explorer capabilities

[awry]

A friend of mine just put lifted his durango 5" and put on some 33/12 km2's

watching him vs a 99 xj 4" lift with 32's but the solid front makes me think.. is the ifs/solid rear types of cars even worth lifting and putting bigger tires on?

are they even capable to do much more than stock?

would it be better to sell the X and get some jeep or something with solid front and 4x4?


the explorer just seems in a bad position.. ifs, awd, 4 disc..


what to do..

 

[burtonbrd138]

Do what you want. I personally think that if an Explorer had a 4in lift against a 4in lifted Jeep they would actually be fairly comparable. Obviously the solid front axle of the jeep can get better flex and handle rock crawling alot better but the Explorer can do some really rough trails too. If you want a solid front axle but don't want to have to put the work in to get it into your explorer, than sell it and get a jeep. Its really what you want to do.

 

[99ex22]

Yes explorer's are very capable rigs even stock. I go wheeling with a buddy all time with a 96 grand cherokee lifted 3" on 32x11.5 muds and we have figured out our rigs are just about equal capability wise. It's all about the tires your running and the driver. Maybe the driver of that durango didn't know what he was doing.

 

[awry]

Yes explorer's are very capable rigs even stock. I go wheeling with a buddy all time with a 96 grand cherokee lifted 3" on 32x11.5 muds and we have figured out our rigs are just about equal capability wise. It's all about the tires your running and the driver. Maybe the driver of that durango didn't know what he was doing.

yea, i have taken my X through the trenches that the 4" xj on 32's has but struggled quiet a bit but got it..


the durango driver is just sketchy, when he cant get over something he go go gadgets his 5.9 and gas breaks it until hes over.. the durango ride was aggressive almost rolling, where the xj just went straight over everything nice and smooth...

i was planning on 33's and 5" lift for the 96 X, and then awd to 4x4 conversion, but i dont know..

 

[heathmo]

Honestly, it's all personal preference, I don't think I could ever drive a Wrangler. I like the extra room I have in my Explorer, I like that it's body on frame, granted, off-road stock the Wrangler will most likely go further than the Explorer. IFS can be a limitation, and there are workarounds. I'd much rather deal with my IFS since probably most of the driving I'll do will be on road since there are no trails in my area. Level B roads aren't even that bad. But for my purposes I feel that it's not going to hinder me. I'm basically going for something that's tough and can go almost anywhere. I want to be able to get around when we have a flood or when someone goes off the road in a snow storm. Some areas that take us back to fishing spots and houses in the boonies here do require some good 4wd after we've had heavy rains. So really it's all about what purpose you want it for, I need to tow boats and haul cargo and friends, and I feel that the Explorer is more well rounded in that aspect. I'd love to do some trails as well, but I don't plan on rock crawling because I honestly don't have the money to be fixing broken stuff.

A lot of your capabilities are going to be based on your tires and traction aids (lockers, limited-slip). Solid axle swaps are possible, but can get quite expensive. Clearance is one big factor as well, getting over larger objects. IFS may lift a tire but lockers in the rear and front if necessary will help and you can even get limited slip up front if need be, not sure on the D35 for sure, but I think they make it. Take a look on this site, there are a lot of guys who have some extremely capable off-road rigs.

 

[ajs_customs]

I have a stock 98 Ranger IFS 3.0 auto, the only thing I have done is put it on 31 10.50 BAJA CLAWS. The diffs are both open and I have gone out with a bunch of jeeps and kept right up with them. The only thing that hindered me was a couple ledges that my bumper hit before the tires. A little lift would have taken care of that. Jeeps are just pre-set-up by design with short wheelbase, narrow trac, and wheels close to the bumpers.

 

[techieman33]

Whats so bad about 4 wheel disc brakes?

 

[heathmo]

That's a good question, I don't see any issue with those off-road at all.

 

[awry]

haha the thing with the discs is this..

if you have disc front and drum rear, and your climbing through something and front and rear tires spin and you teeter totter you can hold the breaks down and push the gas called "gas break" and you will have created a cheap locker and will pull you through the tough part. now with me being a kid struggeling in life with jobs and school, buying lockers aint really worth it..

and me with ifs, 4 discs, and awd i am gettin killed..

 

[99ex22]

you can do that with discs too. get rid of your awd and you will be set. The ifs takes me through everything I ask it too. TIP- remove your front sway bar for about 7" of wheel travel.

 

[99ex22]

This guys put the ifs to the test....
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?&threadid=95827
and so has this guy...
http://www.explorer4x4.com/gjarrett.html
And many other forum members. It's really not all that bad. Pretty much the only thing that holding you back is your AWD and lack of height.

 

[awry]

you can do that with discs too. get rid of your awd and you will be set. The ifs takes me through everything I ask it too. TIP- remove your front sway bar for about 7" of wheel travel.

yea the awd thing kills me.. and i have taken off my front sways and its a deathride.... most body roll ive ever seen a car do.. street driving is literally scary especially on the freeway...

and it amazes me how it will add up to 7"..


i may just roll with the X

 

[99ex22]

yeah i never drive on the road with it off. I always put it back on after hitting the trails

 

[heathmo]

Do a search for quick disconnects on here and you'll find some ideas on how to make it easier to switch back & forth. You can do the gas brake with the discs, probably just have to give it a little more finesse. Lockers aren't too bad. Aussie makes a great one for the 8.8 and it's about $250 I think. I bought mine with the stimulus check. Cheapest locker I've found and it performs extremely well. No more slipping up the boat ramp, no more one tire fire. Granted it takes some getting used to on the street, but less chance of getting stuck.

I think there are some t-case swaps on here as well, do a search for those and see what it would take to get a t-case out of a 4wd installed into your AWD. Junk yards are wonderful, all kinds of parts for excellent prices. Heck if need be you could probably find a junked Explorer with the Limited Slip in the rear end, just make sure that your gear ratios match up. If you spend enough time on this site you'll find all kinds of things you can do to your Explorer. I know I've been wanting more money to do some of the things I've found on this site.