Is it possible to do some minor wheeling while completely stock without tearing anything up??.....i live in west texas....near lubbock.....I would like to get into it.....it sounds like fun....but i dont want to have to spend gobs of money on things just to do a little offroading.....

Shoorty

 

Hey, I'm in Eastern NM, less than 2hrs from Lubbock. Wheeling around here?! lol, it's too flat. Any place that I've found around here that looked halfway decent is off-limits to any offroading. If you find anyplace, let me know so I can check it out. I'm tired of hearing what my 4th gen can do, I want to try it out myself.

I got to drive up an asphalt mound, the other day. That's the extent of offroading we have here.

PM me, maybe we can find something around here.

 

Of course. Checkout my website under trip reports--slickrock. I was kinda lucky I didn't get any damage from that trip, though, that's about the hardest thing you can do without major damage and without a locker. I would recommend you take off your running boards because if you come down on a rock then you'll bend those things and maybe force them up into the body. Really, you should get sliders for more protection.

Also, make sure you go with at least one other 4x4 and make sure you both have tow points front and rear and a tow strap without metal hooks. You already have a tow hook in the front and if you have a hitch you can use that for the rear.

 

you could always find a local mud pit and have some fun

 

Mud, what's that? I'm in the desert, it doesn't rain here. I wouldn't know mud if I saw it.

 

The 4-Runner is probably the most capable offroader stock of all the SUV's out there. I've had mine is some pretty hairy places. I have tons of mods but as far as my drivetrain goes it's stock. Good tires make a HUGE difference in determining where you can and can't go. Ditchin the runningboards would be a good idea, even it's only for the day. You can take them on and off in about 15 minutes. Good luck

 

Yeah i know what you mean about it being all FLAT around here....it really sucks......the most fun i have gotten is going down the dirt road i live on after it rains, which is about once every two months :cry: ill keep on the lookout and ask around about places to go offroading....

So to wheel stock all i have to do is take off my running boards....i think i have decent tires.....they are 31x10.5R15 Bridgeston Dueler ATs.....well thanks for the advices guys......

Shoorty

 

Yeah. I go wheelin in my stock Runner, i have put 31's on it. I have only crapped the bottom a couple of times.

 

Yeah, you can four wheel stock for sure. Just not as gnarly as jacked up rigs. I do with mine alot, and I've got no mods except for air intake.

I'm just curious, why do you not want metal hooks on the tow straps?

 

hmm i wheel my STOCK 87 4runner as hard as i can without having to launch over obsticles... 155k on the ticker, original everything including turbo, and a set of 235/75/15 bfg a/ts, and it wheels a LOT better than my old XJ, where i go in 2wd the guy who bought my XJ has to skinny pedal through in 4hi..only got stuck once in the 4runner, high centered the Tcase on a rockpile, got pushed off by my rider.....the IFS kind of hinders things a little but otherwise with good driving you can wheel some pretty decent terrain... oh and ditch the front swaybar...best mod i ever did, only one besides the k/n...hmm long post....

 

Do a search on the board for metal hooks.
They are a deadly weapon, and no off roader should ever have a tow strap with them on it.

You only want a tow or yank 'em strap with loops on it.

 

I very happily off-roaded in my stock truck for 3 years before I turned on the computer and learned about cheap modifications to make it work better. My only problems were weak tires popping too often.

Wheel it in stock form and learn how it handles in different situations. Then if you upgrade things later on, you will already know how to drive offroad and you can make much more expensive rigs look silly as you pull them out of a stuck or just go around them.

 

Oh, that makes sense. I wouldn't want a metal hook whipping around if it popped off while under tension.