alright so many people belive that the bigger the truck the better off road..how many of you agree with this.. because my buddy beleives this but yet ive seen a friends f-150 lifted on 35 do prettyy ****ty off road so i just want an all around opinion.

 

I will say there is such a thing as too big. My opinion the lower the center of gravity you can have the better as long as you can clear some decent tires. Also most of it is in how itz built. Lockers and gears are probably some of the most important things. It also depends on the terrain you are wheeling.

 

if i could figure out how to take my BL off and still use some of the mods i have now i would. height isnt always that good.

I know i dont want to go any higher now.

 

I would agree with Shadyluke, plus remember that tires play a big role too. I would say that generally smaller vehicles are better, i mean look at how small jeeps are, and they are some of the best off-road vehicels ever made. I would say its better to be light and nimble...... But then again, I drive a ranger! :)

 

it's all in the driver!

case in point John Griggs! he's an experienced wheeler, and even before he put 35's on his truck we all some pictures and the occasional video of what a little 2wd ranger could do. and in most cases it was keeping up with if not exceeding other larger 4wd vehicles....

and i've seen this same thing over and over again...

 

Agreed, I've seen somebody wheel an Oldsmobile better than some people can wheel a truck. I've had a friend in a lifted jeep on 33" M/T's nearly sink his truck when he would've been fine if he had taken his time and tried a line only 5' over... Height and capability arent everything.

 

height is bad, all it does is put you on your roof. Hack fenders and run the largest tire you can fit, lockers and as much down travel as you can run.

We did this to a trooper, welded the diffs front and rear, hacked the fenders as much as possible and threw on some 33" TSL's. Thing worked awesome. Ive never seen a vehicle sidehill as well as this thing did.

What we started with.



What we ended up with.

 

Now that is a trail **** if I have ever seen one. I like it

 

Haha... yeah trail running is all about traction and flex and driving ability. Lockers, some good 33" MTs, and a good drive and you can run with pretty much anyone. Throw in a front and rear winch... and you've got a very capable off-road rig. Height most definitely is not the end all be all of off-roading.

Now, if you want a bogger... I'd say height is needed to keep everything out of the muck... but trail riding is way different then building a bogger.... Look at Trucks Gone Wild for instance... almost all those rigs would be horrible trail riders.

 

smaller trucks can have a greater advantage in not sinking as bad as full size trucks (exc. Beard and sand dunes) because of the weight. too much lift adn height can be a problem with rolling. clearance and angles are what you need in offroading, to get through whatever comes your way. that is why a jeep is one of the most offroaded vehicles

 

Driver, tire, and drivetrain is whats really important.

IMO, 4" higher on my truck w/ 38's would be perfect for my offroading, which is just mud. No hills, no rocks.

If I were to be in the desert, I would take my bl off and run 32's or 33's and camburg.

If I were to be on the rocks, I'd probably get a jeep, mildly lift it, and run some mt/rs


But thats just me I don't know much offroading except mud!!

 

really, a smaller rig (jeep sized) with the wheelbase of a larger truck is ideal to start. you have the ability to get over more obstacles while keeping your tires on the ground, but you retain the basic smallish, nimble size. either removing body panels or cutting the body will allow more room from larger tires. combine that with the least amount of vertical lift as possible, and you have a rig with a low center of gravity, bigger tires so more ground clearance where it counts (under the axles), and front to rear stability from the wheelbase stretch (which also helps with approach angles), and to top it off, a rig that is small enough to run most trails without rubbing against every tree it encounters.

the bigger the rig, the more problems you will have rock crawling and trail riding. big rigs are good for mud because their size helps with stability in the slippy stuff.
really it's all about the type of wheeling you're going to do.
overall, a smaller rig (jeep/ranger sized), with huge fender openings, small amount of lift, and the biggest tire you can safely stuff in there is going to be the basis of the best overall off roading vehicle. lockers and winches just add to it all, but the main point is a smaller vehicle is going to be the best overall.

 

I think thats why they are selling the 4 door wranglers like crazy, still small but with the extra wheel base and all the offroading goodies!

 

everything is better when built low. Friends Grand cherokee on 40's.

 

I agree, height isn't everything. I live on nothing but flat land, so there's nothing but mud.

One day, hopefully, my truck will be 'show worthy'.

If I could go back when I bought the truck, I would of left it on 33's & bought a nice atv to mess around on, cuz it's a PITA to get in & out my truck now.

Brenton

 

haha, thats how I'm thinking...except I'm building my truck up, then getting an ATV, so I can have the best of both worlds!

 

Even with my truck being stock height, I haven't had any problems with offroading and i have have some pretty hairy stuff in my truck. And i like how my truck doesn't sink in mud and the bigger trucks do. HAHA

 

bottom line its the driver not vehicle I know a lot of us out there can do things with rangers that no one knew a truck could do if you like rangers then you can go anywhere and never be limited on the trail, sand, or mud. If you prefer bigger vehicles then feel free waste more gas, don't fit on every trail you run into, and have fun cus you have a higher chance of rolling.

 

a truck thats too big will sink in mud instead of going through it. ive seen it.

 

Drivetrain is what matters most in alot of situations.

 

i knew a guy with a single cab ranger v6 4x4 locked front and back on 35s that could take his truck almost anywhere...

mud, rocks, sand, etc, etc...

bigger is definitely not always better in my opinion... you've got to build your truck for how you want to use it.

if you're in florida and do the mud boggin' stuff, then sure... 53" tires will be better than 35's... if you're rock crawling, maybe 49's can be better than 37's... but if you're going on tight trails and your rig is too long, too tall or too wide (than being bigger is not better)... if your truck is so heavy that it sinks where a lighter truck wouldn't, than bigger is not better...

just depends.

 

It depends what you're doing.

If you're crawling in some trails and rocks, you want something with great approach angles, a shorter wheelbase, a low center of gravity, great articulation, etc.

If you're mud-bogging, then 44's would be the way to go.

--

A stock jeep with a simple sway-bar disconnect will beat the hell out of a body lifted ranger on 33's through 99% of the trails out there.