nukegoat
Should have bought a Jeep
LC torsion bars + AHC + less preload will feel rougher than what you're doing now
New to me LX470 (1 Viewer)
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- #62
Thanks for the heads up, I was afraid of that =(
Guess I'll go for reindexing first and see how that works out, then. Was hoping lower AHC pressures and lower preloaded LC bars would work out better.
I definitely found that less AHC pressure meant softer ride, but could feel the difference in damping.
- Thread starter
- #63
Hopefully I've finally solved my leaking driver front ahc shock. Hint: it's not supposed to be narrower in the middle.
Will likely replace the passenger front in the near future. Had to cut the top off with a grinder; no luck undoing the upper nut.
Will likely replace the passenger front in the near future. Had to cut the top off with a grinder; no luck undoing the upper nut.
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- #64
Went camping with the family this weekend. Finally rolled over 150k while towing the camping trailer.
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- #65
Spent the memorial day week on vacation. First had to stop in to my parents' house and do some quick repair work on my grandmother's car: radiator, steering rack, tie rods, front main seal, hoses, thermostat, and probably a few other things I forgot. Parents got to hang out with their grandkids for a couple days, then off we went on our REAL vacation: TN/NC area.
On the way to our first campsite, we drove through some of Talladega NF's Skyline Parkway - the first time I'd ever tried dragging our camping trailer up a serious (ish) four-wheel-drive trail. We made hot dogs for lunch on the side of the road and just enjoyed the scenery, apart from the gobs of garbage strewn all along the sides of the trail (including tampons and diapers). Nothing upsets me more than being out on beautiful forestry roads away from people, but still having apathy displayed everywhere. If you're too lazy to take your garbage with you, please be too lazy to go out in the woods too.
A bit crossed up in Talladega:
Hotdogs on the side of the trail:
Our first night we spent in the Cherokee National Forest near Tellico Plains. We snagged a primitive campground up North River Road for the night...we later learned that there is an overnight fee to pay in this area - oops! We'll have to pay double the next time we're up there =(. It was an awesome spot - far enough back to not be visible from the road, and had a nice small creek running through the area. My wife managed to make a Hello Fresh meal we had leftover from the week - Pork Chops with mashed potatoes and green beans! It was excellent.
Getting breakfast ready:
Bacon!
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- Thread starter
- #66
Tuesday morning, we worked our way up to Whigg Meadow and got a slightly damp, slightly chilly view of the surrounding forest and mountains covered in mist and rain. And picked up some garbage some scummy ass human left behind - literally an oil jug. WTF. We continued along the NFS road all the way to Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, then up to the Dragon Lodge, Moonshiner 28, and Fontana Dam. We got a little lax with time, and ended up having to really push it to make it to Mama Gertie's Hideway Campground just outside of Asheville by their 6 pm deadline! The LX had no problem climbing every hill above 3k rpm, but my fuel gauge hit zero range remaining 5 miles short - fortunately there's a LARGE margin built into the 'cruising range' indicator!
Whigg Meadow:
Burgers at a random camping spot in Joyce Kilmer wilderness
Food!
Kid on a rock:
Whigg Meadow:
Burgers at a random camping spot in Joyce Kilmer wilderness
Food!
Kid on a rock:
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- Thread starter
- #67
Once we made it to Mama Gertie's, we set up camp, started a fire, and made ourselves some spaghetti for dinner!
Wednesday, we hiked Conley Cove Trail in Linville gorge. It was extremely grey, overcast, and misty/rainy, but we had a blast. I carried my 2-year-old down the valley wall in his hiking backpack, but he had no interest in getting back in for the climb up. That kid hiked his own way back up 1000 feet in 1.4 miles. I was blown away. Also, Linville is gorgeous, we'll definitely be back. Lots of primitive camping sites off old NC-105 too!
Love the random paint that MUST be sprayed anywhere scenic. So frustrating to see the damage humans do just for funsies.
Kid has a good ole time in the backpack:
Snacks by Linville River after a hard decent of about 1000 feet:
We finished out the day by stopping in the Linville Falls General Store and grabbing a couple Catawba Brewing six packs. Another fire and a dinner of BBQ ribs sent us to bed.
Wednesday, we hiked Conley Cove Trail in Linville gorge. It was extremely grey, overcast, and misty/rainy, but we had a blast. I carried my 2-year-old down the valley wall in his hiking backpack, but he had no interest in getting back in for the climb up. That kid hiked his own way back up 1000 feet in 1.4 miles. I was blown away. Also, Linville is gorgeous, we'll definitely be back. Lots of primitive camping sites off old NC-105 too!
Love the random paint that MUST be sprayed anywhere scenic. So frustrating to see the damage humans do just for funsies.
