New FJ requirements for Rubicon trail

[badlinestu]

My buddy wants to do the Rubicon trail with a bunch of us Jeep guys and he has a very capable new FJ with rear locker and front traction control and i think 2 inch lift with 31"s . What does he need as far as upgrades and spares to really enjoy the Rubicon trail. I ask here cause we don't have anything to help repair his FJ on the trail with us.
And he is not afraid of body damage !!!

[greenfox]

You may need to bring a spare rear third member.

[RocKrawler]

He will NEED new lower rear control links - and I'd recommend some good aftermarket skid plates for protection & better clearance. All Pro has both to fit the FJ.

Comparison between stock & All Pro link
http://www.ttora.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8592&d=1178811691

Here you can see the difference in size & how easily the stock ones bend
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j9/FJCruisin/LCAs006.jpg

[kibblerange]

Wouldn't the warranty cover all the stuff he could possibly break?
Or am I totally off?

[woooody]

For TLCA's Rubithon, we require 33's as a minimum. Also consider All Pro sliders. And Skid plates. And control arms.

[snowchucker]

knowing how to drive is a plus.
http://www.norcalttora.com/gallery/album236/aos

dude had full skid plates, f&R bumpers, rocker skids, 33's, but couldn't drive worth a damn. ended up totalling the brand new FJ due to extremely extensive body damage.
other damage was a SNAPPED control arm and the 3rd member also exploded. Toyota also had a well piloted FJ w/ our group who suffered zero body damage, but also blew up the 3rd member as well.

[mummac]

I blew up my rear diff as well. It seems to be the weakest part of the thing.

[eli1]

knowing how to drive is a plus.
http://www.norcalttora.com/gallery/album236/aos

dude had full skid plates, f&R bumpers, rocker skids, 33's, but couldn't drive worth a damn. ended up totalling the brand new FJ due to extremely extensive body damage.
other damage was a SNAPPED control arm and the 3rd member also exploded. Toyota also had a well piloted FJ w/ our group who suffered zero body damage, but also blew up the 3rd member as well.

Could that failure occur also when using the rear locker at the wrong time?

[FJ-Ollie]

The FJ Trail Team ran the Rubicon in stock set-ups and BFG AT's. Some of them got scratched up a bit but did great. You may want to protect the rear lower control arms with some skids; THEY, and their front brackets, are your weakest link in the FJ. If you're blowing rear diffs... you're using it wrong. In crawling, I've never needed the rear diff lock. A-TRAC works great for crawling. If you do need the rear diff lock, only use it when A-TRAC has failed then disengage it as soon as you've cleared the obstacle. I've had new drivers in their FJs on runs with me go over obstacles and I ask them what they have engaged because they are struggling. They tell me their Rear Diff Lock is engaged. I tell them to disengage it and engage their A-TRAC and they walk right through it. I would encourage him get the A-TRAC Hack, if he hasn't already, in case he needs A-TRAC and and Rear Diff Lock simultaneously for some crazy reason.

[woooody]

You are incorrect. Each of the Trail Team vehicles that ran Rubicon with TLCA in 2006 had a 3" Revtek lift and 32" BFG AT's. They also all had a "hack" to allow the Locker to be engaged and disengaged while A-Trac was engaged. No paint was scratched. The were under "orders" from Toyota to not scratch paint.

The FJ Trail Team ran the Rubicon in stock set-ups and BFG AT's. Some of them got scratched up a bit but did great. You may want to protect the rear lower control arms with some skids; THEY, and their front brackets, are your weakest link in the FJ. If you're blowing rear diffs... you're using it wrong. In crawling, I've never needed the rear diff lock. A-TRAC works great for crawling. If you do need the rear diff lock, only use it when A-TRAC has failed then disengage it as soon as you've cleared the obstacle. I've had new drivers in their FJs on runs with me go over obstacles and I ask them what they have engaged because they are struggling. They tell me their Rear Diff Lock is engaged. I tell them to disengage it and engage their A-TRAC and they walk right through it. I would encourage him get the A-TRAC Hack, if he hasn't already, in case he needs A-TRAC and and Rear Diff Lock simultaneously for some crazy reason.

[rokcrawlintoy]

You are incorrect. Each of the Trail Team vehicles that ran Rubicon with TLCA in 2006 had a 3" Revtek lift and 32" BFG AT's. They also all had a "hack" to allow the Locker to be engaged and disengaged while A-Trac was engaged. No paint was scratched. The were under "orders" from Toyota to not scratch paint.

