High Clearance?

[peter]

Trying to assess the suitability of my stock Lexus GX470 for some of these routes--what exactly is high clearance? Stock clearance on the GX is 8.5 inches with the ability to raise by 2 inches at slow speed. Would I be able to manage the 'high clearance 4x4 sections'--obviously my skill level is the most salient factor, so I'm looking for opinions on the vehicle itself. I just did part of the Mojave Road on my motorcycle, though the sand was quite deep I didn't really get into trouble until climbing into the pass area, that being said, I thought the GX would have had no problem with that track (at least the part I saw before I bailed---I'd like to go back with my truck and see the rest of the route. Anybody do the Mojave Road with a comparable stock SUV?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[OTG Ben]

There's a lot of debate around this! Typically, I would refer to the peak trail rating to get a sense if your driving skills + vehicle are up to the task. We typically recommend a high clearance vehicle for routes with a peak trail rating of 5 or higher. It doesn't mean you need a high clearance vehicle, but you're less likely to hit your scrape/drag/hit your bumpers and side panels. Consider a 2" lift a high clearance vehicle, but lots of other factors go into that like size of wheels, approach/departure angles, etc.

People are definitely doing the Mojave Road on stock 4x4s. I saw video of a 2WD sprinter doing the river crossing and tricker off camper section as well. If a 2WD stock sprinter can do it, a 4x4 can do it

 

[peter]

There's a lot of debate around this! Typically, I would refer to the peak trail rating to get a sense if your driving skills + vehicle are up to the task. We typically recommend a high clearance vehicle for routes with a peak trail rating of 5 or higher. It doesn't mean you need a high clearance vehicle, but you're less likely to hit your scrape/drag/hit your bumpers and side panels. Consider a 2" lift a high clearance vehicle, but lots of other factors go into that like size of wheels, approach/departure angles, etc.

People are definitely doing the Mojave Road on stock 4x4s. I saw video of a 2WD sprinter doing the river crossing and tricker off camper section as well. If a 2WD stock sprinter can do it, a 4x4 can do it

Thank you so much for the response!