SVO ....Small Vehicle Overlanding

[Autism Family Travels]

Can any escapees help? Can you grease the carrier bearing in the middle of the rig without removing it? I have a needle injector, I was going to try to put some in the center bearing to see if the noise will dissipate. If i can even get it to change tone I will know it's that bearing. Also, can I use the same thing on the cv joints on the shafts and axles?

 

[Autism Family Travels]

Got the 16s mounted!

255/70R16 are 30.1," tall. It still has a surprising amount of clearance with the fenders--30 seconds of manipulating the steering wheel and checking clearance preliminarily shows at least a half inch all around, so maybe one more size up would work next time without trimming.

The new tire and offset combo sits about 3/4" further out than factory, but the tires have a rounder profile so it isn't very obvious that the tires are physically larger (size slso verified by comparing GPS and odometer distances traveled). I think this rounder profile (relatively narrow tread width compared to section width) is also a factor in how much clearance it still has. View attachment 98752

*edit*

Oh, I also got the windows tinted (double-ceramic on all glass except the moonroof), and installed my curt hitch receiver + hitch bike rack today!

Awesome, now give that to your wife and take her 4runner and "run". ha ha ha! I was looking at a rav trail edition, very nice looking ride.

 

[Dilldog]

Can any escapees help? Can you grease the carrier bearing in the middle of the rig without removing it? I have a needle injector, I was going to try to put some in the center bearing to see if the noise will dissipate. If i can even get it to change tone I will know it's that bearing. Also, can I use the same thing on the cv joints on the shafts and axles?

The Carrier bearing is a sealed unit do not try to pierce it with a grease needle. Even in the heavy duty applications I see every day carrier bearings are sealed. Same goes for the CVs. They are sealed so dont poke a hole in the boot, you will make things worse in the long run. But if you feel like you need to grease your CVs, most parts stores sell just clamps for the boot, so you can cut off the clamp, push the boot back, put in a little more grease, and re clamp the boot. But that honestly isnt worth it, by the time a CV starts making noise, more grease wont help and from the factory they have more than enough to last a long time.
To see if your noise is driveline related just grab right around each U joint and the carrier. In the U joints if you feel any movement they need to be replaced, for the carrier look closely, if you are able to lift the bearing off of the rubber damper, or if it looks like the center line of the drive shaft moves without moving the bearing an equal amount it needs to be replaced.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

Thanks. I’m going to bring it to my mechanic next week for a better peek. I don’t have a lift

 

[Dilldog]

You dont need a lift to check the driveline, so long as you are able to slide under the vehicle you can give it a shake down. But I would agree, taking it to a trusted mechanic is a good way to go.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

I just dont want to slide under. ha ha. I am old and lazy like that.

 

[CR-Venturer]

Thanks for the info about carrier bearings, Dilldog. I bent the housing of my carrier bearing a bit while off roading the other day, but the boot was still in good shape and the joint seemed fine, so judicious application of the Big Freakin Hammer sorted it right out lol.

 

[Billiebob]

I have a trailer hitch on order (mostly for the bike rack, but also for rear recoveries),

Do not go there. The hitch is likely rated for 1000#, the Rav4 weighs 3 times that.... plus the resistance of being buried. No, the hitch is not a secure recovery point.

 

[Lindenwood]

Do not go there. The hitch is likely rated for 1000#, the Rav4 weighs 3 times that.... plus the resistance of being buried. No, the hitch is not a secure recovery point.

Not sure where you got that. The hitch is rated for 4,000lbs.

Would I use it to snatch a jeep stuck to the bumpers in a mud bog? Of course not. Though, performing such a recovery, I'd bet $1,000 that I'd snap a CV or otherwise damage my just-a-car's driveline before even coming close to actually ripping the receiver out (or even causing permanent damage to it).

However, could it handle me hand-winching myself out of a rain-slicked ditch, snow bank, or deeper-than-expected sand? Absolutely.

 

[Dilldog]

Be sure to double check your curb weight. I wouldnt be surprised if your Rav4 weighs around 4500lbs (both my Escape and GMC Terrain are at the 4500lbs mark)
That said, for most XUVs a receiver hitch is the best you will be able to do and is a hell of a lot better than the factory tow points, so just be careful.

