Roadrunner777
Explorer Addict
- Joined
- February 5, 2011
- Messages
- 2,044
- Reaction score
- 346
- City, State
- Bemidji, MN
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 94 4x4 Sport 88k
Well, ok. I appreciate the sentiment from the original poster. I can see where the mods suggested would improve the stability of any vehicle, not just an explorer. I'm not sure I am on-board with adding spacers to widen the track because it would put my tires pretty close to the wheel wells, and would add stress to the studs, which aren't that great to begin with.
But, the real question is... is it worth doing? I'm in rural northern MN, and I test drive vehicles of all kinds, Dodge Rams, Jeeps, and the occasional Explorer. I have to dodge deer at least once a week. And, I have to drive these same roads in my '94 Explorer. Really, the suspension performance is very similar. In this regard, the worst was the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, with the 2.0L engine option. Very light, very tall. But, it was only slightly worse.
Probably the safest thing an Explorer owner could do is get into a more recent model with airbags, which kind of defeats the spirit of this forum, obviously. The best moves, in my opinion, to retain a 1st generation Explorer, is to keep it maintained, buy the best tires you can afford, and this last one sucks, I know: Take a good hard critical look at brake lines and components. Original brake lines are now 25 years old.
But, it is what it is. In my 40 years of driving in all kinds of places, I have never had to make a complete hard emergency J-turn. I have only seen one wreck because of this, it was a 70's Jeep, and that was a curiosity, he got around the turn and went another 200 feet before finally flipping. He must have got into some weird fishtail thing. Easiest way to flip a vehicle is to go off the highway into the snow or dirt. And no vehicle is immune from that hazard.
Wear seat belts, avoid tired/distracted driving, blah blah blah.
But, the real question is... is it worth doing? I'm in rural northern MN, and I test drive vehicles of all kinds, Dodge Rams, Jeeps, and the occasional Explorer. I have to dodge deer at least once a week. And, I have to drive these same roads in my '94 Explorer. Really, the suspension performance is very similar. In this regard, the worst was the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, with the 2.0L engine option. Very light, very tall. But, it was only slightly worse.
Probably the safest thing an Explorer owner could do is get into a more recent model with airbags, which kind of defeats the spirit of this forum, obviously. The best moves, in my opinion, to retain a 1st generation Explorer, is to keep it maintained, buy the best tires you can afford, and this last one sucks, I know: Take a good hard critical look at brake lines and components. Original brake lines are now 25 years old.
But, it is what it is. In my 40 years of driving in all kinds of places, I have never had to make a complete hard emergency J-turn. I have only seen one wreck because of this, it was a 70's Jeep, and that was a curiosity, he got around the turn and went another 200 feet before finally flipping. He must have got into some weird fishtail thing. Easiest way to flip a vehicle is to go off the highway into the snow or dirt. And no vehicle is immune from that hazard.
Wear seat belts, avoid tired/distracted driving, blah blah blah.