An informal study here, how many did it for looks, how many did it to pick up chicks, how many people actually use the added lift to cross over obstacles for fun? for work? How often do you go to a legal trail to make use of your lift? Could you complete the trail without it? How often do you go to an illegal trail? I am seriously interested in the reason and fascination behind the bigger tires and added ride height.

As a side note, how often do you use those extra 4 to 8 lights on your ride? Do they serve a purpose besides catching bugs?

9/28/2005 10:25:23 PM

I lift mine to drive it

9/28/2005 11:02:33 PM

If i could lift my Integra a few inches and throw a Quaife in the tranny, it would really help me on the job. I spend a lot of time doing fieldwork in some sometimes-nasty areas.

As it is, I could really use a 4wd truck. I just can't afford to buy one. I could also stand to have one with lockers front and rear...more for bulling through really brushy areas or over logged tracts of land.

But then I often have to drive in excess of 60-100 miles to get to the job site. I'm honestly thinking about a Sidekick or something similar, even though there is limited aftermarket parts availability. It hurts to buy 60-90 bucks worth of gas every week now, and I get 30mpg now in the Teg.

9/28/2005 11:09:48 PM

^^ gg

[Edited on September 28, 2005 at 11:11 PM. Reason : no lo veas]

9/28/2005 11:10:40 PM

i actually lowered mine...

[Edited on September 28, 2005 at 11:43 PM. Reason : but its not a truck.]

9/28/2005 11:43:24 PM

my dad works in forestry and drives through logging trails (when he's lucky enough to be cruising a tract that even has road access) all day

street tires w/ low tread usually, bone stock, no wench, occassionally dropping it into 4wd... with a motherfucking V6

I will never accept that these 4x4 jeep fags are anything but posers when it is a footnote in his job description to drive a hundred highway miles (his reason for not bothering with mud tires)
to "fourwheel" through the woods a half-hour from anyone that can tow his ass out if he gets stuck, and I've rarely heard him complain about it

not only does every discussion of 4x4 shit turn into a debate about how hardcore someone is for building something themself or blowing more money than someone else on it... but none of that shit is necessary, you can get through most of the worst shit wilderness has to throw at you with a bone stock V6 Tacoma...

at BEST it's some gay suburbanite escapism, at worst it's straight up posing

9/29/2005 12:03:38 AM

me != hardcore jeepster poser.

I drive an Integra wherever I can. I hoof it where I can't.

It would be nice to have something that can do double duty as a tractor, though. To do minor clearing work and whatnot.

Logged over tracts of land != logging trails, BTW.

9/29/2005 12:07:36 AM

ta go muddin boi weeeeeeeewhoooooo

9/29/2005 12:10:44 AM

logging trails go to the logged over tracts of land though

and have muddy ruts you can drown in from the 6' tires on the logging equipment

I have been out there with him, I'm not talking out of my ass here

and finally, I wasn't accusing you of posing... if you drive in places like that with a 'teg, you know the deal

[Edited on September 29, 2005 at 12:14 AM. Reason : *]

9/29/2005 12:11:25 AM

I blew an engine on a tract of land one day, crossing a stream bottom...Iredell clay muck...standing water, ingested into my intake. Water is indeed incompressible. It's a shame I don't have the block with not one but TWO holes punched in it anymore (it looked FABULOUS). By the same rod, no less.

One of the fellas on the roadbuilding crew (this was a new subdivision) came up and asked me what was wrong. I said, "I just blew the motor." His response: "You sure you didn't just lose your oil?" Me: "Why?" Him: "There's a puddle of it right there." *points uder car* I'm thinking, "where the fuck do you THINK that oil came from?!"

9/29/2005 12:18:05 AM

Hah, I know plenty of stuff a stock tacoma wouldn't make it through. I lift my stuff for several reasons, one cause it looks good, two cause the chicks dig it, and three cause I like to go offroading.




Yea, I had 35's, and 6" of lift at that time and didn't make it through the second try (good advice: if you make it through something you usually dig ruts), no way a stock tacoma would make it through that.

9/29/2005 12:20:03 AM

Then again, there's no way a sane person in a stock Tacoma would try and traverse that.

There is such a thing as knowing your limits.

9/29/2005 12:24:07 AM

Exactly which answers the origional question, why lift a vehicle? So you can push those limitations to beyond farther than a stock vehicle can handle.

