Hiking vehicles

[rally_toad]

What kind of vehicles do you guys all drive when your going hiking? Im thinking about investing in a 4wd high clearance Jeep or something of the sort so I could get to some places where I definitely couldnt get to with what Im driving now (73 mustang):) I saw a Jeep Grand Cherokee today for $2600 and I was thinking about checking it out. What "hiking vehicle" is easiest to drive and which gets the best gas mileage (even though I know most wouldnt be too fuel efficient.)

[Alston_Neal]

Super nice Kid!

[Trishness]

I probably going to need new tires for the X-Terra in 2013. I know it's not going to be cheap. The stock tires that came with the X were BF Goodrich A/T but I wasn't really happy with the way they wore (and yes I have my tires rotated religiously).....Any recommendations??? It's a 4X2 not a 4X4. Big-O? Discount Tire?

[Espi]

I got the Hankook DynaPro ATM for my Tacoma.. I have been very pleased with them. Quiet on the freeway and have worn very well. Just a slight aggressive tread.. Good tire IMO.

[CannondaleKid]

Super nice Kid!

Thanks!
I just took it out for its first real test today giving it a baptism of fire... ok, so it wasn't fire, just plenty of scratches, scrapes and mud but everything worked great so I'm happy.

[Alston_Neal]

Nice avatar photo!
Any tire rub in the wells?

[CannondaleKid]

Nice avatar photo!

Thanks... It took a bit of work to add more sky and more ground to make it work at 71x100 pixels. If the avatars were either square or better yet 4x3 width-to-height all it would take is reducing to size.

Any tire rub in the wells?

I had some on the rear of the front fenders yesterday, but I spent an hour trimming 2" off the lower 6" of the fenders so hopefully that will work.

[Alston_Neal]

Zounds good, it's not like we need fenders that much here.
I hope it works for ya, if not I think these will be way cool on your Jeep...
http://www.bushwacker.com/fender.asp?dh ... rch=Search

[te_wa]

TRISH:

not having 4x4 you dont need much meat on the tire. After considerable (neurotic) reviewing of rubber for my rig, looking at personal experience of 4 wheelers, ratings on consumer pages, and qualified professional drivers' opinions on various sites - I found a tire set that works for me. It took the honors of "best" All Terrain - BUT, you may not need a rugged tire like this one.

bonus points go to this company for being made in Ohio, USA

http://us.coopertire.com/Tires/Light-Tr ... -A-T3.aspx

[AZLumberjack]

@te-wa
I have the Cooper Tire's Discoverer street version (not the A/T3) on my Explorer and so far it has met all expectations. And yes, Bonus Points to American Made

[CannondaleKid]

@tewa/mnlumberjack I'm very happy with my Cooper Discoverer ATP 6-ply's.

Yeah, I know, I've barely had them on the Jeep for three 4-wheeling outings but they are performing admirably. They got me through some deep mud on Monday and yesterday they gripped like glue on the steep smooth-rock climbs, held up to some hard hits (hard enough for them to cave in the lower front fenders), jagged sharp rocks, fended off prickly pear, cholla and buckhorn spikes yet the tread design keeps the noise down on pavement.

I chose them over BF Goodrich A/T's (too much $$ and they don't hold up like they used to), Goodyear Duratrac's (way too much $$ and very noisy on pavement) and a host of others, being swayed by cost, 55,000 mile tread-life guarantee and yes, American-made.

From what I've seen so far the quality of their other tires are like these I wouldn't hesitate to recommend other Cooper tires as well. But for any rough dirt-road use whether 2 of 4WD, I always recommend an 'LT' tire with at least a D Load Range to stand up to the beating.
(Yes, that's even realizing most people don't drive as fast as I do on dirt... but hey, at a higher speed you miss most of the bumps, don'cha know?) :whistle:

[SuperstitionGuy]

(Yes, that's even realizing most people don't drive as fast as I do on dirt... but hey, at a higher speed you miss most of the bumps, don'cha know?)

Flying High Kopelli?

[Alston_Neal]

@SuperstitionGuy
Or.... Baja1000Kopelli

[CannondaleKid]

Or.... Baja1000Kopelli

Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket!

[Alston_Neal]

Happens to everyone who gets a rig with a couple of more combustion chambers...

[kevinweitzel75]

My 6 year old Pathfinders that had 80% tread left on them finally decided that the AZ heat was to much. Side wall on one of the tires cracked. Well, with not a lot of money to spend on tires, I got the Hankook Dynapros from Discount tire. Final cost out the door was $695.03 for 265/70 r16.
I took them off road for the first time last weekend scouting for deer. Didn't once go into four wheel drive, just to test them out. I was very impressed with their performance. Only slipped once on some very loose gravel going up a very steep hill. As for climbing over rocks, like suction cups. I even drove through a sandy wash in 2 wheel drive. I can't say enough about these tires. And hardly any road noise on surface streets. Next we'll see how many miles I can get out of them. Should last for a very long time considering I only put maybe 3000 miles on my truck a year.