Kid has a good ole time in the backpack:
Snacks by Linville River after a hard decent of about 1000 feet:
We finished out the day by stopping in the Linville Falls General Store and grabbing a couple Catawba Brewing six packs. Another fire and a dinner of BBQ ribs sent us to bed.
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- Thread starter
- #68
2-year-old hiking away:
Gorgeous views:
Fireside movie time (and the two-year-old's lantern he insisted on bringing):
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- #69
On Thursday, we drove Hurricane Creek road. It's been just over a year since my first trip down that road, and it's just a really nice drive. Rocky and bumpy the whole length, but fun with good places to let the kids get out and freeze their toes off in the creek. My wife did the majority of the driving, but I did some as well. The vast majority is passable in any sort of four wheel drive, but there is one muddy, rutted-out spot that takes some work to get through. I never had to break out the winch but it was a near thing.
Playing in the creek:
Stopped for a snack:
We also continued over to Buzzard's Roost, nearly taking a flying f150 to the face coming around a blind corner. There are work crews up there clearing brush away from the power lines, and those guys tend to really haul ass down the dirt roads. The buzzard's roost view is incredible, but makes you very paranoid when your kids are around!
We finished that road and drove back to Mama Gertie's. This time, I set up the screen and projector for the kids to watch a movie (of course Disney+ kept throwing an HDCP error, so I had to use what I had on a jump drive) while the wife and I fixed dinner - pork chops, leftover mashed potatoes, and black beans and rice.
Friday was a bit of a mess. I'd originally planned to hike Courthouse Creek Falls and Kiesee Falls, but the access road is shutdown for the season thanks to the pandemic. We managed to get enough signal to change our plan a little, and drove some of the Blueridge Parkway and ended up hiking two miles into Big East Fork creek/river. It was a pretty hike with some challenging (for a two year old anyway!) creek crossings, and some sections where it was a little difficult to figure out which trail was the right one. Lots of pretty views of the river. Again the two year old was happy to haul himself along, though I brought the backpack in case he changed his mind.
Back to the campground for a dinner of petite tender steak and grilled corn with a campfire, beer for the adults, and a movie for the kids.
Our last day we started by hiking the Piney Mountain loop - about 3.5 miles where you climb 1200 feet in the first 1.5 miles and come back down the last 2 miles. We decided to hike up the steeper parts as it isn't quite as brutal on the knees. I carried the 2-year-old for the first 3/4 of a mile, then he walked the rest of the way to the top. I then carried him downhill for about half a mile, and he wanted out again. Also a very pretty hike with some seriously steep sections. We came across some sort of bird's nest on the ground with three or four eggs inside, and a smallish snake that looks like a rattler? Not sure. Either way, great hike. We then drove up to Pensacola, NC, simply because we'd never been there before, had a short picnic on the side of the road next to a pretty stream, and made our way back to camp early so we could get as packed up as possible to save time in the morning.
Hiking selfie:
Bird's Nest:
Playing in the creek:
Stopped for a snack:
We also continued over to Buzzard's Roost, nearly taking a flying f150 to the face coming around a blind corner. There are work crews up there clearing brush away from the power lines, and those guys tend to really haul ass down the dirt roads. The buzzard's roost view is incredible, but makes you very paranoid when your kids are around!
We finished that road and drove back to Mama Gertie's. This time, I set up the screen and projector for the kids to watch a movie (of course Disney+ kept throwing an HDCP error, so I had to use what I had on a jump drive) while the wife and I fixed dinner - pork chops, leftover mashed potatoes, and black beans and rice.
Friday was a bit of a mess. I'd originally planned to hike Courthouse Creek Falls and Kiesee Falls, but the access road is shutdown for the season thanks to the pandemic. We managed to get enough signal to change our plan a little, and drove some of the Blueridge Parkway and ended up hiking two miles into Big East Fork creek/river. It was a pretty hike with some challenging (for a two year old anyway!) creek crossings, and some sections where it was a little difficult to figure out which trail was the right one. Lots of pretty views of the river. Again the two year old was happy to haul himself along, though I brought the backpack in case he changed his mind.
Back to the campground for a dinner of petite tender steak and grilled corn with a campfire, beer for the adults, and a movie for the kids.
Our last day we started by hiking the Piney Mountain loop - about 3.5 miles where you climb 1200 feet in the first 1.5 miles and come back down the last 2 miles. We decided to hike up the steeper parts as it isn't quite as brutal on the knees. I carried the 2-year-old for the first 3/4 of a mile, then he walked the rest of the way to the top. I then carried him downhill for about half a mile, and he wanted out again. Also a very pretty hike with some seriously steep sections. We came across some sort of bird's nest on the ground with three or four eggs inside, and a smallish snake that looks like a rattler? Not sure. Either way, great hike. We then drove up to Pensacola, NC, simply because we'd never been there before, had a short picnic on the side of the road next to a pretty stream, and made our way back to camp early so we could get as packed up as possible to save time in the morning.
