The base model's 4WD lock mode and traction control work great off-road. The H3 also has decent articulation even with it's IFS so it crawls along with momentum much nicer than you would think. It's a capable and fun drive for something that is relatively comfortable on the highway.

Unless you really want to get radical off-road and feel compelled to compete with body-rashed Wranglers and CJ's, forget the lockers and invest it in off-road tires and a portable hitch mounted winch instead.

 

It is my understanding that all H3's have at least rear lockers even the base model, that is what 4WD lock is. In the 2009 and newer you have the option for front lockers as well. Have I been misinformed?

 

No, 4WD "lock" (button on dash) is the center differential locked.

 

Wfturner....

I feel like a complete idiot! I went back and read my owners manual again and turns out your correct. Turns out I do not have a locking rear diff.... DAMN! OOOHHH, I wonder how amazing it would be off road if I did, it does great as-is!

Thanks for your post.... my wife will hate you for making me aware of another mod I need to get done!

 

Your truck's traction control system will activate as needed to provide up to full front, center, and rear locking effect. Brakes are automatically applied to spinning wheels as needed until they all turn at the same speed. So you already have full locking ability as long as you keep your foot in it enough to generate the slip needed to activate the sytem. That's why you don't let off the gas on an H3 until you have traction and momentum again. In other words, when you feel a wheel slipping fight the temptation to feather the gas like you would with mechanical lockers because this will cause the system to shut down again. It's basically a learning curve because it feels so different than traditional crawling.

If you hit the 4H or L lock buttons, your center Diff will be further mechanically locked. This reduces the work that the traction control system has to do and makes crawling smoother and more gracefull. In other words, more enjoyable.

Considering the articulation capabilities of the H3, the center locker and electronic traction control will take you almost anywhere where it's sane to drive a nice looking $40k SUV.

The drawback to this system is that a wheel has to slip before the system kicks in so it's not as fluid a feeling as driving an H3 with full mechanical lockers in really nasty conditions and continuous, variable, off camber situations.

Again, if you master your H3 it will take you almost anywhere. Rear and full lockers are only needed if you off road every day or just need to own the ultimate.

 

great post, I suppose I can over look the adventure PKG and spend the money on the tires, and winch. Best offer so far was 27,900k for base model, not even sun roof or rear cam.

 

The base is a great truck, if you go that way get the factory hitch too. It's a much better implementation for off-roading than adding an aftermarket one later.

IMO adding the Luxury Package, Monsoon System with MP3 radio, Trailer Hitch, and Sunroof pretty much puts you in the sweet-spot for the H3. Everything extra that you pay for will be enjoyed every day.

 

I heard some guys buying Alpha for like 26k back in January, now thats a good deal. I have 4 dealers in my town, trying to push each of them. What sucks is that they think the call pull a fast one because of my age. One of them told me that steps bars are a must on all H3 ( apparently 1k) , I told him I could care less, since I will replace them with sliders the next day.
He also, told me , " yeah we have this one customer that wheels his H3 almost every weekend, said that iron lockers are the best on the market", I was like, "one customer??" Here in Dallas most Hummers spend their time cruising around malls. I'm hoping August incentives migh be better. Don't you guys think 28K + TTL is high for a base model?

 

www.kbb.com is your friend whenever you need to buy a vehicle. You can Spec out what you want, determine the dealer invoice, and see current incentive offers. This makes everything transparent when negotiating with dealers.

$28k seem reasonable for a base. It looks like the dealer is giving you the full $5k GM customer discount plus maybe another $1k off. That's below invoice anyway. Maybe GM was throwing even more money at them before when inventories were higher.

With 4 dealers close by, I'd do the deal over the phone with them where you feel more comfortable and let them bid against each other. I never worry about the last $500 or so if I happen to like one of the dealers, but that's just me.

 

got quote for 28k base from dealer next door and 30k for base with adventure package. I might wait to see what incentive they have in August. If its the same I will pick one up with adventure package.