Joined
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2,248 Posts
Alright, this is the first time I've posted since the site went down temporarily. I can't believe how many posts I lost... forever.
My club just got back from Lake Tahoe over the weekend, having barely survived the Rubicon Trail.
The trail is crazy. No picture can really do it justice. You gotta see it for yourself at least once.
The X got a mix of responses. Before I even hit the trail a lot of people were smirking and making comments like, "good luck with that thing."
By the time I hit Buck Island Lake, I hadn't even picked up a paint scratch, which impressed at least a couple of guys. Also got a few dirty looks from people who thought I shouldn't be there with a rig like that.
The "no-paint-scratch" thing changed, of course. Picked up a paint scratch while coming down Big Sluice (off-camber situation, leaning against the tree). I ran out of patience and kept on the throttle while coming up Cadillac Hill and picked up a pretty good passenger door scrape about 8 inches long while cutting through the "V-Rock".
Overall impressions? The wheelbase (without a HUGE lift and tires) is really a killer. There are really some tight turns you have to negotiate, and a lot of big, V-shaped rocks. The crappy breakover angle equates to a lot more time on your rock rails, frame rails and skid plates. And obviously the IFS doesn't really help things.
But that being said, the X still performed like a champ. Clutch heated up pretty good a few times. I've gotten a lot better about staying off the clutch in 4 low and just feathering the throttle. But there are some points on this trail where you have to be slow and precise and you can't help but ride the clutch a little. Some T/C gears would certainly help.
I've got some pretty good scrapes on the undercarriage. I mangled my rear sway bar brackets (even though the sway bar is gone) and bent my rear shock mount brackets pretty good. I've definitely got some work to do with some pliers, grinder and a rattle can...
Here's our pics. Enjoy.
http://www.geocities.com/eddygris77/rubicon.htm
EDIT: (SEPTEMBER 4TH): I finally had some time to go through the rest of my pics. Here are some more shots of just the X (no Jeeps), which I'm sure you guys will appreciate. Enjoy...
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My club just got back from Lake Tahoe over the weekend, having barely survived the Rubicon Trail.
The trail is crazy. No picture can really do it justice. You gotta see it for yourself at least once.
The X got a mix of responses. Before I even hit the trail a lot of people were smirking and making comments like, "good luck with that thing."
By the time I hit Buck Island Lake, I hadn't even picked up a paint scratch, which impressed at least a couple of guys. Also got a few dirty looks from people who thought I shouldn't be there with a rig like that.
The "no-paint-scratch" thing changed, of course. Picked up a paint scratch while coming down Big Sluice (off-camber situation, leaning against the tree). I ran out of patience and kept on the throttle while coming up Cadillac Hill and picked up a pretty good passenger door scrape about 8 inches long while cutting through the "V-Rock".
Overall impressions? The wheelbase (without a HUGE lift and tires) is really a killer. There are really some tight turns you have to negotiate, and a lot of big, V-shaped rocks. The crappy breakover angle equates to a lot more time on your rock rails, frame rails and skid plates. And obviously the IFS doesn't really help things.
But that being said, the X still performed like a champ. Clutch heated up pretty good a few times. I've gotten a lot better about staying off the clutch in 4 low and just feathering the throttle. But there are some points on this trail where you have to be slow and precise and you can't help but ride the clutch a little. Some T/C gears would certainly help.
I've got some pretty good scrapes on the undercarriage. I mangled my rear sway bar brackets (even though the sway bar is gone) and bent my rear shock mount brackets pretty good. I've definitely got some work to do with some pliers, grinder and a rattle can...
Here's our pics. Enjoy.
http://www.geocities.com/eddygris77/rubicon.htm
EDIT: (SEPTEMBER 4TH): I finally had some time to go through the rest of my pics. Here are some more shots of just the X (no Jeeps), which I'm sure you guys will appreciate. Enjoy...