 

[Lindenwood]

Be sure to double check your curb weight. I wouldnt be surprised if your Rav4 weighs around 4500lbs (both my Escape and GMC Terrain are at the 4500lbs mark)
That said, for most XUVs a receiver hitch is the best you will be able to do and is a hell of a lot better than the factory tow points, so just be careful.

Certainly. It weighs around 3500s, or about 3800 loaded up. Most off-road references provide loose (albeit quite conservative) recovery calculations like "the force to pull a vehicle stuck to the bottom of hubs in thick mud = 100% of the vehicle's weight ." So, even if I went out and grossly underestimated the trail and got myself sunk in 8-9" of clay mud (about the worst case for this vehicle), it would just be approaching the rated capacity of the hitch--even ignoring the large margins of error engineered into it. Of course, if it was really that bad, I've also got a shovel, traction boards, and jack-and-pack capabilities to minimize the required extraction force.

In any case, my days of "hey, Skeeter, watch this!" are largely behind me after selling my lifted and armored 3rd-gen 4Runner. And if I do occasionally get those urges, they'll be much more safely satisfied by my 5th gen TRD Pro 4Runner (also lifted and on MTs) ;) .

 

[Dilldog]

Wow, Im surprised the Rav weighs that much less, maybe I didnt remember my weights correctly. I might have to check...
At any rate, I agree, you should be good to go.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

I am putting a hitch on jim (escape) as well. For taking our bikes, or our pop up camper around on adventures. I just installed his first kayak rack on the roof last evening. He looks better already! ha ha.

 

[CR-Venturer]

"hey skeeter, watch this!" - lol

I don't do that sort of thing, but I admit that every time I hear "your CR-V definitely can't do this trail" my brain always whispers "challenge accepted" to me hehe

 

[Lindenwood]

"hey skeeter, watch this!" - lol

I don't do that sort of thing, but I admit that every time I hear "your CR-V definitely can't do this trail" my brain always whispers "challenge accepted" to me hehe

I absolutely won't be messing with deep mud in this thing. There is just too thin of a line between mud-flingin goodness and stuck-for-an-hour-and-ruining-your-clothes--been there, done that. And it would take forever to get mud out of all the under-body aerodynamic panels on this thing.

However, technical trails are a different ballgame, and are really what I enjoy. When I get to New Mexico next year, I think the odds of me scraping the front bumper, dragging my hitch, or even cracking said under-body panels will go up dramatically :P .

 

[CR-Venturer]

I absolutely won't be messing with deep mud in this thing. There is just too thin of a line between mud-flingin goodness and stuck-for-an-hour-and-ruining-your-clothes. And it would take forever to get mud out of all the under-body aerodynamic panels on this thing.

However, technical trails are a different ballgame. When I get to New Mexico next year, I think the odds of me scraping the front bumper, dragging my hitch, or even cracking sand under-body panels will go up dramatically :P .

Yeah, you gotta run what you brung, brother! :D

 

[Autism Family Travels]

I absolutely won't be messing with deep mud in this thing. There is just too thin of a line between mud-flingin goodness and stuck-for-an-hour-and-ruining-your-clothes--been there, done that. And it would take forever to get mud out of all the under-body aerodynamic panels on this thing.

However, technical trails are a different ballgame, and are really what I enjoy. When I get to New Mexico next year, I think the odds of me scraping the front bumper, dragging my hitch, or even cracking said under-body panels will go up dramatically :P .

By that time I’d say there will be a lift and some sort of protection out for the new ravs. With the addition of a true trail edition these parts will be added soon to the aftermarket

 

[Lindenwood]

Go Crosstrek Go! (A Crosstrek tackling Hells Revenge, hah).

 

[CR-Venturer]

That guy's bumper though... Zero sh**s were given that day...I salute you, Subaru driver.

 

[Dilldog]

Life goal, to have so much money, and give so few F***s that I can take a brand new Subaru off roading and just see what it can do...
That was a great video to watch, but kinda crossed the line from testing capabilities to just senseless abuse...