Daily Vs Trail question

[808wheeler]

Hey 80 series gang!
I'm about to get into my second 4wd rig in the next few months. My other 4x4 was a 1st Gen 4runner that i found in Glendale. (Amazing rig)

I daily drove the 1st Gen, and since it was the 22re on 33s it was pretty easy to get around in.

My question for the IH8 Mud team is- For those of you that have your LC's on 35s or bigger and trail drive your rigs, how much does an average weekend of trail driving cost you?

I know the mileage on a lifted LC is the stuff of environmentalist nightmares, but I was looking around California for some fun trails and OHV areas and it kinda freaked me out a bit to know that I would be dropping almost $200-$300 just in gas to get to some of these spots from LA. I met a guy in Dallas recently who says he spends no less than $800 a month to maintain and gas his LC for the trails.

Do many of you trail ride every weekend?
And just out of pure curiosity, what sacrifices do you make in your budget/life to be able to accommodate this hobby?

 

[jp_waltz]

There's a lot of variables. How far, how heavy, 35's vs 37's, gears, elevation etc. I DD mine and only wheel every couple months but it does get costly for sure. I just went to northern CA, did a couple trails up there and racked up a $425 gas bill in a week. It seemed like I was into a head wind and uphill the whole way home though. If your going to wheel locally it's not too bad. Just the cost of fuel to get there really. I don't burn much while on the trail. These rigs are NOT cheap to own, especially if you're me. In light of my last big trip I will start traveling lighter to save on fuel costs but the PM and spare parts will cost a bit of money. If you don't want to break a certain part, buy a trail spare...it'll insure you'll never need it. The reliability of a properly maintained 80 is worth the extra cost of ownership to me. YMMV

 

[richardlillard1]

I drive mine daily, has a 5" lift and 37s with stock gears. I put a lot of miles on mine, both on the trail and road.

Around town, the truck doesn't have much power loss that you notice; there's a lack of get up, but it still does just fine.

Climbing hills when driving up into the mountains means forcing it into 2nd and running at around 4k rpm. Not the end of the world for 10 minutes at a time. There are rigs with over 200k on the odo doing the same thing and it still gets you there.

My plan is to do transfer case gears to get the crawling ability back. Two-pedaling gets you through a lot of stuff, but there are times when it would be nice to have the gearing again.

Can't comment on price for trail days, but generally speaking its 1-2 tanks of gas in terms of driving cost per day, depending on how much the total drive is.

 

[808wheeler]

Great insight so far guys, Thanks, the time is appreciated.

I understand the cost to own these can be high, but certainly no where near as bad as my old allroad.

With that said, the longevity and robustness associated with the FJ80 motors is enticing, even tho the daily driving costs may get crazy.

Any good Daily Driving threads you can direct me to?

 

[bwakeling]

I would not want to be driving my 80 daily on anything bigger than 33's. If it was my DD I would be swapping my off road tires for trips. Loaded up with bumpers, armour, spare 37...my mileage is awful...and have a tough time fitting in many parking spots.

I am often spending a few hundred dollars on gas for a wheel trip...tank of gas to and from the trail plus whatever I burn wheeling.

 

[Roostre]

I've only had mine out a few times so far, but I can second that the fuel used once on the trail is surprisingly little compared to what it uses on the highway to get "there" and back. I'm on 315s and have a huge roof rack. (that's going away soon)

 

[ewillis]

Mine only goes to the great outdoors. I do drive it on the weekends to Costco or the barbershop just to keep everything lubed, but for everyday driving... it's the Prius! I couldn't imagine the fuel bill for the amount of commuting I do!

 

[baldilocks]

If you have to ask then you can't afford it. Ok that was joke but not really. On a trail like Rubicon I will average 6 mpg. Just the way it is. As far as sacrifice, I can tell you that I am near 50 years old and love wheeling as much as I did 30 years ago. That means that wheeling has always been figured into my "budget" even when my boys were coming up. Getting the family out is important.

 

[richardlillard1]

A lot of it has to do with how you drive it. Let the truck compression brake as often as possible and it will help with gas mileage and save your brake pads.

Here in AZ, I have the added benefit of getting the rpms up and making the fan roar like hell. Cools the engine off if it's too warm and helps with AC temps. I've gotten as much as 12mpg in low range coming down the side of a mountain after leaving the lunch spot.

