Newbie Essentials?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by manoweb on August 31, 2009 at 5:49pm

Unfortunately, it seems that the Bay Area does not have much to offer. The nearest place is "Hollister Hills" where you can find a lot of trails, easy, medium, and hard, obstacle courses, a couple of mud pits, etc

Many people will tell you that important "mods" are:
- rock sliders
- skid plates
- a lift

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bz on August 31, 2009 at 6:37pm

I would put tires and lift before sliders and skids IMHO but thats it. Winch, lights, and other goodies after you decide what kind of rig ya want it to be

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by daPitbull on August 31, 2009 at 5:56pm

Stock FJ is very capable as is. That being said, some essentials would include recovery equipment, ie. D-rings, recovery strap, high-lift, plus learning how to use them. If you're going to go offroad, you want to have some means of getting out if something should happen. A lot of this stuff you'll learn from going with a group. Everyone was new to wheeling at one point.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bozly on August 31, 2009 at 5:56pm

There are also trails that are 2-4 hours away that you can drive. They are varying difficulty levels. If you go to the trail reports on this site it gives great reviews of the trails.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Boss73 on August 31, 2009 at 7:03pm

My best advice is to take it out stock and she what it will do. See how you want to wheel and what type of terrain you prefer going on. I agree with the recovery gear. Protection is key as well.. The stock plates will be "alright" for a while but I always like having protection underneath.. One of the best things I can tell ya to do is head out on a run when we head out to Hollister or one of the other runs this year and see what we all have. Likes and dislikes and all that.. We all more than happy to help out and give advice.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Estysalinas on August 31, 2009 at 7:46pm

Agree with all of the above...stock it is very capable and you will be very surprised at what it can do. Common off road manners dictate that you should have all the gear you need for someone to pull you out of a mud pit, rut, etc. Essentially don't make them use their gear on you.

I would say to start:
D-rings (2x) and a recovery strap.

Beyond that:
Rockrails and a high lift jack (very useful for self-recovery).

after your good there the sky is the limit! Personal i would go with:
lift+skid plates + tires next.

Again...you'll hear a lot of different opinions on what to do and there is no one right answer, keep asking questions and we'll keep answering :-). Luckily you got an awesome group of folks here to show you the ropes!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Botched on August 31, 2009 at 8:03pm

Great! Thanks for all the input... My bank account is definitely dictating that I take it out stock for a while anyway!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by DWH on August 31, 2009 at 10:18pm

I have lead a couple of runs to the Long Canyon Trail this year. It is a pretty easy one, but has a few spots that will let you see the beginnings of what the FJ is capable of.

The trail is in the El Dorado National Forest near Kyburz off of hwy 50. That's about 3.5 hours from SJ. It is a long trip, but a good trail to start on. It would not take much convincing to get me to lead another trip.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by PBn'FJ on August 31, 2009 at 11:56pm

Most guys have run their FJ's at least a year stock to get a feel for them and what it can do. Look at the photos and you will see stock FJ's on every one of our runs over the last year.

My first upgrades were recovery gear (recovery strap and D-rings), sliders and then a high lift jack.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Boss73 on September 1, 2009 at 6:46am

Yeah but then you went crazy and now yoru rigs looks nothing like stock !! hehehehehehehe

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by R C on September 1, 2009 at 12:53pm

Lots of trails up north or you, about an hour from me...Mild to Wild

Long Canyon / Strawberry Pass / Deer Valley / Slick Rock / Gold Lake / Meadow Lake / Barrett Lake / Stoneyford / bla bla bla, etc etc etc.

Fordyce and the famed RUBICON!

If you have never been off road before, I suggest maybe Long Canyon, an easy trail with a few challenging obsticals, simple go arounds for those who are unable to get over them.

Winter is right around the corner....snow runs up Iron Mt is always a favorite here. And if your a cal4wheel member, check out Winter Fun Fest in the Grass Valley area.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by manoweb on September 2, 2009 at 9:58am

I am eager to try the FJ in the snow again (the only time I did I was in the Death Valley)

Do you plan to do a snowy trail? Would you let us know?
Where do I find good chains? I prefer the ones that are not quick-install

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next ›
• Page