by "PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
Published 03/13/2017 at 08:18
by "PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
Published 03/13/2017 at 08:18
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STARS: 2
I am entertaining idea of getting a metal bumpers for the Lexus. Throw a winch on it...things like that. Make it more intimidating in a supermarket parking lot.
Found a website that has the bumpers and other accessories, but it’s talking about stages. Stages 0 to ? saw max 7.
What are these stages? Is it type of terrain? How does that affect quality? Thicker metal? Darker shade of black paint? Heavier duty bolts?
"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
03/13/2017 at 08:22, STARS: 2
I have no idea about the stages, but I can attest that I hate that mud. It’s sticky enough to cling to everything, slick enough to prevent all forward progress, and filled with enough iron oxide to stain everything a nasty shade of orange.
"PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
03/13/2017 at 08:40, STARS: 0
I have no idea about the mud, but I can certainly say some people drive into that mess voluntarily, the more mud clings to the car, the better. They don’t care about forward or rearward progress, as long as wheels spin and sling mud. Not everyone hates shade of orange. I actually prefer it.
"Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap" (ddadragon)
03/13/2017 at 08:42, STARS: 1
And it fills the tread on the tires no matter how aggressive the tread pattern. And you’ll never get it out of carpet.
"vicali" (vicali)
03/13/2017 at 09:44, STARS: 1
No idea on ‘stages’, sounds like marketing.
Look around at cbi, budbuilt, arb, slee..
Know that putting a bumper out front is going to pull the front down, and make it look funny if you don’t upgrade the rear as well- then you might as well get skids, and sliders too, and suspension upgrade to a carry it all, then tires to fill the wheel wells... see what happens?
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
03/13/2017 at 10:05, STARS: 0
Slightly related, but I did a Spartan obstacle race in the cold rain in Georgia last December. Shoe traction quickly turns to nil.
"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
03/13/2017 at 10:24, STARS: 0
“Shoe traction quickly turns to nil.”
And at the same time, each foot gains an additional 10 lbs.
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
03/13/2017 at 10:31, STARS: 1
Yep, the irony of all the people spending $100+ on lightweight running shoes only to have them turn into Chuck Taylors with lead soles :D
"PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
03/13/2017 at 10:39, STARS: 0
sounds like stage max is when you have all that bolted on. car weights 7 ton and exhaust pipe scrapes on pavement as you drive.
Is there such a thing as off-road trail stages? Something like in white water rafting. Some paths are easier than others...?
"vicali" (vicali)
03/13/2017 at 11:45, STARS: 0
Not really, some trails are known as not stock friendly- but that’s mostly if your only place to play is an offroad park..
The group of offroad friends I have all make trips either based on the rigs who plan to come, or they will say something like; ‘lift and lockers recommended’, or ‘factory bodywork damage likely’..
btw you need a better pic;
"PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
03/13/2017 at 11:54, STARS: 0
Your pic looks to have an LX. Mine is a GX and it’s harder to find offroad gizmos for it.
Mine sorta looks like this... minus palm trees in background and more salt and dirt.
"vicali" (vicali)
03/13/2017 at 12:08, STARS: 0
You can still play; lot’s of Prado stuff out there.
"PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
03/13/2017 at 12:33, STARS: 0
yeah... i just wasn’t sure about the stage piece of it.. i don’t want to get bumpers made out of coke can and needing to replace them after a leaf hit em.
"PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
03/13/2017 at 12:44, STARS: 0
ha. imagine you had regular shoes plus the 10 lbs of mud?
"vicali" (vicali)
03/13/2017 at 12:50, STARS: 0
Most of the good stuff is built in Australia, because roos have an odd tendency to jump in front of cars. Brands like ARB, and TJM, put a ton of research and development into their gear- most are made to work with airbags and meet safety requirements.
There are a handful of North American companies making bumpers as well, some commercial brands like AllPro make lightweight aluminum or ‘Prerunner’ type bumpers.
Then there are a bunch of Fabricators making heavy duty bumpers, like Slee, CBi, CruisinOffroad (woohoo!). That might be your best bet, because there aren’t a ton of Gx parts over here, (I’m assuming your are stateside).
"vicali" (vicali)
03/13/2017 at 12:57, STARS: 0
Those ‘Stages’ on the MetalTech page are just lights... 1, 2, 3 are all the same bumper, just different LED options.
"PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
03/13/2017 at 13:00, STARS: 0
ahaaa! So difference between stage 1 and 7 = more lights? different lights?
Dang them.
"vicali" (vicali)
03/13/2017 at 13:06, STARS: 0
Stage Zero is unpainted bumper, lol..
These guys import TJM stuff;
http://extremelandcruiser.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=129&products_id=603&zenid=7e0faf80285a2f81c4a8919e1102173c
These guys have a nice GX bumper;
http://www.southernstyleoffroad.com/product/full-steel-plate-winch-bumper-front/
Otherwise register on mud, and check out the 120 series pages;
https://forum.ih8mud.com/forums/120-series-toyotas.207/
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
03/13/2017 at 13:24, STARS: 0
Yep. Several companies actually make shoes with better drainage because cross
-
country/obstacle racing has gotten so big. But better drainage also equals quicker water intake, so it
’
s a mixed bag. The worst is sand/mud in your underwear. I just wear 2 pairs of spandex boxer briefs, but many people don
’
t plan ahead and end up with chafing and bleeding. Been there, never again!
"PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
03/13/2017 at 13:28, STARS: 0
seems it’s better to just run naked.
"PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
03/13/2017 at 13:30, STARS: 0
awesome. Thanks for the info.
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
03/13/2017 at 13:42, STARS: 0
I don’t think a lot of the competitors would disagree with that. Difficulty: mostly dudes.
"PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
03/13/2017 at 13:46, STARS: 1
it’s not a difficulty per se. Maybe if it was appealing to ladies (this might do it) they might partake too.
As it sits now, bunch of dudes playing in mud.
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
03/13/2017 at 13:49, STARS: 0
Honestly, it’s probably 40% female, give or take. But most of them struck me as “hey, wouldn’t this be a fun and hilarious bonding experience?” while the guys took it a little too seriously.
"WiscoProud" (wiscoproud)
03/13/2017 at 14:20, STARS: 0
The GXs are great vehicles, but their worthiness off road is just starting to be realized. Unfortunately you may not have a lot to chose from. What was the website you found? Also, if you’re not on IH8Mud, you should be. There is a forum dedicated to 120 series cruisers (Prados worldwide) which includes 4runners and GXs.
"PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
03/13/2017 at 14:35, STARS: 0
the bumpers I found were on
http://metaltech4x4.com
I am still hesitant dropping 1500+ per bumper. I already have a winch that is mounted on this plate that gets inserted into a tow hitch receiver. So in theory, I should be able to get myself out of that pothole in the parking lot, but it isn’t very good looking setup.
"WiscoProud" (wiscoproud)
03/13/2017 at 14:42, STARS: 0
Metaltech makes some nice stuff, but you’re right in that they’re pricey. It looks like the “stages” are what kinds of finish/lighting/options you want. Its been a while since I’ve been on their website, so I didn’t realize they were doing that.
"PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
03/13/2017 at 14:45, STARS: 0
Yeah. I thought it was either level of off-roading you’re doing or level of quality. Of course when you look at the images they provide, those bumpers look exactly the same, so the only thing I could think was that higher level stuff was pricier and thus must be beefier. But, thanks to you and few others here, it’s the trim level. fancier paint and fancier holes for light bulbs.