Off Road Experience With 5th Gen Explorer !

[nouman_100]

I am no Elite Member, Took my Ex ltd off couple of times, on this visit didnot bottom it at all with 600 kg load at the back http://www.flickr.com/photos/100641520@N02/9566279093

 

[LukerDooker]

Amazing pics!
This picture with the rocky road is makes me wish the Ex had just a few inches more clearance in the front. Swap the rocks for snow and ice and we all will be doing it this winter.

For those that went off road or to the beach in the 5th gen - how was the overall performance with the dust/rock/dirt factor ?
-any 20" wheels while off-road?
-were you running AC off-road?
-did any dust or dirt enter the car? as in thru the vents or from the seams around the doors?
-do you feel whatever you were driving on-sand, rocks, etc - that it collected in places in the Ex undercarriage, & afterwards you curse ever doing it, or no noticeable pockets of sand/stuff stuck or weird noises after?

 

[peterk9]

I am no Elite Member, Took my Ex ltd off couple of times, on this visit didnot bottom it at all with 600 kg load at the back http://www.flickr.com/photos/100641520@N02/9566279093

When the 2011 first came out, the Owner's Guide had a note for owners with the 20" wheel/tire. That note said that the vehicle when so equipped was designed for on-road use only and not off-road use. It seems that in subsequent printings that was removed. I assumed it was to prevent damage to the wheels due to the lower profile of the tire.
I'm glad you are able to enjoy the off-road use of the Explorer and that it appears to be performing very well.

Peter

 

[nouman_100]

Amazing pics!
This picture with the rocky road is makes me wish the Ex had just a few inches more clearance in the front. Swap the rocks for snow and ice and we all will be doing it this winter.

For those that went off road or to the beach in the 5th gen - how was the overall performance with the dust/rock/dirt factor ?
-any 20" wheels while off-road?
-were you running AC off-road?
-did any dust or dirt enter the car? as in thru the vents or from the seams around the doors?
-do you feel whatever you were driving on-sand, rocks, etc - that it collected in places in the Ex undercarriage, & afterwards you curse ever doing it, or no noticeable pockets of sand/stuff stuck or weird noises after?

Hey Luke,
Cheers for the thumbs up, I have driven the ex up the rocky road, the sand, gravel and the grass snow did not fall yet as I have bought the EX just 2 months back, well the front bumper bit is low but 10 min job to take off and I would say after this picture visit I took it off when I went off road and on the way back I put it back on.
It was really comfortable on the rocks not much noise at all that is why everyone wanted to sit in it. drove in sand not Alot of sand came into via AC but little bit well the rubber seams collected alot which I washed in the car wash, other than that there was no deposits of anything at all anywhere, I am planning to take it off road again soon on mountains road is very steep in places but not much rocks, just mud and soil. will post some pictures.

But my ltd have 18 inch wheels.

Good luck

 

[nouman_100]

When the 2011 first came out, the Owner's Guide had a note for owners with the 20" wheel/tire. That note said that the vehicle when so equipped was designed for on-road use only and not off-road use. It seems that in subsequent printings that was removed. I assumed it was to prevent damage to the wheels due to the lower profile of the tire.
I'm glad you are able to enjoy the off-road use of the Explorer and that it appears to be performing very well.

Peter

I agree with you peter but I think that was for 2wd i guess

 

[jp450]

5th Gen off road capability

More specifically, soft sand. I do a fair amount of fishing on the Cape Cod Sea Shore and have a permit to drive on the beach. I have had a 1999 Ex and currently a 2005. The 1999 was much better than the 2005. I have been thinking about replacing the 2005 with a 2012 or 2013 Ex or F-150. Can anyone comment on how the 2011+ do on soft sand? I have not seen any that I can think of. I think I'd rather the Ex as they are a bit better on fuel and are a little less money.

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Blue91Ex]

 

[OffTrac]

My driveway is about as rough as those "trails," especially with all the rain we've had lately. Our Edge does just fine and would do just as well on those access roads they call trails. AWD should not have even been necessary on those roads with a driver who knows how to place tires.

I know what they're trying to get at with the review but they were way too afraid of damaging rentals. I also understand that to the majority of people in the market for those vehicles, that is as rough a road as they'll encounter. I do think they made that road look tougher than it was, though.

Here's some sand.

 

[tmg19103]

More specifically, soft sand. I do a fair amount of fishing on the Cape Cod Sea Shore and have a permit to drive on the beach. I have had a 1999 Ex and currently a 2005. The 1999 was much better than the 2005. I have been thinking about replacing the 2005 with a 2012 or 2013 Ex or F-150. Can anyone comment on how the 2011+ do on soft sand? I have not seen any that I can think of. I think I'd rather the Ex as they are a bit better on fuel and are a little less money.