I do know a sane person who tried it in a stock 4runner, he seriously didn't make it but like 4.5-5 feet but he tried it none the less, and in a stock vehicle. Now that builds character.

[Edited on September 29, 2005 at 12:40 AM. Reason : edit]

9/29/2005 12:36:35 AM

quality thread

9/29/2005 12:51:50 AM

can a stock taco go over something like this?



no, it cant, therefore there is a need for lifted/modified 4x4s

9/29/2005 7:40:16 AM

I lifted my old troop because:

A) I needed new tires

B) James gave me a good deal on 33x12.5 MTRs

C) They wouldn't fit right without lifting

D) I enjoy putzing around in Uwharrie with my 'zu buddies.

9/29/2005 8:43:55 AM

i kept getting hung up on those damn curbs at the mall

9/29/2005 8:56:50 AM

Yo zx, I know you can probably do this crap with your eyes closed but you could always get this kit for a Sidekick / VW Diesel conversion... http://www.rocky-road.com/diesel.html

-- Dave

9/29/2005 9:01:32 AM

that's about exactly my ride of choice.

Upon looking, it's for a Sammy...quite a bit of difference between that and a Sidekick. They use totally different powertrains.

I'm actually thinking about a 4-door sidekick (I need more room). Now, if there's a diesel swap for that, damn right I'd do it.

[Edited on September 29, 2005 at 9:33 AM. Reason : more info...]

9/29/2005 9:29:28 AM

come on incognigger, where is your oh so smart reply?

9/29/2005 10:07:10 AM

haha "incognigger".... i lifted my jeep because i occasionally have to park off the parking lot or up on the curb at the mall... and sometimes, in worse cases, i have to hook my winch up to a soccer mom's mini van who pulled into a parking spot right before me... AND i had my turn signal on first...

9/29/2005 10:14:33 AM

why do people need gas cans on their bumper? is it because there are so many safari places around the state that you are going to be 3 hours away from a gas station?

[Edited on September 29, 2005 at 10:22 AM. Reason : ]

9/29/2005 10:21:54 AM

when i first lifted my truck (~6 years ago?) it was mainly for looks, and 4 wheeling secondary. anything i do now is purely for function.

i make it to legal trails once every couple of months, and as of the past year or so that's been with a dead stock isuzu trooper. sure, lifting it would make things easier... but it's my DD and has a hard enough time turning the 245's. stock makes things 10 times more fun too, especially at places such as uwharrie that aren't much of a challenge with anything more. it's also good "tread lightly" practice, why tear up the land with swampers and such when street tires will do.

illegal trails i avoid like the plague now, and as i'm sure some of you have witnessed here a subject i'm quite outspoken about. i'm not innocent though, i've done my fair share of illegal riding in years past being dumb/ignorant.

Quote :

"I'm honestly thinking about a Sidekick or something similar, even though there is limited aftermarket parts availability."

there's actually a good deal of aftermarket kick/tracker support out there now. even more so for samurais. go over to http://www.pirate4x4.com and browse around the suzuki section.

9/29/2005 10:44:20 AM

i lifted mine so I can drive over bigger rocks/more shit/those pesky concrete stoppers at the end of the parking spaces at the mall.

9/29/2005 10:47:25 AM

bigblueram......to add to your advice calmini offers a lot of aftermarket for the sammys/sidekick http://www.calmini.com

9/29/2005 10:49:11 AM

my jeeps bone stock

9/29/2005 10:58:13 AM

well... 1st cause i do go offroading enough to merit 31" tires
2nd cherokees look like a station wagon stock i mean mine has 4" of lift and 31" tires and the roofline is still lower than a 4runner.

9/29/2005 11:01:56 AM

I didn't lift my Jeep, but I did put on some Mud Terrains. Man, those things will fuck up somebody's yard like you wouldn't believe.

9/29/2005 11:15:06 AM

Ok, question about the ride pictured here (from tkeaton's post):



What is the purpose of extending the wheelbase like that? I always thought a shorter wheelbase was preferable for off-roading, so that you run less of a chance of getting hung up on anything. Is it that the extension with the wheels farther out than the body makes approach/departure angles a non-issue, or something else?

And no, I don't even own a truck, nor claim any expertise. I'm just curious.

9/29/2005 11:33:06 AM

wheelbase can be both too long and too short. A taller rig will require more wheelbase. I would say 75% of the rollovers at uwharrie or tellico are rolled over backwards. secondary advantages are improving approach/departure angles.

