I've asked this in the past but with new members and all, do any of you drive stock rigs?

[CSG]

I swear, it seems almost no one on this site uses a stock rig for their adventures. Seeing as though very, very few here do actual overlanding as opposed to a little trail running and camping in organized campgrounds, I've never understood all the "build" projects other than for forum or street cred.

Most builds add lots of weight and make their Cruisers top heavy it seems from what I read.

My rig is completely stock save for having removed the running boards and 265/75/16 KO2's.

I don't mean to put anyone on the defensive but can some of you who are doing these builds tell me what mods you're doing and how you'll actually implement them in your travels? I'm a minimalist so a lot of this is just something I don't understand. Again, I'm asking because I don't understand the reasons. You can see from my history that I'm not trolling.

 

[Umbrarian]

I have friends like that.

Talk about all the mods they need before they hit the trail. Never actually hit the trail, cause they are always "building" their rig. Then I come back from a trip and show them photos of stock 2WD rent-a-cars at Big Bend, PINS, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Moab, etc. I have taken my stock ML350/Bluetec on many a trip and left my fully built rig (jeep/pickup/Hummer) at home.

IMO, most of what you need fits inside your car (water, food, shelter, etc), and does not need to be bolted on. It is amazing what you can do in a stock, or mildy modded vehicle. Just get out on the trail!

 

[CSG]

Bingo. I live in Idaho and have driven my rig to places most here wouldn't dream of, even with built rigs. Hell, I've driven my two wheel drive van (with KO2's) to places that most don't go.

I think it's more just a hobby for most guys not unlike building a hot rod or whatever. But all those SoCal boys with their built rigs certainly look awesome on the 405 in bumper to bumper traffic.

 

[ekapel]

I may not go rock crawling but my Slee'd 100 is perfect for long distance travel over any terrain, even if 95%
is paved! You are right, of course, but everybody has their own taste and that is what makes it interesting
with all the different build ideas.

 

[CSG]

Don't get me wrong, there are some great looking rigs out there but I think most of them are built for no real purpose other than the hobby aspect. All you have to do is look at so many of the photos on this site of these built rigs in organized camprgrounds or traveling dirt two-tracks, washboard, etc. that even a Miata could drive on.

I wonder how many people have actually used their rigs stock before spending a few thousand dollars on lifts, wheels, oversized tires, lockers, snorkels, racks, ladders, whatever? Now, IMO, interior mods make all kinds of sense because that's the comfort side of things (drawer systems, fridge, slides, additional battery/power, etc.).

I can tell you, I travel Southern Idaho back country and am not sure I've ever seen a built rig. You see ranchers and locals running pretty stock 4x4 pickups more than anything. Considering what a stock Land Cruiser can do all by itself, I just don't see the need. If you're Dan Grec or some of the guys who do real overlanding, that's something else. If your real interest is "wheeling", that's also something else but what I've seen on this site year after year is guys with built rigs that could have done the trip with an old fashioned station wagon.

 

[Clintnz]

I started modding the hell out of my Landcruiser almost as soon as I bought it However the improvements to the Cruiser were mostly a product of my experiences in my old Suzuki SJ413, which did a lot of miles fairly stock before any mods began, things were improved when there was a clear need. A lot of it comes down to wanting to travel on harder trails which is not a requirement for everybody.

Many people want a vehicle that can do several jobs & if you enjoy 'wheeling' as well as touring why not have a vehicle that can do both? It'll seem like overkill for many trips, & you can't go quite as crazy offroad as a dedicated trail rig, but not everybody has the $$$ or space to have multiple vehicles, you can more easily do some tough trails far from home & if the mods are well thought out it's not too much of a compromise either way.

Like the OP I do wonder about some of the very new, very shiny 4x4's that are all built up with lift, big tyres, lockers, winch etc. etc... In my world the trails where you need all that stuff come with a high chance of body damage or at least a little bush pinstriping - which you don't usually ever see on the vehicles that look like they've just rolled off a SEMA display, but, it's their money so if that's what turns you on, go for it. However it is worth reminding those new to 4wds & overland travel that you don't actually need all that bling to go out & have some fun if you are sensible about where you go, get out & do stuff before spending too much on farkles.

