Expy for off-roading?

[expy_or]

Hi there. New to the forum, but not to Expeditions. I'm getting into off-roading. Nothing radical - I'm thinking of exploring logging roads and forestry roads. Not rock crawling or anything. I've had several Expys over the years - a couple of 97's and a 2000, and wondered about going back to an Expy for off-roading. I think it would make a great all-in-one vehicle and camper.

My previous experience was that these are nearly unstoppable tanks. Hauled tons of gear and materials, towed heavy trailers, plowed through 4 ft snow drifts, tackled a few forestry roads no problem.

I'd want to do some basic mods - a lift, 35" tires, skid plates, maybe a front diff drop, bull bar, winch.

But - as I research off-roading, or overlanding, vehicles, it's all 4Runner, Land Cruiser, Wrangler, etc. Very little about Expys. They just don't appear to be very popular for this.

So I wondered why? Or, the other way around - are these the off-road sleepers no one knows about?

Thanks.

 

[Blksmk]

Hope you got a big bank account.

It's not cheap it's not easy. And most importantly. These aren't designed for heavy off road due to the weight of the expy.

 

[expy_or]

Hey thanks for the reply.

Cheap - I dunno - I've been looking at Land Cruisers. I have to go nearly a decade older to find the same price on a used Land Cruiser as an Expy. Or, add $10k for the same year Cruiser.

Easy - certainly I'm noticing that there's a much smaller supply and array of modding parts available

Weight - well, an 07 Land Cruiser - a top off-roader - weighs 5,400lbs, and came stock with a 4.7l V8 with 310 ft-lbs of torque, while a 2013 Expy, for example, weighs 5,500lbs and the 5.4l V8 produces 365 ft-lbs of torque. Or is it the suspension and drive train parts that simply aren't as beefy as a Land Cruiser?

 

[ExplorerTom]

I used my 2000 Eddie Bauer for “overlanding” many times.

There’s a recent thread on Expedition Portal about this very subject. It seems that people that own domestics have been “car camping” for decades, long before there was a trendy term for it. But it doesn’t get the street cred that the Toyotas and Jeeps get. The thought is that domestics are bought by rednecks and lower income people while Toyotas and Jeeps are a more sophisticated buyer. As a result, the aftermarket is super poor for domestics.

But honestly, what do you really need to go car camping? My 2000 went the same places the 4Runners and Jeeps went- and they had fancy locking diffs and traction control and fancy suspension parts. I had my torsion bars turned up the max and coil spacers..... pretty much factory.

In my opinion, the best things for “overlanding”, regardless of vehicle, is interior and exterior storage. I had an Eezi-Awn platform rack on the roof and an ARB drawer in the back. Both are 100% universal. Beyond that, what more do you honestly need? Bumpers? You don’t “need” anything different than stock- Expeditions already have frame mounted tow points up front and a receiver in the rear. Lift? You don’t really “need” a lift- but I believe all generations have lifts available in some form or another. Sliders? Maybe. Talk to a local fabricator/welder. Probably cost you the same as buying some out of a catalog for a Jeep or 4Runner.

 

[Black]

Main reason there is very very little aftermarket support.

For what you want to do it will be just fine.
A set of ICONs, RCI Skidplates, and at least 33s they are plenty capable.

I have Fox 2.0s, BDS UCAs, upfront and Bilstein 4600s on a 2” spacer out back (will be replaced with ICONs eventually), RCI skid plates, and 33.5” tires.

She gets along just fine on the types of terrain you mentioned.

 

[ExplorerTom]

She gets along just fine on the types of terrain you mentioned.

And in all honesty, would do so right off the showroom floor with a set of decent tires.

 

[expy_or]

It seems that people that own domestics have been “car camping” for decades, long before there was a trendy term for it.

Yep - my first "car camping" trip was in 1978. Funny about the "trendy term" though - we called it ....."car camping".

Thank you so much for the pics. That's a nice looking machine. And that's my old Expy. Loved that truck. Nearly invincible. I still prefer this body to any of the later ones.

Now, to be fair to the 4Runners and Jeeps, you also had fancy traction control and lockers in the 4A, 4H and 4L modes. In fact, I feel like the 4A mode was pretty advanced for when it was first introduced. Got me through a lot of snow.

And I can buy your explanation of vehicles having a reputation. Expys just don't seem to be well known. Better for us. But you can understand - Toyotas are sold all over the world. I mean, when the 100 series Land Cruiser went luxury, they also made a special 105 series for countries that still wanted a stripped down machine, they had so many markets to satisfy.

So, I'm curious about this torsion bar lift. No issues driving long distances with the CVs cambered liked that?

 

[expy_or]

Main reason there is very very little aftermarket support.

That's what I'm finding online. Even the ICONs you mentioned - unless I'm reading their website wrong, it looks like they start at 2014 for Expys.

 

[ExplorerTom]

True, Toyotas are sold around the world, but domestics rule North America. I have a buddy with a Lexus 100-series. Finding parts for it isn’t super easy. And just how far are your “car camping” adventures going to take you? Be honest. Would you rather try to find parts for a 4Runner in some small town in Rural America or a vehicle based on the #1 vehicle in the world?

