Well, I've got pinstripes on my LX now. Both sides but worse on one side.

I went down a trail that I thought would be easy. Most of it was. But there was a section near the end that was deeply rutted; varied in depth but some areas were a good foot deep or so (not sure how deep but looked deeper than the wheel radius; probably made by 33"+ wheels).

First experience so it was puckering a bit. I tried to avoid as much as possible hence the pinstripes. But sometimes needed to straddle, sometimes drove along side and sometimes needed to cross over (luckily when it was usually shallow and wider).

If it were possible, I probably would have turned around. But as it was, I pressed forward and probably learned a lot and gained some confidence along the way. It was my first time walking a line and imagining how the car would travel. And then actually driving the line hoping I wouldn't tip over or get stuck. It was pretty tense for me as a first timer.

I survived but not looking forward to it again.

Hope the pinstripes are just superficial and will buff out. They didn't rub out with my finger though.

I don't think trail riding and keeping your paint job pristine are compatible.

haha. Well, we bought the car to use it. So, it's getting used. I'm guessing the first set is hardest. After the first set of scratches and dents, probably won't care much.

Rite of passage. Wait'll you tear off your first wheel flair.

Better than whiskey scratches. At least it came with good memories.

Congrats! You are now worthy of being waved to and waving back!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Prestoked,

Is there something people use to prevent pinstripes? How about some magnetic sign blanks? Or some removable clear film that some use for the front end?

I don’t off-road, so I’m really not qualified to answer, but I do ride a motorcycle and go to biker events. When I’m at such events, I often see other motorcycle enthusiasts who are on spotless bikes. No rock chips in the fairings. No bugs on the windshield. The riders are clean and not sun burned. Their leathers are immaculate with that supple sheen that only new or lovingly maintained and carefully cleaned leather can possess. When I see those folk the first thing that comes to mind is “poser.” I don’t feel negatively about them. I’ll sit and swap stories and share a beer with them, but they don’t quite get it and don’t quite fit in.

It’s an off road vehicle. You are actually using it as intended. That is a good thing. Most people buy them and never use them as designed. They instead use them as inefficient station wagons. Put some scratches on it. Dent the fenders. Every defect tells a story. When it gets too scuffed up, do what my brother did to his ancient junker of a Jeep. Rattle can it flat black. Two advantages. You can touch up the fine finish at any time and any where, and if you knock a hole in it you can patch it with a roll of electrical tape.

That reminds me. I was focused on the pinstripes but I took a pretty good hit on a couple departures. I need to check underneath to see if there was any real damage.

It’s a truck so the ride is a little less refined than my sedan. But after more than an hour of driving on the rough bumpy trail, riding back home on the highway seemed soooooo smooth.

Unless you went really deep, the scratches will buff out just fine. Start with the least aggressive polish (more like a "cleaner" wax) and only move up to polishing/rubbing type compounds after trying the tamer stuff.
I carried a kukri in my truck to do minor trail widening when it was new. Now after 15 years I just push the 4WD button and hit the gas.

re: Dragging the rear end, if you have the trailer light plug hanging under your bumper like my old Tundra, (unlikely), pop out one of the license plate lights and mount it there. You have to have a license plate light but you don't have to have two.

Fun isn't it?

Just got my first ones on my 4Runner when I had to work by some guy going the opposite direction in a full size pickup truck on a trail.

I almost wanted to back down the trail behind him and film him on the first switchback.

Part of the offroading experience, getting scratches and such. That is, if you actually use it for more than an over glorified grocery-getter / soccer practice hauler / etc.

Dude, it's like holster wear. I was proud of my first set.

-Rob

Buffing and touch up paint beats hell out of staples and stitches. Having had both.

You're going to get paint damage if you do any amount of off roading at all. Most likely though, those will buff right out. Almost all the damage I've ever had from trees and branches doesn't actually make it into the clear, and you can take it off with a clay bar or something like that.

If you complain about getting pinstripes two things are true:

(1) You are oppressed. See Discussion on Oppressed Americans.

(2) You weren't pushing the car hard enough. You'd be getting body panels ripped off if you were.

"after more than an hour of driving on the rough bumpy trail, riding back home on the highway seemed soooooo smooth"

....this leads to "WHAT 'pinstripes'?"

a beauty mark of little/no consequence;

a memento of that earlier time in your previous life where having such scar of encounter was considered something horrid;

ever hear of the 'Heidelberg scar'?

I'm surprised such markings don't come as part of the high-end option kit as a graphic that can be applied/removed as desired....

by the way....

"Congratulations".....

First scratches on a new car are the most painful. It gets easier after that. I'm expecting many more over the years.

I will say I'll take the pinstripes over getting stuck in the ruts / tipping over any day.

The car did well -- I kept it in 4H and never wanted for more. Well, except for maybe LT tires.

BTW, from the webz, I anticipate that acceleration will be somewhat affected and downshifting will be a little earlier when I go to LT tires from the current p-metric.

But I haven't seen any comments about how it affects braking distance. What, if any, differences should I expect between the K02 and the HT Plus assuming the same size (285/50/20)? Will the K02 require much longer stopping distance?

Shoot, riding off road isn't fun long term unless you can wear something out. I prefer a beater to off road in.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
First scratches on a new car are the most painful.

I saw a lot of my friends be afraid to use their new vehicles because of fear of scratches. When I buy a new 4WD, the first thing I do is head for some brush to get the first scratch. It's like taking off a band-aid, it's less painful if you do it quickly. When I lived in CA, we called them "manzanita pinstripes."