That's a bad message some of you all sending about off roading. You don't need a dedicated off road rig, locking differentials, massive lug tyres, pretty flares etc to enjoy the sport..

If you dig through the off road forum, you will see many stories of guys with regular and mildly modified vehicles exploring the country and having a great time doing so.. and all of them did so with their daily rides.

If you want to go into true hardcore off roading, well, that's a completely different story from what is being discussed here..

You do know it doesn't get any cheaper, even if you buy that Hilux right.. Break an axle in that and you gonna see some stress finding parts at decent prices. If the engine lets go, because of age, that's more headache. Some of the Side B Toyota men could give you an idea on what repair costs look like.

I am sure your Ranger is stronger and will outlast that Hilux. There are two things you will have to look out for of course, your automatic transmission (just change the fluid yearly) and try not to bump into trees etc.. The latter shouldn't happen often because it's not everyday you go on the really difficult trails.

Look my bro has done all the difficult trails with us and he has never damaged anything in his B2500 up until this point.. and he roughed up that truck quite abit at times.. The more trails you come on with us, the more you will learn about what Lighthammer is saying, sometimes a slow approach with careful power delivery is all you really need..

You have a real strong tough ride, don't rush to 'upgrade' and 'lift kit' etc etc.. Just get yourself some decent tyres and you will be impressed at what your stock rig is capable of.

(and don't compare your truck to mine, I am playing with a small SUV that was never built as strong as your average pickup, so mods were necessary for me to catch up with everyone else)

You see, the nature of Nissans is to dig and look for mud, that's what they've been bred for. Obviously this specimen as seen in the picture is unsatisfied with the amount of mud it has found on the surface of the earth, and has resorted to seeking for more mud in the subterranean depths of the earth's crust.

Unfortunately the poor creature was left unsatisfied as the hoomans around it decided to pull it out of the earth before it could complete its mud-seeking task.

That my friend, is why it is WIN.

i go deal with you when i see you

200,000 Vehicle!

Or full of confidence in his new badarse rig, takes it off road and wrecks because he doesn't know how to drive..

This is why I usually recommend to come on a run with us with your fully stock vehicle. When you learn the capabilities of both the vehicle and yourself, then you can make better decisions on how you would like to proceed.

This is the Mantra of Side B.
Learn your vehicle, how it handles, how to handle it. How to read a trail. How to study and apply your vehicle's traits to an obstacle. Learn how to recover a stuck vehicle (safely!!).

Become a better driver first, and then start to upgrade and strengthen your weak points (i.e. tyres, suspension, ground clearance, etc. etc.).



You become a better all-round off-roader and a better driver.


I hope I'm not ruffling anyone's feathers - but I wonder if someone who's been driving only fully-outfitted vehicle for their entire wheelin' career would be able to take a bone-stock truck in and out of a trail?

I'm by no means an expert in offroading, I still have a lot to learn. But... I can safely say that I can confidently take my bone-stock navara with just an upgraded set of all-terrain tyres (and what a set they are!) through a trail and pass over many obstacles that most people would balk and shy away from.


That, is how Side B does roll.





Keep On Truckin'.

Amen to dat bro....... (it have men who make morne diablo on "driveway" tires )

Good points except for me where i live you must have a card to go to work ect.
I have no access to another car otherwise.
To take a risk and damage that on a trail and end up without a car for a while is not an option.

So it is not only about the cost.


If you have a dedicated rig and it is damaged (less chance since it will have some Mud Terrains and associated gear) I can take my time and fix it at the appropriate time.

Restricting the daily ride to only the best roads should make it last longer too!

Good points except for me where i live you must have a card to go to work ect.
I have no access to another car otherwise.
To take a risk and damage that on a trail and end up without a car for a while is not an option.

So it is not only about the cost.


If you have a dedicated rig and it is damaged (less chance since it will have some Mud Terrains and associated gear) I can take my time and fix it at the appropriate time.

Restricting the daily ride to only the best roads should make it last longer too!

That 1st video can be comparable to the same driver making it successfully out of the trail in his rig and then getting into a road accident on the way home.. It's going to hurt you either way. The majority of off road (and on road) accidents could be avoided if you take your time and analyse the terrain properly.

If you intend to take off roading to the next level, then obviously you are going to begin taking more known risks and it will be alot better to own a dedicated rig..

Question: does insurance cover off roading?