I know the LR3 has a rock crawl mode, but...

[beantmt]

Should I really expect to hang with the big boys?

Hey guys. I've had my LR3 for almost a year now. I'm all stock except for my Hankook DynaPro ATM RF10 (P265/65R-18) tires. I was out exploring a nearby canyon that is very popular with local offroaders. I was reading a local 4x4 forum that lists the several trails in the canyon and their estimated difficulties. I looked at a trail that was rated a 4 and another that was rated a 5. I didn't think I would be able to do either of them. Here's a shot of the milder trail:

I guess it's kind of hard to determine the size of everything in the picture without a reference. But I didn't think I would be able to make it up this without dragging something, so I turned around. This is what the popular trails looked like in the canyon--just trails littered with boulders. A few Jeep Wranglers were waiting for me to get out of their way. Here's a close-up picture of the rock at the top of the previous picture:

Later, I went up to the more difficult trail, I met up with a group of Jeeps. There were all Jeep Wranglers except for one Jeep Cherokee. There were all lifted pretty high with a lot bigger tires than mine. I got out to talk to the last guy in their group, and he warned me that I wouldn't be able to follow them much longer. He told me that I'd be dragging my front. (I wasn't in off-road height at that point, though.) I aired down my tires to 30psi and went over some rocky parts and caught up with them a bit later at this point, where I turned around and went home (sorry, it's a bad picture):

There was also a four-door jeep and a FJ Cruiser with rock sliders (and pretty huge tires) finishing up the trail when I reached at this point.

So, I was a bit depressed after this trip. To be fair, I haven't done much real off-roading. I'm sure there is a ton I don't know, but I wasn't really feeling like I had a "real" off-roading rig... Maybe I don't know the capabilities of my truck, maybe I need some more upgrades, maybe the LR3 just isn't well-suited for this type of trail (but it's what pretty much everyone seems to do around here), maybe I shouldn't expect to keep up with Jeeps. On this trip I only managed to get embarrassed a couple of times, and get some rock-rash on my wheels.

P.S. Here is a GPS charting of my trip if anyone is interested: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=711615

 

[ryan-in-oregon]

From your pictures it looks like you could do that. But I know pics can be decieving. You can do a lot more then any "jeeper" thinks you can. I say this because they don't know your rig at all. It takes time to get to know your rig, and it is best if you can go out with someone who can help guide you through. Best thing is to join a club (Doesn't have to be a Rover Club it could just be a 4wheel drive club) and go on a couple of runs.

 

[duckdive]

Bean, don't be discouraged AT ALL. Trail experience is king, more trails=more confidence.
Follow Ryan's adivice and join your local club. You will be rolling over stuff you thought was impossible in no time.

 

[Geotrash]

The trails around here will change rating from year to year, depending on damage, erosion, etc, but generally speaking a 4-5 rated trail (out of 10), should be well within the capabilities of a stock LR3 in raised mode. If you add Johnson rods ($125) you'll get another couple of inches. Add rock sliders on top of that for protection and a compressor skid plate and you'll very likely go up some stuff that Jeeps couldn't do. The 4 wheel drive system in the LR3 is superb- particularly if you have the rear locker.

Dave

 

[Houm_WA]

Bean...I wish I was there. Those Jeepers would be quietly sipping a nice hot cup of Shut the f*ck up...and you and I would be drinking a beer and swapping pictures of all the terrain we'd conquered.

 

[nwoods]

All I see in those photos is some nicely maintained fire roads. A stock LR3 with stock tires can walk through all that no problem. Just requires an intelligent right foot, a sensitive left foot, and an understanding of what line to take.

Trail ratings and LR3's are tricky things. I wrote a bit about that here:
http://www.landroverworld.org/forums/showthread.php?p=101530&posted=1#post101530

 

[beantmt]

All I see in those photos is some nicely maintained fire roads.

Ouch. So the problem is apparently that I am just a big wussy.

Like I said, the second trail was more gnarly than the first. I wish I would have gotten better pictures of it. The fist trail just had some dispersed boulders that I didn't think I would be able to clear. Speaking of clear...

Should I be expecting to drag anything on trails like these? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to do either one without dragging my bottom across something. Maybe I'm wrong; chalk it up to inexperience I suppose.

 

[Geotrash]

Get the Johnson rods. You can install 'em in 10 minutes at the trail head and get 2" of extra lift, no penalty. Or leave 'em on all the time and get the truck aligned at the dealer- they have the proper equipment to do it right and most don't mind the rods being installed. Heck, my dealer sells 'em.

As for damage- only the air compressor for the air suspension and the exhaust pipes under the rear suspension are really all that vulnerable. Naturally, rock sliders are advisable for the big stuff.

In addition to the local clubs- check with your local LR dealer to see what their event schedule looks like. You'll get to go out with folks who know your truck better than you (or I) do and they'll choose places that will test the limits of the truck without causing damage. When I had my D2, I was SHOCKED at how utterly capable the stock LR3s were on the trail. Amazing and better than a stock D2 for both traction and obstacle clearance.

Dave

 

[Houm_WA]

...bean, a stock LR3 could walk up that trail and not touch anything. ...but skid plates and sliders are the best investment you can make if you wanna go off-road.

 

[nwoods]

LOL, I'm just having a bit of fun with you. I know better than most how hard it is to capture the essence of a 4 dimensional trail in a photo, but to my fairly practiced eye, those trails are definately within the LR3's capabilities, but practice and experience are exceptionally valuable in running trails like this. As for noises and scrapes, yes, to a certain, limited extent. Typically you only hit when you fall off the "right" line, and, most commonly, you come down a little hard/fast, compress the suspension, and get rewarded with either a cheap noise or an expensive noise

The key is left foot braking so that you're right foot throttles (gently) up to the apex of a rock, and left foot slows you as you ease yourself down the backside of the obstacle.

A lot of people forget to drive the rear wheels too. With the turning radius of the LR3, driving the front wheels to pivot the rear bumper away from obstacles while only moving forward a scant few inches. Rock crawling is a game of inches, and like golf, it's
Easy to do, but hard to do well.