Maximizing Off-Road Reliability

[Xtremluck]

My setup sees a lot of remote backcountry travel over some pretty technical terrain. Due to this I like to be on top of maintenance, carry spare parts and be preemptive on replacing critical components that are near end of life. Early November I plan on dialing it up a notch by attempting the full Rubicon Trail on a pretty moderate setup. DM me if you are interested in joining

Due to this I want to make sure my truck is in the best shape it can be. So Ill be spending the next few weeks replacing parts and ensuring maintenance is up to date. I was just curious to see what other owners have replaced either preemptively or from breakage from trail usage and what spares you all are carrying.

Here's what I have:

2012 SR5 w/167,000 miles

Trail Failures
-Outer tie rods
-Steering Rack
-Tires

Replaced Preemptively or from Trail Wear
-Lower Ball Joints / Lower Control Arms
-Inner Tie Rods
-Steering Rack
-Bushings on Aftermarket Icon UCAs
-Spherical bearings on King Coilovers
-Tires

Spare Parts I Carry
-Inner Tie Rod
-Outer Tie Rod
-CV Axle
-Rear Driveshaft (I don't carry one usually but may bring one for the Rubicon)

Things I'm Thinking of Replacing Preemptively
-Front Wheel Bearings
-Rear Wheel Bearings
-Alternator

As you can see it's not a super long list which I think is a testament to how well 5th gens are built. So T4R what say you?

 

[honda250xtitan]

i brought a spare coilover and spare rear shock for mexico. it was jsut a 6112 and fox 2.0. but i figured thatd be plenty to get it roadworthy at least. otherwise i brought the same parts minus a driveshaft.

the question is how much work do you really want to do on the trail and how many tools do you want to bring. ball joints, spherical bearings, bushings can all be worn and ruined but will still function fine to get you home

Did you gusset your cam tabs yet?

 

[Greydog]

Here’s a few ideas:
Extra lower shock bolts, or retorque with some blue locktite. I’ve bent my front OE bolt before.
Sway bar links or extra bushings at least. I’ve blown bushings out, n the rubicon you may bend a link?
Radiator has an external trans line cooler metal pipe. If you haven’t replaced, check it as they corrode and fail without warning.
Gas tank straps can also corrode and fail. Maybe not a consideration as your in CA?
Lube the driveshafts and all universals
I’ve heard a damaged speed sensor or wiring near the wheel can stop use of the electronics like abs, Atrac, crawl control, etc. So maybe spares of front and rear sensors or wiring if damaged? Low probability but a bummer.
The lower serp belt pulley usually fails first, replace or bring a spair? Probably not gonna stop working but could slowly cause a belt problem or just a lot of noise. Which will wear you out faster.
Find a shop on your route to get an oil change at 5k, maybe even rear diff depending on how hard your working it?
Change the coolant, pull the fan shroud and look for side tank leaks of pickish crust.

 

[bigdaddy2021]

I think drivetrain-wise, you’ve covered all the big issues. My recommendations for necessary equipment to avoid drivetrain failures:

Armor -
Engine
Tcase
Sliders
Lower rear link armor
Armored/DOM lower links with stock as spares
Armored shock mounts
Weld on Rear diff armor
Reinforced or upgraded gas tank armor

Front and rear traction device

Front eaton or ARB
Rear eaton or ARB

My setup sees a lot of remote backcountry travel over some pretty technical terrain. Due to this I like to be on top of maintenance, carry spare parts and be preemptive on replacing critical components that are near end of life. Early November I plan on dialing it up a notch by attempting the full Rubicon Trail on a pretty moderate setup. DM me if you are interested in joining

Due to this I want to make sure my truck is in the best shape it can be. So Ill be spending the next few weeks replacing parts and ensuring maintenance is up to date. I was just curious to see what other owners have replaced either preemptively or from breakage from trail usage and what spares you all are carrying.

Here's what I have:

2012 SR5 w/167,000 miles

Trail Failures
-Outer tie rods
-Steering Rack
-Tires

Replaced Preemptively or from Trail Wear
-Lower Ball Joints / Lower Control Arms
-Inner Tie Rods
-Steering Rack
-Bushings on Aftermarket Icon UCAs
-Spherical bearings on King Coilovers
-Tires

Spare Parts I Carry
-Inner Tie Rod
-Outer Tie Rod
-CV Axle
-Rear Driveshaft (I don't carry one usually but may bring one for the Rubicon)

Things I'm Thinking of Replacing Preemptively
-Front Wheel Bearings
-Rear Wheel Bearings
-Alternator

As you can see it's not a super long list which I think is a testament to how well 5th gens are built. So T4R what say you?