Cheers
Clint

 

[tanuki.himself]

Stock. I consider myself an overland traveller rather than an off-roader.

45,000 km in a year around Oz in a stock Nissan Navara D22 towing a 5th wheel, with plenty of side trips leaving the van in a campground, and the most technical I ever needed to get was dropping tyre pressures on beaches and going into the Bungle Bungles over the dry riverbeds.

All around the US and Canada with a Suzuki Grand Vitara, mostly towed behind an A class but again, plenty of side trips, especially around Alaska and the South West where it got plenty dusty, but never needed anything special. We're now halfway down Central America in the Suzi and I think I put it in 4H - Lock once on the riverbed (sorry, road - riverbeds don't have signposts) to Semuk Champey in the rain as a just in case but it didnt seem to make much difference, so didn't bother on the way back.

I've never felt the vehicles have limited me on getting to see things I wanted to see.

And if I really want to play I'll do it at speed on a KTM 450......enough horsepower to flip me off the back but still light enough to actually lift out of the mud

 

[CSG]

I haven't been on the Toyota forum for awhile and my OP was prompted by so many build threads and little else.

 

[ckrough]

We traded our 2wd Tacoma for a 4x4 TRD Off-Road so we can start getting into deeper stuff. It's bone stock right now. I'll be bumping up to KO2's (stock size) to get some better grip on loose terrain and will probably pick up some basic recovery gear (max trax and a recovery strap and d-rings). We'll carry some spare fuel and water along with the normal camping gear, but that's about it. In addition to normal road trip / camping use, my plan is to take it out to Hidden Falls in TX (offroad park) and see how far I can get with a stock setup, just to know it's limits. From there we may or may not modify. I'm a former mechanic and my view is that the guys at TRD are better at designing a sustainable ohv than I am, so I'm going to try to stick with their design until I have evidence that I'm pushing it's limits.


Side note: I've gotten into the habit of only reading the trip reports and other experience threads here, and mostly ignoring the builds. As you said, not throwing shade on anyone who builds... they look amazing and as a "car guy" I've wrenched my share of hobby cars and it's a ton of fun and source of pride, but I'm just in a minimalist mode now and more interested in discovering good trips and hearing about and having interesting experiences in a safe and capable vehicle.

 

[kletzenklueffer]

I've either upgraded or bought trucks based on finding the limits of stock trucks. Lockers and fridges and winches have all been used and let me go places that I wouldn't attempt without, or would struggle because I didn't have them. but I don't have a build thread either.

 

[rkj__]

I swear, it seems almost no one on this site uses a stock rig for their adventures. Seeing as though very, very few here do actual overlanding as opposed to a little trail running and camping in organized campgrounds, I've never understood all the "build" projects other than for forum or street cred.

Most builds add lots of weight and make their Cruisers top heavy it seems from what I read.

My rig is completely stock save for having removed the running boards and 265/75/16 KO2's.

I don't mean to put anyone on the defensive but can some of you who are doing these builds tell me what mods you're doing and how you'll actually implement them in your travels? I'm a minimalist so a lot of this is just something I don't understand. Again, I'm asking because I don't understand the reasons. You can see from my history that I'm not trolling.

Well, for starters, just because you see a built rig in an organized campground beside a stock car, that does not mean the rig is not used for more advanced trails as well.

Some people modify their vehicle to suit their wants, not just their needs. Some people like the look, and enjoy using their fancy Rotopax fuel cans, bolted to a rack on their pickup, when a jerry can in the bed would work just as well.


