[ARCHIVED THREAD] - 4x4 Vehicles (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 10/12/2008 4:11:30 PM EDT
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I'll be working at a construction site for a few months that has areas I may need to get to which will not have any roads. Fortunately the area of construction will be mostly cleared so hopefully mesquite thorns wont pop to many tires. Anyway, I'm looking for a reliable 4 wheel drive vehicle. It doesn't have to be some kind of tricked out extreme rock crawler, just a reliable vehicle that will get me from one place to another that may need to cross a few dried up creek beds, ditches and ravines. Let me know if you have had good luck with any particular 4 wheel drive vehicle. The area is quite remote and repairs would be very difficult, so reliability is of utmost importance to me. Any suggestions? |
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I think its hard to answer that question given the terrain you "might" need to traverse. will it ever be wet? how tall/deep are the ditches/ravines? reason I ask, is if mud or all terrain tires are needed, if a stock height vehicle will clear your obstacles, etc. there's a bit more that goes in to what you're talking about than putting your ride in 4wd I ran my 4 dr f350 all over my ranch this weekend and it was just fine. powestroke diesel, auto tranny, 8" lift, 37" swampers |
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Buff, this is south Texas ranch land so I imagine it would be somewhat typical of what you face if your ranch is typical of anything like west and/or south Texas. It doesn't rain in this area too much. The land will have a little bit of rocky areas, sometimes areas have dense mesquite brush and other "desert" type brush. Most of that will be cleared by the contractor prior to construction but no land development will be done, so the terrain features will still be the same. I won't be hauling anything at all, but just getting around since I am inspecting the construction. I imagine I might need to upgrade the suspension given whatever vehicle I choose. |
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Yea, I've been really considering the Tacoma mostly because it has a great reputation for being reliable. Like I said in my last post, I won't be hauling anything (accept a few spare tires probably) so I really don't need something big, just something capable of getting around. Is the Tacoma you rode around in stock or did you modify it? |
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Tacoma! My Tacoma really had almost ZERO problems in the 9 years I owned it ( a couple of very minor things that just wore out), and it was two years old when I got it. Never got stuck. Never stranded me as it always started. Still had the original clutch, alternator, and other such parts in it when I sold it last year. |
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Since you don't plan on carrying much gear, smaller would tend to be better, IMO. If you need a highway legal vehicle, I would suggest a Wrangler Rubicon...solid axles F&R, selectable lockers F&R, and crawler gears in the xfer all from the factory. Coil springs all around makes for a relatively smoothe ride. If it is something that you can either safely leave on the property, or tow out there, a side-by-side might be better. Of course, there would be no A/C. I like the Yamaha Rhino. While I agree with the recommendation on the Tacoma, they need modifications to have the same offroad capability to compare with the Rubi in its stock form. Just for reference, I have been driving Toyota 4x4 trucks for 25+ years, including a Tacoma for 6 years, and my current P/U is a Tundra. The axles and xfer in the "Heep" in my avatar are from one of my older Toyo P/U's. I have also had Toyo 4x4's as work vehicles in foreign countries. They are unquesstionably the most reliable trucks out there, but unfortunately they only sell the watered down versions here in the US. |
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I had a regular Jeep TJ Wrangler 02 with basic 31" tires and no lift, and regular limited slip diffs, took me pretty much anywhere I wanted to go. When we had ice, I felt safer behind the wheel than walking down the sidewalk. I also had a 95 cherokee in 2wd that was pretty good. I knew some guys with 4x4 cherokees that were awesome. Probably gets overlooked as a good 4x4. |
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You may find tire selection to be a big deciding factor in how it will perform. A good bias ply tire will improve it's capabilities ten fold. In other words don't forget some good rubber for whatever you end up with! I like my wrangler for around here because it's small and can take lines a lot of pickups cannot. I use 31" Procomp mud terrains. They actually work well on rock to my surprise and the tread life is exceptional. Last time i was out i sunk her up to the door sills and still pulled out no problem. Guy in a bronco tried the same with his big ass all terrain tires and made it about 2 feet. 
