differential to the ground is 10.5 inches, so it hasn't had any trouble on Nebraska's B Roads.  The grip from these tires is incredible.  They drive fine for the daily commute on asphalt, but they really come alive on dirt, gravel, mud, really anything I managed to throw at it.  I even forded a small creek in my adventures!  Road noise isn't too much worse than it already was, but the 2006 Subaru Baja wasn't known for a whisper-quiet ride to begin with.  And thanks to the wider offset provided by the Method wheels, it doesn't feel as top-heavy or unstable during tight cornering. 

I've already driven 300 miles on this setup and am absolutely satisfied with how they perform and feel.  Then, once I'm out of the car to take a picture of whatever terrain I've managed to tackle, I'm also drawn to how much more aggressive this Baja looks because of 'em.  Whether it's dirty from it's latest excursion or cleaned up, the meaty tires, wider stance, and added height these add makes me really glad I went with this setup.

Time to go have more adventures!