National HUMMER Club Journeys to South Bend

We thought The HUMMER Club’s trip to Drummond Island in July was a wet, muddy adventure, but it wasn’t nearly as wet and muddy as the event held at HUMMER’s official off-road driving academy in South Bend, Indiana in August.

Turnout was strong, with HUMMER H1s being the most common vehicles to attend. While this is the case with many HUMMER club events, the proximity to the H1 production facility and the allure of wheeling where the HUMVEE was designed and tested made this event especially appealing to the near-military spec civilian HUMMER.

The trails were lead by the same instructors that teach at the driving academy, a facility that also trains select members of our armed forces. Rainy weather had been in the area for several days before the event, and rain continued throughout the day adding another element of difficulty to the already challenging course.

Around every bend in the woods there was a set of moguls, a steep hill, or a combination both – which can be difficult in the driest conditions. Even so, several H3 owners with the standard 32inch Goodyear all-terrain tires made it through with little difficulty.
We got to wheel in one of GM’s “Project” HUMMER H3s that was equipped with Fox Shox, Light Racing Jounce shocks, 35 BFGs, a one-inch body lift, and a most impressive 6.2L V8 putting out 400 horsepower. More on that vehicle later.

Perhaps the biggest challenge caused by the rain was the increased depth at the water crossings. The H3 is capable of fording 24 inches of water, which roughly comes to the black trim piece beneath the door. As you can see from the photos, the water level was much higher than usual. H3s were traversing depths estimated around 35 inches, as evidenced by the water line left on the spare tires. Amazingly, the H3s all made it through, though several had water inside the cabin, making for a soggy situation since the H3s aren’t equipped with rubber floors and drain plugs like an H1.

The next day, The HUMMER Club traveled to some local dunes to play in the sand, and we hope to get those photos up soon. Photo gallery from Day 1 below.