whats a better offroader......

[MarineHawk]

I've seen significantly modified jeeps that can go where my H2 can't. I also know some stock ones can slip through tight areas easier as well or at least get less scratches on their cheap paint. But, ignoring limited Jeep-opportunity-type obstacles, I have trouble getting over the three hours we spent last April behind two hopelessly-stuck Rubis (front and rear lockers) and one Wrangler on a Paragon Blue-3 trail before Hi-Mo winched the front one out from behind and then Larson proceeded to power his stock H2 right over the same obstacles with authoritative ease.

[evomind2]

well.....
besides a few constructive comments, this thread has been tarnished with drivel.
no one is knocking jeeps. jeeps werent the topic though. if all i wanted was a pure offroad vehicle, i might consider one. some of us like to have some style and comfort to go along with it though. some refinement when we use the vehicle to go out saturday night.
i offroad my lifted h3 and ive seen jeeps go where i wont go. ive seen beat to **** toyota pickups go where i wont go. not because i cant, but because i didnt like the idea of sideswiping my truck against a boulder to do it. jeepers dont care. guys in beat to **** toyota pickups dont care. if i sustain unforseen damage im not gonna sit down and cry abt it if it happens, but im not gonna purposefully use some big boulder to scrape against so i can get by.
ive forded water half way up my doors and not a drop gets inside. the jeepers did it (lifted like me) but they were sitting chest high in water to do it.
there is a big difference in refinement between the two vehicles.

back to topic.....
more specifically, i have a lifted h3 which im very happy with but after seeing an sut with the 6" fabtech lift i started thinking abt that. awesome vehicle on road, and wondered how good they are offroad. are they too top heavy?
lately ive been thinking of spending a few extra bucks and get an 03-04 convertible h1 and modding that. 2" lift, 2" body lift, bigger tires, rock rails, etc etc.....ive always thought the h1's were cool and i enjoyed driving it on the test drives ive taken.
so the question becomes besides the aesthetics, whats a better, more durable offroader, a lifted h2 or a slightly lifted h1 with some goodies and why?
are the doors water tight, unlike most jeeps? are the 6" lifted suts too top heavy and prone to roll?
are the h1's durable?
another aspect of the h1 that i like is i dont think an 03 or 04 will depreciate so much over the next several years.
comments?

[evomind2]

Originally Posted by PhilD

The CoG is not an issue off-road, and in fact the greater flex, slightly wide track, may even give you an edge over a stock H2 on some terrain, especially undulating type of stuff. It is a little more "bouncy" so you you have to be cautious when at steep angles not to bounce it around, but otherwise the lift is a definite plus off-road.


I've given some thought to same thing and if I did go down that route an 03/04 would be the way I'd go.

I wouldn't say that a H1 is better off-road than a H2, and as I said previously, you can easily break stuff on both if you push them. They are different vehicles and for me anyway, I give a lot fo thought to the 350 days a year i will not be off-road.

i was gonna send u a pm phild, as i understand u have a lifted h2.
nice.
i really like the lifted h2, and right now i can get a great deal on a used 06, then the kit and labor is abt 7k. i can easily do that by feb/march.
im sure i would enjoy it.
i actually dont mind the road manners of the h1 though. its not a DD for me. i take the train and i have 3 cars. (lifted h3, c6zo6, and the wifes expedition)
i just think its so cool to drive an h1 with the top off and i wanna offroad it like i do my h3.
i cant imagine what would break on the h1 besides maybe a halfshaft....
the only downside as i see to an h1 offroading is its size if ya wanna go through trails. seems like its made more for rolling terrain.
the h2 is a much better street vehicle.
the h1 IS special though..

[Boar-Ral]

Originally Posted by PhilD

The CoG is not an issue off-road, and in fact the greater flex, slightly wide track, may even give you an edge over a stock H2 on some terrain, especially undulating type of stuff. It is a little more "bouncy" so you you have to be cautious when at steep angles not to bounce it around, but otherwise the lift is a definite plus off-road.

I never realized how much body flex the H2 underwent when offroading until I was looking at pictures when we went offroading last. The rear rubber seals between the body and the rear bumper are normally mashed against the body on my H2 (which has rubbed completely through the paint and primer, I might add) but there are some photographs of one of the rear wheels off the ground, and there is easily a two inch gap between the seal and the body. Quite the difference.

[Boar-Ral]

Being that the original point of this thread was to compare the H1 and H2 offroad, I will see if I can offer anything, or confirm what others have said.

I go offroading regularly with Jeeps, Landcruisers, and Hummers, including H1s, H2s, and H3s. To be perfectly honest, the H1 and H2 are quite comparable -- on average. The H2 has more articulation, keeping more rubber to the ground, but the H1 has the advantage that the drivetrain is tucked up inside, offering more consistant clearance. The H1 offers more torque, but it does take a small amount of time to spool the turbo, whereas the H2's power is "right there." The H1 is about six inches wider than the H2, but most trails are built for Jeeps anyway, and if you can push an H2 through it, you can push an H1 through it. All the times that I have gone wheeling with the H1s, I have made it through the same obstacles that they have, and I have gotten stuck in the same obstacles that they have. Neither has made it through something that the other could not. I guess that I have not really made a case for either vehicle being better than the other in general, but it might help, based on what you know you like to do when offroad.