I was wheelin today up on the Donner Summit and I went up one of the steepest inclines I've ever climbed. I had the full diffs on, don't know if that helped. My question is how steep of an incline is climbable before you have to worry about rolling? I keep thinking I'm going to slip backwards 90 degrees and just tumble. Would it be more stable with non-stock shocks?
Welcome to mud
I don’t know what the answer is on how steep of a incline a locked 80 can do. I don’t think any of use get out the transit or smart level to find out and I don’t think that you want to find out what the max incline is the hard way. Traction would be key to how steep you can climb.
Just be careful. Take it slow. And I don’t mean the hill I mean the wheeling.
Learn the about and get a good feel for the cruiser first.
I can tell you this though I have gone up and down some very steep stuff and I have also witnessed a stock cruiser with just a small lift and good tires out climb a heavily modified 4runner.
That would be a very rare sight indeed. I would have to say it was due to either wheelbase or driver, perhaps both.
As to how steep of a grade a locked 80 series Cruiser can climb - I haven't exceeded that grade yet but maybe Christo can chime in here, as he's probably flopped or rolled a time or two on climbs.
The answer depends completely on the terrain and surface. In Moab, you'll go up grippy rock faces that will astound you. On typical dirt hills the surface crumbles before providing enough traction at far lower slopes.
The big factor is keeping that heavy engine straight uphill with constant steering corrections at edgy steeper angles. If the vehicle slips and angles to one side, the engine can/will pull the truck sideways and then you're rolling - so be cognizant of the role of engine weight.
I've also watched lightly modified 80s outclimb heavily modified 4Runners, and scores of other modified trucks. The long wheelbase definitely helps in climbs, of course.
That would be a very rare sight indeed. I would have to say it was due to either wheelbase or driver, perhaps both.
As to how steep of a grade a locked 80 series Cruiser can climb - I haven't exceeded that grade yet but maybe Christo can chime in here, as he's probably flopped or rolled a time or two on climbs.
Speaking of steep inclines reminds me of a story. A few years ago Isuzu hired me to participate in an offroad event in Moab for them, and I very much enjoyed it. Great owner group. Anyhow, my Cruiser-loving bro in law came along and after the day's activities were over we snuck off by ourselves with the modified truck and found a VERY steep slope of grippy rock that obviously had been attempted by many over the years. It was off the beginning of the Slickrock practice loop if anyone's familiar. I tried to get the Amigo up this thing and my bro in law got some great footage of the truck crawling up it with the slippage against the flat surface about 2 turns for every foot of forward movement. No smoke. No wild moves. Just determinedly clawing its way up at the absolute limit of its traction on deflated BFG A/Ts. It walked sideways several feet at a time and I chickened out about 5 feet up the wall. To get down, I knew it would be a free fall if I simply switched to brakes, so I merely eased off the gas and as the turn/forward progress ratio got lower it majestically came back down spinning forward ever so slightly. The footage is eerie but very cool. No idea how steep it was, but it felt close to 45 degrees.
