Here's an opinion from a Jeep owner some of us met this past weekend:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Originally posted by Damageinc:
We had a good time...Hit one of the hardest trails there- in a H2 and a Rubi...
We had 13 rigs- 6 H2's, 6 Jeeps and a H1.No H3- boohoo...I wanted to see one on the trail also.
They were ( H2's '03s to '05s ).I think the H1 was an '03 also. The Jeeps were all Rubicons with the exception of 1 that were '04 & 05's. The Rubicons were all stock except 1 that had a 3.5 " Re on it.The TJ sport had a 4.5 RE on his with 33's. The Hummers were all stock except for the Lingenfelter induced turbo charger ,fire breathing nasty Hummer that one of the guys had- Pretty mean for a trail machine and would smoke any of the Jeeps on the street by far and many cars- All of the Hummers could but we aren't talking about speed here...I would love to have that 6 liter w\Lingenfelter in a Jeep - if for anything, the way it sounds when you launch it!!!
Anyway, on the toughest trail,the H2 couldn't make it but tried like **** to!!!- Hats off to them for that!!!!
I do have to say that we ( Jeeps ) all agreed that the H2 is much better off road than we all thought. We all agreed ( H2's and Jeeps ) that they are kinda big to take on the trail and it takes a long time for them to get around...
I hope I don't upset you guys and this is only my opninon but I think, that they are in a different class than the jeep.I think they are more suited for different terrain with much larger trails- although I don't know of any that big...More of a woods cruiser that can take trails.
I thought that they would break down all day.Not a scratch ( except the bumper on the nasty trail ).No tie rod breaking or anything.
A locker in the front of a hummer would also be a huge help...
They have comfort and tons of room- one actually grilled out on our lunch stop!!!- I was waiting for the sashimi bar to roll out of that thing!
If it is enertia you need to plow through a loose gravel hill to get to the top with wheel spinning power- the H2 is the vehicle.If you want to get the RPM up to clean mud out of your tires- the H2 smokes a Jeep.
Now if you are on some technical stuff, the Rubi can sneak over much more. The advantage of less weight, shorter wheel base , and lockers pretty much makes the same ride easier for the Jeep.
We had an H1 with us-trail lead.That thing is MEAN! He made it through everything that we did ( didn't try the really hard trail )but had done it before.
I saw the Hummers struggle on the rocks where the little "tents on wheels" flew through them with the H1. I did get hung up on the shovel a few times- I must get rid of that thing or beat it into oblivion because it is a major fault for the Jeep.
I know the H2 is IFS but they are much more solid than a normal size new IFS vehicle. I think that they are beffier than what most people say about them. There is a ton of weight on all of that though, to move around. The H2 is so big that it has a hard time selecting a good line- it pretty much has to plow forward on the obsticles without lockers.This makes for a tough trip over the rocks because you cannot choose your way- you just point it and hit the gas.
The h2 group was a really cool bunch of guys\gal.Not like the stereotypical hummer owner that you hear about. They didn't seem as interested in our rigs (then again they are really simple and have been around forever) as we were theirs. We all ( Jeeps) inspected everyone of their rigs- they might have ours but I didn't notice- maybe because I was looking at them all day and they know jeeps. Ol' Hiker had owned a pile of jeeps before his Hummer so my guess is that they already understand the simple solid axle \spring set up and the wheel base of the smaller Jeep.
I think if you took a Rubicon, scaled it up to the Hummer in size and weight,made it IFS, and took out the front locker ,they would be the same in offroad.
Now vice versa,if Hummer came out with a Wrangler sized vehicle, made it solid axle and put a locker in the front, you would have a rubi.- Like I said ( IMO ) a different class.And I do have to say- they do have class. I cannot believe I did say that but I did and they do.
It would be cool to take your entire family out into the trail with room to spare, a\c running and a built in navagation system...you could probably make everyone happy on a family outing in a Hummer...
In the jeep, your top is off, you sweat and get dirt in your mouth- but that is the way I like it!!!
So , we all agreed in the end, that we would like to hook back up for more trail rides in the future- we had a really good time and both groups learned a lot about each other...
They had good spotters- I guess you have to be if you drive a Hummer.There was no animosity toward each group and we all joked all day about each others rides. I must say that my H2 recovery sticker doesn't mean that I could pull one of those things- if you don't have a huge winch and or another hummer, you are flat out screwed if you get it stuck. I wanted a picture of my Rubi pulling on one, but it never happened and never would- I couldn't move those beasts and they really didn't get stuck! They joked and said that they could put a jeep in the back to go get help- that is fine by me and we all laughed! Now 2 Jeeps could do it or a pulley system.
I always laughed about the high heel wearing hotties that you see in those things- and now I understand why. You are in a comfort zone the Rubicon cannot match! If I did have one, my girl could wear her heels in it on the trail and her dress would **** off with the doors off!!!
I don't think,given the chioce that I would wheel a Hummer and so will stick to my Jeeps but they are fun and much more adept than we ever thought.I do have to say though, that I am interested in them and am considering getting one as the second Rig at the house since we really could use it more than 2 Rubicons. I would take it to PAP on occassion but would rather stick to my Rubi to learn more about the technical stuff on the small trails.
I do have to say that the end of the solid axle\removable top and doors is coming and when it does, I will have a H2.
I never got to ride in one of the H2's, I kept forgetting to ask. I am sure they would have let me if I would have.Maybe next time.
I do want to thank the Hummer group for letting us ride with you and look forward to our next trip- there won't be the snickering from me before the next trip! We will hit blues and blacks with you guys and have fun doing it... </div></BLOCKQUOTE> http://paragonap.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6377&page=4 (http://paragonap.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6377&page=4)