TrailHunter Or Build Your Own? Photos

[NotApplicable]

I 100% agree. There's a lot more to it, and I like that. But really, he's the first to actually break it all down and disect it, not just talk about it. You can see all the pieces, and he walks through all the tradeoffs and decisions you need to make as an owner looking to spice up their ride. Really, everyone should watch his series if you're interested in the why.

Agree it’s good to be well-informed and it’s fun to get into the details

But, I think that the vast majority of people customizing their suspensions are doing so not because their use case demands or even benefits from the increased clearance/travel/etc.; it’s cosmetic (and for the warm fuzzy feeling of having perceived capability in case they may ever need it).

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[Mr. Wolfe]

Agree it’s good to be well-informed and it’s fun to get into the details

But, I think that the vast majority of people customizing their suspensions are doing so not because their use case demands or even benefits from the increased clearance/travel/etc.; it’s cosmetic (and for the warm fuzzy feeling of having perceived capability in case they may ever need it).

I agree and also think that's fine. I would wager that well over 90% of the lifted vehicles (4runners, tacos, jeeps, raptors, broncos, etc.) fit into this group of people that don't really need a lifted vehicle. I mean, you could take it a step further and ask why most of us aren't driving AWD crossovers. The bottom line is, whether you use it for hardcore off-road or not, they are just cool trucks. Just my 2 cents...

Mr. Wolfe

 

[Gator 22]

I agree that most lift for looks, BUT you can lift for looks and have it ride smoother and if by chance you need it to preform it will do that too.
You often see people that are using for instance the same coil overs but in different ways reporting drastically different rides, not just from tire choice or air pressure but because how they lifted it.

 

[Gator 22]

I rented a Jeep Rubicon a few times, once in Washington state and took it on some serious off road adventures. I was impressed what it could do as a stock truck. But it was extremely harsh ride and on the highway very rough ride and twitchy as hell at higher speeds, not my cup of tea for sure. Not to mention expensive.
Last year in Colorado had another one, got dumped on up in Summit county on a ski trip. The Jeep again was excellent. But the ride, lack of space, noise, layout, gas milage..... I'll take a 4Runner over a Jeep. And that front vertical windshield loaded with ducks? WTF!

 

[Mr. Wolfe]

I rented a Jeep Rubicon a few times, once in Washington state and took it on some serious off road adventures. I was impressed what it could do as a stock truck. But it was extremely harsh ride and on the highway very rough ride and twitchy as hell at higher speeds, not my cup of tea for sure. Not to mention expensive.
Last year in Colorado had another one, got dumped on up in Summit county on a ski trip. The Jeep again was excellent. But the ride, lack of space, noise, layout, gas milage..... I'll take a 4Runner over a Jeep. And that front vertical windshield loaded with ducks? WTF!

That's probably the only thing that would make me walk away from the 4Runner. If you all started putting ducks on my truck. lol

 

[btao]

Agree it’s good to be well-informed and it’s fun to get into the details

But, I think that the vast majority of people customizing their suspensions are doing so not because their use case demands or even benefits from the increased clearance/travel/etc.; it’s cosmetic (and for the warm fuzzy feeling of having perceived capability in case they may ever need it).

This is totally fair. And is great to be able to customize to whatever your goals are. There are clear paths to performance or appearance, and much in between. I wanted a balanced approach, which was the stock approach to the Trailhunter, so I don't expect to do much more than gear management mods and tires. Knowing how things work helps make those decisions easier. If you are going for looks, you can save some money not investing in performance hardware you'd never use. And vice versa, there's plenty of performance kit that you'd have to crawl around to find out.

 

[mfoga]

I rented a Jeep Rubicon a few times, once in Washington state and took it on some serious off road adventures. I was impressed what it could do as a stock truck. But it was extremely harsh ride and on the highway very rough ride and twitchy as hell at higher speeds, not my cup of tea for sure. Not to mention expensive.
Last year in Colorado had another one, got dumped on up in Summit county on a ski trip. The Jeep again was excellent. But the ride, lack of space, noise, layout, gas milage..... I'll take a 4Runner over a Jeep. And that front vertical windshield loaded with ducks? WTF!

I have driven so many vehicles in bad weather. i would never recommend a full 4wd vehicle for those situations unless you plan to go off road. But driving to a resort I would much rather a smaller lighter AWD vehicle overall.

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