Hiking selfie:
Bird's Nest:
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- Thread starter
- #70
Heading down Piney Mountain Loop:
Hiking somewhere:
More Linville Gorge:
Sunday was just the usual long-distance slog back to Melbourne - 10+ hours in the car with a 2 year old and a 12 year old is never pleasant! But they mostly behaved, and we made it home just after six pm.
A couple notes - since we had access to water, we used way more than normal doing dishes and such - like 15 gallons per day. Also, my new sleeping pad (Exped Megamat) was INCREDIBLE - easily the best sleep I've had in a tent in years. I'm skinny, bony, and a side sleeper, so I always wake up from painful pressure points in my shoulders and hips...not with this thing. Expensive as hell, but worth it for the good sleep I got.
Also, my homemade rocksliders cause some annoying creaking/popping as the truck flexes over things, and I've got contact between my shocks and control arms up front, and shocks and swaybars in the rear - will need to rectify that. Also, driveline vibration is still there. Really need to try and eliminate that somehow. I don't think it's from pinion angle though as it's rhythmic. It's not a steady high-speed buzz like pinion angle mismatch causes. But it is super annoying, and I can still feel pinion vibration under load in the mid 30's and mid 70's mph.
Last, the kitchen in the trailer is getting reworked this summer, and we're likely buying ourselves either a Dometic CFX3-95DZ or an ARB Zero 100. More space and no cooler/ice to worry about is becoming a priority.
Clean, the morning we left my parents' house to head for the mountains:
Hiking somewhere:
More Linville Gorge:
Sunday was just the usual long-distance slog back to Melbourne - 10+ hours in the car with a 2 year old and a 12 year old is never pleasant! But they mostly behaved, and we made it home just after six pm.
A couple notes - since we had access to water, we used way more than normal doing dishes and such - like 15 gallons per day. Also, my new sleeping pad (Exped Megamat) was INCREDIBLE - easily the best sleep I've had in a tent in years. I'm skinny, bony, and a side sleeper, so I always wake up from painful pressure points in my shoulders and hips...not with this thing. Expensive as hell, but worth it for the good sleep I got.
Also, my homemade rocksliders cause some annoying creaking/popping as the truck flexes over things, and I've got contact between my shocks and control arms up front, and shocks and swaybars in the rear - will need to rectify that. Also, driveline vibration is still there. Really need to try and eliminate that somehow. I don't think it's from pinion angle though as it's rhythmic. It's not a steady high-speed buzz like pinion angle mismatch causes. But it is super annoying, and I can still feel pinion vibration under load in the mid 30's and mid 70's mph.
Last, the kitchen in the trailer is getting reworked this summer, and we're likely buying ourselves either a Dometic CFX3-95DZ or an ARB Zero 100. More space and no cooler/ice to worry about is becoming a priority.
Clean, the morning we left my parents' house to head for the mountains:
- Thread starter
- #71
So, for something completely different, I'm part of a Champcar race team, and we ran Daytona this past weekend. Here's an incident that occurred on track (our car is the red/white/blue one):
View of two incidents while I was driving - they're related. First time guy rubbed me while passing 2-off in the grass, then several laps later decided to get me back:
And here's the view from a car that (luckily) was following close enough to see the whole second incident as it occurred:
And here's a screenshot of that poor Miata with all four wheels off the ground:
Fortunately, everyone was able to get back on track. It took us a few hours to rip the splitter off and get a new control arm in, align camber and toe, then get back on track. The miata got off surprisingly light, only requiring some body banging to get going again.
View of two incidents while I was driving - they're related. First time guy rubbed me while passing 2-off in the grass, then several laps later decided to get me back:
And here's the view from a car that (luckily) was following close enough to see the whole second incident as it occurred:
And here's a screenshot of that poor Miata with all four wheels off the ground:
Fortunately, everyone was able to get back on track. It took us a few hours to rip the splitter off and get a new control arm in, align camber and toe, then get back on track. The miata got off surprisingly light, only requiring some body banging to get going again.
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- #73
Unsure as yet. I'm told they've broken out the ban-hammer to boot them permanently but haven't heard anything official yet. It was very obvious in the video from the following driver just how intentional their move was, so I'm hopeful that will result in some meaningful punishment.
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- Thread starter
- #74
Been a bit! Finally some updates to post and talk about. We haven't done a ton this year thanks to the pandemic, but we did decide to take along christmas vacation from Dec 10th through January 3rd. We made a road trip from Melbourne, FL to Helena, MT and saw and did a lot along the way.
In order to minimize our risk of exposure to covid (since we have two kids traveling with us) we decided to bring our camping trailer along with us and do as much roadside cooking as possible. We have a smaller engel fridge and a larger iceco fridge/freezer, allowing us to prep a bunch of stuff ahead of time then just thaw it out as needed.
