4X4 bascis for the newbe.

If your talking about a SHTF and needing to bug out fast most of you all are planning to jump in your cars and head for the hills. Probably a pretty good plan if you ask me.
Thanks to my time spent with Uncle Sam's Misguided Children [USMC] I've seen a few cities just go to 'S-it' when civil order break down.

So lets talk about how you'll get up into those hills.
Most of you will never really need a full blown 4X4, just a good set of snow/mud tires to take you way back deep down those old dirt country roads. But this thread is all about 4X4's Soo... Lets start with my old beater 'Toy'




For serious off roading you'll need a serious 4X4. Maybe not as extreme or tricked out as mine and yet for all 4X4's
there are few things you need to know about.

Ground Clarence
This is the distance between where the tire makes contact with the ground and the under-carriage of the truck/suv. this number tells you how tall of an obstacle you can drive over without getting stuck.

if we look at the numbers for a 2014 Chevy Tahoe they list the front GC at 10.5" inches but the rear half only has a 8'. BTW those numbers drop when you add weight.

Another and even more important set of terms to know is
Approach: Departure; Breakover Angles


Approach and Departure Angles determine the steepest step that a vehicle can approach without its nose or tail Grounding out
Again lets look at the Chevy Tahoe, it has a 15 degree Approach angle so if you try drive up a 20 degree ramp the nose of the truck will dig in and stop you, unless your determined to tear up your truck that is.

Breakover and Ground clearance kind of go hand in hand.
Again using the Tahoe's numbers. if you drove over a one foot high ramp. your breakover Angle typically less than Approach, may make you drag the undercarriage, not a good thing to have happen. AT best you'll only crush some exhaust pipes worse you hang up, unable to move forward or back and I haven't even talked about other bad things like ripping off tranny and oil coolers!

One More term you should know is
Wheelbase:
Distance from the center of a truck’s front wheel to the center of the rear wheel on the same side of the vehicle.
For hard core Rock Crawlers a short wheelbase is essential! Longer wheelbases do give you a better ride on road so it's kind of a trade off deal.

Lets move on to some do's and don'ts.
Speed on an unknown road will get you killed. if you can't see what's over the next raise stop at the top and if need be get out and look. A mistake I made on a dirt bike when I was younger and after my broken arms had healed--- a mistake I never made again.

Water Crossings.
Never assume it's safe, get out and look, walk it if you can. You can only drive as deep as the air intake in most cases a lot less. Once your plug wires get wet your done, water gets into the manifold your totally screwed, water in the gas tank, same deal, your walking.

Tires
Most 4X4's come with All Terrain these days. Keep in mind the fact that most 4X4's will never be driven off road. All Terrain tires are okay as a general purpose tire. Here in the Rocky Mountains I keep studded snow tires on my 'Toy' most of the year, swapping out to a good Micky T muder when I want to play in the soup. Lots of that red clay slicker than bat snot mud in my part of the world and a standard All Terrain will only get you stuck. What you pick for your ride has to be balanced with the majority of the kind of driving you do most, on or off road and over what kind of ground?
Flats happen and more often that not--- I can use a twist plug tire repair kit and my onboard compressor to get me going again, it's a whole hell of lot faster

General Tips
In off road driving as well as life in general, nothing beats knowledge. Prepare for every circumstance, and know what you are getting yourself into. Familiarize yourself not only with the environment you are entering, but with the vehicle itself. Know how to make simple repairs, keep a better than basic tool kit in your truck! even if you never do any serious off roading get yourself a good Hy Lift Jack...they do a lot more than help you change a tire

Don't think that just because you spent a ton of cash on your 4X4 it can go anywhere. Sure traction control is really handy but it's not a substitute for experience and good driver training.
And how you may ask do you get that Experience and Training? Simple you get out there are do it!
join a club take a guided off road tour that's lots of them out there
Link for one near my place

Remember with the right equipment and a little daring, you can get you and yours places other's would never dare to go!

fands
another nice trick i have learned is to wrap a rope a couple turns around one wheel that will turn in that situation, and run it to a rock or tree in the direction of travel....

i would expect gridlock likely in a shtf scenario, so id throw a mountain bike on the top of the pile where granny usually sits

Some good advice there.

I would only add that a manual transmission 4X4 gives you a lot more control of the vehicle when off-roading. It's much easier to "rock" if you are stuck in a rut or hole and "rocking" can tear an automatic trans to pieces if you aren't careful.

reply to post by Danbones


In my families case, granny is my mother-in-law and she doesn't ride in the truck , we give her a pair of roller blade and a tow rope.

With a good 4X4 gridlock isn't much of a problem, just hit the little used back roads and trails.
something I forgot to mention, once off road your fuel mileage with drop big time!
Those Jeep wranglers that seem to be so popular round here only get like 10 to 11 MPG on a fair trail, less if you have some serious hills to climb

reply to post by sheepslayer247


Great tip...
and with a standard use can use your gears rather than your breaks to control your speed going down hills.

In the case of driving over snow, your less likely to spin your tires if you start off in second rather than 1st... it's a torque deal.

reply to post by HardCorps


Another advantage to a manual trans is if your starter happens to die on you, you can pop the clutch to start the vehicle.

I also have a spare drive belt in my trucks. It's come in handy in the past.

I need a 4x4 to get up the driveway in the winter. Most people here own at least one 4x4 vehicle. We live in an area where winters are long and road snow removal funding is getting skimpy..

What I fear is all the city dwellers who think a 4x4 means they can go where ever.

Lot of stupid people going to be trapped somewhere they thought their SUV with 4x4 can go.

Hell, see that crap when it snows a little, idiots in 4x4 thinking it means it helps them stop...


Good thread, too many people think they are weekend warriors because they have a 4x4, yet have no clue on practical use and applications.

reply to post by HardCorps

The ABS in modern cars, SUVs (after 1996) is very effective in all off-road conditions so people can do all of the intermediate trails in OHV if they drive correctly and avoid bottoming-out 99% of the time.
Going slow as possible and knowing where the engine/trans is and all four tire are in relation to you in the drivers seat is learned by practice and age 30-45 group.
XClinomiter is an App free to download to check your maximum lean angle...if you mount your phone flat on your dash.

Nice breakdown. 4runner owner here, 305,000 miles and still going! May I add another piece of info that I found out about the hard way. If you ever get on sand or dunes and get stuck, let a lot of air out of your tires, as in 60-75%. My first day with my 4 wheel drive I went 1/2 mile out onto the Oregon dunes and got stuck for 3 hours before someone came along and told me about tire pressure. Makes a huge difference! haha

Peace,
spec

Fantastic thread, well done! S&F
thought i might add this to reinforce the dont drive through water covered road aspect of your thread, cheers.

sheepslayer247
reply to post by HardCorps

 

Another advantage to a manual trans is if your starter happens to die on you, you can pop the clutch to start the vehicle.

I also have a spare drive belt in my trucks. It's come in handy in the past.

i think it was my starter that went last night in my manual. it's parked on a hill two blocks from my house till i can get it in monday. had a buddy tow start it this morn so i could open my business.

speculativeoptimist
Nice breakdown. 4runner owner here, 305,000 miles and still going! May I add another piece of info that I found out about the hard way. If you ever get on sand or dunes and get stuck, let a lot of air out of your tires, as in 60-75%. My first day with my 4 wheel drive I went 1/2 mile out onto the Oregon dunes and got stuck for 3 hours before someone came along and told me about tire pressure. Makes a huge difference! haha

Peace,
spec

my dad is on his fifth 4runner, never break down just trades them in for a newer one. we have been through some sketchy trails a lot. great trucks but he complains the new models are getting lower and wider. the 98 he had was the best imo.
nice tip, wonder if the same would work in deep snow. I think the rope around the tire and tied off to a solid object in front of you would work awesome!

reply to post by bobbeers

Ya mon' the 3rd generation yodas rock, from 96 thru 2003. I have never done anything to mine(knocks on wood) except a rear axle leak, which is common for these. There is story after story of their durability and dependability. I am diligent about maintenance though, and my mechanic said one could get 350,000 with no problem with good maintenance. I too will buy another when the time comes. For 4 to 7 grand(96-2000), ya can't beat em!

speculativeoptimist
reply to post by bobbeers

 

Ya mon' the 3rd generation yodas rock, from 96 thru 2003. I have never done anything to mine(knocks on wood) except a rear axle leak, which is common for these. There is story after story of their durability and dependability. I am diligent about maintenance though, and my mechanic said one could get 350,000 with no problem with good maintenance. I too will buy another when the time comes. For 4 to 7 grand(96-2000), ya can't beat em!

ya my pops takes care of them and trade in is excellent. 3rd gen ground clearance is the best.
I drive a Mitsubishi eclipse though and ground clearance is almost non existent, the winter was rough on it here in Ottawa. i have taken it on some rocky roads hunting. it's all about where you put your tires.

reply to post by bobbeers


Worst case scenario get something long and metal and bang on the starter while someone cranks it. Sometimes it works to just bang on it and then start it yourself.

i'm a fellow 4 wheeler (1012 jeep wrangler unlimited - dana 44 front axle, full skids, armor front and rear bumper and winch)

the one problem with running to the hills, is that your general 4 wheel guy is most likely going to be carrying a gun.
i know where we camp 4 hours away deep in the sierras, is that you'd get hi-jacked pretty quick up there for sure. guys in side by side ATV's would swarm you and take your belongings. -- it might be best to stay somewhere in between. seriously.

people in small towns in the mountains have a deep sense of 'localism' and they are not going to want you up there.

reply to post by benrl


AMEN!

Plus with the highter wheelbase adds to the excitement in snow, wind and water! Really though, 4x4 using should have an extra class involved in lessions before you can actually Drive!

Ice and snow my 4x4 will go! Passing many 2 wheelers, I can! As I float off the road into the ditch, 2 wheelers fault that is!

Crazy 4 wheelers! Learn how to Drive!

Peace

Nice solid advice OP.


Might I add some futher advice for the owners of automatic transmission SUV's like mine.

It's a long held belief that manual transmission is better for serious offroading and while they do have their distinct advantages i.e. you can roll start them, they are better for rocking recovery method etc but automatics have some tricks up their sleeve too.

The best thing about an auto, the ones with the new tipshift functions especially, is you can change gear while on the move in tricky situations i.e., you are in third low going up a rocky hill but realise you need a lower gear - no problem, just shift it into second or first. Try that in a manual and you're likely to end up careening down the hill out of control as soon as you depress the clutch.

As for getting unstuck in an automatic; Never, ever try the rocking from forward to reverse idea. Get an exhaust jack to lift the car and spade some dirt under the stuck wheel(s) or use a recovery track like maxtrax.

Also..... For anyone using snatch straps to recover a bogged vehicle, never, ever EVER attach a snatch strap to the towball of your vehicle. Snatch straps are like giant rubber bands that build energy up and towballs cannot take that sort of stress. It is quite common for them to snap off and become flying missiles. Working in the industry, I've heard of several cases where people have died from being hit by flying towballs because they hooked the strap to it.

And one last thing - for sand driving lower your tyre pressure to approx 15 - 18 PSI. I do a lot of sand driving here in Australia with my little korean that could and I have never had it stuck yet by following this rule. I see a lot of other drivers getting frustrated, making rooster tails in the sand and going nowhere but further down into the sand because they have not done this.