Hey Ross, Actually our FJs never had the ATRAC hack done. Just the Revtek lift, 33"s, and ARB bumpers with winches.
Ron

[snowchucker]

Could that failure occur also when using the rear locker at the wrong time?

pretty sure it was a case of using way too much throttle at the wrong time.
Yellow FJ dude killed his coming down old sluice (but was hammering the piss out of it earlier). Marlin ended up dragging him all the way out.
Toyota killed theirs going up Caddilac, and was hammering it. He was pushing the capability and think he was not using the locker to see how far he could get. Other than that he cruised thru the trail w/ out a scratch.

[eli1]

Thanks Chuck, I'm just starting out and there's allot to LeArN ;)

[Rat70FJ]

I'd recommend excellent full coverage insurance, and an understanding agent!:)

[trailrunner55]

ATRAC is for the GHEYS:flipoff2: learn to wheel a truck without a computer getting you through it

[woooody]

ATRAC is for the GHEYS:flipoff2: learn to wheel a truck without a computer getting you through it

So you wheel open/open? How about a lift, got one of those? stock tires are all you need, right?

You don't like ATRAC, fine. Ghey? ignorant. Of course, look on the bright side -- ignorance can be changed -- stupid is forever

[trailrunner55]

When did i mention you had to use stock tires?When did i mention a lift not being used? And yes i did wheel my truck open/open on stock tires without a lift for quite a while. And correct me if im wrong but the fj's come with a elocker

[Rat70FJ]

If you have to use an e locker then you're ghey.

[woooody]

When did i mention you had to use stock tires?When did i mention a lift not being used? And yes i did wheel my truck open/open on stock tires without a lift for quite a while. And correct me if im wrong but the fj's come with a elocker

My point is -- why stop at ATRAC? If ATRAC is GHEY, they an e-locker is as well. And so is a lift. And so is bigger tires. I mean, I have a friend that wheeled the rubicon in a stock FJ40 open/open no power steering.

What makes ATRAC such a "GHEY" thing? is it the computer?

[trailrunner55]

Its the point that YOURE not doing the wheeling anymore. The truck is doing it for you

[Rat70FJ]

So once you get past a certain level of upgrades, you reach the "Ghey Zone"?

[cruzila]

A stock rig with an excellent driver can outwheel a setup rig with an idiot driver everyday of the week. I ran a 2001 TJ through the rubicon 13 times and had to use a strap twice. Once, I saw it coming. The other was a slip.

Bring a spare 3rd.

[cruzila]

So once you get past a certain level of upgrades, you reach the "Ghey Zone"?

Face it your Ghey.





















:flipoff2:

[trailrunner55]

Face it your Ghey.





















:flipoff2:
:laughing:

[Rat70FJ]

Face it your Ghey.

:flipoff2:

Now I'm gonna sell all my Junk and go buy that cherry BJ41 I saw the other day!:shaking:

[12_Volt_Dave]

...back to the original question. You can do the Con' bone stock if you drive with an egg between your right foot and the accelerator. You will also need a lot of patience and a bit of creative rock stacking. Even with that, you will more than likely get some "character dents"

That being said, I would recommend the following:

(1) 33" tires minimum (if you do nothing else at least do this...)
(2) Rock sliders (unless of course you think dents are sexy...)
(3) beefier rear lower links (see pics posted above)
(4) A spare third if you have the cash.
(5) And oh yes, a lift. It doesn't matter if it's a simple Revtech or something extreme, just get one. The factory front suspension will not take the abuse for too long. I hammered mine when it had no lift and did $3200 damage because the bump stops are so close to the limit. The factory Dunlop grandteks actually trashed the inner fender well before the bump stops did their job :mad3:

A note on the "weak" third controversy...
I watched my buddy Bryan blow his in the snow of all places with the rear locker on. Yes he was on the throttle and having a blast doing donuts.

But here's where I'm confused... We have both done this a million times before in our Toyota trucks without so much as a hiccup.(mine is an 86 with a lockrite and his was an 82 with an ARB) As a matter of fact I'm still using the same stock 4.10 in the rear to this day. It took 6 years of hard wheeling to finally grenade the front. No matter what anyone says regarding "you were doing something wrong with the E-locker" I still think there is an issue with the rear diffs.

Is my ARB "Ghey" since it's also a traction aiding device? :D

[trailrunner55]

jesus:shaking::shaking::shaking::shaking: