Member III
Minimum clearance
- Thread starter Renaissance_Man
- Start date
Contributor I
Honestly I love to havea Sherp but I think that I would stand out more than I would like
Advocate I
I was going to suggest a Sherp. The reality is as others have asked, what is your definition of anywhere? The Sherp comes the closest to fitting the bill.
An aluminum bodied 109" Land Rover with a LS engine and a autobox sitting on 8" -35's on Portal axles, fully locked, diesel if you want more range, dual tanks, dual batteries.....etc
That keeps it with low center of gravity(no RTT), great power, good lift, ability to put all you camping gear inside and sleep inside. That will give you a narrow, 60", body and the ability to go where most fear to tread.
Can't swim, through the swamp like the Sherp though........
An aluminum bodied 109" Land Rover with a LS engine and a autobox sitting on 8" -35's on Portal axles, fully locked, diesel if you want more range, dual tanks, dual batteries.....etc
That keeps it with low center of gravity(no RTT), great power, good lift, ability to put all you camping gear inside and sleep inside. That will give you a narrow, 60", body and the ability to go where most fear to tread.
Can't swim, through the swamp like the Sherp though........
Buy a Wrangler, any stock Wrangler and be happy.
Add selectable lockers front and rear or just buy a Rubicon.
Add a winch, carry tire chains, use season appropriate tires, tread lightly.
ps an '03 Rubicon is as capable as a '21 Rubicon.... maybe more so since the '03 is lighter..... and likely already pinstriped.
World Traveler III
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I am currently helping a friend purchase an adventure rig and I am coming to the conclusion of what @Billiebob said. A well armored JK on 33s does so much. Add a little lift for good measure and with a winch and a lockers and it’ll go anywhere. Put 35s on it to go anywhere more comfortably and with less fuel economy
Contributor I
I have no I sea where I want to go as I've been over landing to only 1 location so far
Influencer II
That's about what I have... Coarsely... Jku diesel on 285/70r17 with 2.5" lift, no locker no winch. Did all I asked, plowed through hundreds of meters of mud puddles and climbed sharp edged rocks on steep mountains.
Camps two people easily.
Your absolute best bet...go where your current setup allows you and spend more time going to those places.
Spend your money on fuel and food.
Most places...going anywhere is illegal. Find out the area you want to explore...and EXPLORE. Go to the same area twice...but find a different route.
Go hiking to a section you can not drive...that is how you go anywhere.
My opinion...i just go where I can with the vehicle and setup I have. The only places I can not go...are the ones you are not able to anyways.
Oh...and in the interest of going anywhere...probably need to focus on maximum clearance...minimum is always a limit.
Contributor I
Yes I agree but to high leaves you vulnerable to tipping over on turns on windy days. I'm thinking 10" clearance is ideal
The limiting factor for ground clearance on a truck will be the differentials...maybe shock mounts on the axle also.
The only way to change this is with larger diameter tires. My use case is to always get the largest tire to fit stock.
I do not even think of lifts or such...as I use my vehicles for a purpose and the bedsides are already too high and the tailgates at about the right height.
10 inches is not gonna get you anywhere...but it will get you most everywhere.
Most full size trucks are right around the 9 inch range factory. So seems like they thought about the same.
Advocate I
Taller tyres are 1 way to raise the diff height, portal axles are another and not as cheap........ I'm just saying.
What I get for saying only... Should have wrote...one or easiest or cheapest...lol
Advocate I
Only if it's a solid axle - IS will permit a lift which increases the clearance for the differential housings. Also by sticking to standard (or near standard) wheels/tyres the gearing will remain the same and the stresses on the drive train will not increase above the original design rating.
Pathfinder I
It's a give and take either way you look at it. Lifting independent suspension to get substantial clearance increases changes the factory shaft angles and puts additional stress on the ball joints and boots. IS diffs are weaker than solid axles and they have far less articulation to begin with. Lifting IS makes that worse. Plus, even though you might gain clearance in the center by lifting IS, the low points on the control arms wouldn't change without increasing tire size.
Portal axles FTW
33" is fine, for up to half ton trucks in my AO. 35" for F250 or larger.
It depends on your definition of overlanding. The Mercedes motorhome guys would love to have larger tires and clearance. But seriously, where would they go anyways?
Some Jeeps or Taco's do fine with less.
It depends on your definition of overlanding. The Mercedes motorhome guys would love to have larger tires and clearance. But seriously, where would they go anyways?
Some Jeeps or Taco's do fine with less.
Good points - perhaps the key is what we mean by "substantial clearance". If looking for what I think of as a reasonable lift for overland travel (landfaring) then the increase in stresses is not that much compared with the benefit of 50-75mm added clearance. The main benefit if this added clearance is to lift the differential housing to clear the hump left by the other vehicles on the tracks. The low points on the control arms will be in the ruts so less of a problem.It's a give and take either way you look at it. Lifting independent suspension to get substantial clearance increases changes the factory shaft angles and puts additional stress on the ball joints and boots. IS diffs are weaker than solid axles and they have far less articulation to begin with. Lifting IS makes that worse. Plus, even though you might gain clearance in the center by lifting IS, the low points on the control arms wouldn't change without increasing tire size.
Portal axles FTW
If one is looking for more than 75mm or so then the stress issue becomes more significant, I agree.
True.
But when you arrive at your destination, and every darn time, there's a crew cab fullsize truck there, you'll be hating the jeep pretty quickly. If there's crazy Subaru women circling a Mercedes Sprinter thing.........arrgh, that's even worse.
That's what happened to me. Going from YJ to a Superduty, was like going from ultralightweight backpacking in a dust storm, to drinking fine wine on a cruise ship. Real AC, 90mph = no problem, two giant coolers, driving in a tornado, snow, etc. etc.
Doing wide open spaces, park roads, places Hmmwv's can go, in a small rig sucks. Taking a fullsize to tight trails sucks.
...or, restated - Doing wide open spaces, park roads, places Hmmwv's can go, in a small rig is less comfortable. Taking a fullsize to tight trails can be impossible .
