Calico Ghost Town - Doran Loop trail

[jesus_man]

Ooooo, nice Rubi unlimited! Tried to get my dad to get one of those, instead he went with the 92" wheelbase TJ (Still a rubi) and comments on wishing he had more room and wheelbase. mmmhumm

J.D.

 

[davidfkon]

Not mine - it's the wife's!

Now THAT'S what I call a good weekend date . . . wish my wife enjoyed taht as much as yours! Lucky man!!

 

[Houm_WA]

IFS is a disadvantage when off roading because it limits articulation, but the traction control on the LR3 adequately makes up for it, and in some cases, even surpasses a flexy solid axel'd rig. The only thing stopping LR3's from conquering more brute trails is limited ground clearance, and really expensive sheet metal

This is true in most cases, and partially true in the case of the LR3. Because of the cross-linking in the LR3's air suspension, there is still a respectable amount of articulation. 10+ inches (of wheel travel) up front and 13+ inches in the rear. While this isn't a ton compared to the best solid axle set-ups, it's a lot more than most IFS rigs and even a little more than some solid-axle suspensions. The LR3's indi suspension is just not the same as the common IFS and solid-rear setups that a lot of other rigs have (the H2 for instance).

As for the ground clearance....the LR3 has 9.5" right down the middle. That's not bad. With tires and the rod-mod I have 12.5" which is respectable. You have to take a different line than a solid-axle rig might take...

Traction control is pretty sweet...but honestly my locker(s) kick in way before the TC does so I'm not well versed on its workings.

...overall, I would not necessarily call an indi suspension a disadvantage. Afterall, the venerable Humvee has an indi suspension and it seems to do just fine.

 

[davidfkon]

The following was sent to me by my jeep driving friend in response to the comment above:

"I’m sure anything can be built up to make it rockworthy.

Two points to ponder:

1) How many ifs rock buggies are there?

Watch this video. See what no articulation gets ya" YouTube- Hummer H1 Offroad on 2n17x

 

[umbertob]

Bad, bad spotter.

 

[jesus_man]

I agree with umbertob, that or the driver asked for the extreme line. Still, when the spotter told the driver to turn right, that was the wrong thing to do, turning left there would have likely avoided the dent in the door. The guy should have listened to the guy in the khaki shorts.

However, Shannon Campbell, one of the top rock racers, has been running an IFS, IRS buggy for a couple years now.

not saying it's the wave of the future, but they are working on the technology to get it to flex better and be stronger.

J.D.

 

[duckdive]

Bad, bad spotter.

Ditto

 

[roverman]

Bad, bad, badass truck. Well I mean, unless you want to drive on the road in comfort and without looking like a testosterone riddled fool. I'm just sayin' they sure are capable.

 

[jesus_man]

H1's are pretty awesome trucks, but for the money, there are many other vehicles I could build that would be just as capable, if not more so, and fit down any narrow trail we have out here. I'm not a jeep guy at all, but I'd rather take a 4-door JK throw some high-dollar dana 60's under it, and Atlas transfer case, some body protection all for less than buying a similar year, condition, etc H1. Ok, so maybe the hemi conversion in the jeep would put me over budget, but...

J.D.

 

[Houm_WA]

H1 would be my first choice if I didn't have to drive it on the street.

Oh...yeah, that spotter was a real ****! Turn right? Really? That is the exact opposite advice I would've given. Even if the driver had turned down (left) after the passenger side tires came back in contact with the rock he'd have been fine, but he kept his line and flopped. Wow...