Our 4x4's stink!

[superfestiva]

If you think lifting your Explorerer two or three inches is a help then yes they can help greatly.

http://roadbully-offroad.com/2.html

Thanks bro, I sent an e-mail to the guy to check it out....how much do they cost?
Maybe with this spacers with like a 2" lift my truck won't get stuck next time...I guess...

 

[Thelt]

It is hard to say if clearance was your issue or not but a lift is going to help in a lot of off road situations. I have the 2" lift on mine but you can go larger than that if you want. Bigger and more aggressive tires will make more difference than anything really.

Road Bully's rig is pretty awesome. If I had the money and did not have to use my X as a daily driver I might do the body lift and 285s like he has.

 

[superfestiva]

It is hard to say if clearance was your issue or not but a lift is going to help in a lot of off road situations. I have the 2" lift on mine but you can go larger than that if you want. Bigger and more aggressive tires will make more difference than anything really.

Road Bully's rig is pretty awesome. If I had the money and did not have to use my X as a daily driver I might do the body lift and 285s like he has.

I contacted Ben from Road Bully...he says 2" would be fine for that hill...he has 3", but it may be too much for me since my X is my daily driver...and it is 100 miles back and forth...so...

Hey, do you have any pictures of your truck? Please share some...
I'd like to see how a 2" lift would look like before buying the spacers...don't want my X to look like a monster truck... I have 245/70/16 tires, 285s are too big for me...
Riding can be a pain for 100 miles daily...

 

[Thelt]

Here is a thread that shows mine from beginning to end. Be warned a lift will hurt your gas mileage some. Bigger tires will hurt it more.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227640&highlight=thelt

 

[JohnnyO]

The '02+ do not have limited-slip available, they have traction control. Don't know if a L/S would work with that or not. I suspect it would. What kind of tires does your '03 have? Tires make a big difference.

 

[Thelt]

The '02+ do not have limited-slip available, they have traction control. Don't know if a L/S would work with that or not. I suspect it would. What kind of tires does your '03 have? Tires make a big difference.

I believe my 02 has a limited slip.....

 

[1_v8_merc]

Yes, tires make a HUUUUUGGEEE difference.

I went from A/T's to M/T's, and i had to seriously give myself a reality check like 10 times on the way home, because it felt 100% TOTALLY DIFFERENT.....

It was like going from a bouncy SUV to.....a small TANK,
The suspension was alot stiffer and NEVER saggy or bounced around turns or on bumps.

I LOVE mud terrain tires, im NEVER putting crappy All Terrains on a truck or suv ever again.......sure they howl alittlebit and make the ride more bumpy sometimes, but the traction increase is COMPLETELY worth it.

You put mud terrains on...i guarantee you wont get stuck on that stupid little hill again.

(the ONLY downside is that they just want to DIG and BITE, so sometimes you can straight up dig yourself into a home-made ditch and bottom out fast,lol)

 

[superfestiva]

Here is a thread that shows mine from beginning to end. Be warned a lift will hurt your gas mileage some. Bigger tires will hurt it more.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227640&highlight=thelt

I can't see the pics from that thread....

 

[superfestiva]

The '02+ do not have limited-slip available, they have traction control. Don't know if a L/S would work with that or not. I suspect it would. What kind of tires does your '03 have? Tires make a big difference.

My tires are a/t regular hankook tires...245/70/16 and are only 2 months old...

 

[superfestiva]

Yes, tires make a HUUUUUGGEEE difference.

I went from A/T's to M/T's, and i had to seriously give myself a reality check like 10 times on the way home, because it felt 100% TOTALLY DIFFERENT.....

It was like going from a bouncy SUV to.....a small TANK,
The suspension was alot stiffer and NEVER saggy or bounced around turns or on bumps.

I LOVE mud terrain tires, im NEVER putting crappy All Terrains on a truck or suv ever again.......sure they howl alittlebit and make the ride more bumpy sometimes, but the traction increase is COMPLETELY worth it.

You put mud terrains on...i guarantee you wont get stuck on that stupid little hill again.

(the ONLY downside is that they just want to DIG and BITE, so sometimes you can straight up dig yourself into a home-made ditch and bottom out fast,lol)

It really is not that stupid...if you see it before you climb it...you're like...how the hell will this truck climb this
Maybe I need an off-road shrink?

When I get back there I will take pics of the hill before climbing it as well as a video of me getting stuck in it...

 

[eXcali]

I am running regular Hankook A/T tires kinda like this one
http://www.hankooktireusa.com/product/tire_detail.asp?pid=268

My truck has 4x4 (XLT)...I was running in the 1 position of the tranny and in 4x4 low...

This is your weak spot. These may say they are designed for AT purposes, but they have a tread pattern of a regular highway tire.

Take a look at these http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/overview/all-terrain-t-a-ko/44.html these are the famous BFG AT TA KO. One of the most popular AT tires in the US. They also handle and hold up pretty well for road use.

 

[eXcali]

Yes, tires make a HUUUUUGGEEE difference.

I went from A/T's to M/T's, and i had to seriously give myself a reality check like 10 times on the way home, because it felt 100% TOTALLY DIFFERENT.....

It was like going from a bouncy SUV to.....a small TANK,
The suspension was alot stiffer and NEVER saggy or bounced around turns or on bumps.

I LOVE mud terrain tires, im NEVER putting crappy All Terrains on a truck or suv ever again.......sure they howl alittlebit and make the ride more bumpy sometimes, but the traction increase is COMPLETELY worth it.

You put mud terrains on...i guarantee you wont get stuck on that stupid little hill again.

(the ONLY downside is that they just want to DIG and BITE, so sometimes you can straight up dig yourself into a home-made ditch and bottom out fast,lol)

Actually I have to counter you here. I've used all sorts of different tires for different applications. If you pickup a set of M/T they are good for deep mud and rock climbing, but they are VERY poor on road, and even worse in snow/rain. A good A/T tire like BFG AT TA KO's will give you GREAT handling/braking and traction in snow, they are great in your typical running on 2tracks or cutting your own path thru the woods. I've even used them in mud and they didn't do to bad. So it all comes down to what you are planning to do. If you going to build a rock climbing ride, then by all means go M/T's, I stand behind Mickey Thompson Baja Claws II. But if you are looking for something you want to for road and limited off-road use and want it to last some miles, look into the BFG's.

 

[briwayjones]

My tires are a/t regular hankook tires...245/70/16 and are only 2 months old...

Looking at the tires they are labeled All Season/All Terrain tires but are really just All Season tires with All Season tread. Even just getting true All Terrain tires would probably help a lot.

 

[superfestiva]

Looking at the tires they are labeled All Season/All Terrain tires but are really just All Season tires with All Season tread. Even just getting true All Terrain tires would probably help a lot.

I am guessing that 2" spacers would help a ton because I would not wan't to change the tires if I do occasional off-roading....maybe 4-5 times a year only...

 

[Donner]

You can run ATs all year w/o problems... and add the spacers... I have MTs, and rarely see anything other than pavement... No problems in the rain or with stopping...