Thanks,
Jeff

I do a fair amount of fishing on Nantucket up that way with some real soft sand depending on where I go. I keep an Escape up there with 16's and when aired down to 12-14 psi I can manage the softest sand. The Escape has the new Ford AWD system and I find it is actually better on the beach than the Pathfinder I kept up there for about a decade that had locking differential full-time 4-wheel, but I think that is because the Escape is so much lighter and "floats" over the sand better. So, I don't have a concern with the AWD. I have been stopped in deep sand, turned Escape off to fish, started up and drive right out.

Just got my Ex and have not had it up yet, but I have seen them with 18's driving around fine on Nantucket on the tamer beaches, but I'd be concerned about some areas that are real soft given how heavy the Ex is.

I'm also concerned about the plastic front air dam on the Ex in really deep, soft sand. My Escape had one that went all the way across the front and I took it off. In deep stuff it definitely would have dug in like a snow plow, and I'm not taking that off my Ex.

I'll be sticking with the tamer beaches with my Ex, which has 18's. Not real confident in real soft stuff with 18's and the air dam on a heavy truck. It may be fine, but I'll stick to my Escape for the real soft stuff.

 

[dtr]

Here's my 2013 Ex Ltd out in Arizona's beautiful red rock country (Sedona)

This wasn't on a difficult 4x4 trail by any means, but a 2WD definitely wouldn't have cut it. I've found that the TMS isn't exactly intuitive... here's what I've found to work best.

Sand Mode - is NOT for dry dirt. If your tires aren't sinking down into dry sand (or frozen snow), this is not the mode you want. Sand mode should be used for deep sand or deep frozen snow (not slush)

Mud mode - When you're driving through deep mud or deep slushy snow.

Snow/Gravel mode - Even though it says "snow", THIS is the mode you want when you are driving on a slippery yet dry surface such as surface sand or a light layer of snow or ice.

I use to drive my honda odyssey on much worse trails.

I bought the EX as I got stuck on sand once and some trails are a lot worse.

The conundrum of this forum is the True ridiculous off road crowd vs the lite off road crowd together.

It is not a matter of right or wrong but very, very different

eventually the new EX crowd will be much larger than the old EX crowd not that my new EX is better or worse - it is just newer and old EX's will hit the scrap pile sooner.

IF it was not first year production I would prefer the jeep GC with real 4wd, but jeep really seems to be having first year production issues. I like the better road manners of the new EX with some off roading than a chassis based vehicle (sacrolige I know and you can burn me at the stake tomorrow )

 

[jp450]

Sorry mods guess I didn't search far back enough...

Tmg, thanks for the info. So you are familiar with what I am talking about, the real soft Cape Cod sand. After reading all the other posts, they sound like they are more than capable to run the beach.

 

[tmg19103]

Sorry mods guess I didn't search far back enough...

Tmg, thanks for the info. So you are familiar with what I am talking about, the real soft Cape Cod sand. After reading all the other posts, they sound like they are more than capable to run the beach.

You know the conditions on the beaches you drive. I think the Ex (I would not recommend 20's for unknown, real soft conditions but some posters say they are fine for the beach - but again, it depends on conditions) with 18's is fine for most beach conditions except the most challenging.

Note in the two YouTubes in the sand in the Middle East on the previous page. In the second one he is in pretty soft stuff. The wheels should not be spinning like that, but not sure he is properly aired down.

Like I said, I also have a concern about the two part front plastic air dam - especially in soft sand that is uneven with some up and down hilly situations where the nose can dig in. Note Range Rovers keep the front high to the ground, though I am sure an air dam would have looked nice and helped on the road.

In the below link you can see what the sand is like on Great Point, Nantucket where a guy got stuck in a full-time 4-wheel Discovery because he did not properly air down.

The wheels are buried, and I just worry about the front air dam in that deep, boggy stuff that can be uneven - which you have up there. My Escape is fine up there at 12 psi and I ripped the air dam off. My Escape has the same AWD as the EX without the Terrain Mgt. System, so it is always in "normal mode" and does just fine.

However, if your beaches are not too bad and relatively flat where you do not have steep, quick grade changes, I think the Ex will do just fine like it did in the top Middle East YouTube on the previous page. Again, note the Ex's in the those two YouTube's have 18's and not 20's, though I am sure those guys have the money in oil country and can afford 20's. One had the lower portion painted white which was not cheap. At the same time, 20's can no doubt handle tame beaches too. Nantucket just has some real challenging areas, and of course, that's where some of the best fishing is.

http://mobilitydigest.com/psa-deflate-your-damn-tires-4/

 

[jp450]

I can see how the airdam can be a hindrance. Deep ruts and you are all but helpless.

I usually air down to 11-15 lbs depending the weather. My first season was a learning experience. I will have to keep a better eye out this summer for some 5th gens. I am hoping to get at least this summer on my 05 but I don't know if it'll make it.

Thanks for the input.

 

[tmg19103]

I can see how the airdam can be a hindrance. Deep ruts and you are all but helpless.

