Hummer H3...closer to which of these...

Andrew Lynch said:
I wish LandRover, Toyota, etc. would offer bare-bone versions of their off-road vehicles. I would be first in line.
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Toyotas FJ Cruiser might just be what you're looking for.
 
powells85 said:
A video I saw involving a H2 was where it snapped a tie rod doing some small rock/trail driving :eek: :barf:
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Something like this...

h2_20041022_001.jpg


I know the video you're talking aobut, but can't find it at the moment...
 
Theres a reason why Feds and some military units drive Suburbans and Tahoes ;) in civilian areas, and on base. If you're looking for a beater truck, one that you can go offroading in, get an old beat up GMC, Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge or Toyota 4wd truck or SUV (Bronco, Suburban, Blazer K1500, the old Dodge SUV that escapes me at the moment, Land Cruiser). I've seen some old Jeeps take some hard abuse, and keep on truckin'. My cousin used to have a Land Rover, that took some real abuse, although it wouldn't've survived an accident. I'd stick with the Explorer, I'm not a Ford guy, more Chevrolet and Toyota, but I try to stick with what works.
 
CODE 3 said:
LMAO!

That Dodge dually 1 ton came out of that wreck in much better shape than that Hummer!

I'm not suprised in the least.
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I'm not an expert by any means and it's kind of hard to tell from that single angle, but it sure looks like the Hummer performed well in that accident. Was that a head-on collision? If so the passenger compartment looks like it was fully protected from the impact. Did the article or video mention if the passengers walked away?

I was always under the impression a the point of a well designed vehicle (large SUV, or any other) was to protect the passenger compartment, not necessarily come away from an accident looking good.
 
H2 is junk. It is on the same frame as a Chevy Yukon or GMC Suburban. That's why the rear axle is just a regular straight axle with the center differential.

The H1 Hummers rock. They have 4 wheel independant suspension.

I could make a huge long list of why H2 is junk compared to H1. I'm sure H3 is even more "yuppie friendly".

I'll take an H1 or a military Hum-Vee any day over the latter Hummers.
 
SAKguy said:
H2 is junk. It is on the same frame as a Chevy Yukon or GMC Suburban. That's why the rear axle is just a regular straight axle with the center differential.

The H1 Hummers rock. They have 4 wheel independant suspension.

I could make a huge long list of why H2 is junk compared to H1. I'm sure H3 is even more "yuppie friendly".

I'll take an H1 or a military Hum-Vee any day over the latter Hummers.
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No, please...by all means take the time and make the list, it sounds like it would be from well founded experience. I for one would like to learn more about them in a comparison of models. That's the whole point of this thread, to learn a bit about Hummers...be it good or bad.
 
In addition, it's also of course quite fashionable to "hate all Hummers" - regardless of whether you have actually owned one, driven one, or even sat in one! It's "The Sebenza of SUV's"! ;)
 
We just got a brand new Hummer dealer five minutes down the road from me, opened two or three weeks ago. As soon as my dad's schedule clears up in a couple weeks we're going to spend a Saturday test driving different SUV's, we're both really looking forward to the Hummer...even if we find it doesn't appeal to me. I know they have a plethora of the H1 and H2, not sure of the '06 H3 is available for test drives yet.

I'm also looking forward to trying out a '05 Expedition, they drastically changed the body style and interior three years after I got mine.
 
DN;

The new Expedition isn't nearly as good as the older one. Read the reviews in Consumer Reports.

As for the Hummer H1, I'm sure it is a better vehicle due to a number of reasons besides the suspension. The H2 and H3 are GM made, and the older H1's are made by AM General.

I'll stick with my Explorers for reliability and function.
 
