JUST MY OPINION
I just returned from a run in the Death Valley area (Ballarat/Panamint Range) with POKERDAWG and others. He asked me to post my opinion on mods for "the road less traveled". What order? I know that everybody has a different opinion on the subject. This is only mine. What is the "road less traveled"? It's an expedition concept that is mild to wild because you NEVER know what you're going to run into. Many unimproved roads change with every rain storm so the trip that you thought was going to be an easy one can suddenly turn into a challenging run.
So my philosophy is "getting home". The Scorpion was modified not to be glamorous or make a statement but to get me home at the end of the day.
In order:
(1)
Rear lower control arms and leading edge armor plates to protect them. The OEM arms are weak. One good strike on a rock and you can break them. If you break one, you're screwed. You can disconnect a front or rear drive shaft and you can play games with other "getting home" magic, but once you've lost a lower rear, you're not going anywhere.
Recommended:
MAN-A-FRE rear lower control arms with bushings. They're heavy duty (most unlikely to break), they are not adjustable because you don't need adjustable rear lower control arms (IMO) and MAF stands behind their products.
US$299.00 for the rear lower control
arms.
TLC Trailing Arm Skid US$90.00
(2)
Tow Straps/Shackles/Recovery gear is very important. I recommend the
ARB recovery kit because it's everything in one bag. I bought my components separately and always keep spare shackles.
Price Estimate: 2 x 10,000 lbs 3/4" Pin Bow Shackles - US$13.00 each & 2" x 30' 8,000 Kg Snatch Strap - US$70.00 & Tree Protector 26,000 lbs 3" x 10' - US$50.00 Total:
US$146.00 (estimated)
Again, I bought all my components separately and threw them in a bag. The ARB kit is a one stop shop but there are a number of ways to skin that cat.
(3)
Skids will protect your vital engine components. I recommend
BudBuilt Skids. There are a lot of people out there who will tell you that this skid is better than that one. They're all right. This is just my opinion folks - more armor is better. Bud stands behind his products, he is a small shop and yes, you may have to pay for shipping, but the product is excellent, he's excellent and that's just how it is.
US$650.00
(4)
Sliders are also necessary. I recommend
DeMello Offroad Sliders. They offer maximum protection, Jason DeMello cares about his customers & is one of the most talented FJ Cruiser fabricators there is. I'm proud to call him my friend.
$429.00
(5)
Hi-Lift Jack with Wabfab slider adaptor. I hate the Hi-Lift Jack, for the record. They're awkward to use, they are big and heavy and they rust when left out on the roof rack or the spare tire (wherever you store them) but they're essential. If you are going to get a Hi-Lift, do yourself a favor and also buy the Wabfab adaptor so the Hi-Lift won't slip off when you're jacking it, damaging your rig, you or both. Hi-Lift (about)
US$70.00 &
Wabfab adaptor US$60.00
So for about $2,000.00 (I threw in a couple hundred dollars shipping that you'll pay) you've protected your rig. You have some gear to either recover yourself or to aid others who want to help get you out of a tight spot. Now all you need is to go out, and get practical experience.
Another word: When running "out there", water is important. If you have to walk out of a bad situation, your water jug is nearly useless. Buy some inexpensive canteens. I keep 3 gallons of water in canteens to carry with me if it comes to a hike.
MEMORABLE MOMENTS
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. --George Bernard Shaw
Martinez Canyon - Arizona - December 2007
With CROZHAWK on Soda Lake - California - February 2008
Top of the World - Kokopelli Trail, Utah - October 2007
The Rose Garden - Kokopelli Trail, Utah - October 2007
Soda Lake - Mojave Road, California - October 2007 (photo courtesy of POKERDAWG)
Hell's Gate Area - Payson, Arizona - February 2008
Less than Lucky - Beatty, Nevada - March 2008
CHOICE OF TIRES and WHEELS
When I made the move to Nitto, I had 5 tires UPS'd from Georgia so they'd be completely fresh. My tires were made in Georgia last week and they're mounted on the SCORPION this week.
After going through dynamic balancing, each of these specially ordered tires required less than one ounce of weight!
Finding the “right” wheels for my FJ has been a difficult study since everyone has an opinion and everyone’s opinion is right (certainly for them). I decided on the Walker Evans Racing Beadlock Wheels. For the sake of the forum, I wanted to explain my process in reaching this decision.
I don’t commute to work in my FJ and so the needs of a daily driver didn’t need to figure in to my decision. If I had been pumping miles onto it, I would have decided in a direction other than that I’ve gone. Beadlocks require more maintenance than the standard rims. You need to know how to use a torque wrench to tighten the bolts periodically.
Legal Issues with On-Road Beadlock Use
Even though the “off-road” beadlock design is not legal to run on the street in some states, it is legal in California. Though it is not binding on my prior government affiliation, I retired from the Orange County (California) District Attorney’s Office in March 2007. I did research, as did colleagues who are also interested in off-roading and there doesn’t appear to be any provision in the California Vehicle Code that would prohibit their street use.
Bead locks have been around for over fifty years but they’re not US Department of Transportation (DOT) approved. DOT does not give approval for the wheel itself. (Approval means that the wheel has been submitted to and approved by DOT.) Improper maintenance of a beadlock by a user impacts liability issues that a manufacturer faces, therefore it is rare to find a DOT approved bead lock except for commercial use
As for your or (more to the point) MY liability in using them on the street, if there is an accident due to my negligence in keeping the BL ring bolts tightened properly then I expect to be sued if that is the cause of the accident. Beadlocks used on the street bring the same sort of exposure as a lift, oversized tires, after market brakes or anything else that alters the OEM parameters of the FJ.
About the Wheels
At the risk of sounding ego driven, custom wheels do provide a dramatic improvement in style and performance. I also looked the people doing the racing. Many of them are running wheels from Walker Evans for the most demanding, punishing racing that a wheel could be expected to be subjected to.
Each wheel begins as a single aluminum casting with the beadlock surface cast directly into the wheel, rather than being welded on later as is the case with some other beadlock wheels that I looked at. This one step casting process creates a stronger wheel and eliminates the possibility for leaks at the mounting surface. The valve stem is located as far as possible into the wheel, to protect it from rocks and obstacles that would normally damage it. Each wheel is rated for a 3800-pound load.
Walker Evans Racing's one-piece beadlock rings are made of 6061 T-6 aluminum and are specifically designed and precision manufactured for rock crawling and general off-road abuse. The use of 24 grade-8 bolts on the bead lock ring provides an evenly distributed and reliable clamp onto the tire. Depending on the specific tire, they can be aired-down very low to get the best possible traction while maintaining a grip on the bead and essentially “run flat”.
The backspacing was custom cut for the FJ with the 6-lug pattern we use. I use Gorilla Lugs/Wheel Locks.
I ordered the standard finish on the wheels and the extra wide, fully polished, aluminum ring and mounted Nitto Terra Grappler - LT305/70R17 (33.9”) on them. Walker Evans Beadlock tires require that the tires used have a three-ply sidewall construction. The Nitto Terra Grappler three-ply sidewall construction employs an advanced silica compound that resists punctures, cuts and tears in the sidewall area.