Caveat: I didn't buy the truck for gas mileage, so I don't care, but it can be fun to watch the number and try to get it as high as possible. You'd be amazed at what driving a few miles an hour slower will do for fuel economy around town, highway, and on the trail.

 

[808wheeler]

Maybe you're right Baldilocks, it would be great if I could just not have to worry about money ever, but since a lot of my work requires me fronting costs before I invoice budget is still a concern for me.

Thanks for the insight IH8MUD team, real world anecdotes are pure gold!

 

[Di0z0r]

I was wondering the same thing of how much most are paying for there trips. But I have always trailer my rig if it was more than 30min away from home. But my 3/4 ton dodge get 20mpg towing 10k pound no matter how I drive it. And it's I nice insurance for me cuz I hardly ever make it back to the trailer with out some bad damage

 

[pilotuku]

I get free gas, but I do feel your sentiments...

Sometimes I still have to fill it up once or twice if coming from a long distance trip. I can only carry three cans on my bumper.

 

[atomicshawn]

If you have to ask then you can't afford it. Ok that was joke but not really...

This was my initial reaction too when I read the op. Not trying to be some kind of elitist douche, but if your tripping on mpg, you might want to seriously consider a different past time. These trucks are getting old. Mpg could be the least of your worries. For sure they're tough, well built machines, but they're machines. The older they get the more love they'll require (love = $... just ask my wife), especially if you frequent the trail. And then there's upgrades...

Not to suggest you can't be broke and own and actually use one of these. We got our poor, basically unemployed butts through grad school without selling it for food, and even managed to do a few trips each year.

Now we're actual contributing members of society. Far from rich, but still a half dozen or so times a year we do the 4... 8... 12 hour commute to get to the middle of nowhere. Plus all the cost of maintenance and repair. But we don't do a lot of movies. We don't have cable. Don't eat out a lot. Our poor neglected kids have never been to Disneyland. We've never been on a cruise. We still have wood paneling from the 70s in the basement... And I do all my own cruiser repair/maintenance.

I guess it comes down to what you're willing to sacrifice. Our neighbors think we're insane, but this hillbilly, smelling like a campfire, eating granola, living on the trail for days is our idea of fun, and to us worth the gas money. To my neighbor, their annual trip to California with all the airfare, hotel, car rental, buying overpriced churros and paying $100 a head to stand in line for a ride at Disneyland is worth it. Seems insane to me.

 

[AussieHJCruza]

IMHO, 33s is about right for a daily driver. On 33s, with 4.11 diffs, I get 12 litres per 100 km (19.6 mpg) but that is with a 1HD-T and H151 manual. As has been said before, I would keep a set of 33" all-terrains for daily driving, and put 35s on for weekends. This is what I plan to do with mine.

 

[Heckraiser]

Do not look at your credit card statement when you pay it and put plenty of "other" stuff on there so the gas blends in, just in case you catch a glimpse of the account activity. Get a rewards card of some kind. That is my only advice

:edit: FWIW, my 80 is not the most fuel-hungry weekend wheeler I have owned

 

[zona]

I might suggest that you acquire camping gear and when you explore and wheel over 2 or 3 days. If you prorate the cost of gas, food and gear you're probably looking at $60 per night for 3 people doing things like hiking, wheeling, fishing, photography, ornithology, spelunking, dendrology, procreating, etc. I suggest you start with the last adventure first and then everything else is gravy.

Zona

 

[scottryana]

I daily my 80, and it is expensive but I still find excuses to go places just because I love driving it. I will take the long way even when I know a shorter route. I will go out and just drive to drive.

I guess for me it is more than just transportation it is a hobby, and I have always done it. Turn up the stereo, roll down the windows and just enjoy the trip!

 

[92LXAZ]

Get one and don't look back. Be prepared and know it will cost you some coin. It will be well worth it though. There's a crap ton of other stuff we waste our money on. If it comes down to you're on that tight of a budget sacrifice those other things. Like food. Also resist the bling at first if you're worried about gas. Every rig on here has cool factor in some way that is easy to want. Baseline it and drive . Then get the cool stuff.

 

[BILT4ME]

I keep having this recurring dream that I actually got everything fixed before something else broke or stopped working. Then I woke up and realized it wasn't reality. And then I filled it with gas again.

 

[jcardona1]

Buying an 80 for leisure will be the best dumb decision you ever make.