dirt road+speed+TREE

[Travis91]

well i was being a stupid teenager going 35ish on a dirt road went around a sandy sharp turn. dropped it into 2nd dumped the clutch and weeeeeeeee slid around then back around the other way. and over the ditch and tear through some brush. and BAMMM theres a big oak tree. needless to say my bumped got pushed in(which my neighbors porta-power fixed for now) and both front fenders are beat up. with the drivers side one pretty well gone and the passenger side salvageable. and my passenger side back door is dented in. so my neighbor has been doing auto body for a long long time. and he said he could fix my front bumper back for cheap. and he could fix the rest of it. but i would like to put i nice heavy front bumper on it. what do you guys think? its a 2wd.

 

[deamon3]

More weight on a 2wd isn't going to make it any better off road. Nor will it move the tree out of the way next time you hit it.

 

[Travis91]

yeah but i want to be able to intergrate a front hitch. and tow hooks

 

[nooberiffic]

4wd?

 

[Currency]

I would suggest driving more safely but as a young driver you need to learn the limits of your vehicle. I can make 85 degree turns on a gravel road at 40 plus in my explorer but would not recommend it to an inexperienced driver. My explorer is also 4x4 and has a low gear ratio, It won't break traction unless I completely stop and I'm on gravel then gun it.

What happened in your situation was over correction by the driver. I've done this before as most everyone has. But I've also seen many young drivers lose their lives over this too. I'm not your parent so I won't rant on about this.


You should look into having someone make you a custom bumper. Cut off the old mounts from your stock bumper and go from there. I would recommend using the stock mounts unless you want to pay someone to make new ones.

Good luck

 

[XLT]

I say go and get a sweet bumper made for your ex. I have been wanting to put a metal bumper on mine as well. I think the customs bumpers go really well on the 1st gens. Good luck with the repairs. Live and learn.

I would suggest driving more safely but as a young driver you need to learn the limits of your vehicle. I can make 85 degree turns on a gravel road at 40 plus in my explorer but would not recommend it to an inexperienced driver. My explorer is also 4x4 and has a low gear ratio, It won't break traction unless I completely stop and I'm on gravel then gun it.
Good luck

O boy this advice is good but you worry me. You should follow your own advice as well. It seems like bad stuff always happens to people that are over confident. I have screwed around in the past too and have wrecked so i am thankful for that. But getting stuck is another story. Ever watch nascar? Those are professionals and yet every race you have crashes.

 

[eXcali]

Also gotta remember a tuffer bumper = more force distributed to the frame in any future accidents. In your current case a weaker bumper absorbs quite a bit of the impact, if the bumper had been more rigid you also as the occupent would have more force transfered to you.

I think rigging tow points or recovery hooks to the front of a 2wd is a bit overkill. 2wd has it's limitations which are huge compared to a 4wd. In off-road or dirt/gravel situations the 2 front wheels pretty much act as rolling plows...

 

[Currency]

O boy this advice is good but you worry me. You should follow your own advice as well. It seems like bad stuff always happens to people that are over confident. I have screwed around in the past too and have wrecked so i am thankful for that. But getting stuck is another story. Ever watch nascar? Those are professionals and yet every race you have crashes.

I've not watched Nascar sine Dale Earnhardt passed away. I'm more into rally racing these days because they don't show enough off road type racing. Also rally racing has better crashes. I always drive faster when I am alone, I don't know why but I just do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Earnhardt

I've been in a few minor accidents, One was on ice which was not really my fault. More vehicle error, The driver in front of me stopped on a yellow light and the car I was in had it's abs unplugged. I was going 5mph and just barely bumped them, so it was not reported. Also hit a doe on my way to work one day. I was slowing down for a stop sign and going about 25mph.

When I was younger I witnessed my brother and his friend flip a 99 ranger. Someone would not get over forcing the driver of the ranger to leave the roadway on the passenger side. Then he over corrected twice and slid off the road at 45mph and head first into a concrete culvert. Everyone walked away from that one but it was pure dumb luck.

as for me, I am still young at heart and have lived a somewhat for filling life. I'm only 25 years old, Father of one son age 13 months. But I would never do anything intentional to hurt anyone. When I am alone and do those crazy things I am testing my explorer limits. Then when (not if but when) I am in a situation where I have to recover from something I will know it's limits. Right now it's bone stock so the limits are fairly high. Later on it will have a lift and I will drive it slower.


Now back on subject.

I googled custom bumpers and find many... for full size trucks and SUV's but none for an explorer.

This website is nice if you can weld.

http://www.erikburrows.com/index.php?node=My+Custom+Front+Bumper

Looks pretty nice if you ask me.

