~"Serious offroading"~

[GrayMatterJeep]

Perfect! Best description of serious off-roading in this whole thread.

Thanks. I cleaned up my grammar a tad, but my points arethe same.

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[Windshieldfarmer]

That's wild. I have been on trails rated 7-8 with no lift on 35s and looking for something more challenging.

At trail rated 7 and above you must be willing to accept vehicle damage. I do not…your toy, your money! Enjoy!

 

[autotragic]

At trail rated 7 and above you must be willing to accept vehicle damage. I do not…your toy, your money! Enjoy!

Like it's been said before though not every trail rating number is accurate. Some trails are overrated some are underrated. Most ratings change dramatically just depending on the weather.

I know I've certainly been on some higher rated trails where I was never seriously concerned about body damage. A 7 rated trail isn't that serious in my experience. I've had to stack rocks and whatnot to do certain obstacles for sure but nothing that I was seriously worried about actual body damage.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Last but not least:
4. If you are wheeling alone?
If you do that you're asking for "serious" trouble... Remember, "never wheel alone".

I know I'm in the minority of popular opinion, maybe it's because the 15 miles of dirt road out to our property that passes through a few washes is far more remote than any trail in Moab or popular trail anywhere, but the wife and I wheel solo 9 times out of 10. Could a disabled vehicle lead us to a long walk? Sure, but that's the case just coming and going from our property too. Could a medical emergency lead to death? Of course, but the same could be said on any freeway driving by yourself. Stroke, seizure, or simple loss of consciousness from any number of medical issues while driving at freeway speed could not only lead to your death in an instant but also endanger everyone else on the road. A. I'd rather die out wheeling than on the way to work because I couldn't find anyone to wheel with that day B. I'd rather my medical emergency only put me at risk and not some poor family in the lane next to me on the way to soccer practice. Again, I see why the advice is popular especially for the less experienced and non-survivalist types. For me it just doesn't make any sense as I'd never even be able to go to my own property.

 

[AVGeek99]

It's okay, it probably not the first time she has been displeased. But hey at least he tried.

It was actually really difficult to watch. At first I thought I want to see the Lexus go up. But after the first attempt it was obvious both the driver and the GX had no business attempting The Wall.

Some GXes are built and are pretty capable for a luxury SUV. This was not one of those GXes!

 

[Windshieldfarmer]

Like it's been said before though not every trail rating number is accurate. Some trails are overrated some are underrated. Most ratings change dramatically just depending on the weather.

I know I've certainly been on some higher rated trails where I was never seriously concerned about body damage. A 7 rated trail isn't that serious in my experience. I've had to stack rocks and whatnot to do certain obstacles for sure but nothing that I was seriously worried about actual body damage.

I agree with the variability in ratings. I’ve done a number of 7 rated trails in Colorado including Wheeler Pass and Taylor Lake Trail. Taylor Lake follows and often run through an active creek; there are several obstacles that certainly could easily lead to damage on a non lifted jeep. Imogene is rated a 6 but I thought it was a 5 until looking it up a few minutes ago. I love that trail…no need for a guide either.

at the end of the day…I just don’t get that excited anymore by pushing limits….to each there own!

 

[Zandcwhite]

We've been places in my daughter's stock Grand Cherokee that I wouldn't attempt in any of those, but that's just me.

I am a fan of the GC, and an admitted Ford hater, but only a fool would argue the modern GC is more capable than the Bronco. Lockers? Nope. Ground clearance? Nope. Approach and departure angles? Nope. Sway bar disconnect? Nope. 35s without major Sawzall work let alone from the factory? Nope. Now if you're talking a WJ with solid axles I'm in. Not so much in stock form but easily modified to have tons of travel. Wheeled the rubicon in the wife's built wj for years.

 

[wibornz]

I am a fan of the GC, and an admitted Ford hater, but only a fool would argue the modern GC is more capable than the Bronco. Lockers? Nope. Ground clearance? Nope. Approach and diaries angles? Nope. Sway bar disconnect? Nope. 35s without major Sawzall work let alone from the factory? Nope. Now if you're talking a WJ with solid axles I'm in. Not so much in stock form but easily modified to have tons of travel. Wheeled the rubicon in the wife's built wj for years.

Yeah, I put a 2in lift on a friends Trail Hawk Cherokee. It required some trimming to get it to fit 32in tires. Also installed some decent rock sliders. He would brag that he was going everywhere that I was going in Michigan. I said, we are not doing wrangler stuff. His Trail Hawk had a rear locker. I took him to Kentucky to do some wheeling and ended up winching him about 6 times.

He now owns a JLUR that I lifted for him recently with 37in tires.

 

[west tex]

Serious off-roading is going to differ for everyone. For me personally, I like to do the Rubicon Trail, Fordyce Trail, or Pritchett Canyon in Moab for example. I wouldn’t want to take a LC250 through these without major mods.

Example of a modified LC250 tackling Fordyce:

Yup

Those are serious rigs. On a serious trail.

 

[autotragic]

Yeah, I put a 2in lift on a friends Trail Hawk Cherokee. It required some trimming to get it to fit 32in tires. Also installed some decent rock sliders. He would brag that he was going everywhere that I was going in Michigan. I said, we are not doing wrangler stuff. His Trail Hawk had a rear locker. I took him to Kentucky to do some wheeling and ended up winching him about 6 times.

He now owns a JLUR that I lifted for him recently with 37in tires.

Certainly a Bronco Sasquatch will dominate anything from Jeep that's not a Wrangler.

 

[AVGeek99]

Yeah, I put a 2in lift on a friends Trail Hawk Cherokee. It required some trimming to get it to fit 32in tires. Also installed some decent rock sliders. He would brag that he was going everywhere that I was going in Michigan. I said, we are not doing wrangler stuff. His Trail Hawk had a rear locker. I took him to Kentucky to do some wheeling and ended up winching him about 6 times.

He now owns a JLUR that I lifted for him recently with 37in tires.

Perfect example of how "Serious Offroading" is subjective depending on the vehicle and often times the driver. In his Trail Hawk Cherokee he was doing some serious offroading. Now with a lifted JLUR on 37s the same trail would probably be a little more than ho hum.

 

[Ratbert]

I'm pretty sure the handful of people claiming that "serious offroading" was objective have backed off from that claim, right?

 

[Zandcwhite]

I'm pretty sure the handful of people claiming that "serious offroading" was objective have backed off from that claim, right?

I say no, it could still be objectively measured. Like most major trail runs a set of minimum parameters necessary to qualify for serious off roading. Saying it's 100% subjective would mean that the dumb ass on a graded gravel road was "serious off roading" because they were nervous. There has to be at least an objective minimum standard before anyone who's ever driven off road would even remotely consider it serious. Whether we agree on that standard or your professional rock racer would consider it remotely challenging is irrelevant.

 

[3TV]

Perfect example of how "Serious Offroading" is subjective depending on the vehicle and often times the driver. In his Trail Hawk Cherokee he was doing some serious offroading. Now with a lifted JLUR on 37s the same trail would probably be a little more than ho hum.

I think that his Trail Hawk Cherokee wasn't even capable of serious offroading, and his JLUR on 37s is. The challenge we feel when doing a trail can be dependent on the vehicle's capability. Whether it is "serious offroading" is not dependent on the vehicle's capability. It is dependent on the trail and weather conditions.

 

[OutdoorSpace]

It’s neither subjective or objective. It’s relative.

Relative to a vehicle’s capability. Relative to the driver’s capability.

That’s what creates the pucker-factor to know when you’re seriously doing serious off-roading!

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