I usually air down to 11-15 lbs depending the weather. My first season was a learning experience. I will have to keep a better eye out this summer for some 5th gens. I am hoping to get at least this summer on my 05 but I don't know if it'll make it.

Thanks for the input.

Here's what Ford needs to do with the Escape, Explorer and new Expedition. Jeep has road versions and off-road version of the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee.

Here is the trail version of the new Cherokee. 2 inches more ground clearance than regular Cherokee, skid plates, bunch of recovery points, and other offroad goodies.

Jeep is going to take market share for these comparable vehicles to Fords for those who are truly into offroad, and to those don't drive offroad much or at all, but like the rugged look.

http://youtu.be/A40B3FOPujw

 

[TimGinCentralNJ]

Jeep is going to take market share for these comparable vehicles to Fords for those who are truly into offroad, and to those don't drive offroad much or at all, but like the rugged look.

http://youtu.be/A40B3FOPujw

I think Ford will probably be more than happy to let Jeep take any market share of consumers wanting a real off-road crossover/SUV. Reason being, had that market share been significant in the first place, the Explorer would not have been changed from a legitimate off-road worthy truck to a crossover with light off-road capabilities.

Don't get me wrong; I think your idea would be cool, but that's just not the direction Ford seems to be moving in "by design". Luckily, we have Toyota FJ's, 4Runners and Jeeps (now if Jeep/Chrysler would **finally** do something about it's horrible, decades-long reliability issues) to fill that gap.

Tim

 

[TimGinCentralNJ]

Sorry mods guess I didn't search far back enough...

Tmg, thanks for the info. So you are familiar with what I am talking about, the real soft Cape Cod sand. After reading all the other posts, they sound like they are more than capable to run the beach.

Sorry for the late post, but yes--you should be fine. We've never had our air dam rip off our Expy--although I have had the intake vent fill up with sand (the one which helps cool the transmission, but no harm done). "Floatation" is the real name of the game, so as long as you air-down to 15-18 (I've even gone 20-22 to keep from having to re-inflate on short jaunts from the beach to the beer store at 30 mph).

And remember, getting stuck is not a death sentence. Have your tow line, piece of wood (to put the jack on), jack and shovel ready in case the wheels start to dig in. Use your head, and you'll likely never have an issue--but if you do, folks are usually more than happy to lend a hand with a tow line

Hope that helps!
Tim

 

[tmg19103]

I think Ford will probably be more than happy to let Jeep take any market share of consumers wanting a real off-road crossover/SUV. Reason being, had that market share been significant in the first place, the Explorer would not have been changed from a legitimate off-road worthy truck to a crossover with light off-road capabilities.

Don't get me wrong; I think your idea would be cool, but that's just not the direction Ford seems to be moving in "by design". Luckily, we have Toyota FJ's, 4Runners and Jeeps (now if Jeep/Chrysler would **finally** do something about it's horrible, decades-long reliability issues) to fill that gap.

Tim

Yeah, it would be cool. The reason I keep a compact SUV in the Escape up in Nantucket is the garage is too small for anything else and I close the place for the winter and disconnect the battery while over-inflating the tires. No probs doing that for 6 months with the Escape for the past 3 years or a Pathfinder for 10 years prior to that (the older Pathfinders were much smaller than the new ones so it fit in the garage).

In four or five years I will be looking to replace that Escape and if Ford stays in its present road vehicle mode and Jeep gets it quality control in order that Cherokee Trailhawk is looking really nice.

Then, I am only one customer and I am sure Ford has worked the numbers and figured there are not many of me. I have the previous model Escape which got even less offroad than 2 generations ago. The previous generation I have lost fulltime four wheel and had no recovery points like the the model before so I put a small trailer hitch on it just for recovery. Don't tow anything except pulling another SUV/truck or rarely me stuck in the sand. The current generation Escape is a nice looking vehicle, bit it is even less of an offroad and really made for the pavement, so I can see that is Ford's direction.

And don't get me wrong. I like the road manners of my Ex and it can still handle most beaches to take a bunch of friends out with a cooler of brews, barbie, beach chairs, kayak, dog, beach games, etc. for a day at the beach with everything you need at arm's reach without lugging it to the beach. Nice thing about Nantucket - can drink, grill and drive on the beach (though certainly no DUI. They even have cops with radar guns on the beach. 15 mph) and your dog off the leash is welcome. Very dog friendly island and none of the rules like the beaches closest to where I live - which would be the S. Jersey beaches.

 

[cabrego]

4x4 capabilities of Explorer Sport

Does anyone have any videos of the Explorer Sport's off road 4x4 capabilities in sand, mud, etc?

I would like to get an idea of what the explorer can handle.

Thanks,

 

[Ben Diss]

It's marginal. There's not much clearance and in an extreme situation the braking based 4-wheel drive system can easily become torque limited. I'd consider it light duty only.

 

[jarettp]

Depends what you're trying to do. You're not gonna go rock crawling with it but it can go through moderate trails, snow, and sand just fine.