I use to work at a steel fabrication plant so I'd have them fix me up :0

 

[Travis91]

if i woulda been on gravel i would have been fine.. i was on a sand/clay road

 

[deamon3]

No if you were in a field with no trees you would have been fine. lol

 

[Travis91]

i would have found a tree lol.. but seriously all joking aside if i was on gravel i would have been fine.

 

[deamon3]

Ah yes because trees don't grow near gravel. That and gravel is extremely grippy. Thats why often you see many nascar races done on gravel tracks. I mean just today they where turning a local intestate here from that horrible pavement into very nice gravel.

 

[Travis91]

do you have to be a smartass. because its not funny.

 

[Currency]

The turn I was taking on the gravel road is located near corn fields and banks to the inside of the turn. Makes for better and faster cornering :

If I tried it on a sandy dirt road I'd most likely be kissing a tree also. Hum... Maybe I can try it when it starts snowing? um.. nope because there is a ditch on the right side of the road.

I can see it now. Sliding sideways into a ditch and rolling her on her top. Doesn't sound like fun, I should stay at foote's tomb or head to the bad lands for some fun

 

[deamon3]

No it's not funny , it's a 94 explorer with no airbags and a history for rolling over. So when I hear

well i was being a stupid teenager going 35ish on a dirt road went around a sandy sharp turn. dropped it into 2nd dumped the clutch and weeeeeeeee slid around then back around the other way. and over the ditch and tear through some brush. and BAMMM theres a big oak tree.

Followed by

if i woulda been on gravel i would have been fine..

I don't think it's funny at all. Considering 35 around a gravel corner might have just put you directly into the tree with no "weeeeeee" in between.

 

[Currency]

No it's not funny , it's a 94 explorer with no airbags and a history for rolling over. So when I hear



Followed by



I don't think it's funny at all. Considering 35 around a gravel corner might have just put you directly into the tree with no "weeeeeee" in between.

I said "weeeeeeeeeee" when I slammed a 95 S-10 5 speed into a tree at 35, messed up the rear end but the kid messed me over on the title which had a state lien on it so he couldn't sell it. But he was on his way to pick it up and I parked it around back on my dads farm. It had been raining and I cannot, repeat cannot drive a stick. I dumped the clutch and hit the tree... twice. He didn't say a word and called a tow truck. Teach him to break the law... I guess

 

[lifeguard379]

well i was being a stupid teenager going 35ish on a dirt road went around a sandy sharp turn. dropped it into 2nd dumped the clutch and weeeeeeeee slid around then back around the other way. and over the ditch and tear through some brush. and BAMMM theres a big oak tree. needless to say my bumped got pushed in(which my neighbors porta-power fixed for now) and both front fenders are beat up. with the drivers side one pretty well gone and the passenger side salvageable. and my passenger side back door is dented in. so my neighbor has been doing auto body for a long long time. and he said he could fix my front bumper back for cheap. and he could fix the rest of it. but i would like to put i nice heavy front bumper on it. what do you guys think? its a 2wd.

i say stay off drirt roads and stop making of roaders look bad.

 

[deamon3]

i say stay off drirt roads and stop making of roaders look bad.

not dirt it's sand and clay , there's a difference, I think

 

[zjrog]

Ah, the invincibility and knowledge of youth. Wish I had it all back sometimes... NOT! I consider myself quite lucky to have survived my youth, though many cars did not. Gravel, dirt, sand, clay... How do you figure you have more grip on gravel than sand? That stuff is just bigger ball bearings under your tires. I would suggest you try to understand the physics of driving in general. But I als know someone telling me this 30 years ago I would have ignored it too.

So instead, let me ask a couple questions, no need to answer here, just think about. And keep in mind, I bought both my own kids inexpensive trucks for just these reasons.

Do you own the Ex yourself (title in your name), or is it someone elses that they let you drive? My reason for asking this, if you are tearing up your own junk, thats your business. If not, reconsider how you are driving someone elses vehicle.

Do YOU pay your own insurance, or give money to your parents to cover your share? If the parents insurance rates go up because you have an accident, is it really fair for them to shoulder that load? Because, it won't go up on just the vehicle YOU drive. It goes up for everything on that policy.

Deal I made with both my kids. First vehicle, I buy. EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE WHAT I BUY. I will not go into debt for a kids car. I will pay insurance (though if they CAN help out, I expect something). UNLESS, they have an accident, or get a ticket (which might be a case by case issue), in which case, they might be on the hook for their own.

I've been lucky... No accidents or tickets. Well, my son was driving my Neon and was slid into in the snow. Not his fault.

 

[Travis91]

well about that lol. i already wrecked 2 of my parents cars. and totalled one. so they made the ex mine(it was mine to begin with) then they got me my own insurance policy. which my mom paiid for the first 6 months because i dont have a job. but my insurance has never gone up its still 52 dollars a month. i didnt claim this one. my mom pulled my out of the woods with her excursion.