I like to hang out here, but honestly, most would agree "overlanding" does not best describe what I use my truck for. None the less, I've kept it "pretty stock." Before taking my truck off road, I added skid plates for protection. I took it off road, and ended up beating on those skid plates pretty hard. So, I decided to lift my truck, and added some all terrain tires. And, that was that, more or less. A pickup truck is so versatile. I use mine for commuting, house chores, towing my T@b, random road trips, in addition to off road adventures. So, I've left it as a Jack-of-all-trades rig. I did not want to spend the money on a lot of mods I did not really need, and I did not want those mods to serve me well ocasionally, only to make my rig worse for the majority of its use. The lift is enough of a compromise in the fuel economy department, that I don't need to add a bunch of weight, to burn even more fuel.

However, if my rig was used primarily for overlanding, I could see wanting to have it less stock, to better suit the specialized usage.

 

[4Beast]

I get why some people choose to leave their trucks stock, whether it be the kind of use they get, the fact that it is still under warranty, or their choice not to spend extra money on modification. I bought mine modified, but would probably have done the mods the same way, were I to get it unmolested. I don't use the mods all the time, but every so often is plenty enough reason to have them in my opinion. The trails I went a couple of weeks ago would be a serious challenge in a stock vehicle (even a Cruiser or Jeep) and even heavily modified Jeeps and land Rovers were briefly stuck. I used the extra ground clearance, as well as the bumpers (especially the rear--the departure angles in Land Cruisers aren't great, even modified) and sliders. I didn't use my winch, but I always appreciate the peace of mind. If i am in an expansive, remote area that I am unfamiliar with (even with another vehicle) I like the security of a jerry can of fuel, as my truck gets single digits off road, that can go pretty fast (the rest of the time it is a water can with a spigot, which is really handy). A dual battery and fridge aren't technically necessary, but get used every trip though! I guess what i am saying is that I have most of my additions for peace of mind, even if I don't always use them. For what it's worth, I also think that because manufacturers have to make a lot of compromises, stock vehicles just don't look as good (IMHO) and pretty much all of them could use at least bigger tires and possibly a lift and getting rid of the running boards, but I'd definitely understand if someone stopped there (as i did with my last truck).

 

[lumpskie]

I mainly do single day light to moderate rock crawling trips anymore. So, I'm setting my rig up for that. I don't really post any pictures of those trips on this forum because there doesn't seem to be an interest in that stuff over here. That being said, I try to use all my mods out on the trail.

I discovered I needed a high clearance bumper on this trip:

Luckily, I put sliders on before I needed them:

Here's a short clip from last weekend: (excuse the shaky video... it was slick out there and I was just happy a friend bothered to get footage)

 

[CSG]

I've either upgraded or bought trucks based on finding the limits of stock trucks. Lockers and fridges and winches have all been used and let me go places that I wouldn't attempt without, or would struggle because I didn't have them. but I don't have a build thread either.

Safety equipment like winches makes great sense to me. A fridge too (although I just have a small Yeti cooler). My rig has a center locker but I've used it once or twice. When I started the topic, I was thinking of the major build threads I see here all the time and my guess is most of them aren't used to an extreme that a stock LC couldn't handle. If a guy wants to "run" trails, pick the hard line, beat their rigs up, then sliders, bumpers, lockers, lifts and oversized tires can make sense. But my guess is 90% or more of the guys who build a monster rig never use it in the conditions they built it for; it's just a camping vehicle that maybe sees a rutted road on occasion.

Again, as I said earlier, I have no problem whatsoever with guys that want to devote the time and money to build up their LC but so many people come on here and feel they can't hit the road until they look like their rig is ready for a South American jungle tour. I wonder how many actually try a rig out on a trail (not talking about rock crawling and insane 4x4 stuff) to see what the rig's capability is.

 

[Ryanmb21]

Automakers are corporations whose mission is to maximize stock value for their stock owners. In order to perform this mission, they must make a product that adhere to regulations, while offering a value to customers. As such, stock trucks are set up for what most people do, and for what most people care about.

If you do what most people do, and care about what most care about, then a stock truck is likely a good fit.

If for some reason, your values are different, then a modified truck is a better fit.