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bias versus radial has nothing to do with how a tire performs, given most all scenarious. and forget a bias on the highway. for south texas I'd get a jeep. but depends on how far you're driving on the road. I spent 10 years hunting outside laredo and another 5 outside del rio. so I'm familiar with the terrain and what it is off road. jeep is good. smaller and pick your way around a lot of problems. almost as agile as a big side by side, but lots more comforts (I have a mule at my ranch, so experience with that too). that being said, with a pickup bed, you can throw things in the back like spare tires (if carrying more than one) and real tools for tire changes. OR, carry a spare on a jeep and a high lift, couple things in the back. if I was just running around the brush of s texas, I'd have a jeep. but I cant leave anything alone, so I'd have roof racks, tire carriers, lift kits, and all kinds of shit hanging off it. for the gentleman with the H1...nice! but they dont work well in this guy's scenario. too wide is the biggest problem. you cut a single wide trail thru the brush, you use a hummer to pick up the stobs and smooth out all the little branches that stick in a little bit. they're awesome, but too wide in a bruch country scenario. saw this first hand at the first deer lease. guy never brought his hummer down again after a couple flats and some south texas pinstriping. YMMV |
Puncture resistance is your friend. I see pointy sticks costing lots of guys big bucks every weekend up here. If balanced properly they run just fine on the highway. |
Cool, Now is that up between Lubbock and Amarillo? Anyhow, here is what I use to off road in...I've taken that Tahoe every where. I don't have any pictures but we used to have an Escalade that was always covered in cow crap and mud lol This is our seconed Tahoe, I think we've put a 100k on it but can't recall. The fuel pump took a dump on it along with some cheap 4X4 switch. Everything else has been fine.  I usualy don't go off roading in the truck but I got talked into it while out in Arizona during an ARFCON gtg. It actaully did pretty good though.   |
Man, you need more boat to match that truck!  Anyway, most of the south and west Texas ranch "roads" I've been on are cut by folks in 3/4 ton pickups, so get something which will fit in that track. Getting outside the track will get you flat tires. Just about any vehicle with some ground clearance and good tires will get you where you need to go. IMO the ground clearance is a lot more important than the 4 wheel drive. Alpine |
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I've strongly considered a Jeep Wrangler as well. My only thing is that I need to somehow stow at least 2 spare tires. The mesquite brush in this area is brutal and last time we were out we had 8 flats in just one vehicle alone. This was over months though. Do you think attaching a roof rack on top and throwing a tire up there would be a a viable alternative? What recommendation do you guys have for the most puncture proof tires out there? |
Like i said Bias ply is a must. You can get three ply but they are usually only manufactured in larger sizes(33"+) and are HEAVY . My pro comps are 2 ply and I'm always going through the thick shit. Only problem so far is scratched paint. |
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If flats due to mesquite thorns are a big problem, carry a bunch of tire plugs and a CO2 rig to air back up. If you need to carry two spares on a TJ, then a roof rack is about the only way to go. BF Goodrich Baja T/A's are some of the toughest tires made, but they are REALLY expensive. |
agreed my swamper SSR's are 10 ply on the tread, 2 on the side and are radials. not all bad. have you ever driven bias ply tires on the road? maybe smaller tires are fine, but my first truck had 36x14.5 gumbo mudders on it and wandered all over the place. this was my daily driver for about 2 years. I have an old school bronco with 32" mudders on it and it does the same. or the willys flat fender with 33" boggers (possibly the most notorious offroad tire made) that's downright scary on the street. not to mention bias ply tires get flat spots in them when cold and beats you for a little while till they warm up and get round. if you do anything on the street, most people will steer you away from bias ply tires. presently I'm running 37x12.5 swamper SSR's on my superduty. not a bad tire really. arent lasting that long, but I'm running them fast/hard on the highway under a 9000+ lb rig. not sure what I expect from a serious mud tire. had PJ dirt grips on it prior (same size) that were horrible. before tha, 35" bfg muds that werent bad. I ran wrangler MT's on a dually for a couple years and they werent bad (now you cant find them, replaced by mtr), and 285 bfg muds on a z71 years ago that was good. point being, I've got some experience with radial and bias ply tires both on and off road. you couldnt put me on another set of bias plys and I wish my dad would quit putting that shit on our hunt rigs. (then again, on our hunting willys, he's got friggin bobcat tractor tires, go figure) |
pretty sure you shouldnt be running slime on the street..... (makes for balancing issues) |
As a matter of fact it is!  its the Texas/Oklahoma boarder (in the panhandle).
