Ranger Raptor on Imogene, Black Bear, and Ophir Pass

[AdventureLab]

Since no one here took us up on our offer to run some mountain passes this past weekend, we had to do it solo.

Here's the report from our impromptu weekend trip to the San Juans with my wife. We pointed the Ranger Raptor at Ouray, Telluride, and Silverton and decided to run a few of the big ones – Imogene Pass, Black Bear Pass, and Ophir Pass.

Last time I was up here in the Raptor it was on stock tires… and let’s just say it wasn’t great. This time we had the 35" Nitto Terra Grappler G3s and the difference was night and day. Extra clearance kept the belly off the rocks, and the truck felt like it was built for these trails.

We had rain off and on, which gave me a chance to test some of our setup. The prototype Ultralight Tonneau Cover kept everything dry while still letting me access the fridge slide easily. The coolest part was that just minutes before we left, the bed was completely open. Using our Bed Rail Nut Plate System, my wife and I were able to swap from open bed to fully equipped with rails, tonneau, and fridge slide in no time.

The Starlink Mini mount came in handy too — not only did it let us catch some football on the trail, but it was easy to stash in the bed for security when we were in town.

Traveling as just the two of us, the Ranger Raptor on 35s gave us plenty of confidence to go it alone. Between the suspension, tires, and gear setup, it handled everything Imogene, Black Bear, and Ophir threw at us.

And because no Ouray trip is complete without good food: burgers at Ouray Brewery and a Godzilla pizza + wings at Corkscrew Tavern hit the spot.

Bottom line: this trip was a good reminder of just how capable the Ranger Raptor is when equipped right. Can’t wait to get it out on more trails soon.

More details and photos at - https://americanadventurelab.com/ne...-san-juans-imogene-black-bear-and-ophir-pass/

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[John E Davies]

Did you have any trouble with tight switchbacks due to the long wheelbase? Did you use turn assist?

I am happy that you are happy with your mods, but I think the truck wheelbase will always be a liability in the rocks.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[ATestBishop]

Beautiful countryside out there

 

[embedded rock]

Nice to hear how you did with the new tires. Cool pics too.

Can a 35" tire fit in the spare tire storage?

An OEM RR with 35's would be an easier purchase for myself.

 

[AdventureLab]

Did you have any trouble with tight switchbacks due to the long wheelbase? Did you use turn assist?

I am happy that you are happy with your mods, but I think the truck wheelbase will always be a liability in the rocks.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

Trouble, definitely not. I did have to go mild Austin Powers in a couple of turns, but I don't consider this a "long" wheelbase vehicle. It's still relatively short in comparison to most other vehicles with this capability. Yes, it's definitely not a rock crawler, but these aren't rock crawler trails. It is perfectly suited for these types of terrain and definitely the most comfortable vehicle I have had on these passes. We had zero issues. Very happy with it!

A couple of months ago I took our 2-door JK on Black Bear. It was definitely easier in the JK since I didn't really have to pick my lines in that one, but this truck was soooo nice out on there.

 

[AdventureLab]

Beautiful countryside out there

Agreed!

 

[AdventureLab]

Nice to hear how you did with the new tires. Cool pics too.

Can a 35" tire fit in the spare tire storage?

An OEM RR with 35's would be an easier purchase for myself.

I agree completely. If they had come with 35's from the factory, it would be significantly better offroad and it's already pretty amazing. I haven't tried to fit these 35's in the OEM spare position yet. My aftermarket wheels didn't work out, two sets of them, so I don't have a good spare yet. I actually really like the stock wheels, so I may just pick up a takeoff set of OEM wheels. I'm not sure I will put it under there, though. It's a toss up between losing clearance and losing bed space. We do a decent amount of mild rock trails in this one. Clearance matters a lot.

 

[BuenaRaptor]

Welcome to the ‘hood! Love seeing your handy work and have some on mine. Need to catch up! Hope you’re coming to 14er fest in Buena Vista Co this weekend and if not see you in Baja at Baja Jeep Weekend!

 

[AdventureLab]

Welcome to the ‘hood! Love seeing your handy work and have some on mine. Need to catch up! Hope you’re coming to 14er fest in Buena Vista Co this weekend and if not see you in Baja at Baja Jeep Weekend!

I didn’t know anything about that event. We are looking into it now! The event looks amazing. Do you know if they have a vendor section? We’ll definitely see you in Baja.

 

[BuenaRaptor]

Ah I thought I had heard them say you guys were going. They don’t have a vendor section but some come along for the fun. Event helps raise funds for local charities in San Felipe. They also do a Baja 1000 watch event which I went to last year and will again this year in nov. Good time and nice to run around with a few others there. They definitely are connected in the San Felipe area.

 

[CACTUSGREYFX4]

Really desolate out there but beautiful.

 

[AdventureLab]

Ah I thought I had heard them say you guys were going. They don’t have a vendor section but some come along for the fun. Event helps raise funds for local charities in San Felipe. They also do a Baja 1000 watch event which I went to last year and will again this year in nov. Good time and nice to run around with a few others there. They definitely are connected in the San Felipe area.

That's great to hear. As soon as I get back to the shop I am going to see if it's possible to make it put there.

 

[JR007]

I would have joined you. But I am too far away. Looks like a great trip. I hope to do those passes one day.

Did you do anything special to fit the 35" tires?

 

[embedded rock]

Sounds interesting

https://14erfest.org/

 

[jacksdad]

Is that a 315/70/17 or a newly released true 35”? Nitto said true 35’s should be coming out soon!

Did you run hubcentric spacers on the oem wheels for additional clearance on the coilover and UCA? What method of suspension “lift” did you use?

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