Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, It was nice to meet some new and friendly faces and show off my project.
CM15 trip/test report
I had been looking forward to Cruise Moab 15 for several reasons, among those was the opportunity to try out and utilize several of the new upgrades and modifications to my 100 series. Overall the trip and the trucks performance were a great success, things went smoothly and though there is always room for improvement, I was very pleased with the results. It was very nice to be able to cover some diverse terrain over several days with various multiple passengers in comfort, which was key to getting my family/friends to enjoy and tolerate the trip.
With 6 days on the trail and several Highway miles in between, this truck saw a fair amount of all around use. I didn't set out to test the limits of anything in particular but to use it as was needed and not hold anything back or "baby it" because something was new. I did choose a couple of the easier trails to run in Moab, but that was more to do with the type of experience that I was looking for with my family in mind. If I want to run something more difficult and risky, then that is what I had in mind for my 4Runner and FJ40 anyway.
Several of the upgrades that I added for the sake of protection or durability certainly got used and held up well. The rear lower links and skids saw contact with rocks in several places without any signs of damage beyond the paint. The rear shock stone guards got bent around the lower shock bolts a bit, but that shouldn't be a problem. I did crunch the tail pipe of the exhaust a bit, but I don't think it affects the performance at all. I think the resonator would have seen way more contact given its size, though for the benefit of the noise reduction, it might still be worth finding a way to reinstall the resonator up a bit higher. I dragged the rear bumper mounting bolts a few times without any consequence, and I was surprised at how many times the bumper did not make contact when I was almost sure that it would. Various trees along the trails added a bit more pin striping to the collection.
Here are a few Photos from the Devils Racetrack trail on the Swell Overnight run. I think they fit better if I show them in a sequence.
Overall, the most significant damage sustained was to the sidewall of 1 tire. At some point on Porcupine Rim, my tire received a large gash in the sidewall that was quite deep, though it still held air and there was no damage to the wheel. I was surprised that it held air, and decided to change it with the spare before making the long freeway drive home. However, before changing it out, I drove on it for another day on the trail, aired down, and it still had no issues. I changed it out for the peace of mind driving freeway speeds for several hundred miles with all good tires. I used the Hi-Lift on the lifting point that I added in the front bumper and was easily able to lift the vehicle enough to change the tire without any problems. After I got home, there was no trouble getting the damaged tired replaced under a road hazard warranty. These BFG All Terrain KO2 tires have held up well so far, providing good traction.