Spent a weekend in the San Juans and saw a lot of rigs that looked overbuilt for the trails

I was out near Engineer Pass and noticed a bunch of trucks with huge lifts and 40 inch tires, but they were all sticking to the main, easy routes. It felt like a lot of people are building for a look instead of actual use. In my experience, a more modest build on 33s can handle 90 percent of the trails out there with less breakage and cost. Has anyone else found that simpler setups get you further than the show rigs?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas_gonzalez2d ago

That logic is backwards. Big lifts and 40s are about capability and safety margin, not just looks. On a shelf road like Engineer, you want all the clearance you can get to avoid body damage. A "simple" rig on 33s is one bad line away from a torn up rocker panel. People build for the hardest trail they might see, not the easy 90 percent. It's about being ready for anything.

victor_carr252d ago

Being ready for anything" sounds like overkill for most weekend trips. Most guys I wheel with on 33s do just fine by picking good lines and knowing their rig's limits. Isn't it more about driver skill than just having the biggest stuff?