S.U.V. = Stupid Urban Vanity..... :D
I have never driven a civilian H1 nor the H2, but I have made a military Humvee do some REALLY amazing things. I think the civilian ones are more a status symbol than anything else.
Without getting too much into it (in response to someones earlier post) I would much rather have solid axles vs independant for a few reasons. The biggest ones are "stronger", easier to lift a truck with them vs ind. and a solid axle acts as a lever ie. driving in ruts or other off camber terrain, one tire stuffs into the fenderwell while the other is forced toward the ground. With an ind. set up, if one is stuffed, the other can just hang there or barely touch the ground. I have turned a 4WD Humvee into a no wheel drive sitting lump during some pretty hairy off roading. This can be somewhat fixed by a true locker diff, not the crummy "torsion biasing" diff that is in the Military ones. That still leaves you with the traction problem though.
No keep in mind your average person will never really use a 4WD to the extreme, but what I said about ind. axles is true even for the guy/gal who is out camping, going off roading once or twice a year etc. I have built and used 4WD's to their breaking point and then some, so I have a little background in this. Just my .02 pesos (less than 1/10 cent at current exchange rate) and as always, Your Mileage May Vary.
BTW- My brother has a 1988 Toyota LandCruiser that is pretty much stock minus some basic bolt-ons/ins. Inline 6 and a 4spd. That thing has survived everything we have thrown at it in the Colorado Rockies over the last 6 years with only minor breakage (w/152K on the clock) IMHO, one of the toughest rigs out there.
 
The military's Humvee is on the way out. It will be replaced with a new vehicle called the RST-V .This vehicle is a hybrid using a diesel generator to power an electric motor on each wheel.It uses less than half the fuel. Height and track can be changed.
 
m1marty said:
S.U.V. = Stupid Urban Vanity..... :D
I have never driven a civilian H1 nor the H2, but I have made a military Humvee do some REALLY amazing things. I think the civilian ones are more a status symbol than anything else.
Without getting too much into it (in response to someones earlier post) I would much rather have solid axles vs independant for a few reasons. The biggest ones are "stronger", easier to lift a truck with them vs ind. and a solid axle acts as a lever ie. driving in ruts or other off camber terrain, one tire stuffs into the fenderwell while the other is forced toward the ground. With an ind. set up, if one is stuffed, the other can just hang there or barely touch the ground. I have turned a 4WD Humvee into a no wheel drive sitting lump during some pretty hairy off roading. This can be somewhat fixed by a true locker diff, not the crummy "torsion biasing" diff that is in the Military ones. That still leaves you with the traction problem though.
No keep in mind your average person will never really use a 4WD to the extreme, but what I said about ind. axles is true even for the guy/gal who is out camping, going off roading once or twice a year etc. I have built and used 4WD's to their breaking point and then some, so I have a little background in this. Just my .02 pesos (less than 1/10 cent at current exchange rate) and as always, Your Mileage May Vary.
BTW- My brother has a 1988 Toyota LandCruiser that is pretty much stock minus some basic bolt-ons/ins. Inline 6 and a 4spd. That thing has survived everything we have thrown at it in the Colorado Rockies over the last 6 years with only minor breakage (w/152K on the clock) IMHO, one of the toughest rigs out there.
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You are somewhat correct about the straight axle vs. the independant suspension.

Also, the "pumpkins" like to get hung up on freaking everything when you are off-roading.

The only good answer would be to put "tall" tires on a vehicle with a standard axle, which is stupid and merely just for looks. :)

I have seen two GMC Suburban's hooked together at the rear in a pulling competition. One had huge tires and was all jacked up and looked like an off-road beast. The other was stock. In a gravel and dirt lot, the stock suburban won. It pulled the other suburban across the lot with no problems.

So much for being all "pimped" out for off-road. :)
 
SAKguy said:
You are somewhat correct about the straight axle vs. the independant suspension.
Also, the "pumpkins" like to get hung up on freaking everything when you are off-roading.
The only good answer would be to put "tall" tires on a vehicle with a standard axle, which is stupid and merely just for looks. :)
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My last 4WD was a '73 Blazer (full convert., nice in the summer!) Built as follows:
6 inch skyjacker lift (no blocks, all springs)
dropped pitman arm, steering box brace
long stainless braided brakelines
lockers front and rear
warn hubs
driveshafts by Dennys
4.88 gears, axles by moser IIRC, long studs
350 built for low end with a HD built turbo 350
swapped the 203 for a 205 transfer case
custom roll cage
severe duty u-joints
rear axle slider (for the pumpkin' hang-ups :D )
35-12.5X15 Swampers on cheap steel rims
electric cooling fan for the radiator/trans cooler
tool/trail kit
bodywork by trees/rocks
Nothing super fancy here. I did all the work myself and easily kept up with the smaller rigs in Lousiana while I was stationed there. Cost was very moderate compared to what you pay for a new rig and this thing very rarely got stuck. If it did, it was because of me, not the truck. I never needed a winch, as I was only temporarly "forward motivated" at the time!
 
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