 

[Xtremluck]

i brought a spare coilover and spare rear shock for mexico. it was jsut a 6112 and fox 2.0. but i figured thatd be plenty to get it roadworthy at least. otherwise i brought the same parts minus a driveshaft.

the question is how much work do you really want to do on the trail and how many tools do you want to bring. ball joints, spherical bearings, bushings can all be worn and ruined but will still function fine to get you home

Did you gusset your cam tabs yet?

That is a good call. It would be nice to have spare suspension components.

I haven't gusseted my cam tabs yet and I'm suffering because of it. I just about knock my alignment out every 2nd or 3rd trip these days. So it's definitely on the list of things to do.

 

[Xtremluck]

I think drivetrain-wise, you’ve covered all the big issues. My recommendations for necessary equipment to avoid drivetrain failures:

Armor -
Engine
Tcase
Sliders
Lower rear link armor
Armored/DOM lower links with stock as spares
Armored shock mounts
Weld on Rear diff armor
Reinforced or upgraded gas tank armor

Front and rear traction device

Front eaton or ARB
Rear eaton or ARB

Yup fully armored except for rear shock mounts, rear diff and lower rear links. All places that have already gotten hammered. I was thinking about armoring up the rear diff since I drag it so much but I'm not so hot about the lost clearance. Sometimes millimeters count when it comes to clearing something or having to pull winch line to drag myself across things.

I have my eye on a front locker (Already have an Eaton rear) but that definitely won't make it for this trip. I'm also a bit concerned about the durability of our front axle in low traction situations with a locker up there. Supposedly the CV axles will be the fuse that breaks before anything in the diff implodes but who knows. I recently saw a 5th gen grenade his axle with light throttle while locked. Although he was on 37s and had upgraded CV axles which probably transferred the breaking point to his diff/

 

[bigdaddy2021]

Yup fully armored except for rear shock mounts, rear diff and lower rear links. All places that have already gotten hammered. I was thinking about armoring up the rear diff since I drag it so much but I'm not so hot about the lost clearance. Sometimes millimeters count when it comes to clearing something or having to pull winch line to drag myself across things.

I have my eye on a front locker (Already have an Eaton rear) but that definitely won't make it for this trip. I'm also a bit concerned about the durability of our front axle in low traction situations with a locker up there. Supposedly the CV axles will be the fuse that breaks before anything in the diff implodes but who knows. I recently saw a 5th gen grenade his axle with light throttle while locked. Although he was on 37s and had upgraded CV axles which probably transferred the breaking point to his diff/

100% agree. I absolutely waffle on the the front locker. I've seen ATRAC be very capable, but a fully locked diff provides SO much more traction, but at the cost of stress on components. (flip flop, flip flop goes my opinion..lol)

I would say that 34-35's locked would by my upper limit personally, as far as durability on our front end/CV's. I don't like the idea of aftermarket CV's, since as you say, they move the fuse to somewhere else. I'd rather carry 3-4 CV's and the kit to swap them out than deal with a busted ring gear or driveshaft yoke, or something like that.

As far as the Rubicon trail goes. Everyone I've talked to who goes, tells me that 35's are the minimum, in their opinion. Have to say that while I agree 35's are probably better - again there's that balance. I think I'd rather have a 100% durable, armored truck that I have to drag a bit over the trail than a truck on 35's/37's that is at the limit of durability front-end wise. I have no doubt that the rear-end can handle 35's-37's, so maybe it's a choice:

A. 33's, fully locked, fully armored and prepared to drag and winch as needed. I think 33's wouldn't stress out CV's very much at all, with conservative driving - maybe plan on 4 days on the trail to provide time needed/rest from long trail days.
B. 35's, open front/locked rear, fully armored with less traction, but less drag and less chance of busting a front-end component.

 

[bigdaddy2021]

Yup fully armored except for rear shock mounts, rear diff and lower rear links. All places that have already gotten hammered. I was thinking about armoring up the rear diff since I drag it so much but I'm not so hot about the lost clearance. Sometimes millimeters count when it comes to clearing something or having to pull winch line to drag myself across things.

Agreed - i was talking more about the weld-on cap that protects the metal next to the ring gear.. I think TrailGear sells them.

Not only do you lose ground clearance with the that bolt-on "shovel" diff skid type, I've seen a vid that showed the skid come loose and start grinding on the driveshaft area, where it wasn't in any danger of damage with a good drive who keeps rocks away from there.

