Stock explorer 4X4 ability

I am looking at purchasing early 90 explorer. it would of coarse have to be 4X4. this truck in stock form, how does it do offroad. Say you were to compare it to a early 90 jeep YJ or something. are these two trucks in different legues? clearance and what have you. just pondering on the two trucks and what to invest in to get the most out of a 4X4.
thanks,
Steve

They both have + and - points

Jeep has a solid front axle which is easy to lift and get travel from

I have seen stock explorers make jeeps look stupid off road and vise versa, it depends greatly on the driver and the terrain........

Dont fool yourself. A Ex is VERY capable off road, even in stock form........

i never took mine off road yet but it did very well in the 2 feet of snow we had this winter with stock tires. i dont know much about jeeps sorry

Mine was mostly stock when I took most of the pics on my website. You decide..... www.4x4ord.com

Depends on Where You Want To Go

I have a '91 and '97. Both get me to where I need to go. Both are basically stock configuration, neither will get me to extreme places. Both go well enough in deep snow and on the beach. The only time I needed towed out was when the '91 got stuck in mud up to the frame rails on a construction site.

If you get a first gen X, try to get one with a 5 speed tranny. I wish my 97 had one.

As far as being able to go anywhere? Consider getting a Caterpillar D8!

Um actually that 91 will get you into some pretty extreme places off road in stock form, it depends on your defenition of extreme I guess.

I would build the 91 up, keep the 97 on the street, then see how off road worthy an Explorer is, because once they are lifted and locked with a long travel suspension TTB setup, a pre 94 Ex is one hell of an off road rig..........

The Idiot Stocker...

I feel I earned that nickname, so I couldn't pass this up.

No, a stock explorer is NOT in the same class as a stock YJ. (Pause to take in the gasps from my friends who know my feelings on the matter.)

A YJ/TJ/CJ is built on a platform designed for serious terrain. A really good driver in a stock Ex can keep up with or even best a stock jeep on the trails, but you have to have really know your truck and have good feel. The wheel-base, clearance, and weight make wheeling in an Ex harder, but not impossible. The suspension design and popularity of the YJ makes it MUCH cheaper to modify for serious wheeling.

BUT!!!
I would NEVER own a J**P. The same design that makes a jeep good for trails makes it miserable for every day driving. You'll never hear a jeep owner bragging about racking up 300,000 miles. They're just not that reliable. Even if they were, you'd be so sick of the squirrelly handling, wind noise, clunky uncomfortable interior, etc. you'd drive it off a cliff before sitting through that many miles.

The things that make an explorer "more challenging" on the trails make it a great truck to own. It's comfortable, sturdy, and handles in any kind of weather. (I drove around in 3 feet of Colorado blizzard as if it was a fine spring day.)

Plus, if you do have a good feel for tire placement and a healthy disregard for rocker panel dents, you can really enjoy those shocked expressions ( ) when you pass a stuck jeep on a tough trail.

So in short the both have +'s and-'s.........

we are both saying the same thing, just in two different ways.

Without typing out 5 pages of what a Jeep has compared to an Explorer in stock form for off road, we all agree the Explorer is better overall, with the Jeep being more capable off road (IN STOCK FORM), but they are also apples to oranges............

Thats like comparing a snow mobile to a dirt bike......

the basic question is should a Explorer be considered when looking for a fairly capable off roader, like a stock Jeep. We all know that the answer is hell yeah, in fact the Jeep is not preferred on these boards.........

I'd rather push my Bronco to MOAB the drive a 88 Jeep Wrangler 700 miles

Stock explorers do pretty good. Check out my photo album though. My friends 97X is stock and theres a few pics of what happened to him.. but that was a challenging run.