Bajameister
Newbie
Posts: 3
Registered: 6-18-2004
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Will I break my Suburban?
I have been to Baja many times on dirt bikes and love the area. We are now looking at buying property somewhere between San Felipe and Punta Final.
On our last trip down to Punta Final people were saying, in a joking manner, I think?, that the cost to repair vehicles was greater than the cost to
buy property. They said the washboard roads down the Coast beat up vehicles A LOT.
We have a 2001 Suburban K2500 8.1L completely stock - good HP lousy Gas mileage. On our last trip, I aired down the tires to about 22psi cold (ended
up being about 26 hot), and drove about 45 to 50 mph when able and the washboard didn't seem that bad. Actually, the last 25 miles of potholes, I mean
paved?? road south of San Felipe before Puertecitos seemed worse.
What's the verdict? Do the washboard roads really beat up vehicles badly? Do you make any changes to help like Bilsteins, etc? Thanks, Walt
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tim40
Senior Nomad
Posts: 574
Registered: 3-29-2004
Location: Manhattan Beach
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Mood: There yet?
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You will be fine. Lower the air pressure and remember to resist the temptation that you are in a race.....I have never broke anything on my stock
vehicles and I have well over 100K miles in baja. Tim
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elgatoloco
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4324
Registered: 11-19-2002
Location: Yes
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Bilsteins are a good investment.
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
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4 or 40
Many Baja roads are sometimes known as 4 or 40 roads. On them do one or the other as the inbetween 20-30 is what really destroys vehicles. Lower the
tire pressure what you are able considering the load you have wil l be a big help. And good shocks are always a good investment down here.
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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surfer jim
Super Nomad
Posts: 1891
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: high desert
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That road will take its toll....I have melted a shock on it....destroys motor/tranny mounts over time...and the newest noise on my truck is the welds
ripping apart on the pickup bed....
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gonetobaja
Nomad
Posts: 286
Registered: 1-4-2004
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I make the trip from San Felipe to Puertecitos in 50 min. The best investment that I have made on my truck is FOX racing resivoir(sp?) shocks. When
they heat up from the bad road the extra pressure goes into the resivior and you dont blow the seals. This keeps the ride quality the same no matter
how long the road. Also upsizing your tires to 34" fills in the potholes so the impact is less. Those two things will add comfort and lower your
travel time.
Our truck is on http://www.gonetobaja.com on the "Your ride " Page.
We have abused these trucks and they come back for more...
If you keep your speed up to between 40-50 than you will float over the bumps with this setup.
GTB
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Bajameister
Newbie
Posts: 3
Registered: 6-18-2004
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Gonetobaja:
Looks like a nice rig except that it's a ford  Just kidding man, I have
always owned Chevy's. What air pressure do you use on the washboard dirt roads?
I have 265-75-16's on the Suburban now with all stock suspension. Everybody seems to say the same thing: Get better shocks ASAP, then look into
progressive springs and larger tires. I will look into buying these things. Coming from a racing background (motorcycles, karts and cars) I always
like to have a good performance vehicle for the conditions.
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Mike Humfreville
Super Nomad
Posts: 1148
Registered: 8-26-2003
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Mike Humfreville
Bought a very used (1995 with 200K+ miles) Suburban in San Ignacio last year when my Trooper died and we were at the beginning of our vacation. It
now has who knows how many dirt miles on it, but the last 1000 are mine and I don't baby a vehicle. Only thing I think might relate to your question
is that, after driving my miles of washboard, both my side steps (those tubes that run along both sides of the vehicle and help you step into it) came
loose. This happened on the same trip and on both sides and only the rear fixture on both. This was not a problem but I think it meant the rear of
our vehicle was not properly fastened to the axle as it seems to be the same point of failure that holds the front end of the rear springs in place.
Perhaps the Suburban (mine's a 2500 with a 454 - you can't get too choosy in San Ignacio in the middle of the night when you need to have family and
friends in Bahia de Los Angeles by the next morning) is too heavy for my kind of abuse. Good luck.
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