4Runner does Sierra's

[r32]

After a long work week, I needed some R & R. So I packed up the 4Runner, loaded my dog and headed east into the high Sierras. Went off-roading which was a blast. Wish I could have gotten more pics, but it's a pain to get out mid-trail, with the camera while dust is flying everywhere! Not to mention some parts of the trails are super tight.

This was the campspot for the first night, just above Wishon Reservoir. Next day we drove up higher, to about the 10,500ft level. For a stock 4Runner, it did it's job. It was solid through some rocky and rut-filled terrain and even went up some fairly steep rockface. Although, when I get some money, I think the first extras I will buy is some protection for the underside. Heard some scrapes and bumps going over rocky areas.

There were tons of hunters up there. All of them drive Ford/Chevy full-size. There were also tons of off-roaders. All of them drive tricked out Taco's and Jeeps.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

After a long work week, I needed some R & R. So I packed up the 4Runner, loaded my dog and headed east into the high Sierras. Went off-roading which was a blast. Wish I could have gotten more pics, but it's a pain to get out mid-trail, with the camera while dust is flying everywhere! Not to mention some parts of the trails are super tight.

This was the campspot for the first night, just above Wishon Reservoir. Next day we drove up higher, to about the 10,500ft level. For a stock 4Runner, it did it's job. It was solid through some rocky and rut-filled terrain and even went up some fairly steep rockface. Although, when I get some money, I think the first extras I will buy is some protection for the underside. Heard some scrapes and bumps going over rocky areas.

There were tons of hunters up there. All of them drive Ford/Chevy full-size. There were also tons of off-roaders. All of them drive tricked out Taco's and Jeeps.

Just beautiful! Looks like fun and I'm sure the dog enjoyed as much if not more than you I enjoy reading about adventures with stock/near stock T4R's. Mine will probably stay near stock for a variety of reasons. I don't get mine off-road often enough. When all you do is read about big lifts and tires etc I forget that a stock one CAN do more than an unpaved driveway:lmao:
:cheers:

 

[leftyguns21]

thats a sweet shot of the campsite.

yes im overly impressed w. how well they do just stock. it amazes me the few times ive taken it off the paved roads

 

[r32]

The stock 4-Runner does fantastic. Although, as I mentioned, I heard some things kicking up underneath the vehicle and there were a few times I was concerned about scraping bottom, when going over a steep but narrow hill. There were also some sandy areas which I also had no problem with the 4WD engaged. I also had the mirrors pulled in due to some super tight spaces.

Can anyone recommend protective plates for the bottom? I have no exterior or engine upgrades, but that seems likes a logical choice if I were to upgrade something, without dropping a ton of cash.

I'm lucky in that there are 100's miles of off-road trails that wind all through the high Sierras only an hour from my house. And they come in all shapes and sizes, some are definitely for core Off-Road guys only, but the stock 4Runner does great and it's fun to go winding through a thick forest in the middle of nowhere.

 

[gm350reratliff]

Beautiful campsite! Did you do any fishing? These rigs are pretty capable stock. Ground clearance and oem tires probably hinder the 4runner the most. Even though I was impressed how well they do. Alot of times just knowing how to drive makes all the difference.

 

[G.I.G.]

Stunning pics! What a great camp site!

Can anyone recommend protective plates for the bottom? I have no exterior or engine upgrades, but that seems likes a logical choice if I were to upgrade something, without dropping a ton of cash.

The 4Runners come with skid plates from the factory. They are not the most durable, but they are more than adequate for the occasional off-road adventure where you might bottom out from time to time on small to medium sized rocks. My skids are slowly starting to look like the surface of the moon, but they are holding up and doing their job.

My personal opinion is that if you can only upgrade one thing for off-roading with a 4th gen 4R, it should be the tires. If you went with an all-terrain tire and went up to a 70 series (1" taller than stock) it would give you better grip off-road and provide an additional 1/2" of ground clearance. Also, having a dual ply sidewall (as opposed to a single ply as found on most H/T factory tires) gives me a little more piece of mind.

 

[r32]

Beautiful campsite! Did you do any fishing? These rigs are pretty capable stock. Ground clearance and oem tires probably hinder the 4runner the most. Even though I was impressed how well they do. Alot of times just knowing how to drive makes all the difference.

No fishing. I don't have equipment anymore. But I stopped by the general store on the way back down the hill and the guy was saying the bite was super tough. Mainly due to heat and it's late in the season.

I agree that the ground clearance seems to be a bit hindering. When these tires wear down, I will definitely be looking at some different tires to put on there, although I've barely got 18.5k miles on my ride. So it might be a while, which is actually good because I'm kind of broke right now.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

...The 4Runners come with skid plates from the factory. They are not the most durable, but they are more than adequate for the occasional off-road adventure where you might bottom out from time to time on small to medium sized rocks. My skids are slowly starting to look like the surface of the moon, but they are holding up and doing their job.

My personal opinion is that if you can only upgrade one thing for off-roading with a 4th gen 4R, it should be the tires. If you went with an all-terrain tire and went up to a 70 series (1" taller than stock) it would give you better grip off-road and provide an additional 1/2" of ground clearance. Also, having a dual ply sidewall (as opposed to a single ply as found on most H/T factory tires) gives me a little more piece of mind.

For my very occasional, conservative driving style, off-roading the skids do provide some protection. I know the people in the know go for sliders first. My personal fear is the t-case, IMHO it's not protected at all. If you landed on it with any force you'd crack the case. The rear shock mounts seem very vunerable too. I've knicked one of mine:sobbing:




There's easy, cheap protection for the rear shock mounts. The t-case is a little harder in terms of money to protect. I guess the question then becomes how much does it cost to leave it unprotected...




This is a sweet but pricey setup... Some guys at T120 made skids out of HDPE and had pretty good coverage and success. Most have since moved on in search of true 'rock crawling' protection but for the average, occasional, off-road trip it seems like a great idea. Link here
:cheers:

 

[vando45]

Nice! Brings back memories, worked on the pumped storage project back in the early 80's so I basically lived up there for about 3 months. Had a '76 Jeep Cherokee back then so I did some exploring in my time off, beautiful area. I was up there when the pipe broke and my job ended shortly after that. Never forget the sight of Wishon pretty much covered in downed pine trees.

 

[r32]

Nice! Brings back memories, worked on the pumped storage project back in the early 80's so I basically lived up there for about 3 months. Had a '76 Jeep Cherokee back then so I did some exploring in my time off, beautiful area. I was up there when the pipe broke and my job ended shortly after that. Never forget the sight of Wishon pretty much covered in downed pine trees.

Wow, that sounds crazy. I didn't know that happened. Do you remember what year? I looked online but didn't find anything about an accident up there.

On another note, I just saw that they found the body of a missing girl up there and I was off-roading less than 1/4 mile away from where they found her. She had disappeared while camping a few days earlier and the search teams had posted signs everywhere. A good reminder to respect the outdoors.