"InfinityAero" (infinityaero)
04/22/2016 at 11:29 • Filed to: camping, cruise, truck, virginia, ghost hunting, abandoned
2
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"InfinityAero" (infinityaero)
04/22/2016 at 11:29 • Filed to: camping, cruise, truck, virginia, ghost hunting, abandoned | 2
| 11 |
Living in Virginia presents one of the most frustrating problems to an automotive enthusiast— some of the greatest roads in the nation (Blueridge parkway, Skyline Drive, almost the whole Western half of the state for that matter) coupled with the most agressive anti-speeding police force in the nation.
This would typically present a problem for someone with a lead foot like me, but since my car got totaled last year, I’ve been stuck driving a slow, sluggish, top-heavy Xterra. It was time to actually put the thing to some good use...
Packed up the fiance and a friend and went out to Fort Valley this past weekend. Cool history— Fort Valley was going to be the Revolutionary Army’s potential last stand if they lost the battle at Yorktown. We camped near an old, now shuttered organization campground built in the 30s during the new deal era for undepriviledged kids from the DC Metro area.
The trip is a quick hour and a half from Northern Virginia. About 10 miles from the campsite, the roads snake alongside a creek, with convient places to wade into the water.
After my fiance and I took a brief break along the shores, we returned to the road and made our way out to the campsite. Paved roads became unpaved. Road names changed into alphanumeric Fire indicators. We scoped the area and picked a campsite, conveniently close to the old organization campground.
Later in the night, we made our way across a moonlit prairie to the first of the abandoned cabins. It was time to explore!
After surving the midnight excursion, it was time to return home. In the gutless adventure rig. But hey, with roads this beautiful, even a 4000lb, 170hp truck with a 5spd and rear drum brakes feels engaging and exciting! And bonus— it’s nearly impossible to go fast enough to snag a ticket...
atrombs
> InfinityAero
04/22/2016 at 11:33 |
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Looks like an awesome time! I’ll be doing a drive down to Hot Springs from Arlington next weekend. Hopefully it will be just as beautiful.
Party-vi
> InfinityAero
04/22/2016 at 11:41 |
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“a 4000lb, 170hp truck with a 5spd and rear drum brakes”
Sounds like a Jeep Cherokee with a couple fatties in it.
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InfinityAero
> atrombs
04/22/2016 at 11:44 |
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Awesome! I printed out all the fire trail maps for GW and Jefferson National forest, and definitely noticed “hot springs” on the map. We were planning on camping for two days and going offroading down in that area, but cut the trip to one day. This is my first 4x4 so I’m trying to put it to good use this summer!
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InfinityAero
> Party-vi
04/22/2016 at 11:53 |
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Xterra and Cherokee of the era were pretty similar in terms of weight and power. Little heavier, slightly less power from the 3.3 than the 4.0, IFS instead of live axle. Great for the very mild trails here, and feels remarkably nimble on a curvy road for how heavy and tall they are. Love my stupid truck but miss driving cars, even my fiancé’s 8th gen civic with a slush box feels fun to drive around town at this point...
Working on getting my fiat up and running, maybe trade up to a S2k or first gen viper after we get the marriage expenses out of the way :)
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Party-vi
> InfinityAero
04/22/2016 at 11:55 |
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The Cherokee was around 3,000lb without a driver - very light weight for what they were, but then again it’s basically a tin can with a drivetrain.
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InfinityAero
> Party-vi
04/22/2016 at 12:08 |
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Ah, Wiki shows the curb weight at 3350lbs for an 01; little heavier for the Liberty replacement in 02. That is light for an SUV!
The only bad things I’ve heard about the XJs was that the 4.0 doesn’t like being revved (but will run forever if you keep it below 4K) and that some of the components are a little under-built for serious off-roading. Used to have a blast going rock-crawling with my buddy in AZ that had a built XJ... my main purpose for getting a truck was as a tow vehicle and the Xterra was about as cheap as I could find in good condition for that use.
Of course, go figure, I haven’t towed anything with it since buying it. Time to buy a new sail for my sailboat!
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Party-vi
> InfinityAero
04/22/2016 at 12:11 |
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The 4.0L did not mind being revved, it just did it with no sense of urgency. There have been issues with the c-clip rear axles and vacuum-disconnect front axles in some models of Cherokees, but the NP231 transfercase is a champ. Some models had a rear Dana 44 stock which was a welcome addition, but for stock off-roading the Cherokee was a great vehicle. Once you started adding tires over 31" you were going to break shit.
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atrombs
> InfinityAero
04/22/2016 at 12:28 |
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I have always wanted to go/get in to off roading. However, growing up in Arlington means that the closest dirt road is quite a hike. Hopefully as my career takes off I’ll have more cash to get to spend on “toys” that can help with that. At the moment I’m really excited for the windy roads i’ll be hitting in hot springs. The Focus is going to get a workout!
some of the roads in question:
gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
> InfinityAero
04/22/2016 at 13:12 |
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Redline with the 4.0 is 5k, so 4k is getting pretty wound up. It’s definitely intended for low-rpm thrust, with something like 80% of torque already available at 1200rpm. Very flat torque curve.
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InfinityAero
> gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
04/22/2016 at 13:23 |
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Yah, I’ve had a couple Jeep guys tell me they keep it below 4k all the time, cited rapid head gasket wear. Not sure if they know anything, or just spouting nonsense.
Great motor, regardless, I have to wait till 1800 RPM to hit my torque plateau on the X! The 3.3 in the X is really close to the old 300zx motor. Could be a fun turbo build for someone with more money than sense...
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gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
> InfinityAero
04/22/2016 at 13:44 |
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I don’t know about the head gasket. The later (like, 2000+) had an issue with cracking heads, but there was a recall for that. I absolutely thrashed my 300,000 mile 4.0 (it saw >4K rpm pretty frequently) and developed a severe bottom end knock, but no issues with the head gasket. I had some bad cooling issues (mostly large holes in things), and absolutely cooked it a couple times. Even with the knock, it still made plenty of power and seemed to run great if you ignored the horrible noises. I’m still driving that MJ, but I’ve since replaced every single piece of the cooling system (including the engine) except the heater core.