Whenever people are talking about taking a 2WD rig off-road, people always say that wheeling a 2wd is more about the person behind the wheel than it is about the vehicle itself. I thought it'd be nice to maybe create a little "guide to wheeling in 2wd".

Seeing how I live in Florida, most of my knowledge about off-roading is all about mud. That's pretty much all we've got down here. If some of you guys that live up north wanna chime in with some tips for navigating hills, rocks, streams, etc... feel free to chime right in.

So I'll try and get this things started and we'll see how it goes...

-----MUD-----

TACTICS: The most important thing about taking a 2wd vehicle in the mud is momentum. If you go in too slowly, you will just sink like a rock.. but on the other hand if you go flying in too fast things tend to break. If you've never been in the mud before, you should start out in what looks like to be a pretty solid area. Don't just dive into mud you couldn't walk across, start out in mud that is pretty firm when you stand on it. It's generally a good idea not to go playing in the mud unless you have someone that you know can come pull you out if need be. Plan out your route before you go charging head first into things. It's best to shoot across a mud hole in a straight line and end up on solid ground again occasionally rather than just going out into muck and spinning donuts. Of course you can't be expected to just go in straight lines all the time, but I usually try and hit solid ground at a point before I start loosing momentum.. just to help me get a grip and get some speed back up. If you do end up stuck, which eventually you will because it just happens to everyone, let off the gas as soon as you realize you are not moving. Don't just spin your tires because you'll just dig down immediately and bury your rear axle in the muck. It's alot harder get out when your nose is in the air and your bumper is burried!

GEAR: It's always good to have towstrap on hand, and it doesn't hurt to have a shovel and some 2x4s either. Alot of people swear that if they get stuck they can "dig themselves out", but I've only actually found the wood and shovel have helped me out once. Obviously a winch is always a fun toy to have, but isn't necessarily realistic for someone like me who spends 95% of his time on the pavement. If you really like the mud alot, some good Mud Terrain tires are a great thing to have, but odds are that your'e in your daily driver if you're wheeling a 2wd and it is important to get something with good road manners. My personal opinion is that for 2wds, wide tires are better as they allow more "floatation". A 4wd vehicle might fair better in the mud with narrow tires that can cut down and gain traction, but us 2wheelers need to avoid that and wide tires just make more sense.

Ok, so that's all I can think of to say about wheeling in the mud. Perhaps someone would like to add anything I forgot or do something similar for 2Wheeling in other types of terrain.

-Keith

 

My experience in 2wd off roading tought me that there is only one other area where 2wd is worth trying, fast desert prerunning. I don't do that anymore, I built a trail truck way back. You really need to build the truck for it. There's lots to learn in how to handle your truck, load and load the front end before hitting obstacles, handle slides in corners, but a properly a built rig is necessary because if not, you'll be braking/bending stuff like crazy no matter how good you drive. It would be better if someone else took over the driving tips.

Most of the above advice applies, go with friends, if you are learning, let them go first, start more slowly, learn your truck's limits, if in sand, keep moving or you'll likely sink, a locker is absolutely necessary, in sand, horsepower counts big time.

As for trails and mountians, the lack of low range makes a 2wd hopeless unless you say have a rear locker, big motor, and an automatic. You need a lot of torque at the wheels and you need it at really slow speeds. It was wheeling a 2wd in the mountians that made me sell it for a 4X4.

Frank

 

a rear locker helps, too. so does lots of power.

 

i think the main thing to remember is momentum is your friend, but can also be your worst enemy. with speed comes a much greater chance to break something. so your suspension has to be something that can handle a lot of abuse, or high speed use.

being that i used to be 2WD, its really not as much fun as 4WD, not even close, i never would try mud unless i knew that i could just drive fast right through it, and that meant that it wasnt a very long mud hole. now i use 4LO more than anything, and if i didnt have it, well my off roading experience just wouldnt be as much fun.

if your really gonna wheel your 2WD rig, i say by all means go for it, your gonna have a hell of a lot more fun that just driving it around on the pavement.

-Casey

 

When I was younger my grandfather had a '74 Hilux. He used to take that truck on some of the narliest trails in NorCal. He used to Help pull out guys in 4x4's that would charge down a trail to get bogged down. He always used to carry a shovel, towstrap, a length of 2x4, and tools. On top of this, he almost always had his camper. He had 7.00x15 mudders on the rear and all-seasons in front. He always used caution when he was out on the trail and would stop and scout out the area 20-50 yrds ahead. He almost never got stuck. Its from him that I learned alot of what I know about 2WD wheeling.

 

I wheel my 2wd all the time, granted though I stay away from really steep hills, mud, and deep sand. I would kill for a 4x4 but have to work with what I've got for now. Looks like everyone's pretty much mentioned the most important aspects already....momentum, strong suspension, good tires, and recovery gear is important as well. I've also learned that, with a pickup, weight in the backend can make ALL the difference. I kept spinning my tires on a hill one time and right after my dad hopped into the back I crawled right up. That extra couple hundred pounds does wonders.

 

What else is there?

That is why when I had a 2wd nissan p/u, whenever I went to Glamis (sand dunes,for those who dont know) I had a few very large burlap bags that I would fill up with sand when I got there, and throw them in the back of the truck by the tailgate. It really helped! Plus all I had to bring was the bags, so no extra weight on the way to/from there.

 

[QUOTE=RobT2k]What else is there?QUOTE]

Dirt roads Actually, I can get up some pretty good hills with the right speed. And sand and mud is ok as long as its not too deep....or so I've learned.
I used to keep a good 300lb's worth of sandbags in my bed but it sagged the rear and made it bounce funny over bumps. I think I'll try 200 lb and see how that works.
Hopefully my new locker, once installed, will improve things a bit

 

yeah, open legger 4x2 is still fun to go mash, but unless you know a lot of the 4x4ing tricks, you are screwed...

 

I always had fun in my 94 2wd (r.i.p.)... had even more fun in my baja bug, Loved that thing! Traded it straught across for an 80 4wd pickup and have been real happy with it. The most important things you can get is a highlift, straps, locker and a good size piece of carpet! I got out of more deep sandpits with carpet than anything else. The highlift comes in real handy for a wide variety of task (winching, lifting, tiliting etc. etc...). A good skidplate is important for protecting the pan also. Heres a couple pics of the old toys I miss em'!

 

2wd off roading?? That's like taking a Jeep to the dragstrip.

 

a guide to 2wd off road: GO AS F'ING G FAST AS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

my dad used to wheel in a 2wd truck when he went hunting. the hi-lift (which i still use today) was his best friend. he would carry a shovel, tire chains, some boards, etc

in the winter, he would just load up the bed with snow for traction. by putting valves on his rear brakes so he could control the left and right independently helped him with steering considerably, and acted like a cheap locker.