Most Comfortable Vehicle for Forest Roads

[flatlanderhuffandpuff]

I drive my wife's Subaru Outback off road whenever possible. It is approximately 7,429% more comfortable than my 2014 3/4 ton, and I've pushed it through some moderately rough and rocky stuff. Nasty enough ruts and rocks will deter me, though, as there isn't much sidewall on the Outback tires.

I loved my 2000 outback. If the ground clearance wasn't an issue it was preferred. Like driving on a cloud and all wheel drive was pretty capable.

 

[justinspicher]

I have been using my 96 Tacoma for six or years now on forest service roads and haven’t had any real issues. I drive pretty slow though, first gear in 4H gets me through just about everything I’ve encountered. When i have gotten stuck, it was my own fault and I knew better, but did it anyway.

 

[Poser]

Sorry I will stick to my SxS. Once you start in the mountains with one of those you will never want to go in anything else.

Some of us wish to retain our dignity and self respect. On a side note, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a SxS left parked at a TH overnight.

 

[Titan_Bow]

My previous vehicle was a Nissan Xterra Pro-4x. It had the upgraded Bilstein suspension and was awesome on rough roads and trails. My new 4Runner TRD is just as nice although haven’t put enough off highway miles on it for a direct comparison. Seems just as good if not a bit better so far though

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Sorry I will stick to my SxS. Once you start in the mountains with one of those you will never want to go in anything

Some people just have different definitions of comfortable.

A side by side may be better suited for driving 40mph on washboarded and unmaintained bumpy roads, but my idea of comfort is having heat/AC, a quiet cab, full windows to keep dust and weather out, and being able to securely lock my belongings inside.

If I drove my jeep like I would a side by side it would rattle to pieces pretty quickly though.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I've replaced the stock stuff multiple times, installing a 6" BDS lift kit with Fox shocks and 35" Toyo Xtreme tires...handles the worst beatings I can drive over. It's the suspension system that matters which can be cheaper to replace than an entire vehicle.

 

[WCB]

Some people just have different definitions of comfortable.

A side by side may be better suited for driving 40mph on washboarded and unmaintained bumpy roads, but my idea of comfort is having heat/AC, a quiet cab, full windows to keep dust and weather out, and being able to securely lock my belongings inside.

If I drove my jeep like I would a side by side it would rattle to pieces pretty quickly though.

Have you seen some of the SxS out there. I know my dads has a better sound system than most cars and is a straight up Sauna when the heat is on. The stitched leather seats are a bit nicer than my trucks also.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Anything with 4 wheel independent suspension will give the best ride I had an expedition it was great at about 25psi just didnt hold up, trans axels, shocks...solid axels will hold up but it rides like a tank. Can Am Maverick gets my vote...lots of travel in the suspension and 200 hp and heat.

 

[lifeisgoodsteve]

Some people just have different definitions of comfortable.

A side by side may be better suited for driving 40mph on washboarded and unmaintained bumpy roads, but my idea of comfort is having heat/AC, a quiet cab, full windows to keep dust and weather out, and being able to securely lock my belongings inside.

If I drove my jeep like I would a side by side it would rattle to pieces pretty quickly though.

Valid point. I've been using a sxs this past year and parked many times at a turnout to head off on foot for the night. Speed it is super comfy for bumps but also limited by safety on blind turns.

That said, even the "quiet" ones are loud compared to a normal vehicle with engine and wind noise. Some do have lux and tight cabs, but mine's not one of them.

If I have to scout or travel a lot of ground via forest roads, probably hard to beat the sxs, but if you pretty much know your area it does tempt me into a comfortable forest road enclosed vehicle.

 

[cjdewese]

I would say anything aired down and with an aftermarket suspension of any kind will probably be comfortable.

I have a 4Runner with a nice suspension system in it, but airing down is by far the best thing you can do to help with comfort.

