[jgillespie]

I was out and about this morning and came across this well-equipped, and amazingly off-road capable Hummer H3.


It shouldn't come as much of a shock that what first grabbed my attention to this fine vehicle was the decal that spoke of sheer blasphemy..."Jeep Recovery Vehicle." (I promise this will be a tech-related post soon ). The sight of this decal along with the other numerous "status symbols" that plague his rear windshield sparked a flame of interest regarding the reasons why any person would be brainwashed into believing the H3 is anywhere CLOSE to having the capabilities of a Jeep. After arriving back home, I did some research...here is what I found. The Hummer was stock so I took the Base model specs.

Important H3 specs:
$33,390.00
3.7L I5
HP: 239 @ 5800 RPM
Torque: 241 @ 4600 RPM
4695.8 LBS
111.9" Wheelbase
9.7" of clearance
265/75/R16 stock tires
Wishbone-style Independent Front suspension
standard solid rear axle

I would post up comparable stats of the 2010 Jk wranglers...but those are nearly as bad IMO, so I will grab some specs on my nearly-stock 1991 YJ.

1991 YJ SE specs:
$12,356.00 MSRP
4.0L 242 CI Inline 6
190HP @ 4750 RPM
220 Ft/lbs @ 4000 RPM
3000-3250 LBS (depending on soft/hard top, engine, trans...etc).
93.4" Wheelbase
9" Clearance (mine is nearer to 11'' due to my tires).
215/75/R15 stock tires (mine are 31/10.50/15's)
Front Dana 30 solid axle
Rear Dana 35 solid axle

Now in no way am I a Jeep god, but I do have a pretty strong grasp on physics. The H3 does in fact have both more HP and Torque, BUT seeing that it has an even proportion of Torque to HP says to me that it is geared toward a life of Highways with a few spurts of trail riding. Also, it is wider, heavier, and longer...meaning that its traction, stability, and approach/departure angles are all less than that of the smaller, cheaper, and less-powered Jeep Wrangler. Taking into account our common knowledge and experience on how the wranglers drive, we all know that highway driving is allowed but definitely not the strong point of a YJ. In addition, the low-end torque coupled with the size and weight of the YJ pushes the wrangler further ahead (no pun intended ) of the H3 in an actual off-road situation.

My conclusion:
We have all seen and laughed with delight over the legendary video(s) of a hummer struggling on some small rocks, and then seeing a nearly stock jeep power through them in the background of the video; and I'm sure those hummer owners have too. Since we want a REAL wheeling machine, we chose the YJ; because they wanted to feel comfy, and have a name (and only a name) that constitutes a bit of ruggedness...they chose Hummer. As for me, I'll stick with my scratched, dented, faded YJ with wires hanging down everywhere that rescues stuck hummers and ford trucks.

[Buster]

haha, nice. yeah, he definately looks qualified. :P

[idaholtby]

I can play that game too....

[Dmcastino]

While I'm not a big fan of Hummers, I don't believe you are giving them enough credit...

[asknight]

[Nates93yj]

This thread

[Mike97ZJ]

I like it, I think that sticker is kind of funny.

If it's okay for Jeepers to do it, why not them?

And actually, I rather like the H3's...at least the Alpha, with the 5.3L V8 and offroad package with 4:1 low range.

I think what's worse than the Jeep sticker is the K&N sticker and the sound system speakers...and is that the monster energy drink logo? Lame.

And seriously...no offense, but I've seen pics of stock YJ's wheeling... I'd put my money on a stock H3 over a stock YJ as far as capability goes.

[SoonerE39]

If I found him stuck, I would make him scrape off the sticker before I would pull him out.

[mike948]

was it parked in a starbucks

[Nates93yj]

Originally Posted by Mike97ZJ

And seriously...no offense, but I've seen pics of stock YJ's wheeling... I'd put my money on a stock H3 over a stock YJ as far as capability goes.

i would be embarrassed to say that. Ive wheeled with H1 guess what it got stuck and guess who pulled him out. A Jeep

[Mike97ZJ]

Originally Posted by Nates93yj

i would be embarrassed to say that. Ive wheeled with H1 guess what it got stuck and guess who pulled him out. A Jeep

I wasn't talking about H1's...I think they're great if you need to drive through 4' of water or drop your truck out of a cargo plane, but they're just too big and low for real wheeling IMO.

Give the H3 a little credit...Offroad package has a rear locker, 4:1 t-case, and 33's. Not bad for off the showroom floor IMO.

[shotgunsmith]

I always ? the judgment of anyone with a firearm related sticker on thier junk. It just screams "BREAK INTO THIS VEHICLE, THERE MIGHT BE A GUN INSIDE!"

[saltyLJ]

The only thing I have to say to the delusional H3 owner in the picture. Lets go out to the woods and see who is recovering who! And also nice street tires bro.

[riptide]

Originally Posted by mike948

was it parked in a starbucks

Hey! One can see my jeep at Starbucks every morning sometime between 6:30 and 8:30am (depending on when I drag my *** outta bed) when I stop for a latte on my way to work.

[Dmcastino]

Originally Posted by shotgunsmith

I always ? the judgment of anyone with a firearm related sticker on thier junk. It just screams "BREAK INTO THIS VEHICLE, THERE MIGHT BE A GUN INSIDE!"

Thats one way to look at it, the other way though is does a criminal really want to risk breaking into a vehicle when its likely that if the owner, returns to the vehicle mid break-in, he/she also has a Glock on his/her hip? It works both ways

Personally I avoid leaving my firearms in my Jeep as much as I possibly can. Besides the monetary value of them, I would hate to have it on my conscious that one of my firearms was now in the hands of a criminal.