Buggys vs Modified Vehicles

AgitatedPancake said:

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Even tho pitbull was what it was.

The 42 rocker was a good road driving and crawler tire. Remember running 80mph without balancing smooth. Didn't like thick mud.

AgitatedPancake said:

If both isn’t an option, I’m team full bodied rig. As long as you aren’t having to skip trails that your buggy friends are doing that a full body rig can’t, as the main asterisk.

I’m all for the rig that will get used more often, and generate more smiles. It’s just a painful fact that the less amenities a vehicle has, the less it seems to get used in general. It makes sense if you actually need a buggy to keep up with the Joneses. But if you don’t need it, requiring a trailer and being open to the elements just means you’ll drive it less than your full body jeep.

Granted if you’re like me, the build process is a huge part of it. I love building for the sake of building. So that gives me satisfaction on its own, and has already tempted me into buggy builds in the past fir the sake if building lol.

But truth be told, I’m a unibody jeep guy, and v8 ZJs and WJs are amazing all purpose platforms. I’ve had the opportunity to build quite a few of them, the only downside is the serious dedicated effort in the initial build (like any jeep/buggy you want to perform well). They can do everything you want basically anywhere depending in the scale of your build, (and your comfort with wrinkled sheetmetal lol)

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My issue with both is it means one will sit 90-95% of the year and it drives my up a wall when things don't get utilized often enough. Just a weird personal thing. I have a Ranger utility sxs now that I use to trail riding which I find 10x more enjoyable then jeeps (i know I'm apart of the problem but it has hard doors, heat, and will run 30mph through studder bumps and not beat the life out of you) as well as around my house what seems like weekly and will plow my driveway in the winter. So in a sense between a road going buggy (road going as in cruise at 60-65 to get ice cream, go to the beach, and in my case make my 10 mile commute to work) and my ranger I would kind of have both

I never thought I would be a Cherokee person but I do love my zj. The only thing i hate is the visibility around, it is complete garbage compared to the wranglers I have had in the past but I also feel this way when I compare my tj and jk together. Jk to me feels like a full size vs my tj. If i built the zj I would end up pulling all the glass out except the windshield, build some half doors with a fabric upper section, one tons, keep the coils suspension for simplicity, and a really good cage. I feel like this option will fit the best for us and how we wheel, they look good all built, plus starting with a running v8 platform shift the budget to other places. But like you said, i love to build just for the sake of building stuff.

Arickvan said:

I've had this same debate with myself for a couple years now

my normal wheeling lends itself to a full bodied rig, drive to and from the trail, camp out of the rig on the trail, the trails i do the most i wheel and have fun and don't feel like I'm missing out on the fun

vs

buggy would be trailer to different trails that allow for camper access and harder trails, for me that would be moon rocks and the hammers

but all of my buddies have full bodied rigs and drive to the trail which is also a big point, if they all had tube chassis rigs and trailered to the trail it would make more sense to go that route as well

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i think this plays into it alot. who you go with. our group now has both a small tire rig 35s and buggys. so we choose what to do. like moab this june is for the jeeps on 35s. but last year windrock was for the buggys.

you dont want to be that guy on 37s trying to keep up with buggys because it will end bad and vice versa, so ask your self who do you wheel with and build accordingly. my 2 cents

chaplinfj60 said:

i think this plays into it alot. who you go with. our group now has both a small tire rig 35s and buggys. so we choose what to do. like moab this june is for the jeeps on 35s. but last year windrock was for the buggys.

you dont want to be that guy on 37s trying to keep up with buggys because it will end bad and vice versa, so ask your self who do you wheel with and build accordingly. my 2 cents

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Haven't fully jumped into a buggy yet, but I'm of the same thought. I have my 1 ton, chopped up rig on 43s in progress, but I think I'll always have a mild rig (currently ifs 4runner locked f&r and 35s) for just getting out and about.

chaplinfj60 said:

i think this plays into it alot. who you go with. our group now has both a small tire rig 35s and buggys. so we choose what to do. like moab this june is for the jeeps on 35s. but last year windrock was for the buggys.

you dont want to be that guy on 37s trying to keep up with buggys because it will end bad and vice versa, so ask your self who do you wheel with and build accordingly. my 2 cents

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Agreed.

