The AZXOC group supported a bike race up near the Grand Canyon this past weekend. After a bad downpour we were met with rutted dirt trails which rapidly turned into a mud bath. We hit several washed out sections with 2+ft deep water and my 2000 and the 2005 in our group made it through without to much trouble.

Lots of sideways action along the trail. I got stuck at one point, but managed to get out by reversing / going forward a few times. 65 total miles through some pretty interesting trails. Forrested mud weaving in and out of trees to start with, then dry gravel / rock, then into the wet mud for at least 25 miles at the end. The 2WD took it all in its stride. Of course the fact that the back was loaded down with 600Lbs of camping gear probably helped too!





Washed off about 30Lbs in mud when I got home

that's interesting, i think i'd be extremely nervous through something like that. I have an 4x2 also. It's nice to hear that the 2WD can take a little mud and rain.

Muddy trails are OK for a 2x4...its rock crawling that gets tough.

I still want a 4x4. Just enjoying my 4x2 to it's fullest. Lock the back end and I bet it wouldn't do to badly on the rocks

A locked butt would help, but, you'd still have only two tires pushing you, and nothing to pull you over if the rear's unload going up a ledge for example...its a lot harder to push the front tires over a rock with the rear tires than for the fronts to pull themselves over...

And

The real advantage to the 4wd is all of your contact patch is active...you don't have a static support point to get stuck on...so you need to lose more traction to get stuck.

I've seen plenty of locked butts get stuck before...used to be a popular mod for 2wd trucks.

Well I enjoy my 2WD. My next vehicle, most likely an 05 or 06 X will be 4x4. Might just go for the base 'S' 05/06. I don't think I can really warrant the extra money for the OR package. 4x4 S will take me alot of places my 2WD won't go, as proven by our AZXC 05 S owner defibvt.

Everyone seems to want the OR, yet most will never take it where the locker is actually needed.

I think 4 wheel low gearing is kinda important too..

Yeah - that transfer case thing DOES come in mighty handy once in a while too.



At least its not a mud issue, you don't really need low range for mud that often....and if you drive really fast over the rocks, you don't have time to get stuck.



http://steinism.com/TJ_banging_sm.mov



I like the beeping to get people out of the way!

Got any tips for sandy trails in a 4x2? Lots of desert around here and I'm going out this weekend. ...and TJ say hi to Jersey for me, I'm from Hamilton

I said Hi! to Nj for you....they say

you know how they are...



Sand -

Let out a bunch of air....get a nice flotation contact patch from each tire....around 15-20 psi for most people/rigs...but you need to experiment to get the best for your terrain/rig, etc.

Go with the fattest tread you can fit.

Keep moving, momentum is your friend.

If you start to dig (Bury a tire), get off the gas, you'll just get too deep to dig out if you keep the pedal mashed....cut the tires left - right instead to try to find an easier path for the rears to push you through.

On sand, with 2wd....if you are coming up to a dune, the sand at the bottom may be very loose, and when your rear wheels hit it, and the front end is up on the dune base, it tends to bury the rear tires as you have no fronts to pull them through...so plan the approach to carry you through that part if you can.

On dunes, stay parallel to the slope, if you get perpendicular to the slope (Your doors face up/down hill = Bad), you can roll over....so don't carve turns on the slopes if you can avoid it...and, if getting on the gas on the slope, the ass can come around on you....and make you sideways pretty quick...(Sideways = Bad)



Carry recovery gear...a board to put under the tires, a hi-lift to get the buried tire out of its hole/allow you to fix the flat, etc.

Go with someone who can pull you out/run for help.

There's more...but i have to get back to work...

Have fun!

thats the Jersey I miss

thanks for the info, i'll try to put it to good use this weekend...my friend is coming out, so if all else fails at least i'll have some help. Let you know how it goes

So I took the X out near the Edge of Texas on some sandy trails and went through some small dunes/desert scrub. Didn't have any problems till my dumb ass decided to stop on top of one of the dunes. Luckily i had boards and an e-tool (small shovel)so my friend and I dug the X out. lesson learned, still had a great time

I can tell you from someone who has driven a 4x4 since ditching my first vehicle, a 2wd Datsun Pickup as a teenager. A 2wd vehicle is a plain nightmare off-road, unless its just a bone dry, graded road. I had the opportunity to try 2wd WITH A REAR LOCKER and low range a couple of times after break downs, and I was unable to do ANYTHING. Seems you really need atleast one wheel pulling you over things.

You can drive in the mud with a piece of wood?

Hey - your truck man... but that was WAY too fast for that kind of terrain. I see a lot of repairing in your truck's future.

The movie link no longer works.

I had a 2000 Nissan Crew Cab 2WD. All my buddies were highly impressed that I was able to make it down the same muddy trails as them. At times, the trail was so covered with water, you could no longer see the road for at least a mile. I had a friend with 4WD in front, in case I didn't make it.

For the most part, momentum was the key. A little throttle control goes a long way too. I only stopped when on a high spot... unlike my buddy who was following me:



I had to actually back into the the same mud pit he was stuck in to get him out. It was one further back (not pictured), and was rather DEEP. I did it though. Despite this picture, the stock differential is rather tight. Once he was rolling, I put the hammer down to splatter him (and what would you do?) In most situations, both tires would spin in dirt or mud. Yea, it's still an open diff, but it all helps.

The weight distribution was quite good on the Crew Cab, so it should be even better with the X.

4WD is a wonderful thing, but it isn't always necessary, and with a little experience, you can go many places your buddies with 4WD go.

"4WD is a wonderful thing, but it isn't always necessary, and with a little experience, you can go many places your buddies with 4WD go."

Huuuuh....Yeahh!!!!

Uh, yeah. For the most part, I've spent most of my time off-road in 2WD. It's only when the situation looks really bad that I engage 4WD.

I'm not rock crawling in FL, and sand and muddy water usually doesn't require 4WD.

That said, the 1990 Isuzu Amigo (4WD), and the 2000 Nissan Crew Cab (2WD), had enough weight on the rear tires, to cruise throughout the Ocala National Forest without the benefit of 4WD. I've been down knee deep muddy trails, with only 2WD. But the 1995 Nissan P/up, and 1974 Isuzu P/up, sucked off-road. No weight on the rear tires. They'd get stuck at the mere sight of sand.

So, while you, and some of my friends, leave your rig in 4WD as soon as they see dirt, I don't. I enjoy the challenge of going through the woods in 2WD. If things get too bad, I'll put the other two wheels in play. Never got the Crew Cab stuck though... :p

My 2002 4x2 Ranger Edge had a LS rear. Along with 4 BFG Land Terrains and I had no problems off road. I avoided the kind of terrain that I knew only a 4x4 could handle but aside from that, I could go just about anywhere my buddies could go in their 4x4's. The key is having good tires, a limited slip rear end and some common sense.