That's a big "nope" for me, personally.


Here's the vid, @ the 12:36 mark - also take note of the lower shock skids. They look well used. :

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[honda250xtitan]

shock skids with bolt protection are a must (fj toyman ones rock). just by running dirt roads at high speeds the bolts turn to ovals from rock spray

 

[rdruss]

That is a good call. It would be nice to have spare suspension components.

I haven't gusseted my cam tabs yet and I'm suffering because of it. I just about knock my alignment out every 2nd or 3rd trip these days. So it's definitely on the list of things to do.

I'd go to Taco Tab kit and get rid of the bogus alignment adjuster cams, It makes no sense to me to run one cam forward and the other cam rearward having the LCA "cocked". Run them both forward, middle, or rear and get the final alignment adjust with SPC UCA.

 

[Xtremluck]

shock skids with bolt protection are a must (fj toyman ones rock). just by running dirt roads at high speeds the bolts turn to ovals from rock spray

Agreed, when I pull mine for a rebuild I will most likely have to replace the lowers. They are severely chewed up, I should have made that investment long ago.

 

[Xtremluck]

Agreed - i was talking more about the weld-on cap that protects the metal next to the ring gear.. I think TrailGear sells them.

Not only do you lose ground clearance with the that bolt-on "shovel" diff skid type, I've seen a vid that showed the skid come loose and start grinding on the driveshaft area, where it wasn't in any danger of damage with a good drive who keeps rocks away from there.

That's a big "nope" for me, personally.

Ouch that does look terrible, my rear axle pumpkin has been holding up the only thing I'm worried about is that drain bolt. I may add one to my trail kit just in case.

 

[Inv4drZm]

I would take more ground clearance over a front locker on the rubicon. So many boulders.

While its possible to make it through with 33s I wouldn't personally do it. It wouldn't be fun for me. More work winching and spotting.

Run 35s or 37s, take it easy, and carry spares. I made it through with 37s and stock CVs. I only broke my exhaust, hence why ground clearance is important.

 

[Xtremluck]

100% agree. I absolutely waffle on the the front locker. I've seen ATRAC be very capable, but a fully locked diff provides SO much more traction, but at the cost of stress on components. (flip flop, flip flop goes my opinion..lol)

I would say that 34-35's locked would by my upper limit personally, as far as durability on our front end/CV's. I don't like the idea of aftermarket CV's, since as you say, they move the fuse to somewhere else. I'd rather carry 3-4 CV's and the kit to swap them out than deal with a busted ring gear or driveshaft yoke, or something like that.

As far as the Rubicon trail goes. Everyone I've talked to who goes, tells me that 35's are the minimum, in their opinion. Have to say that while I agree 35's are probably better - again there's that balance. I think I'd rather have a 100% durable, armored truck that I have to drag a bit over the trail than a truck on 35's/37's that is at the limit of durability front-end wise. I have no doubt that the rear-end can handle 35's-37's, so maybe it's a choice:

A. 33's, fully locked, fully armored and prepared to drag and winch as needed. I think 33's wouldn't stress out CV's very much at all, with conservative driving - maybe plan on 4 days on the trail to provide time needed/rest from long trail days.
B. 35's, open front/locked rear, fully armored with less traction, but less drag and less chance of busting a front-end component.

You are spot on. I think there is a point where your setup is too built up and you actually start hampering the overall performance and reliability off road. Let's be honest most folks who are up on 35s are just driving around on maintained USFS roads "Overlanding". Not dragging their trucks through rock gardens that like to eat up body panels

I truly think 33" tires is the sweet spot for this platform but I'm tempted by that extra ground clearance to go just a little bigger. Right now I'm either going to go skinny 34" 285/75/17 or Baby 35" BFG K02 315/70/17 for the next round of rubber. The BFGs are pretty durable from my experience and weigh next to nothing for that size (62 lbs). Hoping that keeping the rotational mass down a bit will help with durability.

Either way for this Rubicon attempt I will be on 33s.

 

[Xtremluck]

I would take more ground clearance over a front locker on the rubicon. So many boulders.

While its possible to make it through with 33s I wouldn't personally do it. It wouldn't be fun for me. More work winching and spotting.

Run 35s or 37s, take it easy, and carry spares. I made it through with 37s and stock CVs. I only broke my exhaust, hence why ground clearance is important.

Thanks for the first hand insight, I agree the extra clearance will make it much more easier. I've done a small portion of the Rubicon before and some of the surrounding trails so I totally hear you about those boulders. Every mm counts for sure.

