Is my 98 Expy better offroad than a 2004 Expy?

[Bigtop]

I was thinking of selling my 98 EB Expy and buying a new one. I do a lot of 4 wheel driving in very tough terrain (Breckenridge, CO). However, people have told me that the new Expy has gone soft and would be nowhere near as competent offroad.

Can anyone give some advice?

 

[monsta]

I have no problems with mine off-road.

Check out this pic... full tuck and full extension (although no air) and the body is perfectly level. Nice...nobody spilled thier drink.

Couple things about offroading with the 03+.

Like all SUVs today, the running boards are too low. Even on the FX4 or NBX packages. Remove them if you go in real rough stuff. I bent mine the first time out. I can't remove them because my wife will yell at me.

IRS is great for washboard, washed out & fire roads. MUCH better than a solid axle but kinda crappy for crawling rocks and real technical stuff. A solid rear axle does MUCH better.

I think the stock tires & the low departure/approach are the biggest limiting factors.

We wheel a lot here in Hawaii. Some of the best beaches in the world are only accessible via 4WD vehicles.

I've gotten everywhere everyone else has, unless I'm tryin' to follow a tricked out Jeep. I've never been stuck.

Also, the LS unit is mine is cherry! Works PERFECT! Maybe looks for an 03 or an 04+ that has a LS. They were standard in 03.

 

[Bigtop]

Thanks for the input Monsta!

I live in Breckenridge Colorado and here the trails are extremely rocky so as I suspected, solid front and rear axles are probably the best way to go. I wish there still was a full size vehicle, Ford, GMC, Chevrolet etc., that still made a vehicle like this. I guess there just is no demand as most people do not really go offroad driving.

I suppose I will just have to overhaul my 98 Expy and keep it!

 

[smo0othride]

Don't sell your 98' if you want it for froadin. Independant rear suspension (03+) = not as good for offroading.

 

[monsta]

Originally posted by Bigtop
...so as I suspected, solid front and rear axles are probably the best way to go. I wish there still was a full size vehicle, Ford, GMC, Chevrolet etc.,

There is. It's called an EXCURSION!

It sucks off-road. It'll beat you to death. I know...I put 80K+ miles on my 2000 XLT.

 

[bluzjamer]

Read my Post about Tires

2003 doesn't belong off road. I had a tire get ruined ( only 4,400 miles on it) on a nice good road. Imagine If I had gone Off-Roading. Continentals are going the Firestone route.
Neither the Stealers (Tasca Ford) or Conti will fix the bad tire.

Bluz

:troll:

 

[Tibiko]

I also believe that the '03s do not seem very capable of though off-roading. My '97 with 180K is doing fine and I would not change it for the new ones.

 

[DAMN_FORD]

The 03 and newer is a soccer-mom vehicle. I think they are made for the road only. Just look underneth one, no ground clearance. It looks like a giant car under there.

The 4x4 is a snow and slippery road thing...and a beach thing.

Desert and rocks...not a good thing.

The marketers are doing the no-boundary thing for sales...It's all BS.

Also, they rattle so much and the steering wheel kicks, it feels like you are driving an old international scout or something, not a plush luxury 50K SUV.

Those contenental tires are junk. Just driving on gravel roads tears up the tread. You'd think the idiots at Ford would have learned their lesson from the Firestone incidents. As much as they get for these things, they sure select cheap materials. They overcome their cheap material selection by packaging and styling it so nice. Everything is all about profit these days.

I guess it worked on me, I am on my second one.

 

[exsport]

i think you guys need to re-assess... i havae done a lot of off roading in the northern new mexico area and in the muddy swamps of texas and there is nothing like independant rear suspension. i could take my audi and my subaru (both all-wheel drive with independant suspension) many places that guys in trucks can't get to. If you need to clear big rocks then you need to put a lift on your rig. That will be true of any stock 4x4. The '98 4x4 is a couple of inches higher than the 4x2 model due to the different suspension configuration. The '03 4x4 does not have leaf springs and is not lifted higher than the '03 4x2, but you can lift it.... think ffor a little while about the hummer H1, not that sissy ass H2 piece of junk whick is a chevy 1500 underneath. the H1 is prbably the most capable off-road vehicle around. it has 4 wheel independant suspension which is actually quite similar to that which is found on the new expeditions ('03-'05).

 

[exsport]

by the way damn ford... internationals rock too! get a clue..