Even going form 32-33 to 20 makes a huge difference. I know people that go much lower than that, I just never want to deal with a bead coming off on my car so I keep it between 18-21 when I air down which I do on any road I am going to be on for more than 30 minutes. Makes it a lot more enjoyable experience for everyone in the car.

 

[camping1601]

Going from a Subaru to a Wrangler and now a 4R without question the Wrangler was the best of those three.

 

[Marmots]

Tahoes, Yukons and suburbans of the 2000’s they have independent front suspension and a coil setup out back. With a decent set of shocks they we’re pretty smooth in my opinion.

Work issued me a 2003 Tahoe this past summer, and I had to drive it for 30k miles on some gnarly desert and mountain back roads to do my job.

I was constantly shocked by how that thing rode. Bajaing across lava rock and washboard felt like taking a Cadillac for a cruise downtown.

 

[Poser]

I would say anything aired down and with an aftermarket suspension of any kind will probably be comfortable.

I have a 4Runner with a nice suspension system in it, but airing down is by far the best thing you can do to help with comfort.

Even going form 32-33 to 20 makes a huge difference. I know people that go much lower than that, I just never want to deal with a bead coming off on my car so I keep it between 18-21 when I air down which I do on any road I am going to be on for more than 30 minutes. Makes it a lot more enjoyable experience for everyone in the car.

I’ve been doing 22-24 psi for non technical FS roads since I’ll often drive 20-30 mph on some of the flatter sections. It definitely makes a dramatic difference in terms of comfort and when you get to the technical and chunky sections, your vehicle feels so “grippy” and in control. 20 psi + 2 low is like driving an entirely different vehicle. I haven’t experimented with anything lower than 16-18 psi as our conditions for what you can drive in a stock vehicle in the San Juans don’t really warrant it.

 

[EddieNel]

My Jeep Wrangler. A/C and heat.

 

[jimh406]

Lexus GX460

 

[Mosby]

Tahoes, Yukons and suburbans of the 2000’s they have independent front suspension and a coil setup out back. With a decent set of shocks they we’re pretty smooth in my opinion.

My 2001 Suburban was awesome. Best vehicle I ever owned.

 

[cjdewese]

I’ve been doing 22-24 psi for non technical FS roads since I’ll often drive 20-30 mph on some of the flatter sections. It definitely makes a dramatic difference in terms of comfort and when you get to the technical and chunky sections, your vehicle feels so “grippy” and in control. 20 psi + 2 low is like driving an entirely different vehicle. I haven’t experimented with anything lower than 16-18 psi as our conditions for what you can drive in a stock vehicle in the San Juans don’t really warrant it.

Honestly probably the biggest improvement on comfort that I have experienced outside of some really nicely tuned race shocks.

The best value to comfort you can do for yourself IMO as all you need is a compressor to fill back up. Vlair 88p is what I use and it's pretty quick.

 

[Dioni A]

Having ridden in a raptor I would take it over most side by sides. It's incredible how good they ride and handle

 

[Poser]

Honestly probably the biggest improvement on comfort that I have experienced outside of some really nicely tuned race shocks.

The best value to comfort you can do for yourself IMO as all you need is a compressor to fill back up. Vlair 88p is what I use and it's pretty quick.

I have a comparable compressor, though I got one with a digital gauge and auto shutoff so I can sit in the AC while inflating. For airing down, I’m using a Jaco deflator that removes the valve stem. Takes about 5 minutes total to air down and seems like the faster method.

I initially tried using a manual air gauge for deflation and it took forever to air down. I think having an easy and time efficient way to deflate and inflate makes me more likely to go through the process. Oh, and 10 ply tires are a must.

 

[awbowhunter]

Most comfortable is definitely a vehicle thats not yours.....simply knowing all the nuts and bolts are working loose is not your worry is priceless...makes for a much more relaxed ride.

Last year my mule deer hunt was done in my company provided 2020 Cadillac XT6....It was a smooth ride if anyone's interested....lol