Here's our first lunch stop somewhere in south Alabama. We did our best to pick small parks and scenic overlooks for lunch stops. Think you've had a bad year? Check out that tree that took out the front of the neighbor's house in the background.
Random trail somewhere in Ouchita National Forest. Also came across the largest gated community in the USA in Arkansas. Who knew? They have seven golf courses.
Our three year old is obsessed with dams, so we had to stop off at Nimrod Dam for a quick look!
Coincidentally, hit our first snow in Arkansas and stuck with it all the way back around to Kansas City like 20 days later.
In order to minimize our risk of exposure to covid (since we have two kids traveling with us) we decided to bring our camping trailer along with us and do as much roadside cooking as possible. We have a smaller engel fridge and a larger iceco fridge/freezer, allowing us to prep a bunch of stuff ahead of time then just thaw it out as needed.
Here's our first lunch stop somewhere in south Alabama. We did our best to pick small parks and scenic overlooks for lunch stops. Think you've had a bad year? Check out that tree that took out the front of the neighbor's house in the background.
Random trail somewhere in Ouchita National Forest. Also came across the largest gated community in the USA in Arkansas. Who knew? They have seven golf courses.
Our three year old is obsessed with dams, so we had to stop off at Nimrod Dam for a quick look!
Coincidentally, hit our first snow in Arkansas and stuck with it all the way back around to Kansas City like 20 days later.
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- Thread starter
- #75
It got cold, and stayed that way for most of the trip.
Our husky finally got to see snow and loved it.
Lunch stop somewhere.
Four days in, wondering why this was a good idea....
Our husky finally got to see snow and loved it.
Lunch stop somewhere.
Four days in, wondering why this was a good idea....
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- #76
Made it to texas.
After leaving texas for new mexico, found all the roads heading west were closed, so we found a line on the map that went north, then west, and would drop us in Trinidad, CO. What could go wrong? Well, the pavement ended 20 miles later and didn't come back for 40 miles. Trucked right on through. Sorry for the blurry photo, is actually pretty hard to get good photos of blowing snow and 45 mph winds!
Some pretty scenery from our dirt road excursion.
After leaving texas for new mexico, found all the roads heading west were closed, so we found a line on the map that went north, then west, and would drop us in Trinidad, CO. What could go wrong? Well, the pavement ended 20 miles later and didn't come back for 40 miles. Trucked right on through. Sorry for the blurry photo, is actually pretty hard to get good photos of blowing snow and 45 mph winds!
Some pretty scenery from our dirt road excursion.
- Thread starter
- #77
Got passed by an F150 in the snow/ice because we were going too slow.
Fished him out of a ditch an hour later.
Pretty LX in the snow.
Made it to Colorado!
Bundled up kid for garden of the gods.
More to come! We stayed with some friends in Colorado Springs for a few days before continuing north towards
Fished him out of a ditch an hour later.
Pretty LX in the snow.
Made it to Colorado!
Bundled up kid for garden of the gods.
More to come! We stayed with some friends in Colorado Springs for a few days before continuing north towards
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- Thread starter
- #78
First time sledding for both my wife and kids. They had a ball!
Drove Hotel Gulch with my friend and his family who moved out there about a year and a half ago.
Glamour shot.
Then, leaving CoSprings, we went up through Deckers and Alpine, then Berthoud Pass.
Drove Hotel Gulch with my friend and his family who moved out there about a year and a half ago.
Glamour shot.
Then, leaving CoSprings, we went up through Deckers and Alpine, then Berthoud Pass.
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- #79
Pretty snowy conditions up and down the pass.
Made it to Utah!
Dinosaur National Monument was absolutely awesome, glad we stopped. We were the only folks there!
A lunch stop somewhere on the side of the road in Utah, I think?
Made it to Utah!
Dinosaur National Monument was absolutely awesome, glad we stopped. We were the only folks there!
A lunch stop somewhere on the side of the road in Utah, I think?
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- Thread starter
- #80
Cold morning!
Jackson, WY and the Grand Tetons were very pretty....what we could see anyway. It wasn't a great day for viewing mountains!
Then Idaho
Then Montana
And finally we arrived at my parents' house in Helena, MT! It took us about nine days total since we only drove about 7 hours per day and stopped off at our friends' house in CoSprings. We also did lots of sightseeing and plenty of stops along the way. Two adults, two kids, a husky, and trailer full of stuff.
Even more to come later!
Jackson, WY and the Grand Tetons were very pretty....what we could see anyway. It wasn't a great day for viewing mountains!
Then Idaho
Then Montana
And finally we arrived at my parents' house in Helena, MT! It took us about nine days total since we only drove about 7 hours per day and stopped off at our friends' house in CoSprings. We also did lots of sightseeing and plenty of stops along the way. Two adults, two kids, a husky, and trailer full of stuff.
Even more to come later!
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