~"Serious offroading"~

[Ratbert]

But then we are right back where we started, since everybody's "pucker factor" tolerance is different.

And changes over time. Take a noob as a passenger over that first obstacle and they kind of freak out. Hopefully they'll learn to grasp just how amazingly capable these Wranglers are after a few hours or days, especially if you dare to let them take the wheel.

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[Odyssey USA]

Eh, subjective really. Right now, it would be anything where there’s a considerable chance we’re walking away from the Jeep and I might be without my daily for weeks. We both work and have littles. I do a lot of trail research for reassurance. That said, we’re typically doing from easy to moderate trails.

 

[AVGeek99]

My cousin went with me on a trip to White Rim. He showed up at my house in a Chevy Spark so for the rest of the trip we were joking about where the Spark would or wouldn't go and what tires would fit on it with some modification.

But then you'd have to regear for it to be able to turn those tires. That's a big investment just to get the Spark to crawl over a six inch rock.

 

[AVGeek99]

We watched a Trailhawk do some “serious“ things in Johnson Valley. There was some self clearancing of parts like bumpers and other non-essential plastic being forcibly removed

I watched a not brand new, but very nice looking, stock height Lexus GX do that while attempting "The Wall" on Poughkeepsie Gulch. All the SxS, Jeeps and a Bronco made it up without too much issue, so the guy with the Lexus decided to give it a go. He made three or four attemtps and all but ripped off his front bumper before he called it quits. The whole time his wife was telling him not to do it. By the end she was very displeased!

 

[AVGeek99]

Well when two people love each other very much...oh wait, I mean shit what was the question?

I mean it takes two to tango...

Wait...

We all better hold on and be careful that no one gets "bronKITEus, Ain't nobody got time for dat!"

 

[jadmt]

This is so true. The subjective trail rating is alive and well. Black Bear Pass is rated as a 5-6 level trail on the Jeep BOH app. You can literally drive in in 2wd. If you can successful park your Jeep in a parking lot, you should be able to wheel this trail as long as heights don't bother you. There is one spot that is off chamber then a couple switch backs that are a little tight. Yet if you have not wheeled on shelf road with huge drop offs, it can be intimidating.

I made this video several years ago and it pretty accurate on how easy it is. My brother was with me in totally stock sport JK and he had never been offroad before. He had no issues.. the scariest part was the hippy chick peeing in the road at about 14 minutes and almost running the hikers sleeping on the road at 45 seconds. other than that it is a nice shelf road that poses no real challenges.

 

[AVGeek99]

And changes over time. Take a noob as a passenger over that first obstacle and they kind of freak out. Hopefully they'll learn to grasp just how amazingly capable these Wranglers are after a few hours or days, especially if you dare to let them take the wheel.

Yes, pucker factor subsides a lot, at least on easy stuff, once you have an understanding of what the Jeep is capable of. It comes back when you are doing something more difficult when you think you are testing the limits of the Jeep's capabilities.

"Most" people are rarely truly near the Jeep's limits, this is where the subjectivity comes in.

 

[AVGeek99]

I think we are going much beyond (that's never happened before) what the OP is really asking. I think he's talking about people who say they thought about getting a Jeep, but they got a 4Runner, Land Cruiser, Land Rover, Bronco, etc... "because they don't do any 'serious offroading'." And what they mean is they have no intention of doing anything more difficult than a bumpy gravel road or a fire road. To them, anything more than that is "serious offroading". Many of them follow it up with something like "so I ended up getting something more reliable and with better road manners".

 

[autotragic]

I think we are going much beyond (that's never happened before) what the OP is really asking. I think he's talking about people who say they thought about getting a Jeep, but they got a 4Runner, Land Cruiser, Land Rover, Bronco, etc... "because they don't do any 'serious offroading'." And what they mean is they have no intention of doing anything more difficult than a bumpy gravel road or a fire road. To them, anything more than that is "serious offroading". Many of them follow it up with something like "so I ended up getting something more reliable and with better road manners".

 

[3TV]

Serious off-roading should be objective, and there should be a standard for it. Unfortunately, human subjectivity prevents that. I would say a trail rated 7 or above is "serious off-roading."

Just a week ago I was talking to a woman at a roadside stop. She was mentioning my 392 on 40s, that was parked a short distance away from us and asked what gas mileage I got. I said I didn't know, and that I bought it to go off-road instead of for gas mileage. She turned and pointed to her Subaru parked about 100' away at the end of a graded-out gravel area, with their tent pitched next to it. She said, "I go offroad with my Subaru", as if to say, look, its parked off-road. To her, going off-road meant driving across a gravel parking lot.

 

[roaniecowpony]

I don't mind challenging rock crawling. But if it ever gets serious, it means it's not for fun. More likely a life saving activity at the "serious off roading" point. All the rest is fun off roading. Am-i-right?

 

[3TV]

Interesting point roaniecowpony. I have often said an "adventure" is something that when you are in the middle of it you are not certain you are going to be able to finish it without serious consequences, possibly including injury or death. But when you are able to finish it, you think to yourself what a great "adventure" it was. Maybe "serious off-roading" should be something along those lines as well.

 

[OutdoorSpace]

And changes over time. Take a noob as a passenger over that first obstacle and they kind of freak out. Hopefully they'll learn to grasp just how amazingly capable these Wranglers are after a few hours or days, especially if you dare to let them take the wheel.

This. So many things go into pucker-factor calculation (PFC), but certainly time changes it as well as comfort level with what you’re wheeling. Agree Ratbert getting to know and realize how incredibly capable our Wranglers are is a big part of it.

 

[autotragic]

This. So many things go into pucker-factor calculation (PFC), but certainly time changes it as well as comfort level with what you’re wheeling. Agree Ratbert getting to know and realize how incredibly capable our Wranglers are is a big part of it.

Maybe we should just repurpose the hot/crazy matrix for the pucker factor calculation it would simplify things.

 

[wibornz]

I watched a not brand new, but very nice looking, stock height Lexus GX do that while attempting "The Wall" on Poughkeepsie Gulch. All the SxS, Jeeps and a Bronco made it up without too much issue, so the guy with the Lexus decided to give it a go. He made three or four attemtps and all but ripped off his front bumper before he called it quits. The whole time his wife was telling him not to do it. By the end she was very displeased!

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

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