Hello Everyone,
I plan to live fulltime out of a RAV4 Hybrid when I retire and travel the country. (I know, nuts, but stay with me).
There are a few folks doing this out of a Prius but one complaint they have is about ground clearance when trying to access some roads less traveled.... thus the RAV-4 Hybrid and it's ~6.3in of ground clearance. So why the hybrid? The Toyota Prius Ready mode is a beautiful thing....allowing one to have genuine A/C (not a swamp cooler, and no need to be plugged in to run a 110v A/C) while on the road with the engine cycling on only when needed.
Anyway, here are my questions for those of you with this vehicle:
- What protects the vehicle from damage of road debris kicking up on the highway or rocks hitting the underside of the battery while on a forest road? This is the type of road I'd like to be able to handle: https://youtu.be/dEeT9OZ379A?t=8m47s. No special, chunky, huge tires or lift kits or anything like that.
- I've read the manual and come across the diagram asking not to lift the car with a traditional scissor jack (http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h40/wbielins/Capture.png) Would a bottle jack work? Are there other solutions to get a tire off while on the road?
- I've seen talk of a fold down rear tire carrier like this (http://www.cbioffroadfab.com/products/trail-accessories/fold-down-tire-carrier-premium-model/, are there other popular models that have been tested for fit? The car not having a spare tire worries me for being out there on forest roads alone.
Thanks!
I plan to live fulltime out of a RAV4 Hybrid when I retire and travel the country. (I know, nuts, but stay with me).
There are a few folks doing this out of a Prius but one complaint they have is about ground clearance when trying to access some roads less traveled.... thus the RAV-4 Hybrid and it's ~6.3in of ground clearance. So why the hybrid? The Toyota Prius Ready mode is a beautiful thing....allowing one to have genuine A/C (not a swamp cooler, and no need to be plugged in to run a 110v A/C) while on the road with the engine cycling on only when needed.
Anyway, here are my questions for those of you with this vehicle:
- What protects the vehicle from damage of road debris kicking up on the highway or rocks hitting the underside of the battery while on a forest road? This is the type of road I'd like to be able to handle: https://youtu.be/dEeT9OZ379A?t=8m47s. No special, chunky, huge tires or lift kits or anything like that.
- I've read the manual and come across the diagram asking not to lift the car with a traditional scissor jack (http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h40/wbielins/Capture.png) Would a bottle jack work? Are there other solutions to get a tire off while on the road?
- I've seen talk of a fold down rear tire carrier like this (http://www.cbioffroadfab.com/products/trail-accessories/fold-down-tire-carrier-premium-model/, are there other popular models that have been tested for fit? The car not having a spare tire worries me for being out there on forest roads alone.
Thanks!