Bushwhacking - One of the many advantages of no paint & stainless steel (video)

[HaulingAss]

If only there were metal versions of all of the plastic parts on the truck!

I haven't found the plastics to be a problem. They are really tough. Sure, they will get little micro scratches as dirt gets ground into them by branches, but they clean up nicely and don't really detract from the overall aesthetics. You can always polish those fine scratches out with fine sandpaper if you want. The kind of quality plastics used by many automakers tend to return to their original shape, most of them don't bend into new ugly shapes like metal might. I did back into a stout tree with the rear bumper once, and the corner of the bumper cover deformed, but 5 minutes with a heat gun and a tire iron straightened it right out.

But not all plastics (or metals) are created equal. Not far from where this bushthwacking video was taken, there was a 2018-2019 Ford F-250 Lariat Super-Duty parked at a trailhead. It looked like this truck was used in similar conditions:

It had thousands of dollars worth of aftermarket suspension modes, lift kit, 4-link front suspension (designed to make it stronger and maintain better steering geometry through the wheels travel), Fox shocks to replace the cheap OEM shocks, etc. But trucks like this are not as tough as their legacy manufacturers will have you believe.

A closer look reveals how the Cybertrucks plastic bumper cover is superior to the hybrid steel bumper with plastic step. This is a very cheaply made truck, and after a bit of rugged use it really shows.

But this is what I really wanted to show, the damage that happens to a Super-Duty truck doing the same kind of bushwacking that the Cybertruck handles with ease. The mirrors are not designed "Tesla tough" with the brittle plastic turn signal lens, the lower hinge fairing was broken (probably by a sapling or branch), the entire A-pillar is covered in dents from the same, and even the window frame has multiple dents. Notice how the shape of the mirror is not designed to part brush. It's almost as if they designed then to cause as much drag as possible. And it's hard to see in this picture but the arrow at the top is pointing to the roof trim that has been pulled loose.

Roof trim? Really? What were they thinking?

And you may notice, even with the lift kit and all the suspension mods, the differentials still hang precariously low, ready to disable the truck, or become high centered, due to a protruding rock. The Cybertruck has almost twice as much ground clearance as this lifted F-250. Sure, it's not designed as a rock crawler (obviously) but neither is the Cybertruck.

One vehicle is just a lot more capable than the other when the going gets tough. And it doesn't need thousands in aftermarket mods to fix it's OEM deficiencies. It's ready to go off the floor. Maybe get some tires that are better for off-road snow/mud. That's it. Honestly, the OEM AT tires will work great for most firm surfaces most people will encounter.

I see the plastics on the Cybertruck as being the most suitable material for the job. Tesla chose different kinds of plastic to best suit each application. Put metal fender flares, metal mirrors, and metal bumper covers on there at your own peril. I like that the plastic fenders will give a bit, rather than dent, if you kiss a tree or rock wall with them. Maybe a rock will even scratch or gouge them, the outcome would be worse with metal fenders.

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[Aces-Truck]

I take it the OP had side mirrors folded in?

 

[mitochondria]

Every post I read by you makes me want to reverse my chrome wrap + PPF that I spent 11 grand on! I live deep in the woods. Stop it ?

 

[TheLastStarfighter]

This video is my new ASMR for getting ready to sleep.

 

[Tedacules]

as an T$LA long term investor I'm glad Tesla don't need to spend money on paint while others still can't make profit on EV trucks for 3+ years.

No Paint on the Robo taxi either

 

[HaulingAss]

I take it the OP had side mirrors folded in?

If you read my post, you will see that I leave the side mirrors deployed. If I hit something with enough force, they will fold in. I then use the center screen to re-deploy them. The shape of the mirrors helps part the brush and the folding mechanism helps absorb shock.

 

[65SoYoLO]

watch out for the windshield. it is so soft, it is ridiculous. I had a TINY branch rub on the windshield and not I have a nice line from the bottom to the top. At 2000 bucks for a windshield, I am stuck looking at that for a LOOOOG time.

 

[BeFamousVideo]

I've always loved exploring off the beaten path but, in my F-150, it was always a cringeworthy exercise. Because my truck was almost always coated in mud or dust by the time I got to roads requiring bushwhacking, it would always leave scratches in the clearcoat and I was afraid of denting the bodywork, especially the upright A-pillar, with heavier brush. But the Cybertruck makes bushwhacking fun and relaxing again because its really damage resistant. Any small scratches in the finish of the stainless panels can be easily polished away repeatedly, without a clearcoat to worry about polishing through. In fact, with traditional trucks, many of the deeper scratches went through the clearcoats and into the paint.

The wedge shape of the Cybertruck parts the brush naturally, with lower impact than hitting the mostly vertical A-pillar of my F-150. Also, every other truck I've bushwhacking with had mirrors that didn't play nice with brush for various reasons. Either brush would get caught behind them and threaten to break them if I continued forward, or they had too large of gaps between the plastic fairings that would let smaller branches wedge in between the two plastic fairing pieces. The Cybertruck's wedge shaped mirrors have a very tight gap between the mount and the folding mirror that can only trap the finest of vegetation. Like maybe a leaf or a needle. They just work well. I leave them extended even though bigger saplings or branches will force-fold them. When that happens, I use the center screen to unfold them again because their wedge shape parts the brush best when extended.

Here's a short two minute clip of bushwhacking in action.



Turn up the audio or put on your headphones and enjoy.

Fantastic video.
That's definitely not a road for newly painted trucks.

 

[HaulingAss]

watch out for the windshield. it is so soft, it is ridiculous. I had a TINY branch rub on the windshield and not I have a nice line from the bottom to the top. At 2000 bucks for a windshield, I am stuck looking at that for a LOOOOG time.

Sounds like a load of crap. My windshield has handled a lot of LARGE branches and impacts without issue.

The windshield is borosilicate glass, AKA "Gorilla Glass". It's actually more scratch resistant than regular automotive glass.

 

[65SoYoLO]

Sounds like a load of crap. My windshield has handled a lot of LARGE branches and impacts without issue.

Are you saying I'm lying?

 

[HaulingAss]

Are you saying I'm lying?

I'm saying you are factually incorrect when you claim:

watch out for the windshield. it is so soft, it is ridiculous.

 

[65SoYoLO]

I'm saying you are factually incorrect when you claim:

A tiny branch scratched the windshield. So, it is factually correct.

 

[HaulingAss]

A tiny branch scratched the windshield. So, it is factually correct.

That's just sad, if you actually believe that. Did you watch my video?

 

[L3it3R]

I put the Abstract Ocean Xpel armor pieces on the front bumper, fenders, rear bumper, sails, the top cover above the bed/tonneau and tailgate lip on my CT because it gets like this at camp and I can’t wait to just push through while all the guys in their shiny F150s are out there slowly passing each tree with a buddy helping out with expanding poles so they don’t scratch their trucks ?

Guess I’ll need to be careful with the mirrors ??

 

[HaulingAss]

I put the Abstract Ocean Xpel armor pieces on the front bumper, fenders, rear bumper, sails, the top cover above the bed/tonneau and tailgate lip on my CT because it gets like this at camp and I can’t wait to just push through while all the guys in their shiny F150s are out there slowly passing each tree with a buddy helping out with expanding poles so they don’t scratch their trucks ?

Guess I’ll need to be careful with the mirrors ??

I didn't think you could wrap the mirrors? Mine have done a ton of bushwacking (hours worth) with zero protection and still look fine. I do slow down to walking speed to reduce the force of impact for hard, woody branches and trees. I'm sure the little tell-tales the back sides of the mirrors do have would polish right out with some fine sandpaper, but I haven't bothered.

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