Black bear, imogene, engineer pass in a... (1 Viewer)

[Swsteury]

Gentlemen,

looking to do some exploring this August. These are the passes we are wanting to do to get to the various trailheads. I have a 2017 LC200 stock suspension with KO2s 285/65/R18. Am I going to run into issues on these passes with clearance? Thanks in advance!!

Here is a pic of the rig.

Will take off the bike rack.

 

[Markuson]

Take your running boards off...
Bring a spotter if tight corners and potentially slippery/wet rocks/drops make you nervous (Black Bear descent as you turn and begin drop to Telluride).

You can do those trails, but you will definitely want to lose your running boards.

 

[indycole]

There’s one spot on BB just after the waterfall and a spot on Mineral Creek after the Poughkeepsie turnoff (en route to engineer from Ouray) where you’ll probably scrape the undercarriage/skids a bit. Not a huge deal.

 

[Swsteury]

Take your running boards off...
Bring a spotter if tight corners and potentially slippery/wet rocks/drops make you nervous (Black Bear descent as you turn and begin drop to Telluride).

You can do those trails, but you will definitely want to lose your running boards.

Do you worry about body damage if you hot the side? Wouldn't it be better to hit the running board vs the body? I am new to much of this so pardon the ignorance...

 

[steenh]

If you hit the running boards, they could bend into your body. If you take them off, you'll have that much extra clearance. Definitely lose them for the trip.

 

[indycole]

As a follow up, if you're heavy loaded on stock suspension you may be susceptible to scraping the rear bumper cover. In the photo above it looks like it may already be compressed a bit but I can't tell if that's just the angle.

 

[SWUtah]

Put on some sliders and do a lift. Cheaper then repairing the body damage.

 

[Rigger]

Put on some sliders and do a lift. Cheaper then repairing the body damage.

This. Make a trip to Slee Off Road.

 

[John E Davies]

My truck is about like yours, but I removed the running boards the day after I bought it. I am headed there in July. I will post some Alpine Loop pics here.

I do NOT plan to do Black Bear, it will freak out my wife too much! (I would be game to do it if we had a companion vehicle and it was dry conditions.) We will look at the BB switchbacks from the tourist shops in Telluride, and watch for Jeeps or 200s rolling down the cliff.

I do have rear airbags since I tow a 6000 pound travel trailer. They let me lift the back up easily a few inches with a bike pump if I get into a tight spot that looks like it might risk damaging the rear bumper; it only takes a couple of minutes... If you do any heavy towing, airbags might be a good thing to consider before your trip. Even with the minimum amount of air (5 psi) they raise the back up about 3/4 inch over stock. A lot of owners do not like a high butt, however it does not bother me at all. The truck is dead level when towing.

Consider removing some seats for the Colorado trip if you do not need to use them, they are super heavy. The third rows are about 60 pounds for the pair, and the left center one is like 80, it is really weighty. You will get a red airbag light if you take out the latter. I carry an ARB fridge and a 90 pound Yamaha generator, plus the usual travel stuff, so removing those seats lets me not worry too much about the trailer tongue weight.

John Davies
Spokane WA

 

[Atwalz]

I would add sliders. I ran em at stock height for two years. I had AT tires and sliders first trip and added skids following year. Stock skids will definitely will get some scrapes. Tupperware will be scratched as well. Have fun! This summer will be my fourth year. Love this area never gets boring.

 

[studawg]

Id remove the third row seats too, losing a little weight back there can't hurt.

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

I’ve done all those trails in a rented GMC Envoy and Toyota Highlander and the only thing that touched the ground, was tires.

Alpine loop is beautiful and a must for off roaders, but hard it is not.

Like others have said, a stock 200 is more than capable. Take your time, don’t let others “rush” you (like side by sides and Jeep guys that think you need 37s to even look at a dirt road) and enjoy an absolutely wonderful trail system.

 

[bloc]

and the left center one is like 80, it is really weighty. You will get a red airbag light if you take out the latter.

Eff. I planned to take out that seat in June for more sleeping room during a trip and didn’t even consider the airbag.

Now to try and figure out the appropriate resistor value without testing the resistance of the airbag. (In case anyone is wondering why, ohming it out could make it go boom)

 

[TonyP]

Eff. I planned to take out that seat in June for more sleeping room during a trip and didn’t even consider the airbag.

Now to try and figure out the appropriate resistor value without testing the resistance of the airbag. (In case anyone is wondering why, ohming it out could make it go boom)

The resistor is on the harness side not the airbag side. But like I said in the other thread, 2.2ohm 1/2W. Had those in my 200 for many months, no issues.

 

[bloc]

The resistor is on the harness side not the airbag side. But like I said in the other thread, 2.2ohm 1/2W. Had those in my 200 for many months, no issues.

I’m aware of the side, was implying measuring the airbag side can help tell us what resistor to use on the harness side.. but that it’s a bad idea.

And yeah, just saw there’s a whole thread about this. Thanks for the info.

 

[Markuson]

Do you worry about body damage if you hot the side? Wouldn't it be better to hit the running board vs the body? I am new to much of this so pardon the ignorance...

Eff. I planned to take out that seat in June for more sleeping room during a trip and didn’t even consider the airbag.

Now to try and figure out the appropriate resistor value without testing the resistance of the airbag. (In case anyone is wondering why, ohming it out could make it go boom)

PM me and I’ll mail you two of the correct resistors. Piece o cake.

 

[JeffH]

I’ve done all those trails in a rented GMC Envoy and Toyota Highlander and the only thing that touched the ground, was tires.

Alpine loop is beautiful and a must for off roaders, but hard it is not.

Like others have said, a stock 200 is more than capable. Take your time, don’t let others “rush” you (like side by sides and Jeep guys that think you need 37s to even look at a dirt road) and enjoy an absolutely wonderful trail system.

Agree, I have done most of Engineer, Cinnamon and a trip up to Golconda in a bone stock 100 with running boards.

 

[SchobTime]

I am with the comments above on removing the factory running boards for Black Bear and Mineral Creek. Also, having a spotter on BB for Adios Curve is a major bonus.

 

[White Stripe]

If u look on YouTube a guy took a Forester on black bear, so it's pretty easy.

 

[SchobTime]

We did Black Bear 2 years ago in the rain with my two daughters in the back watching Barbie movies (not bad at all) just take your time. Other than having a spotter for Adios Curve, my other piece of advice would be to hug the right wall as you are descending the Steps - reduces the pucker factor