can i offroad with my 03 sr5 STOCK?

[awskeetskeet]

just wondering because i think im going to take it off into a trail here in texas with some budies for fun.

i know 4runners are tough trucks, but im just wondering if i could cause any damage to my ride. the trail is just pretty bumpy and has a few hilly parts to it and some ditches.

think i should be good?

ive got everything stock, except when i bought my 4runner they gave me some new michelin tires.


edit: sorry i should clarify WHERE im offroading. like i said its a trail so its mostly bumpy dirty paths with ditches and some rocks to get over.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Any stock 4wd 4Runner is capable of off roading and that's what makes them cool.

I've been on aggressive trails with mine and all I have is 1" bigger tires and the rear diff lock really helps.

 

[awskeetskeet]

thanks for the reply

i took it for a test run in a trail near my house [i live close to ALOT of woods and trails]

and i hit a turn to avoid a part of a ditch, but i kind of went in a part of the ditch and i think the underneath of the car may have been scraped or the underneath of the car balanced off of some dirtrock stuff. is this bad for the 4runner or normal? its driving fine right now, but im just wondering if the 4runner is okay with this kind of tough driving

 

[techno]

4Runners have decent underbody protection for average offroading. Most of the important stuff underneath is tucked up out of harms way.
When you hit the trails with your buddies you may find it good to get in the middle of the group so you can watch the vehicles infront and how they tackle the terrain. Watch the clearance they get over things and follow their lines if they look good. Of course if you see them scrapping, spinning wheels etc, pick a different line through the obstacle if possible. Like RonMaiden said, 4runners are very capable.
One word of caution though, you may find offroading alot of fun and addictive. You may feel the need to start offroad modifications ($$$).:

 

[JB.]

just wondering because i think im going to take it off into a trail here in texas with some budies for fun.

i know 4runners are tough trucks, but im just wondering if i could cause any damage to my ride.

The 4runner is pretty tough and, sure, you could cause damage, but don't let that unlikely possiblility stop you. I'd say the biggest issue, in this case, is who will be offroading with you. With good, experienced people, you should learn a lot and have fun without much chance of damage.

A few scrapes and drags of the undercarriage are nothing, especially on dirt. Surfaces with rock points that can grab when you drag over them require more care. Try to avoid really hard clunks even though they usually result in nothing. You can somewhat make up for low underbelly clearance by coming down off of bumps or rocks slowly. In my experience, the first two points of vulnerability on a stock 4th gen are running boards and tail pipe. It's fairly easy to scrape, bend, or even crush the tail pipe coming off an obstacle. The trailor hitch is bullet proof so don't worry about that. The running boards, too, are prone to a little scraping or even denting, maybe even more so than the tailpipe. You could take them off if you'd like. The 4runner has good clearance under the doors compared to its low underbelly, so even though taking off the running boards removes protection, you'd have to get pretty aggressive before you'd put the rocker panels at risk.

Don't worry about a few underbelly scrapes on dirt. Go have fun and go with good people.

 

[Mike07SE]

I dunno, I always worry about the gas tank when I go offroading. It may be my perception, but that almost looks to be the lowest hanging object under the 4Runner.

 

[awskeetskeet]

i appreciate all the replies guys, i read it all and feel better about my offroading with the 4runner. thanks

 

[97hb]

Do it. I have been mild off roading and mudding and damn, I am getting hooked.

 

[awskeetskeet]

yeah about my little incident with the ditch

my car drives great and all, but im just really curious to see if ive done any underbody damage. besides jacking up the car myself how do you think i can check the underneath of my car. should i just head up to a toyota dealership? you think it will cost anything? thanks

 

[JB.]

yeah about my little incident with the ditch

my car drives great and all, but im just really curious to see if ive done any underbody damage. besides jacking up the car myself how do you think i can check the underneath of my car. should i just head up to a toyota dealership? you think it will cost anything? thanks

Just get a strong flashlight and start looking underneath for where the scuffs are. They're probably on the front skid plate area, the angled, tubular support bars, or the gas tank. Once you find them, report back and tell us where they are. We'll then tell you it's no big deal and you can save a trip to the dealer....unless you enjoy that kind of experience.:whipping2

 

[Thai]

yeah about my little incident with the ditch

my car drives great and all, but im just really curious to see if ive done any underbody damage. besides jacking up the car myself how do you think i can check the underneath of my car. should i just head up to a toyota dealership? you think it will cost anything? thanks

I would not worry about much...just do what JB said. The dealership people are just as clueless about off-roading (& off-roading damages) as the next guy...so, i doubt that they will know what to look for anyway.

How about this...come out with my diverse group this coming saturday (2/9/08) and you can ride in one of our trucks. We off-road in harsher conditions than what you describe, but it should give you some idea on what your 4runner is capable of. Link to event: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&postid=295026#post295026

 

[Mr. Dabadina]

Go on a ride along w/Thai. I've seen the vids he has posted and I'm sure you'll have a blast while learning. In offroading, experience is very important.

 

[Falls]

I do it all the time. I have a stock 06 with 1" larger all terrain tires.

I have A LOT of scrapes underneath and a lot of brush pin stripes on the outside , but I buff and detail cars a lot so those are easy to remove for me .