Maximum allowable lean angle prior to rolling over

[Aldercrest]

I have an newly discovered alarm. During a short 4WD jaunt over Memorial Day weekend, my 20 month old son began screaming every time we hit about 15 degrees of tilt. I think he is overreacting. 15 degrees on gh inclinometer is what I hit on corners at highway speeds....

[DesertDan]

I have a Lev-O-Gage in my Jeep but usually don't think of looking at it on sidehills

http://static.parastorage.com/media/4cb ... 17.jpg_256

There are so many variables (height, width, tire size, weight etc) that make each vehicle different on side-hills. Soft ground or bumps can change the angle quickly.

[daveb]

I've been a few situations where I didn't have a choice (going back was more dangerous) and having the data on hand can be critical. If you need to stop and build something under a section of trail to keep in the safe zone you just do it. If the alarm isn't going off I do feel that I can proceed with caution and even though 28* is a conservative value for my van, once that thing goes off I re-evaluate the situation and do something different. Like Jack said, you just have a hard time knowing when it's safe even if it is. At a minimum I feel you should have a bubble inclinometer on board. Besides, they look cool. And like Zeta posted the Edge CTS2 is pretty cool too.



I've been eye balling that gauge since it came out last month but need to find a spot for it.

https://edgeproducts.com/products/insight-cts2-84130/

[Tapatio]

Just get one of these, have one on my van.

[daveb]

Oh, that's classic Ron especially since these things look like a accident waiting to happen on a trail. I have to laugh how many people comment about it while I'm off roading who feel it's not capable of some routes. Only once did I hear a person state "Oh man you can do it" but I think he was waiting for me to crash and burn. I went right over the obstacle Another time I told a ranger in DV where I had planned to go and got the strangest look from him when I told him it was a van. But after I told him to go out and look at the vehicle he just shook his head and said "Well that's not a van"

[bolty]

This was a fun near miss at Pismo Beach after it was over. I was stopped on the left. The Sportsmobile on the right tried to go around me, lost momentum and began to slide downhill towards me...stopped inches away. He had an inclinometer inside - it read 35 degrees and he broke the beads on both downhill tires.

[daveb]

What was the outcome? Seems I've seen that picture in the past. It does show where an inclinometer can come in handy but doesn't resolve the problem

[arctictraveller]

Originally Posted by daveb

28* is a conservative value for my van, /

That does sound conservative, but what do you base this on (for your van)? I'd love some hard numbers based on real world experience, but I realize that's not likely to happen, there are too many variables. ..........

[daveb]

I'm just going on what SMB told me and de-rated it well below what they stated. I figure if you take caution and go lower, you'll be better off. JMO.

[ert01]

I have very little off-camber experience in my van, but I do have lots in my jeep... And I've rolled it a few times. I feel like I am comfortable with knowing the limits of my vehicles...

That said, I find it almost comical that some people here believe that there's a magic tipover number. And that there's a gauge that will tell you when you're close. That whole concept is almost laughable to me.

EVERY off-road situation is different... Your tip over angle will change drastically based on:
your tire pressure - are you aired up still from your highway drive or are you running 12psi on bead locks for the nasty stuff?
your front/back lean angle - are your driving up an incline or down a hill? Rarely will you ever be perfectly level on one axis and off camber on the other
What sort of terrain is it? Super grippy slick rock or a soft sandy wash?
How's your van loaded? Are you top heavy compared to the last time you were out?
How about how much fuel you have? If you're running dual tanks and have full jerrys on the bumper and a full water tank it will be a lot different than when you're running all those tanks on empty at the end of your trip...
How about how many passengers you have? And how many toys did they all bring with them?

All these things affect your tipover angle... And it only takes one or two of these things to work together to change it DRASTICALLY.

No device will ever be better calibrated or more accurate than an experienced ass.

Just my .02 though