[Thoreau]

My 6 year old Pathfinders that had 80% tread left on them finally decided that the AZ heat was to much. Side wall on one of the tires cracked. Well, with not a lot of money to spend on tires, I got the Hankook Dynapros from Discount tire. Final cost out the door was $695.03 for 265/70 r16.
I took them off road for the first time last weekend scouting for deer. Didn't once go into four wheel drive, just to test them out. I was very impressed with their performance. Only slipped once on some very loose gravel going up a very steep hill. As for climbing over rocks, like suction cups. I even drove through a sandy wash in 2 wheel drive. I can't say enough about these tires. And hardly any road noise on surface streets. Next we'll see how many miles I can get out of them. Should last for a very long time considering I only put maybe 3000 miles on my truck a year.

At the risk of echoing the AZFJ mantra over here too loudly, +1 for the Dynapros for sure. Been running a set of Dynapro MT 285/75/16 for about a year now and they've endured in that time what the previous set of BFG TA/KO's couldn't handle for a couple months. And the MTs are still full of life. I'd estimate that they've only been run down about 10-20% with a LOT of heavy off-roading. I do a full five tire rotation though, so that helps a bit for sure. That said, there are people with 60k on their sets with more abuse than I could ever dish out, and they're still going strong.

To say there's a near-cult following for these tires would be an understatement. I just wish they weren't so pricey. I don't have much tire-buying experience to compare with, but from what I've read, they used to be substantially cheaper than most alternatives, then prices started creeping up as word got out. I paid $1400+ for five including extended warranty coverage from Discount Tire, installation, etc.

[Trishness]

Well, with not a lot of money to spend on tires, I got the Hankook Dynapros from Discount tire. Final cost out the door was $695.03 for 265/70 r16.

I got some Hankook tires from Big O and like them. Had good luck with them on the back roads.

[hikeaz]

For sale:
2010 Toyota 4Runner (pearl white) - Leather (black) - 4WD (of course) - moonroof + more.. $28.5k -
Cannot be told from new- not a ding or dent inside or out - 45k mi. garage kept, hand-washed weekly + waxed monthly - fanatically maintained.
igallery/image_page.php?id=4895
igallery/image_page.php?id=4896
If you are sincerely interested and want additional photos just email me.

Extra-Cost Options
This truck has BOTH the Convenience and Premium packages
Convenience Package ($2,735) -- Power tilt/slide moon-roof with sunshade and front and rear 120V AC power outlets, AM/FM/MP3 CD, XM-capable player with 8 speakers with iPod USB connection.

Premium Package ($4,935) -- Everything from the convenience package above plus: leather-trimmed and heated 8-way power-adjustable driver's seat with power lumbar support and 4-way power-adjustable passenger seat, leather-trimmed second row seating, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, backup camera, sonar backup alarm and Bluetooth.
Blizzard White PEARL paint option - $350

Owner-added options:
Mushy stock shocks have been replaced with Bilstein gas shocks on all 4 corners - 2" front levelling kit - $935
Front 'bull' bar added as well as driving lights - $715
Factory wheels were powder coated black and BFG mud-terrain 265/70/17 tires installed by Discount Tire - $1380
Aftermarket intake system with 'cleanable' filter element - $430
Weather-Tech floor mats - $175

Blue Book® Private-Party Value (plus near $3500 of owner-added options listed above)
Excellent $30,092
"Just 3% of all cars we value meet this criteria. This car looks new and is in excellent mechanical condition. It has never had paint or bodywork and has an interior and body free of wear and visible defects. The car is rust-free and does not need reconditioning. Its clean engine compartment is free of fluid leaks. It also has a clean title history, has complete and verifiable service records and will pass safety and smog inspection."
Very Good $29,392
Good $28,592
Fair $26,192

[SgtLumpy]

Here's my hiking vehicle -



89 Chev Astro Van
Nine inches of lift
31" mudder tires
Ham radios on every frequency I'm legally allowed to operate
Multiple redundant GPS
Redundant audible and silent alarms
Exterior Rear and Front view, interior multiple view recording cameras always on
Remote status/start/location check/engine kill
Lojak + redundant antitheft track/notify
Multiple batteries
Off road lights
Remote on-site tilt up 30 ft antenna tower
Smoke and flare launchers fired locally or via remote commands
Engine and drivetrain status digital gauges
Sleeps two 6 ft tall humans plus gear

My GPS nav voice talks to me in Aussie Shiela voice. Very sexy!


Sgt Lumpy - n0eq

[Alston_Neal]

@SgtLumpy
Man that's pretty cool. Glad to see more gearheads on here.
I will definately know who's rig is that when I see it.