Here's where I'm at. I have a highly modified FJ Cruiser which is very capable for what it is and goes a lot of places but it'll never be a lifted JL on 42's. It's the same deal with modifying the Pioneer...it'll never be a ripper and I kind of want a ripper.
You want a sport machine if you are looking for a ripper, not a Pioneer. There's nothing you can do to make the Pioneer into what a box stock Talon, KRX, RZR, X3, etc is. That being said, nothing beats pulling up on a really hard obstacle, conquering it, and having people say "holy s*** you did that in a Pioneer?!" I love my Pioneer and I've ridden with and driven probably some of, if not the most, highly modified Pioneers in the country built for rock crawling/trail riding on some really gnarly East Coast trails. They are badass rigs, but they'll tell you the same thing I'm saying here: The sport machines are just built to handle the higher speeds and obstacles right out of the box. There's way more aftermarket support for the sport machines as well.
@snuffnwhisky has full Talon engine components, custom tuned, IGR, completely custom long travel suspension he designed, aluminum flat bed to drop weight, and the list goes on. Badass machine
This is what starts to happen when you get too many ponies in the Pioneer and a ginger terror like
@joeymt33 behind the wheel. That's the front prop shaft...
@joeymt33 has a very similarly built rig with a few changes to accommodate keeping the factory Pioneer rear seats/bed
@ohanacreek has one as well setup in a similar fashion but I don't have many pictures
@Dezrik has a really custom build as well utilizing the TTC suspension and he's out in Moab all the time with his.
