4x4 & Rock Crawling Trends - Low is the new "Massey"

[Herzog]

I remember back when I used to want the biggest lift for the biggest tires I had... riding tall and feeling tipsy, it was the 4x4 way. The tallest rig with the biggest tires was the most capable in everybody's eyes. Man how times have changed!

It seems that many of us that have been around for a while now have found our optimums as far as rig building and such for the type of terrain we drive. I think about these things quite often. Mostly I think about "What will be next?"

What do you guys (& gals) think will be the next evolution in our hobby? Is it more hybrid rockcrawler & baja rigs, or are things going to keep getting more specialized? I see a lot of people going from the tube chassis' to the full body rigs, but the interesting things that I see is that the buggy technology is still being adapted into the "street-able" rigs (ie: low lift/tall tires, low cog, etc...) which is really cool.

What do you guys think is next for rock crawling & off-road?

Just rambling...

 

[SAMI]

What do you guys think is next for rock crawling & off-road?

... tail fins, for rear sliders, sorta..

funny you bring this up, i was talking about this exact subjsect just the other day. i can't get my creative juices flowing to imagine what could be the next big thing...

 

[Kiel]

I remember when guys didn't care how it looked, just how it performed. Now everything has to look like a stock vehicle or at least have a front clip.

 

[soda blaster]

hydraulic drive no tcase no tranny just a motor
pump and lines to each wheel = maximum clearance while keeping overall vehicle lower

 

[Herzog]

I remember when guys didn't care how it looked, just how it performed. Now everything has to look like a stock vehicle or at least have a front clip.

Only if you care what they think!

 

[Skylinerider]

Dual purpose rigs; ie rock crawling/expedition style travel, or rock crawling/baja, etc.
I remember when it was all about mud, then it was all about crawling, now it seems to be shifting to longer distances off pavement, but still allowing for use on the street.

 

[SAMI]

Dual purpose rigs; ie rock crawling/expedition style travel, or rock crawling/baja, etc.
I remember when it was all about mud, then it was all about crawling, now it seems to be shifting to longer distances off pavement, but still allowing for use on the street.

EXACTLY MY NEXT RIG....

Now that you mention it, the 'safari/expedition' stuff seems to be getting bigger and bigger.. alot more companies popping up selling that type of stuff it seems like.

 

[Cody]

my current build is for expedition and moderate wheelin. But I also am looking to get back into a buggy.

I think electric motors have a future (can you say flat torqe curve) and I would like to see someone reinvent the wheel and design an axle from the ground up specifically for rock-crawling.

 

[Bart]

Dual purpose rigs; ie rock crawling/expedition style travel, or rock crawling/baja, etc.
I remember when it was all about mud, then it was all about crawling, now it seems to be shifting to longer distances off pavement, but still allowing for use on the street.

That's funny because that's what I built after I sold my buggy. Problem is I hate scratching it, so now I'm leaning toward selling it and getting a buggy again. What I'd really like is a buggy I could add a rear clip to, with removeable fenders, and somehow make it street legal. Seriously.

 

[SAMI]

That's funny because that's what I built after I sold my buggy. Problem is I hate scratching it, so now I'm leaning toward selling it and getting a buggy again. What I'd really like is a buggy I could add a rear clip to, with removeable fenders, and somehow make it street legal. Seriously.

sideshow bob and i drew up plans for his next 4runner to sport removable rear fenders.. although it was moreso, adjustable from full width(tire coverage for street), to dove tailed.. alas, i think it'll just end up dove tailed rear.. but, for uniquness we are going to custom fit a 4runner top to it with the dovetail..

i think the removable body panels can stem from the simple fiberglass styles found in the baja world.. perhaps

 

[Seth]

I would love to see an electric motor. Nice and quiet, so you can hear the axel shaft breaking.

 

[Kiel]

Rockwells, everything will have rockwells

 

[RockMonkey]

I would love to see an electric motor. Nice and quiet, so you can hear the axel shaft breaking.

That's been done. He never updated the thread with action shots, but Tony K on pirate built an electric buggy a couple years ago.

 

[Herzog]

Rockwells, everything will have rockwells

Big negative.

 

[Skylinerider]

That's funny because that's what I built after I sold my buggy. Problem is I hate scratching it, so now I'm leaning toward selling it and getting a buggy again. What I'd really like is a buggy I could add a rear clip to, with removeable fenders, and somehow make it street legal. Seriously.

Peterson's 4wheel did a tacoma for the ultimate adventure a while ago (2001 I think) that they fabbed some removable fenders for to make it street legal, it looked like it worked pretty good as i remember.

 

[Cody]

Bart, I see pre-runners all the time with fiberglass bedsides. I don't see why it couldn't be done.

 

[NE_Utah]

That is what I was thinking about as I started to read this thread. I am getting the jeep back to street legal. Iwas set up for crawling now i would like to get back to the long distance exploring i use to do.

I am trying to figure out a way to put removable front fenders and rear flars.

Bart as for the scratches, Rattle can paint job it is the only way to go or Rhino line it.

 

[Greg]

I think it's funny how quickly this hobby changes, I have no idea what's coming next. Seems like a lot of the technology trickled down from the competition scene, but those vehicles have become so specialized that those rigs (mostly Moon buggies) are no fun for the average trail. I don't know that the competition guys have much else to offer to the average wheeler.

The trend for a low CG and still running big 38"+ tires is neat, it only makes sense. It's amazing how long it took everyone to figure that one out. I don't know that my TJ will qualify as a 'low' rig, but at least it's not going to be sporting 8" of lift like many others have.

I'd like to see more 'dual sport' rigs... whatever brand you prefer, but something that could handle driving down the beaches of Baja one weekend, wheelin in Moab the next, and hitting the highway in comfort at 80 MPH in between. I'd love something like that... matter of fact, I have my own plan. mabey I'll post up about it. Thread here.

 

[Tacoma]

I think coilovers are going to take over everything, maybe air shocks. Low lifts, more body cutting for the dual-purpose rigs.....

Lighter and lower on comp/trail buggies. You're seeing that kind of thing everywhere these days: that 4-Locked buggy is a nice shining example of a sweet, low trail buggy, and there's lots of stuff going on w/rockracers and buggies that is going to sift out to a functional standard pretty soon... maybe with two camps, "moon buggy" and "traditional setup"...

And then there's the daily-driver expedition rig: Land Cruisers and Burbs, 4 Runners and XJ's and the like. That Cummins-powered Avalance Engr. Burb ranks high on my list, as do a lot of pimped out FJ80's.

PERSONALLY I'd like to keep around a 4" lift and 38's for the Blazer, we'll see what it takes to do it. There is body interference everywhere LOL

 

[RamToy]

Like most ive wanted the best of both worlds. But its hard to do that. My rig started out to be streetable and a good worthy rock crawler ( for what i like to do )with about 10" of lift. I then changed it and lowerd it about 9". But its not the best vehicle to go out camping/exploring when i just want to go for a weekend up AF. Ive done it but now there is less room than before. ( I just chopped off the bed ) So I just bought another truck. This will get a solid axle and a bed bob. But thats about it. It will be my daily commuter and will continue to be that and be my camping rig. So when I want to go exploring I can. When I want to do the 5+ trails then I take my trailer queen.