Limit of Stock GX 460? Mengel Pass in Death Valley after Running Board Delete (1 Viewer)

[Borrego Bar]

Recently pointed my stock GX up Mengel Pass in Death Valley and was SHOCKED that I actually made it. Figured we'd give it a try, get rejected, then have to go with Plan B.

This trail gets graded every few years then degrades with the rain so had no idea what to expect. Got stuck and recovered once, recovered another rig, scraped a lot, but made it through along with two other stock Toyotas and a lightly modded Rubicon.

GX was running 265 M/T Baja Boss All-terrains, running board delete, and that's it. Wondering if any other GX owners have done similar trails in stock form and if you think I found the limit... or could I have pushed it farther based on the video below?

 

[r2m]

Recently pointed my stock GX up Mengel Pass in Death Valley and was SHOCKED that I actually made it. Figured we'd give it a try, get rejected, then have to go with Plan B.

This trail gets graded every few years then degrades with the rain so had no idea what to expect. Got stuck and recovered once, recovered another rig, scraped a lot, but made it through along with two other stock Toyotas and a lightly modded Rubicon.

GX was running 265 M/T Baja Boss All-terrains, running board delete, and that's it. Wondering if any other GX owners have done similar trails in stock form and if you think I found the limit... or could I have pushed it farther based on the video below?

Looks like an awesome trip! We (our 4x4 club) do a lot of desert, all over So. Ca. in the winter and then the high country (Big Bear, etc.) in the summer.
My BIGGEST concern for you is the entire under carriage. I, personally really wouldn't want to do any trails that may be heavily rutted with rock, tree stumps or even just deep ruts. And looking at your video, you and your other stock friends were just about to prove my point! Good on ya that nothing happened!
I suggest this to anyone just getting into off roading, even with a very capable vehicle (read: Tacos, 4R's and yes our GX's!).
I can't stress this enough, your first purchase should be skid plates. If you bang on a rock with your trans, fuel tank or oil pan, you're not just looking at a very expensive tow out of wherever you killed your GX, the discomfort of being stuck waiting for a recovery vehicle, but now thousands of dollars of repair for what would have been less than $1,000 of protection.
Oh, and trim the front and rear bumpers up a few inches!

 

[jeremy j]

Looks like an amazing trip. Thanks for sharing!

Really impressed you took those stock trucks out there but at least you had support and help. First thing I did was do full skids and sliders with the intention of this type of stockish adventures but the old suspension and extra weight cost me so much ground clearance, I had to lift it a little.

 

[llm]

looks like a fun trip. would echo others' comment on adding skids and sliders. the $2k ($1k skids, $1k sliders), is worth the peace of mind for me. at least the FJ and 4runner have some battle scars without serious damage.

 

[Borrego Bar]

Looks like an awesome trip! We (our 4x4 club) do a lot of desert, all over So. Ca. in the winter and then the high country (Big Bear, etc.) in the summer.
My BIGGEST concern for you is the entire under carriage. I, personally really wouldn't want to do any trails that may be heavily rutted with rock, tree stumps or even just deep ruts. And looking at your video, you and your other stock friends were just about to prove my point! Good on ya that nothing happened!
I suggest this to anyone just getting into off roading, even with a very capable vehicle (read: Tacos, 4R's and yes our GX's!).
I can't stress this enough, your first purchase should be skid plates. If you bang on a rock with your trans, fuel tank or oil pan, you're not just looking at a very expensive tow out of wherever you killed your GX, the discomfort of being stuck waiting for a recovery vehicle, but now thousands of dollars of repair for what would have been less than $1,000 of protection.
Oh, and trim the front and rear bumpers up a few inches!

Great advice, I see that people choose different lines for trimming bumpers, have you seen any cuts that are clean for pre-facelift GX 460? If so, please share, thank you!

 

[Borrego Bar]

looks like a fun trip. would echo others' comment on adding skids and sliders. the $2k ($1k skids, $1k sliders), is worth the peace of mind for me. at least the FJ and 4runner have some battle scars without serious damage.

I think skid plates and sliders are in order. I picked up a full sheet of 1/4" aluminum plate and some 1.75 OD, 120 wall steel tube and looking at other builds for inspiration before I start cutting and bending. If you have any favorite products or DIY builds, please share! Thanks

 

[Borrego Bar]

Looks like an amazing trip. Thanks for sharing!

Really impressed you took those stock trucks out there but at least you had support and help. First thing I did was do full skids and sliders with the intention of this type of stockish adventures but the old suspension and extra weight cost me so much ground clearance, I had to lift it a little.

Thanks for watching! Always good to have friends along when things go south Glad I took it out stock for a reference point, just installed King 2.5" adjustable all around with OME 2" springs in the back, stoked with the on-road ride so far. Will report back once I get it back on the dirt.

 

[r2m]

Great advice, I see that people choose different lines for trimming bumpers, have you seen any cuts that are clean for pre-facelift GX 460? If so, please share, thank you!

