Jawbone to Lake Isabella Trip

I took my ranger on a day trip with my brother and his tacoma. Jawbone was a little smoothed out compared to how it was when we previously ran the trail, never-the-less it was still a good run. It did get a little snowy once we got into Sequoia, but the stock tires didn't have any issues.

The immediate plan for the truck is to install the Hot Metal Fab ditch light brackets that I just got and a set of Baja Design squadron pros. In the future I am hoping the market finally opens up for a true lift kit so I don't have to worry about ground clearance. A set of Relation Race Wheels would also go nicely once I get the truck lifted.

Great photos. Thanks for sharing! I’m with you on wishing for more lift options. Would be nice if we could get a Tremor version with factory lift for a start and not have to worry about issues with mods voiding a warranty.

While the RR is awesome, it’s too thirsty and overkill for my needs. A Tremor with that 2.7L would be great. While I’m envisioning my perfect truck, let’s make it a SuperCrew with a 6’ bed too.

Maybe it is just your photographic skills but that truck looks great just the way it is. I can understand the allure of a lift kit for sure. Mine is same colour- Lariat 2.7 with the 18 inch wheels. I found some black wheels with a 25 offset that I will be running in summer. Solid winters here and I am using Blizzaks on the stock rims. Great looking truck, good luck with your future mods.

@jacsol99 beautiful shots, thanks for sharing. Did the Ranger hold its own against the Tacoma? Any noticable advantages or disadvantages?

Fattirz in NC said:

Great photos. Thanks for sharing! I’m with you on wishing for more lift options. Would be nice if we could get a Tremor version with factory lift for a start and not have to worry about issues with mods voiding a warranty.

While the RR is awesome, it’s too thirsty and overkill for my needs. A Tremor with that 2.7L would be great. While I’m envisioning my perfect truck, let’s make it a SuperCrew with a 6’ bed too.

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I could fit a piece of plywood in the back so I don't really have complaints on the size of the bed. I was almost bottoming out when I loaded the bed with a bunch of camping supplies for a trip I took to Sequoia with the family so I think a higher rated leaf spring in the future would be beneficial.

mike burton said:

Maybe it is just your photographic skills but that truck looks great just the way it is. I can understand the allure of a lift kit for sure. Mine is same colour- Lariat 2.7 with the 18 inch wheels. I found some black wheels with a 25 offset that I will be running in summer. Solid winters here and I am using Blizzaks on the stock rims. Great looking truck, good luck with your future mods.

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Thank you, Mike. Best of luck to your build as well!

BirdDog said:

@jacsol99 beautiful shots, thanks for sharing. Did the Ranger hold its own against the Tacoma? Any noticable advantages or disadvantages?

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Thank you. It was a relatively tame trip so we didn't have much to compare. My brother also has a 2" lift, bilstein shocks in the front and rear, and higher rated leaf springs that allow more flex. His is also manual which I feel is better when it comes to engine braking and controlling 4L.

When I manually shift while using 4L there is a rough jerk which feels unnatural, so I need to look into that.

For engine braking on trail and off I still need to brake a lot even when I am manually selecting the gear. Maybe that is just how I drive because I don't want to have the engine in high rpms (4k+)

Thinking back to when he was stock and we would go off-roading I would say we are about equal with the downfalls to both being ride height. We would both hit our skid plates, but he would hit his side steps since they have a portion that protrudes down. I like that the ranger has the steel bed with the downside that we do not have any rails to mount accessories while the tacoma does. Both of us have the advanced tech package so we have about the same features when it comes to cameras and sensors.

Perhaps when I am lifted then we can revisit the comparison.