How Far Can A Car Go, and Still Be a Car?

So how far can a car go? I have recently started entertaining the idea of using a small commuter car instead of a four wheel drive for long trips. I own 2006 Jeep LJ, and use it to haul my off road trailer. I love the Jeep but it gets terrible mileage, doesn't drive that good, its slow on the highway in comparison to a car. The Jeep and trailer are well equipped with a roof top tent, Engel fridge, a cook station and so much more. I still take a trips every year that no car could survive (yes including the fabled suburu), but have found that most of the time the back roads we travel are gravel or fairly tame two track. Im not looking to replace my real 4WD, just adding tools to the tool bag.

So in steps my commuter car, a 2005 Ford Focus ZX4. My wife bought the car new, and I have done the maintinace since the free oil changes ran out. The car has a lot of pluses going for it. More comfort and interior space the the jeep, double the MPG, known service history, Easy to drive for long distances ( set cruise at 75 and wait to run out of fuel, add fuel and Red Bull and repeat) . I know the durablity of the car is directly related to how i drive and the terrain encountered. I really think with a few simple modifacations like proper tire and wheel combos, good suspention, and protecting the vital parts under the car I think this is a reality.

So my question to everyone is what modifacations have worked, and can it be done without ruining what the car is supose to be in the first place( A CAR) ? I have my own ideas that im borrowing from my exposure to off-road, road rally , and rally cross cars. I hope at the end of this the Focus would be prepped enough to travel 90% of the roads in the Americas. I would love to do some big trips into Central America, as well all through Canada and Alaska while being reliable.
 

Baloo

"The Bear Necessities"
Cool idea, as long as you take it slow, the focus should get you just about anywhere short of mudding and rock crawling!
 
I am a mechanic by trade, and I really have no love for the car. I always call it my chair car, just a place to sit between places. I have been wheeling for 20 years now, and more if you count all the years spent growing up in the back of my father's International Scout II. Over those years I learned what is drivable and what is not, the only time i have needed some type of recovery vehicle is with catastrofic mechanical failures. Self recovery is a skill, before i knew what a sand ladder was i had a wood plank covered in gritty paint, no winch, used a big come-along, and always carry a shovle. If I put a crease the rocker or scratch the paint so what, the car is worth maybe $3500.00.
 
Ive tried this before!!!!!

peanut.jpg

Ive tried this before. this was a failure and success all rolled up into one vehicle. worst driving most uncomfortable car ever! Ok MPG, durability was off the charts, this thing had more air time then the Duke Boys!
 

mdmead

Adventurer
Skid plates, strut spacer lift, limited slip differential, Focus could get to lots of places.

I've given this some thought! I've got a '00 Focus wagon that is just taking up space now that I've bought a Suzuki SX4 to replace it. I'd skip the limited slip and see about adding a big ATV winch to the front instead.
 

WagoneerSX4

Adventurer
Honestly there have been very few times I've wished I had more car than my Suzuki SX4 AWD. It's lifted 2.5", front/rear skid plates, and 28" A/T tires are all the "off-road" mods that it has. The few times that it's gotten stuck was me trying to find it's limits so I don't have to find them on an actual trip. It still gets 30mpg on the highway and about 24mpg balls-to-the-wall city driving (I'm sure it could get 26mpg with a normal driver).

I think there's a huge line in the sand on this website between people who overland for the purpose of getting from place to place and the overlanding people who incorporate off-roading as a sport WHILE overlanding. I like to do a little of both. But even if I get a little carried away, it was completely my choice to do so. There's always been an easier/less fun line that I could have taken (most of the time).

There's been many times I've had O.P.P. on quads stop me just to compliment the fact I'm such a far ways out in the middle of nowhere in a "car".
 

reldred

Observer
I've gone plenty of places in a 1988 Volvo 740 station wagon. Be delicate and forward thinking with picking your lines, fit the right tires, and it ain't that big a deal. Weight I think is the big killer with a lot of vehicles, all of the 4x4's I've driven have gotten stuck on terrain my old Volvo had no problems with simply because of weight. Of course the Fourbies had two more wheels to drive which when engaged were their trump card but I'm sure if the vehicles were lighter they would not have needed it.

Hey, not saying I would ever personally get rid of my rig and go back to a commuter style vehicle but it sure can be done.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
My wife got stuck in her Jetta wagon on an USFS road up above Lake City when a rock punctured her oil pan. Luckily she was close to the trailhead and could get out easily without needing anything beyond a regular tow truck. She had a local mechanic patch the hole well enough to get it home so that I could order and eventually replace the pan.

The key IMHO is clearance more than anything else. The other stuff, low range, 4WD, lockers are to let you take on more difficult trails, but clearance and underbelly protection is what dictates where you can take a car.

I see VW Beetles in the most out of the way places, for example. They are light, have lots of room underneath and most importantly are smooth with nothing too critical to grab as you slide over stuff.

Like reldred, no way I would replace my truck with a car.
 

Octotat

Observer
I thought seriously of doing this as well. I had a 2005 Jetta TDI Wagon. They do make lifts for it, and skidplates to protect the oil pan. Tons of torque, and 42 mpg on average, which only dropped to 38 when ridiculously loaded with stuff on the roof. It was my daily driver though, and I was afraid of screwing it up. Now I have a 95 Grand Cherokee with lift, 31x10.50s, winch bumper, winch etc. For 95% of what I use it for, the wagon with lift would have been a far better choice in the end.
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
It's not lost on a lot of people that many cars have similar clearance numbers as SUV and pickups. It seems you'd rely on the skids somewhat more but the line is not always distinct between car and truck anymore, particularly with the proliferation of cross over SUVs. I think the main question in my mind is how a Jetta will tolerate being jarred off highway over the long term. Probably no worse than a unibody CUV but over time I'd put my money on a body-on-frame truck or SUV. It'll develop squeaks but doors will still close and body seams will still be mostly even.
 

WagoneerSX4

Adventurer
That's true. Cars nowadays are designed to last their warranty periods and that's it.

In my mind I got one of the last over-built compact vehicles available in NA.

It also depends what kind terrain you want to cover. There are just some places you need a lifted vehicle with 35's. That mostly involves rocks. I've scooted over mud patches that my jeep buddies literally drive into and sink. All vehicles have their pros and cons. Just all comes down to how technical the terrain is.
 

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