If I Were Given $10,000 to Turn the Family Ford Explorer Into an Off-Road Machine, What Would I Do?

March 13, 2019
While an excellent all-around vehicle, the recent generation of Ford Explorers don't seem to be rivals to off-road rigs like the Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota 4Runner, or Land Rover Discovery. Sure, it might be on-par with a Subaru Outback or Jeep Renegade crossover, but the current Ford Explorer isn't able to take on the big leagues without a few modifications. That my friends, is exactly why we're here right now. We want to turn our Ford Explorers into a leaner, meaner, and cheaper version of a Land Rover Discovery. Here are my suggestions on how to do exactly that.

1. Get some good tires, because blowing a tire or sinking in mud is not ideal. Rocks can puncture normal street tires, although off-road tires are durable enough to tackle the rocks. If you enjoy mud, then your tires can decide if you are going to be able to take-on the deep stuff or be stuck in the kiddie pool. The BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires are tough tires that will give you plenty of grip on the trail, while not having the on-road drawbacks of mud-terrain tires. If you add larger tires to the Explorer, you will also increase its ground clearance, although unless you install a lift, you likely won't be able to fit much larger tires than stock.
2. A lift will increase the Explorer's ground clearance and help with its approach angle, departure angle, and breakover angle, which means that you can drive over larger or more challenging obstacles without scraping the car. A lift will also allow you to fit larger tires on the Explorer, further improving ground clearance, approach angle, etc. You can either install spacers to lift the Explorer, or swap the suspension. Swapping the suspension has more benefits, however it is a more difficult and expensive process.
3. Bumper-guards, rock-sliders, and skid-plates will keep the Explorer safe on the trail. The stock integrated bumpers are not the top choice for off-roading, although a sturdy bumper guard can solve the issue of front-end protection while looking sharp. Rock-sliders help keep the undercarriage from scraping when you exceed your breakover angle, and sometimes double as a convenient step. Skid-plates will protect vital components on the car from would-be fatal damage from rocks and debris on the trail, or from scraping the undercarriage. While commonly made of steel or aluminum, those durable plastic cutting boards have been used as cheap front skid-plates. The Explorer already has stock skid-plates, but there are a few metal aftermarket skid plates to replace the bumper-mounted stock skid-plates.
4. A snorkel helps with deep mud and water, and can help supply cool air to the engine, similar to a cold-air intake. With a snorkel fitted to the Explorer, it will be able to ford deeper rivers without the engine ingesting water, which could lead to catastrophic hydrolock - where the engine ingests enough water that the pressure in the cylinder can bend the connecting rods.
5. If you already have an EcoBoost engine, great, but in my case, we have the 3.5 Ti-VCT N/A engine. A turbocharger or a supercharger would boost engine power and torque output, and help fight the power reduction caused by thinner air at higher elevations. A supercharger would likely be cheaper and easier to install, but a turbocharger would be more efficient. I don't need to go crazy with boost, but maybe 6-7 psi and an intercooler should be more than enough.

Now you have heard what I would do, and hopefully are inspired to take your Ford Explorer or other SUV to the trail, and share the joy of off-roading, while adding diversity to the types of vehicles on the trails. If you need more convincing, maybe you need to hear a story about the fun of off-roading. Also, if you don't want to do much to your car, just remove the airdam and get some all-terrain tires in stock size. That will help considerably.

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