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I run a '03 Taco 4x4 TRD x-cab, with BFG AT/KO's one size up from stock. Never a problem in 5 years, and has tackled some hairy shit with ease. best light truck made IMHO, and I owned nothing but Ford, Chevy 4x4's for years. Had a jeep cherokee too, next best IMO although not really comparable since it's not a truck. Both work great for tight spaces though [Wrangler included]. |
 . and god i wish i had the money for the 09' Ram 
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I've pretty much given up on Chevy all together. My Impala has the ability to turn itself off without warning on the freeway. Pretty freaking dangerous. It also turns on random warning lights, misleading me to the real problem. When my power steering fluid is low, my low coolant light turns on. When there is something wrong with the engine, then my airbag light turns on. I have to trick my Impala to get the turn signals to work by jiggling the hazard switch. Really, the Impala I own shows how cheap GM has become when it comes to things like basic electronics and instruments. Funny thing is that the previous company Silverado turned itself off randomly AND my friend's H3 had the exact same problem. We believe it is related to the crankshaft sensor since after I had that replaced, the problem seems to have gone away. The rest of the problems are related to the body control module which sometimes replacing it doesn't fix it, as the replacements are often defective too. Since that stupid computer cost something like 600 bucks, I just deal with the random warnings. Unfortunately though, the BCM does turn on all the electronics at night and drains the battery, then turns it all off (something like a .5 amp draw). What does this mean? Well if I leave my car un-driven for a while (say like leaving it at the airport), usually when I fly back in my battery is dead. Fun stuff. Anyway rant off, but I won't be buying a GM product until they clean up their act. |
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Another vote for the Tacoma. Mine is a 2001 double cab. It has the TRD package (electric locker) and 16 inch wheels. 265/75R16 is a common size for 3/4 ton trucks, and you can get some very heavy duty tires in that size. This is a +1 size for my Tacoma, and a set of Armstrong Norseman tires lasted a long, long time on it.
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Mileage ranges from 15 towing, to 18-19 in town, and 20-21 on the highway. I have gotten 23 a few times. I have highway tread p series tires on it now, and these were got for an extra mpg or two, but they are coming off soon as the Taco is no longer my daily driver. It's "semi retired" with 140K. Still runs and drives like new. |
It is indeed a 1996 "75 Series" Landcruiser; that pic was taken at work hundreds of miles from nowhere in the Sahara. I also owned a 55-series Landcruiser for several years here in the US; I wish I had never sold it.  Here is my 1983 P/U about 6 weeks after I bought it. The transfer case from it is in the vehicle in my avatar.  Here are my two current rigs, with my old Taco in the middle.  |
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Do you have the 3.4 or the 2.7? What weight trailer do you tow and still get 15 MPG? Auto or manual? My '96 Taco got on average 14-15 overall, but then again, it had a S/C'd 3.4, 4.10's and 31's. It was a whole lot of fun eating Z71's on the street regularly, but I sold it because the 5-speed was intolerable for my surgeried legs in Houston traffic. Damn, I miss that truck. Oh well, the $13.8K that I got for it with 75k on the clock paid for almost half of the Tundra. The Tundra at 13-14 MPG is actually cheaper to drive fuel wise than the Taco was even with the 4.7, auto, 4.30's and 32's, since it will run on 87 instead of 93. Do any of y'all taco lovers post on TTORA? |
My mileage is about the same as Warhawk's, 3.4, 5 spd 4x4 TRD with BFG AT +1. No SC though. I lurk on TTORA but do not post. |