4th Gen Explorer Off Road/Stream Crossings

[ggomez2]

Hi All,

Maybe I'm not searching correctly but I seem to be unable to find any posts regarding information regarding what's a safe water depth to traverse a stream or creek.

I owned a 2001 EB V8 and went to almost 3/4 way up the tires but I didn't care about that truck.. my 07' EB V8 is in great shape but would like to go camping soon in the mountains.

I've driven primitive roads in late 90's 4Runners and my 2001 Explorer with no issues, just don't know anyone who has a 4th gen who off roads them at all.

Any insight would be great!

 

[Ronin8002]

Deepest I've been through is probably around 24-30" of water, but I am lifted and running larger tires. Main thing you want to watch for is the air intake pulls from a hole through the sheet metal in the passenger headlight area...if you get bogged down then you risk sucking in water when a wave splashes up in there. What you can do is pull the duct out in front of the airbox if you anticipate any deeper water crossings, and then block up the hole in the sheet metal with a piece of cardboard to keep it from splashing through there.

Hi All,

Maybe I'm not searching correctly but I seem to be unable to find any posts regarding information regarding what's a safe water depth to traverse a stream or creek.

I owned a 2001 EB V8 and went to almost 3/4 way up the tires but I didn't care about that truck.. my 07' EB V8 is in great shape but would like to go camping soon in the mountains.

I've driven primitive roads in late 90's 4Runners and my 2001 Explorer with no issues, just don't know anyone who has a 4th gen who off roads them at all.

Any insight would be great!

 

[ggomez2]

Deepest I've been through is probably around 24-30" of water, but I am lifted and running larger tires. Main thing you want to watch for is the air intake pulls from a hole through the sheet metal in the passenger headlight area...if you get bogged down then you risk sucking in water when a wave splashes up in there. What you can do is pull the duct out in front of the airbox if you anticipate any deeper water crossings, and then block up the hole in the sheet metal with a piece of cardboard to keep it from splashing through there.

I appreciate your reply! Thank you, don't believe the crossings I'm coming across on Medano Pass will be that deep but will check out where the intake pull air from. I would assume going that deep would mean water would leak into the cab.

 

[Ronin8002]

I appreciate your reply! Thank you, don't believe the crossings I'm coming across on Medano Pass will be that deep but will check out where the intake pull air from. I would assume going that deep would mean water would leak into the cab.

Surprisingly I never had any leaks all....didn't hang around in there and wait to see though, lol. It's good to be decisive about it...get through the water and don't stop.

I suspect that the wheel bearings might have a shorter life if you submerge them a lot, but I haven't had any issues yet.

 

[WayBeau]

Deepest I've been through is probably around 24-30" of water, but I am lifted and running larger tires. Main thing you want to watch for is the air intake pulls from a hole through the sheet metal in the passenger headlight area...if you get bogged down then you risk sucking in water when a wave splashes up in there. What you can do is pull the duct out in front of the airbox if you anticipate any deeper water crossings, and then block up the hole in the sheet metal with a piece of cardboard to keep it from splashing through there.

So, I went to an off-roading event this past weekend and rode with my brother in his '76 Bronco which he's super modified. The trails we were on all seemed to be pretty tame in most spots, and where they weren't there were bypasses around the obstacles. While I was riding, I was thinking my '08 Explorer XLT could handle those trails. The only spots I was hesitant were the water crossings. I see you're running an '08 as well and am curious what size tires you put on it and what kind of lift you had to install, if any. I'm seriously considering putting some larger tires on it, but am unsure of where to start.

Thanks for any advice you can give and sorry for hijacking the thread.

 

[Ronin8002]

I think these trucks are more capable than most people give them credit for. Bigger more aggressive tires help a lot. Here's what I did to mine:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3004247#post3004247

Generally 265/75 tires will fit without a lift. When it comes to lifting you dont' have to go custom like I did, most everyone uses the Traxda spacers that install on top of your struts and give you roughly 2.5" of lift. With any suspension lift on these I recommend getting a set of BTF upper control arms to ensure you don't have one of the stock upper ball joints fail on you while you're driving.

So, I went to an off-roading event this past weekend and rode with my brother in his '76 Bronco which he's super modified. The trails we were on all seemed to be pretty tame in most spots, and where they weren't there were bypasses around the obstacles. While I was riding, I was thinking my '08 Explorer XLT could handle those trails. The only spots I was hesitant were the water crossings. I see you're running an '08 as well and am curious what size tires you put on it and what kind of lift you had to install, if any. I'm seriously considering putting some larger tires on it, but am unsure of where to start.

Thanks for any advice you can give and sorry for hijacking the thread.