And I used the factory keys for the torsion bar lift. So “technically” I was still within factory specs. “Technically”. I live in CO and drove it to both coasts like that. I probably put close to 60k miles on it like that. Made the ride a little harsher, but not bad. Offroad flex was not very good, but it still got around fine on the trails.

 

[Stepcajun]

I go on runs with a overlanding group, all types of vehicles.
My expy does better than most with basic mods.
Lift,tires and shocks should get you on the trail.
The 1st gens have alot of interchangeable parts with a f150

 

[shane_th_ee]

First, as everyone has already said, for forest service and logging roads, you'd be more than fine with tires, skid plates and maybe sliders. If you're willing to argue with your dealer for tires, you can drive a 4th gen FX4 right out of the showroom and get everything but the sliders, including the fancy rear differential. Ok, there's a couple of skid plates that are a little weak compared to the raptor, but those are bolt on upgrades, provided you get the FX4. etc.

That said, if you're considering trails then geography matters. Here in the PNW we have lots of big trees, so width and length start to become problematic with an Expedition. Now, if you're in the southwestern deserts, that's not going to pose much of a problem at all. And no matter where you are, you're going to start wanting better approach and departure angles, winch mounts, etc, etc. And that's where the lack aftermarket parts support makes the Expedition a poor choice. The sleeper in this class in the 2015+ Nissan Armada* which is an Americanized version of the Nissan Y82 Patrol. And the Patrol is Nissan's long-lived competitor to the Land Cruiser. And the Patrol has far more aftermarket support than the Expedition, albeit to support the global market. So if you're willing to go mining ebay and the like for overseas parts you can find pretty much whatever goodies you'd like...

*Ok, the real sleeper is the current generation Infinity QX80 (fancy version of the Armada/Patrol) with the trick hydraulic body motion control system.

 

[Plati]

BRONCO

 

[carymccarr]

First, as everyone has already said, for forest service and logging roads, you'd be more than fine with tires, skid plates and maybe sliders. If you're willing to argue with your dealer for tires, you can drive a 4th gen FX4 right out of the showroom and get everything but the sliders, including the fancy rear differential. Ok, there's a couple of skid plates that are a little weak compared to the raptor, but those are bolt on upgrades, provided you get the FX4. etc.

That said, if you're considering trails then geography matters. Here in the PNW we have lots of big trees, so width and length start to become problematic with an Expedition. Now, if you're in the southwestern deserts, that's not going to pose much of a problem at all. And no matter where you are, you're going to start wanting better approach and departure angles, winch mounts, etc, etc. And that's where the lack aftermarket parts support makes the Expedition a poor choice. The sleeper in this class in the 2015+ Nissan Armada* which is an Americanized version of the Nissan Y82 Patrol. And the Patrol is Nissan's long-lived competitor to the Land Cruiser. And the Patrol has far more aftermarket support than the Expedition, albeit to support the global market. So if you're willing to go mining ebay and the like for overseas parts you can find pretty much whatever goodies you'd like...

*Ok, the real sleeper is the current generation Infinity QX80 (fancy version of the Armada/Patrol) with the trick hydraulic body motion control system.

Yeah it’s surprising/interesting that the expy (or at least Navi) doesn’t have adjustable height suspension. Pretty common now. Even Volvo’s have it.

 

[JExpedition07]

Yeah it’s surprising/interesting that the expy (or at least Navi) doesn’t have adjustable height suspension. Pretty common now. Even Volvo’s have it.

Expeditions had air suspension optional until around 2010.....but I think it only adjusted height when you were getting in or out. It would also level the rear when towing. A family friend had a 2006 Navigator that did all that jazz.

 

[ExplorerTom]

1st gens came with skid plates.

 

[expy_or]

Well, thanks everyone.

I was curious to see if anyone among a group of enthusiasts was going to come up with something like "no, chassis parts x, y and z have proven to be insufficient for this use", or "no, the transmissions aren't built for that kind of driving". But, no. Nice to see confirmation people have in fact done many miles of off-roading with these just fine.

And since I really like these vehicles, I'm thinking this is going to be my next little project - the off-road Expy. Maybe this board will be kind enough to hep me out from time to time.

 

[Trainmaster]

I've driven both the 1st Generation and the 3rd Generation trucks off road for work as a railroad trainmaster. I didn't own the trucks and they were considered emergency vehicles so I drove them wherever I needed to respond without too much consideration for their - er - well being.

I never got stuck with either truck in logging over 250,000 miles. I found the 1st Generation trucks much more nimble,responsive, a lot faster and more fun to drive off road. But both did the job wonderfully and other than flattening a dozen cheap government-bought tires, I never broke anything.

The only modifications on the trucks were Ford skid plates and the running boards removed.

 

[Stepcajun]

Would the or in your name be Oregon?

 

[Mr_Neutron]

"1st gens came with skid plates."

My 2002 doesn't have skid plates. I bought it used in 2005 but I doubt they were removed, but it's possible I guess.

 

[Adam Huskins]

My 2018 lifted on 35’s does great for what you are planning. The only thing I’m investigating now is diff and tranny breather extensions. I end up fording some fairly deep creeks and once got a 4wd notice on the dash which went away fairly quickly. Fords mention of depth of fording is basically bottom of wheel hubs. That’s not very deep.
Throw in a full size inflatable mattress and voila, you’re set.


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