Before I had this JK on tons and sticky 40s, I had an S10 on 1/2 ton axles and DOT 37s. Hardcore runs like JV or parts of Sand Hollow were too much for that rig and it wasn't fun, so I'd choose not to go on trail runs with my hardcore friends, and had a lot of FOMO.

I'll swap DOT 40s on the JK and go to milder trails with my friends that have milder rigs, and it's just a fun camping trip, doesn't need to be hard. I'll try to do it in 2wd, or without lockers, or with out backing up if I want it to be more challenging.

My opinion, if you’re building 9’s just build around 42’s/43’s. You’ll be there anyways, as it seems every buggy is running that size tire now anyways.

If I had to do it again, 100% buggy build, LS platform, Atlas, tons, 43’s. LS for the options and aftermarket and throttle when needed, Atlas for strength and options, tons cause I don’t have HP10 money, and 43’s because.

chaplinfj60 said:

i think this plays into it alot. who you go with. our group now has both a small tire rig 35s and buggys. so we choose what to do. like moab this june is for the jeeps on 35s. but last year windrock was for the buggys.

you dont want to be that guy on 37s trying to keep up with buggys because it will end bad and vice versa, so ask your self who do you wheel with and build accordingly. my 2 cents

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Coming from a buggy on 37’s the bold part is correct. Keeping up can be done, but it holds up the group, you gotta pick the wildest lines, and it gets so frustrating dragging diffs everywhere. Out west it’s much easier than in the muddy east. I had far less issues in South Dakota than I did in WV or KY.

YotaAtieToo said:

Haven't fully jumped into a buggy yet, but I'm of the same thought. I have my 1 ton, chopped up rig on 43s in progress, but I think I'll always have a mild rig (currently ifs 4runner locked f&r and 35s) for just getting out and about.

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This is spot on. Ever since I bought my buggy I have had a TJ/JK/JL on 33-35” tires. I wouldn’t have just a buggy.

FleshEater said:

Coming from a buggy on 37’s the bold part is correct. Keeping up can be done, but it holds up the group, you gotta pick the wildest lines, and it gets so frustrating dragging diffs everywhere. Out west it’s much easier than in the muddy east. I had far less issues in South Dakota than I did in WV or KY.

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and it not that it cant be done. and i will say a buggy on 37s is much different than a jeep or toyota on 37 trying to do the same stuff. best part is you dont need to worry about body damage.
maybe the correct way i should have said it is buggys and people who care about body damage should not run the same trails.

and your little rig on 37s, light, narrow and nimble is super bad ass for all them reasons. and i think would go most places all of our buggy group goes. it would be a hard decision to step up tire size in yours

The ZJ will look like a beaten tin can and all the stuff you have to do to the ZJ will be the same amount of work as a buggy with more headaches.

Buggy with Jeep skins and a cowl that you can bolt a windshield frame and soft top on in the winter with heat. Trying to work on stuff around a unibody was always a pain with my brother's XJ.

Tube chassis, jeep skins, winter package.

My 4Runner is a beaten raisin and I honestly wish I hadn't destroyed it, should have built a tube rig and skinned it

white-rhino said:

This is spot on. Ever since I bought my buggy I have had a TJ/JK/JL on 33-35” tires. I wouldn’t have just a buggy.

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Yup.

If you can swing it, I agree a buggy and a mild wheeler combo is the way. Again, align both with who you want to wheel with.

At one point after I sold my S10, my plan was to build a buggy, and also build a LJ on 33-35s and stock axles. The LJ would be done first and tide me over while I build the buggy. I got as far as buying the buggy chassis, engine, trans, axles, wheels, etc, and the LJ, but then bought a house and suddenly had no garage, no time and no cash. Sold everything and bought the JK on tons.

I would have been happier with the Buggy and LJ combo, but life got in the way, and the JK on tons is a really good compromise.

I'm telling myself that one day I'll build a nasty V8 rear steer buggy with my kids that my wife will never want to ride in, and keep the JK for when she wants to come.

Last night was elementary school open house. Parking is notoriously horrible. People were parking in the dirt around the field by the time we got there. As we're idling the JK on 40s across the field in front of everyone, my wife made a comment that I'm out here swinging my big ****. Then my 7yo got out and one of the kids say "sweet Jeep" and my wife said maybe he's the one swinging his big ****.