A Dusty, Windy Thanksgiving (LR3 in Death Valley/Mojave Nat'l Preserve)

[MountainBiker]

The LR3 doesn't have an inclinometer, but the best we could figure out between phone apps and rough guess-timation was that this was between 25-30°. Factory tip-over angle on the LR3 is 35° according to some technical documentation I've dug up. I figured with the way the roof was loaded, we were in the ballpark of a bad day.

That section of Lippincott road always freaks me out, and I don't carry as much weight on the roof!

 

[CrazyDrei]

All photos shot with Sony A7C, 24-105 F4

After the trials of Lippencott, the Racetrack and Teakettle Junction awaited us.

Great pictures!

So that green teakettle top left with red painted flowers is mine. I left it there in 2016. Park service takes down the tea kettles couple times a year. I used a 10" long 1/2" nail to drive that kettle into the post. So glad that it's still there!

Day I put it up in 2016

This is what it looked like when it went up. Someone really like the rhinestones and took the lid.

When I visited it in 2018.

Need to revisit again soon!

 

[gatorgrizz27]

Nice report!

I had an issue in my LR3 due to an off camber situation, it fit between 2 trees with about an inch to spare per side. Driver’s side was muddy and it started sinking in a ways, leaning me over into the tree pretty hard. Was a bit of a bear to get out of.

After the fact I realized I think you can use the GAP IID tool to force the vehicle back into a (more) level position, however I haven’t tested it yet.

Under the suspension calibration settings, you can save the current file after you’ve done the auto calibration (you need to have done this ahead of time.) You can then manually change the calibration of each corner to whatever you want. Driver’s side up, passenger side down, etc. Clear the obstacle/slope, then revert back to the initial calibration.

Obviously not something you’d want to do continually as you drive down a trail, but could help in a bad spot. I’ll try to test it and report back.

 

[gatorgrizz27]

The tire actually blew its sidewall right under the sidewall tread blocks. We were curious as well and tried to fill it with air when we discovered the burst in the sidewall.



Haha, to each their own! I wouldn't mind a campsite peanut butter beer with Elvis.

I'm pretty impressed with how comfortable the suspension is, generally speaking. Washboards seem to be where the factory air suspension is weak, but I think most stock suspensions fall short on washboard surfaces. The "Baja" suspension setups seem to be king on those types of roads.

If you’re referring to the true rippled washboard roads, the long travel aftermarket suspensions are usually stiffer and harsher than stock, as they are designed to handle running in whoops and absorb bigger hits. They shine when you get to into the stuff that the LR3 is see-sawing front to back substantially and forces you to slow down.

Having a longer wheelbase helps a ton also.

The LR3 does really well on rippled stuff if you air down to 25 psi IMO, and raise it an inch.

 

[puneetbhalla]

Nice writeup and pictures as well. I remember doing this a few years ago in my LR4 along with a buddy of mine in his Tacoma. One of our campsites was along the sand dunes and the blowing wind made for a very cold night...On one of the cloudless (no surprise there) nights my buddy took some amazing photos of the milky way.