Preparing my Truck for off roading?

Question

Hello,

I just picked up a 1998 Ford Explorer V6 SOHC. I really want to start getting into off roading. What do I need to get for my truck to make it ready to be off roadable? My truck is all stock. Please advise. I am not sure where else I would be able to ask.

I just want to be able to cruise around in light off roading. Doing donuts and uch. Maybe go off roading on a camping tup or something. I dont want to climb mountains or anything.

Answer 1

I used the website therangerstation.com which had tons of info on general offroading and ford vehicle specific information.
What you need depends on what you want to do while offroading and what area/terrain you are in.(like rock crawling, water fording, mud bogging, snow etc) but basically make sure you know what skid plates you have before you go offroad. Most trucks, like my 95 ranger 2wd had skids plates under the radiator, oil pan and transmission, and fuel tank, so your suv should have them. That way you have an idea what your ground clearnace is and so what obstacles you will be able to attempt to tackle. Some offraod tires will help and lifted or upgraded offroad suspension will do more if you want to spend more or do more.

As it is now you should make sure you do the following:
-let a little air out of your tires so the sidewalls bulge as this will give you a better contact patch on soft surfaces.
-make sure you truck is 4wd and hopefully has both 4wd high (used for slippery highway speed driving) and 4wd low(used for actual tough offroad stuff).
-Put it in 4wd low before you even get off the road. Some SUV morons in our society will say don't use 4wd until you get stuck which is wrong because at that point you are usually too stuck to get anywhere even with 4wd.
-Start everything slow but make sure to keep your momentum up. As you get more experience you will have more skill in maintaining traction and avoiding impossible situations.
-Always steer into the skid if you start to slide.
-Make sure you know who owns the land you are going on and get their permission before you go.

Good luck and I am sure you will have a blast.

Answer 2

First, Sell it and get a Jeep...

If you must go Ford Explorer, you'll need to know they are not intended to be used as off road vehicles. Most companies don't even make lift kits for the Explorer. Some of the things you can do to start are,
1. Larger tires. Tires make handling rocks much easier while providing some lift.
2. Look into longer springs, you should be able to put in 1-2" longer coils without much changes to the actual suspension. Note you'll need better shocks and possibly some welding to do this.
3. Body ARMOR, your explorer will need a lot of undercarriage armor to prevent damage since it's not going to be much higher than stock. at the minimum some rock sliders.

Look on the web for a lot more infor and look for some local 4x4'ing groups that might be able to give you more advice and maybe some wrenching help.
Good luck!

Answer 3

In the new Petersons four wheel and off road they say the explorer is one of the most passed up, yet capable 4x4s out there. I personally don't like em but to each their own. As far as doing mods it depends on how radical you are going to get into it. First off would be bigger tires, for more ground clearence, this may mean putting on a suspension lift or body lift depending on how big of tires you want to go with. Gears would also be a wise investment. HP don't mean alot in off roading if you got the gears, to much HP just breaks things, you want a good hp torque curve, enough to keep your tires turning, but they have to get traction, Ive seen more guys with a v6 go up some crazy stuff just puttin along, than guys who try to powerhouse up with their big motors, they always break traction, or break something else. So donn't worry about the motor.....yet. To start off, go with bigger tires, gears, a winch, tow hooks, safety equipment. Then start seeing what the vehicle needs after it has performed with the little mods, it will tell you what it needs.

Answer 4

the v6 is excellent for off road due to torque. you will want to lift the body 3-6 inches for groung clearnace. your four wheel drive only uses one front wheel and one rear wheel so you will need a gear locker. you need oversize tires at least 32 inch AT's if you plan on much highway driving between off roading if not much highway get some MT's or super swampers. a set of good off road shock absorbers. a winch on the front and some good KC lights for night off road. if you plan to really rough a five point harness for driver and passenger is a good idea. this will get you a bad a** off road machine good luck.

Answer 5

first sell that truck and buy one with a v-8 otherwqise you will be underpowered and nothing good can come from not haveing enough power...nothing!