Liberty Perceptions

1300ZUK · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:13 pm

A Stock Samurai will run circles around a Liberty off-road.

THen add some mods to a Samurai, and well there is a huge difference.

But i still wouldn't say that a liberty sucks off-road, its alot different. And alot of the liberties i see off-road driver error seems to be the reason why they suck.

1300ZUK · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:28 pm

Let me add a little More to this topic:

My Liberty has really only been to one off-road park/area, and that was Silver lake Sand Dunes. I have never felt so left out of the "in" crowd in my life, very few wave, some follow you hoping that you get stuck, even if you park it on a hill people will pull up and ask you if you are stuck, then when you are actually stuck nobody comes around to help (even other liberty drivers).

After that experience i pay a little more attention to Liberty drivers and i stereotype them, If they go off-roading in a leather coat leather shoes and khakis holding a tow strap with hooks and no actual recovery points, i will leave them for somebody else more patient. But if they are actually prepared for off-roading, then i will stop and offer assistance. But more times than not, in my area the typical Liberty driver is the first one i described.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:35 pm

Samurai?!?! Are those the little short things that look like there going to flip sitting in a parking lot? I wouldnt drive one of those things if I had to.

Good thing about my libby, I can drive it offroad almost anywhere "I" would want to, then get back on the highway and drive 70mph "safely."

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 9:19 pm

Quote:

A Stock Samurai will run circles around a Liberty off-road.

Yeah my KJ would run circles around a Sami if it weighed 2500 lbs,comparing apples to oranges again!!!!!!!!(I don't have no problems with Sami's,almost bought one myself)

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:02 pm

A Geo/Chevy Tracker is like a Sami and we have seen it do some amazing things......STOCK! at LOST Moab.

I think I will wear a button down and tie at Moab.....with khaki shorts and sandals (unseen while I am in the KJ). Throw off the non-LOST participants.

chemguy · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:39 pm

Samis kick stupid! Especially with a Vdub turbo diesel under the hood. It's like driving a jacked up go-kart LOL. Total fun!

As far as being unprepared off-roading goes. You can't slap that stereotype on any particualr rig, It's the fools that drive them regardless of if it is a KJ, Rover, FJ, etc...

CarNutCertifies · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:44 pm

used to have a geo tracker drove it from OK to Az then Az back to OK then from OK to Fairbanks Alaska... Great machine loved it offroad

My latest encounter with the other four wheel drive was during the ice storm I walked up a highway overpass to help pull out an f-150 some guy in a discovery was backed down the embankment to try and get him out but didnt have the traction to pull him up. I walked up the steep hill parked next to him and asked if i could help.. His reply.... WOW you made that look easy, a couple of guys in a service truck started laughing and making remarks about the cost of our rigs.... I just pointed to my tires and said it helps to run a more aggressive tire when pulling off the pavement.. He had the stock highway tires on the discovery. They ended up going down the way i came up. He stated later he was really impressed with the way the libby walked up the hill

1300ZUK · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:45 pm

chemguy wrote:

Samis kick stupid! Especially with a Vdub turbo diesel under the hood. It's like driving a jacked up go-kart LOL. Total fun!

As far as being unprepared off-roading goes. You can't slap that stereotype on any particualr rig, It's the fools that drive them regardless of if it is a KJ, Rover, FJ, etc...

yeah, I see just as many unprepared in TJ's too.

1300ZUK · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:50 pm

tjkj2002 wrote:

Quote:

A Stock Samurai will run circles around a Liberty off-road.

Yeah my KJ would run circles around a Sami if it weighed 2500 lbs,comparing apples to oranges again!!!!!!!!(I don't have no problems with Sami's,almost bought one myself)

actually my samurai probably weighs 2100 lb :lol:

Yeah i know its comparing apples to oranges, I was a little disappointed the first couple times i did anything 4wd related in the Liberty, I had to learn how to drive all over again. Weight, turning radius, body overhangs, track width, power,the whole Solid axle thing, etc. all different. The biggest thing is that with it so light you can make up for not having lockers with your right foot, not so much in a KJ.

But if you compare a KJ to other newer things, they really aren't bad off-road. Just different from some of the "staples" in off-roading

chemguy · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:51 pm

True that.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sat Jan 27, 2007 12:01 am

Quote:

Yeah i know its comparing apples to oranges, I was a little disappointed the first couple times i did anything 4wd related in the Liberty, I had to learn how to drive all over again. Weight, turning radius, body overhangs, track width, power,the whole Solid axle thing, etc. all different. The biggest thing is that with it so light you can make up for not having lockers with your right foot, not so much in a KJ.

But if you compare a KJ to other newer things, they really aren't bad off-road. Just different from some of the "staples" in off-roading

I agree too,Think learning how to learn to drive again is bad,I had to do it twice,once with the KJ in mud and now on the rocks here in CO.

