how capable are the 3rd gen Explorers off road?

[ProjectAviator]

I have thought about getting a 3rd gen Explorer to modifiy for off roading. I am wondering how good they are. I would eventually want to go Solid axle front and rear and put it on 35s

But the mods will come in time so wonder how they wheel in stock condition.

Tim

 

[IZwack]

I think there's a reason why most 3rd and 4th gens are rolling on 20's and 24s instead of smaller wheels with more tire sidewall

 

[CALDWELL]

I have done light off roading on with my X... light trails, and light mud. I havent been in a situation yet that i could get myself out of...

its just like any other stock suv. they are gonna have limitations such as clearence, and flex etc... as long as you have a decent tread tire, you would be find goofing around in the woods

just look on the modified section for the 3rd gen offroad pic thread... theres plenty of stock X's on trails...

 

[Ronin8002]

Macknos94 is doing front and rear solid axle swap on his 3rd gen.

Other folks seem to do pretty well on 6" of lift and 33's.

2 other people have also modified an Aussie locker to put in the open rear diff with awesome results....I'm working on the same thing.

I don't think with the stock suspension you'll ever have a hardcore rockcrawling beast but like caldwell said you'll be all right with mild offroading in stock form.

 

[thepotroast]

I have thought about getting a 3rd gen Explorer to modifiy for off roading. I am wondering how good they are. I would eventually want to go Solid axle front and rear and put it on 35s

But the mods will come in time so wonder how they wheel in stock condition.

Tim

Better put aside about as much cash as the truck is worth, to do those mods. Macknos94 is currently doing a full SAS front and rear and he's up to over 10k so far in parts and labor.

These are IFS/IRS setups, so the suspension travel is very limited, even if you disconnect the sway bars. We use coilover strut setups, so options for that are limited. My truck did fine with light offroading, mud up to the hubs, deep snow and sugar sand. I would just start with locking it. Mine has the limited slip and there were times when having a locking diff would have been a big help.

Really think about how much you want to invest in such a radical modification, and if it's really worth it. Personally I would get a different vehicle if I were to SAS front and rear.

 

[dannym52fire]

i have a stock one with 17 inch wheels and 30 inch BFG Rugged Trail T/As and its amazing at snow wheeling. yesterday we took it down some light trails with a lot of mud and rocks and it did great also. i wouldnt hesitate taking a 3rd gen off road, but dont get me wrong, you have to be careful. if you wanna do harder stuff, i would def go for some mods and skid plates.

 

[Cozmik]

I took mine off road twice. Once in the fall, once in the winter. It was lifted at the time and on 32" BFG A/T's. I was disappointed at the performance on uneven terrain. Its now back to stock height and on street tires. If I build another trail toy I'm going back to a 2nd Gen. Cheap to get, cheap to make work well off road.

 

[dannym52fire]

Yeah at the off road park i go to, 1st gen are the most popular because they're easy to mod and cut apart. 1st and 2nd gen explorers are the ones you want to go with for hardcore wheeling, rock crawling etc.