 

[Inv4drZm]

You are spot on. I think there is a point where your setup is too built up and you actually start hampering the overall performance and reliability off road. Let's be honest most folks who are up on 35s are just driving around on maintained USFS roads "Overlanding". Not dragging their trucks through rock gardens that like to eat up body panels

The majority of FJs I wheel with have had 35s.

In reality, 35s arent that big or unreliable on our platform.

IMO 35s are the standard for offroading and the jumping off point for more extreme sizes if you decide you are willing to beef up certain components and trim around some wheel wells.

I've had 33s, 35s, and now 37s. Brother has had the same plus 39s on his FJ.

 

[baldrik78]

I think you've got the items most likely to break - the inner/outer tie-rods and a CV axle.

 

[MAST4R]

Great opening post! I, too, think about these issues as we go solo deep into the desert and we are not slow anymore

To me, it all starts from mild mods. Any bigger mods will result in extra wear and sometimes excess and fast wear. When I finally get 8112s with adjusters in the front (not yet in production), I may go just a tad higher in the front but will still stay under 2", certainly not over 2".

Then reliability of aftermarket components. You never really know when a monotube will give up the ghost. Sometimes, top end shocks can let go for no apparent reason. But it is a rare occurrence so I am not overthinking that. If having less capable shocks, carrying a rear spare is a good idea, for example using anything less than a 2.5 at speeds higher than what a stock setup allows.

For spares, I only carry tie rod at present. I whiffed on a good price for CV and rear driveshaft in January because I did not want to pay 100$ shipping. Now I wish I could have those prices. So I still carry no CV and no rear driveshaft. My concern with those is in crawling which we don't do much of but I would like to get those parts eventually.


I am all for preemptive maintenance but thankfully it is early for me. Changing fluids on all diffs/transfer case/lubricating the driveshaft, I do all that regularly. You can find a spare alternator cheaply from a junk yard but I agree on preemptive replacement at higher mileage. If you ever do water/deep mud, it is great to carry a spare anyway. At your mileage, I would probably want to have a new starter as well.


You have the sibling tires of mine. I love the ATZ P3. I got a nail in one of mine this summer trip. It stayed there for like 600 miles till I returned home and the tire finally could no longer stay above 20 psi. It was repaired by Discount Tire. But I bought a capable spare in result of this; I used to have a P-metric Wildpeak spare.

But yeah I really don't have much to say other than that I see things pretty much the way you do

 

[Xtremluck]

The majority of FJs I wheel with have had 35s.

In reality, 35s arent that big or unreliable on our platform.

IMO 35s are the standard for offroading and the jumping off point for more extreme sizes if you decide you are willing to beef up certain components and trim around some wheel wells.

I've had 33s, 35s, and now 37s. Brother has had the same plus 39s on his FJ.

Agree on 35s being the gold standard for off-road focused vehicles these days but as you said you can't just throw them on our platform and expect things not to break. I think our steering rack and its components are the major weak point on our platform and probably the first thing I would upgrade (LC200 Rack). Hell I already broke my rack on lighter 33s

 

[Xtremluck]

For spares, I only carry tie rod at present. I whiffed on a good price for CV and rear driveshaft in January because I did not want to pay 100$ shipping. Now I wish I could have those prices. So I still carry no CV and no rear driveshaft. My concern with those is in crawling which we don't do much of but I would like to get those parts eventually.

I've always had the mentality of just pulling a CV if I ever break one and just go home with 3WD. However, that would require you to have a sawzall to create a stub shaft to hold the wheel bearing together in the affected corner. Seems like more work than simply swapping out the CV. I btw only carry it with me on technical trails. On normal runs it stays home because I'm a bit of a weight weenie.

You can find a spare alternator cheaply from a junk yard but I agree on preemptive replacement at higher mileage. If you ever do water/deep mud, it is great to carry a spare anyway. At your mileage, I would probably want to have a new starter as well.

Yup I have done plenty of water/mud crossings over the last 7 years that has probably shorten the life of both those items. They are definitely on the priority list to be replaced.

You have the sibling tires of mine. I love the ATZ P3. I got a nail in one of mine this summer trip. It stayed there for like 600 miles till I returned home and the tire finally could no longer stay above 20 psi. It was repaired by Discount Tire. But I bought a capable spare in result of this; I used to have a P-metric Wildpeak spare.

But yeah I really don't have much to say other than that I see things pretty much the way you do

I love my Cooper ST MAXX (ATZ P3), they have been extremely durable, have great traction in deep wet snow, and really shine on rocks. If I go with a skinny 34" I will be getting them again for sure.