Regarding how high to cut/trim the bumpers, it'll be personal preference and you'll need to just do a search, same as I would. There's not any one place or thread that has just trimmed bumpers. Sorry.
Also, depending upon how the photos are taken of the trimmed bumpers, it can alter the perspective of how it actually looks. So try to fine pic's that have a little distance from the vehicle and more of full side view and front view rather than corner pic's.
But... I'd suggest cutting a little at a time till you like how it looks. Maybe one or two inches at first?
Use blue (or whatever) painters tape. You'll need to sight along your painters tape line. I mean get your eye balls about a inch above the tape line and sight down it. It is the only way you'll see if you have any waves in your tape line. I learned this trick when I used to spray paint and do art on surfboards. You had to sight down the tape line on the surfboard rails to make sure there weren't any waves along the tape line on the rail of the board.
Then get a long, straight sureform rasp to even out any high spots from your poor cutting techniques.

https://www.amazon.com/Dura-Gold-Shaver-Adjustable-Standard-Replacement/dp/B0CTCWHWG4/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?

 

[re_guderian]

Looks like an awesome trip! We (our 4x4 club) do a lot of desert, all over So. Ca. in the winter and then the high country (Big Bear, etc.) in the summer.
My BIGGEST concern for you is the entire under carriage. I, personally really wouldn't want to do any trails that may be heavily rutted with rock, tree stumps or even just deep ruts. And looking at your video, you and your other stock friends were just about to prove my point! Good on ya that nothing happened!
I suggest this to anyone just getting into off roading, even with a very capable vehicle (read: Tacos, 4R's and yes our GX's!).
I can't stress this enough, your first purchase should be skid plates. If you bang on a rock with your trans, fuel tank or oil pan, you're not just looking at a very expensive tow out of wherever you killed your GX, the discomfort of being stuck waiting for a recovery vehicle, but now thousands of dollars of repair for what would have been less than $1,000 of protection.
Oh, and trim the front and rear bumpers up a few inches!

I will also add that skid plates are a "slippery slope". While they do indeed provide the needed protection for the undercarriage, you also end up losing over an inch of clearance everywhere, and end up dragging more. So then you need a lift, and even taller tires to match, and then you need...

 

[re_guderian]

But after watching your video, the GX seems to have done better than the FJ. In stock form, adding Crawl Control (and MTS "while you're in there") is a really good bang-for-the-buck upgrade in terms of capability for otherwise stock rigs. The ability to go slowly up/over/through stuff really cuts down on the risk to banging up the undercarriage. Do you already have CC/MTS on your truck, or was that stock ATRAC and KDSS?

 

[MeefZah]

Really nice video, well done.

 

[ducktapeguy]

The limit of the GX is dependent on how much damage are you willing to incur. I took my GX in stock form to Death valley and came home with a cracked front bumper, dented exhaust, banged up skids, and dented side steps. In a life or death situation I could've pushed it further, but that was my limit for the day. I had to zip tie things to keep stuff from falling off while driving home.

My first investment was a set of skids and sliders which help tremendously. Not only does it protect against expensive repair bills, it give peace of mind when you're on the trail. It also lets me travel a lot faster because I don't have to crawl through rocky sections at 2mph and I was no longer stopping every quarter mile to check the underside of my GX to see if I damaged anything. It is a slippery slope because even after modding you'll find the limit again and then have to get a lift. Then a front bumper. Then larger tires. Which opens up a whole new can of worms with regearing, BMC, fender trimming, and axles. Of course with all those mods your gas mileage takes a huge hit so you need a rear bumper for jerry cans or an extended fuel tank to recover the range you lost. There's no end to it until you start wondering if the GX was the right platform to start with and debate whether to start all over again with a new car.

 

[r2m]

The limit of the GX is dependent on how much damage are you willing to incur. I took my GX in stock form to Death valley and came home with a cracked front bumper, dented exhaust, banged up skids, and dented side steps. In a life or death situation I could've pushed it further, but that was my limit for the day. I had to zip tie things to keep stuff from falling off while driving home.

My first investment was a set of skids and sliders which help tremendously. Not only does it protect against expensive repair bills, it give peace of mind when you're on the trail. It also lets me travel a lot faster because I don't have to crawl through rocky sections at 2mph and I was no longer stopping every quarter mile to check the underside of my GX to see if I damaged anything. It is a slippery slope because even after modding you'll find the limit again and then have to get a lift. Then a front bumper. Then larger tires. Which opens up a whole new can of worms with regearing, BMC, fender trimming, and axles. Of course with all those mods your gas mileage takes a huge hit so you need a rear bumper for jerry cans or an extended fuel tank to recover the range you lost. There's no end to it until you start wondering if the GX was the right platform to start with and debate whether to start all over again with a new car.

One big point regarding sliders is having the added protection of side impact. Ask me how I know. Wait. I'll just tell you. Was T-boned, passenger side, a few years ago and my sliders GREATLY protected my GX from being totaled. All that I needed was a new rear passenger door and some molding for the front passenger door. Sliders will protect you from more damage and may even save your life.

 

[re_guderian]

...I had to zip tie things to keep stuff from falling off while driving home...

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