9/29/2005 11:48:05 AM

Quote :

"to add to your advice calmini offers a lot of aftermarket for the sammys/sidekick "

screw calmini. absolutely terrible customer service. props to them for pioneering the suzuki and isuzu aftermarket back in the 80's, but there's better choices out there now.

Quote :

"What is the purpose of extending the wheelbase like that? I always thought a shorter wheelbase was preferable for off-roading, so that you run less of a chance of getting hung up on anything."

optimal wheelbase and track width depends on a number of things. terrain you drive, the vehicle, driving style, and even personal preference. here on the east coast, longer wheelbases are more favorable (115-120 inches). this makes climing/descending MUCH more stable. we also don't have extremely tight trails here where turning radius is a big concern. as you mentioned, increased approach/departure angles are another advantage. with a properly designed underside, high centering won't be much more of an issue when you extend a wheelbase.

Quote :

"I would say 75% of the rollovers at uwharrie or tellico are rolled over backwards."

i would say this is true when you limit it to the scope of people who are really doing challenging trails. overall, i'd say side to side flops are the most common occurance in 4 wheeling though.

9/29/2005 12:44:58 PM

i was just throwing calmini out because i knew they were a bigger name, I haven't looked into sammy/sidekick stuff that much. no problem tho

9/29/2005 1:33:08 PM

To pick up chicks.


I wanted to run bigger tires and be able to get to more trails.

I ran Tellico with my stock Jeep when I was 15. The only mod I had on there was a gas tank skid plate (and I needed it badly). I was on all the intermediate trails with some wonderful guides who got me through it.

After that though, I was ready to lift it.

[Edited on September 29, 2005 at 5:07 PM. Reason : ]

9/29/2005 5:04:41 PM

what the fuck is the point in going over those big ass rocks? just go around em...

Quote :

"I do know a sane person who tried it in a stock 4runner, he seriously didn't make it but like 4.5-5 feet but he tried it none the less, and in a stock vehicle. Now that builds character."

no that destroys/shortens the lifespan of a perfectly good vehicle. a damn good way to ruin it.

9/29/2005 5:11:52 PM

going over big rocks is more fun. and u don't have to clean out all that damn mud. it killed enough of my electrical and finished off an engine for me. now i don't get stuck......i just break shit

9/29/2005 5:22:56 PM

Its fun to go over big rocks (at least for me it is) you get an adrenaline rush. Am I gonna go over? Am I gonna go over? OH SHIT! And then you get over the obstacle and you're all shaky and shit cos you almost rolled your daily driver. I've had very nicely built off road vehicles, but I'm going back to more basic stuff. Its no fun for me anymore to just point and shoot over a huge rock. I like a challenge. The 4runner I sold to tawaitt did all the intermediate trails at tellico, all stock with IFS. So, to answer the question, I build trucks for offroad use. Not for looks, Not to get chicks. Plus most of my rigs are ugly and beat to shit anyways.

9/29/2005 5:28:19 PM

i lifted mine because my penis is small and i am attemping to compensate for that.

9/29/2005 5:37:37 PM

Because fat chix can't jump

9/29/2005 5:55:15 PM

^^ me too
ahhah they're like cows, they can't jump

9/29/2005 8:26:13 PM

I would get a small lift and bigger tires just to go over shit when I need to..

No trails or anything I dont THINK
Just the occasional urban/rural crawling and playing around

9/29/2005 8:29:21 PM

i used to offroad in my dodge spirit in high school, that thing was the shit. i could jump curbs and skip school with it without scraping too!!! omfg awesome!
actually that thing would go places my tacoma wouldn't in 2wd, my brother took it up to NY for a co-op and we put some mud tires on the front. it was funny as hell

9/29/2005 9:37:46 PM

redneck honda cr500

9/29/2005 10:07:50 PM

all you dumb nigger are a god damn lie

9/29/2005 10:30:44 PM

the only reason i lifted mine, was to clear some reasonable 35's, to have a longer and wider footprint so i wouldnt tear up the paths back home getting stuck all the time and have dad cussin me out every other day, because half our farm is in the damn swamp. you might could get through some of the paths after a good rain in a stock tacoma, but you wouldnt make it back through your own ruts the second time

9/30/2005 10:41:09 AM