When is a vehicle too big for off-roading?

I will keep bargaining over this one, and in the meanwhile I'll check the other one tomorrow.

 

Haha!

Sounds like a "full time 4wd nerd" thing to me. The rest of us don't have center differentials.

 

Another good video, now I understand what the whole “down-travel is king” thing @Trail Runnah mentioned before.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj__K12mwrM

 

That was a good one. Oftentimes the takeaway I get from his videos is that you have to be a little out of your mind to want to build an IFS Toyota, lol.

 

A little lift and bigger tires do help with angles and ground clearance for moderate wheeling, chances of scratches are minimized. But yes, if one wants 37s and 40s on their 4Runner, they are out of their mind. At that point, the Toyota is not reliable anymore, better go all out Jeep. Bronco fanboys need to understand this too, they will never outflex a Jeep.

 

Yeah, these remain good DD's with a mild lift and 33s. If you need more than that, you're probably driving the wrong vehicle.

Broncos are quite capable, but they require some steering upgrades right out of the box. This was a big deal when they first came out, people were bending tie rods and breaking racks like crazy, but the aftermarket has already addressed to this.

When it comes to rock crawling a production vehicle though, you can't
out-Jeep Jeep.

 

Bronco is powerful, but I can never imagine it can rock crawl like a Jeep. Plenty of flex comparisons on Youtube, Jeeps wins all the time. Beonco is based on the Ranger. Toyota and Ford really don't feel like making one special platform that they wouldn't be able to sell many. They will keep putting out IFS trucks. Jeep, on the other hand, has been selling these for decades. Jeep will die if they remove one solid axle, and they know that very well.

 

Depends on what your building it for. If hardcore off-roading is the only priority, a Wrangler is definitely a better choice. If you want a daily driven vehicle that can still wheel, Toyota rules.

 

I wouldn't bother with the Bronco. If I got to the point where I seriously wanted more capability, I'd skip right to a Jeep.

Also, Broncos are ugly

 

4Runner's wheeling ability is underestimated and underrated It has a lot of tools. It is only second to a Wrangler.

 

On the subject of military vehicles, I drove by an old H1 hummer (looked like one of the civilian versions unless they painted) while in the mountains of NC this past week. That was another vehicle I really longed for in the past but man are they wide. Not sure how good the turning radius is but have a feeling just going straight down trails you probably get a lot of pin stripes

 

A!ways go back to my 1981
Datsun 720. First vehicle I learned to drive on the farm.
Wild that looking back an 8 year old was driving up to the dairy in the mornings to help with the milking before heading out to school.

 

Yup, the 4runner is such a nice compromise between balls out crawling, utility, daily driver, and camping rig. I still can’t think of another vehicle that has such wide versatility out of the box. Even more versatility with a few choice mods. I got 33s, lift suspension for terrain clearance, and armor that suits my damage tolerance level. Probably best to leave it at that in order to keep all the other advantages that 4runners have. Once you get too crazy, you lose the versatility.

 

Hell, get both if that is an option for ya.

Problem solver..

 

I have added 250 lbs of steel, 34 inch tires, and a bunch of other crap, and it is still moves. A-Trac does its thing, at 15 psi I am unstoppable. Great rig. I haven't driven my Grand Cherokee for weeks
I love the 4Runner. Super thirsty though, my GC has a Hemi and is still drinks less.
And I set up a mattress in the back

 

This is why people get envious.

 

I may be biased, but I don't see the 4Runner to be a compromise; I see it as the best choice. Comfortable interior, excellent ride quality, excellent reliability, excellent capability, excellent practicality, etc.

The Wranglers I see them as toys. They're meant to be these more extremely off-roaders, but they suffer a lot in what I described above. I don't plan to ever do rock-crawling or any other extreme off-roading like that; what the 4Runner has tackled for me in the forests here in the northeast is more than plenty. I said it before, to do the extreme stuff I'll just get a SxS or shit maybe a 2-door Wrangler and beat the crap out of it.

But my 4Runner is my baby, LOVE that thing.

 

Engineer90, you can never be wrong in your own experiences, Rock on, Brother Have accomplished so much in a side by side....​

 

Once I get this bumpber setup, I don't mind beating the crap of out my 4Runner

 

We drove the hemi JGC on this road trip because I'm around 16.5 mpg in the 4runner and I averaged closer to 19.5 in the jeep.

Gas mileage wasn't really why I wanted to drive it though - being able to pass a half dozen vehicles who refuse to get out of the left lane on the mountain passes without any effort was why I wanted to drive it. I would have been stuck behind them in the slug, with the pedal near the floor just to keep my speed. That hemi and 8 speed gear box is a beast

 

Even with that bumper I wouldn't beat it up

 

And that 8 spd ZF tranny is very durable if you take care of it, very fun and very durable.

 

Just go ahead and rip that mutha off to make that band aid pull easier, so there is not any hard feelings, Yotoholic.we cover ya, brother!

 

On the dunes, beat that joker like it owed ya money.

Old age causes these type of reactions.

 

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Eh, I'd slot the Bronco in between the Wrangler and 4Runner. Bronco beats the 4R in angles, tire size, gearing, number of lockers, and has a manual gearbox option.

 

But, it loses points for being ugly.

Are there any good comparison videos? Better on paper doesn't always transfer to being better in the field. I'm curious how it really plays out.

I'm hoping Toyota steps it up a hair on the 6th gen. We'll see.

 

I'm sure there are, I'll post when I find a good one. I've watched enough videos to know they are very capable.

Also, bite your tongue... the Bronco looks amazing! Especially in the metallic green. Looks are subjective though, some people still like the FJ.

The durability may be a concern though.... at the VT event I went on a trail run with one (non sasquatch).... He ended up getting stuck in the mud, broke his front diff trying to get out, and I pulled him about 60 feet backwards up a muddy hill with my 4R.

It would be amazing if Toyota offered the equivalent to the Sasquatch PKG... but they won't.

 

Not the best video, but interesting enough.

 

I just never understood why Ford in their infinite wisdom thought of only offering the manual in the 2.3L 4 banger tho. At least Toyota offered the manual Supra with the B58 and seems like it it accounts for almost 50% of Supra sales. I think the Bronco manual sales are much lower.