Stock 4x4s definitely take a backseat in off-road discussions. Truck and off-road media are full of examples and “how-to’s” for building a serious off-road rig. But, do we have to immediately upgrade our off-road rigs? Can you have fun off-road in a stock 4×4? These days, incredible builds featured on Instagram seem to suggest that you can’t go off-road without at least 35-inch tires. Often the first modification made to a stock 4×4 is suspension and wheel/tire upgrades. I too have fallen into this type of thinking. Believing that a lift and bigger tires are a must on a recently purchased 4×4. That is, until circumstances outside my control forced me to take a trip in a stock vehicle.
Supply Chain Issues Threw a Wrench in My Plans
In March of 2020 I purchased a 2004 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. It had 92,000 miles and was completely stock. I have owned a few Jeeps in my life, but at the time it had been several years since I had owned a Wrangler. My family was planning a vacation at the end of July to Frisco, CO and I wanted to cross an item off my bucket list: taking my own Jeep to the Rocky Mountains. Everyone in my family was going to fly to Colorado. I was determined to road-trip across the country to meet them. My plan was to do a few modifications to the Wrangler between May and the end of July when we had scheduled the trip.
I started putting together a parts list and ordering the parts I needed. I was gutted when suppliers told me that many parts were on backorder. Increased demand and supply chain issues were causing delays. It could be several months before most parts arrived. Although I had ordered everything for my “build” by the end of May, it became apparent that the suspension lift was not going to arrive on time.
Should I take my Stock 4×4 to Colorado?
Fast forward to July, and the Colorado vacation was quickly approaching. I had to make a decision. Was I going to take my stock Jeep to the Rocky Mountains or was I going to table the idea and jump on an airplane? I decided to go for it. I serviced the brakes, changed the fluids, and installed one of the few parts that had arrived for my Jeep: a Rough Country 9500 lb. winch. After thoroughly going over the Wrangler, I loaded up my luggage and some tools, beginning my 19-hour road trip from Columbus, OH to Frisco, CO on a Friday afternoon.
Can you have fun off-road in a stock 4×4?
After I had committed to making the trip, I spent some time researching trails I could attempt with a stock 4×4. Turns out there were more than a few good options. Because it was a family trip, I could only go wheeling part of the time so I was limited on days off-road. I chose a few moderate trails that sounded like they were navigable with a stock vehicle. Among a few others, I took my Jeep on the Mount Antero Trail and Mosquito Pass.
Both trails were fun and provided some amazing views of the Colorado mountain scenery! A few parts of the Mosquito Pass trail tested the limits of my stock suspension. I scraped across a large rock or two, but the Jeep made it through with no issues. I most likely could have tried some more challenging trails. However, I still had to drive 1,300 miles home and didn’t want to risk breaking the Jeep before the trip back.
So, can you have fun off-road in a stock 4×4. The answer is a definite yes! Although I would have preferred to wheel in the Rocky Mountains with a couple inches of lift and bigger tires, it was a blast in my stock Jeep. It was a trip I’ll never forget. Road-tripping across America. Wheeling my own Jeep in the mountains. Seeing some incredible Colorado scenery. I did it all in a 16-year-old stock Jeep and made it back to Ohio without any problems. So maybe immediate suspension and tire upgrades aren’t a must on a stock 4×4. And in case you were wondering, my suspension parts finally arrived in September, over four months after I ordered them.