Skyjump136 · **Joined:** Tue Jul 05, 2005 6:50 pm **Posts:** 1633

Yeah, you were out of your element for the first run or two...you drove very conservatively. I think there is a little bit of that with any vehicle. For instance, the Samis I have seen are tippy and don't have the best articulation. That can make em a little tougher on the hill climbs, but if you know how to drive them you compensate.

I actually am glad I learned how to drive off road in the Liberty with all of the limitations it brings. I'd like to think that I am a much better driver off road because of it. I see TJ owners that only rely on the skinny pedal and then I tip toe up the same obstacle and it blows their minds.

Kugellager · **Posted:** Sat Jan 27, 2007 4:07 pm

tjkj2002 wrote:

I agree too,Think learning how to learn to drive again is bad,I had to do it twice,once with the KJ in mud and now on the rocks here in CO.

Compound that with being virtually new to wheeling AND having a 6-speed manual tranny. I am still learning the fine points of wheeling with a manual but I am definitely much more experienced than my first LOST run on Slaughter House Gulch in Oct. 2005. That place is pretty much a cakewalk now.

John
];')

jason thompson · **Posted:** Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:26 pm

guys I can tell you this as far as how people view the KJ
when we brought ours out for the first time it was the first thing that had hit this trail besides a TJ,CJ,YJ
it was a new trail
all of the obsticals were based on a short wheel base the KJ made it look easy even with my wife at the wheel ,her very first time offroad, and me spoting
at first we got the old "are you sure you want to take that on this trail?" or "follow me so when you get into trouble I can help"
it was also the first KJ that the local club had ever seen off road so they all had doubts now the new lines are "look the liberty made it why cant you"
or "dont worry she has been here befor" that is what they tell the new guys in the TJ's

I think its funny how people judge a book by its cover
I drive my TJ on 30's on trail's that are listed 33's required and I here guys all the time say "I have a rubbi. and that is just a TJ why can he ride that trail and I have to ride on the bunny trails?"
the answer to them is this "we know that he can wheel ,he cut most of these trails and has made it with out ever taking a strap now can you say the same about your self?"

I have a long running joke with one of the older guys in the club about getting stuck on logs
I got hung up on a log ,I got off under my own power but it was not easy, he started giving me a hard time on the CB about it then as he procedes to take it on the higher side he gets stuck to the point that he needed a strap and being that he was last in line guess who got to pull him forward ,me in my little TJ

my attitude has been to have "thick skin" and show the "nay sayers"
we had to drive over the test track at the local jeep dealer in our KJ just to show people that a KJ can do it easy and now with the JK 4 door rubis getting STUCK on the same hills that STOCK KJ's make all day every body ,but the JK owners, have fun with it

that is what offroading is all about having fun if you dont like scraches and dents in your rig dont go offroad you wont have fun
if you dont want to have to clean you rig dont go offroad
if you dont mind that stuff and want to ride with a group of people that have the same interest as you then by all means get with a local club and wheel
but they will give you a hard time if you compare your KJ to a TJ on 33's cause that is not an apples to apples comparison and you should know that befor you go offroad
you should get with the older guys that have been around a while and ask them what they think about a particular obstical
most clubs have that older guy in his late 50 to early 60's driving a grand with a budget boost on 31's that seems to make every thing look easy get with him cause he will teach you to go over things that you thought "no way!"

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sat Jan 27, 2007 10:04 pm

You know most off the time when some asks me what kind of vehicle it is and I tell them it's a Liberty they say "wow it doesn't look like a liberty,I hate liberty's but I like yours".Even had one guy come over to me at a gas station while I was filling up in his well modded TJ and thanked me for making a KJ look like it could go offroad.When I told him I wheel it he laughed and drove off.Some poeple will no change there minds but some do,I really don't care but don't say my KJ can't wheel with a TJ then I get mad! :evil:

raceinfan · **Posted:** Sat Jan 27, 2007 10:55 pm

we hold are own quite well if I might add & frankly I DON'T CARE what others think, I/we ( LOST ) wheel the heck out of our KJ's & enjoy it thats all that matters & also we have a very informative place to come & learn about our jeeps or fixes for them not to mention we also share our site with other models I guess some people just DON'T understand the jeep thing it's all for one or nothing at all

On another note it is funny when I mention to people our yearly gathering in MOAB & the trails you guy's do/have done, the looks are priceless :twisted:

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Sun Jan 28, 2007 12:00 am

Make sure you carry some LOST Moab pics with you so you can prove it if they won't believe you :lol:

Skipperb · **Posted:** Sun Jan 28, 2007 4:53 pm

Most jeep clubs are fine with tj cj xj and usually have parts if you break.
I saw one kj at winrock bust the front housing and it took all the guys to get him back to the trail head and they took him on a trailer home.
( No one left on the trail is there moto ),most are not prepared to see a liberty following them,
It took xj a long time ,and now we are doing the same.You should have seen there fases when my wife swapped here tj and went home in the liberty because it rode better on and off the trail.
Some members in my club have waggies and a lot of stock 4x4 we have diffrent trails for diffrent people.

Liberty Perceptions

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