JBV
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2021
- Messages
- 136
- Reaction score
- 120
i've had my 1500 big horn for a whole 3 weeks at this point, for about 2500 kms. on the weekend i took it to a trail that i consider a tester of sorts as it's got a bit of everything. steep, loose at spots, rocky (but not the same way as Utah is rocky, as in rocky soil with stones and small boulders) and badly eroded from heavy rain, narrow, as it turns out, too narrow for a truck this size. it's got a few recent water bars cut across it which were the biggest challenge for the long truck. the only modification from stock is new tires. i swapped the stock Falken Wildpeaks (LT275 65 r18) for Sumitomo Encounters, (LT275 70 r18, 10 ply), so one size bigger.
my Ram is crew cab long box and i have no misconceptions about how 'off road' it will ever be. it's simply too big and too long. the water bars were the biggest challenge and i was able to clear them with only the slightest scraping of the skid plate and a slight touch of the front valence off the bumper. taken very slowly i could make it over these, but the breakover angle would limit anything bigger. the rest of the trail was no problem and the truck was comfortable in 4 low the whole time. no need to lock the rear, decent enough traction.
this semi technical 'road' is the limit of what i'll do with this truck and i was impressed for the most part. the bushes were growing in and the truck is so wide that i ended up with some nasty (but superficial) bush pinstriping that will need some buffing out. there was just enough clearance that i have no desire to take any more chances than this so i won't be seeking any lifts, levels, or removal of anything to improve angles.
IMO for about a grand, the ORP is a steal. it's a sleeper package with no fanfare, and the truck drives amazingly well, is extremely comfortable and very quiet. i occasionally did more challenging stuff with my old Frontier which was so much smaller and narrower but it was half the truck this is and not nearly as good on the highway.
my Ram is crew cab long box and i have no misconceptions about how 'off road' it will ever be. it's simply too big and too long. the water bars were the biggest challenge and i was able to clear them with only the slightest scraping of the skid plate and a slight touch of the front valence off the bumper. taken very slowly i could make it over these, but the breakover angle would limit anything bigger. the rest of the trail was no problem and the truck was comfortable in 4 low the whole time. no need to lock the rear, decent enough traction.
this semi technical 'road' is the limit of what i'll do with this truck and i was impressed for the most part. the bushes were growing in and the truck is so wide that i ended up with some nasty (but superficial) bush pinstriping that will need some buffing out. there was just enough clearance that i have no desire to take any more chances than this so i won't be seeking any lifts, levels, or removal of anything to improve angles.
IMO for about a grand, the ORP is a steal. it's a sleeper package with no fanfare, and the truck drives amazingly well, is extremely comfortable and very quiet. i occasionally did more challenging stuff with my old Frontier which was so much smaller and narrower but it was half the truck this is and not nearly as good on the highway.
