Noob 4x4 owner

[miketa95]

I took my truck off roading today...



I know what you're thinking, "Can't even tell." Well, basically this is my first 4x4 and the entire time I was extremely nervous about it. I only stayed for about a half hour, because after the first mud puddle there was all kinds of steam from the hot truck hitting the cold water. I know the hot metal hitting the cold can't be good. Also, I was using 4Hi, but idk when the proper time to use 4Lo is. Whats the difference? What kind of durability does a Z71 package have when off roading? I just want to know where to draw the line, since I'm only doing it for fun, I am by no means a hardcore off roader. Just hoping to get some tips/words of advice from you guys.

[FlyingDutchman]

all i can say wheelin beats the **** outa your truck lol

chances are you wont need 4lo at all

[cdacda13]

I've used 4L once, and it was probably overkill for the situation.

I'm in the same boat as you, only taken my truck on the trails once.

[91chevywt]

The only time I'd ever really use 4 low is maybe for pulling stumps or pulling something out that is stuck. You probably won't need to use it. Splashing around in the mud is fun!

[miketa95]

Splashing in the mud is fun but I was really nervous about the hot engine hitting the ice water.

[mc73nova]

I went through water all the time in the winter (when it wasnt completely frozen!) with my Jeep and I never had a problem. I have thought about going with my Silverado but I would cry if I scratched it! My Jeep got old looking real fast after off roading every weekend for six months straight. If you like your truck try to limit your off roading, it is fun but does a number to your vehicle no matter how good you maintain it.

[79T/A]

Ah, one of my favorite topics!

Had to use the ole Google to figure out where Marlton was. I'm assuming said trails are in the Pines. Lots of sand, water and good ole south Jersey stinky-azz black mud! Treats! This WILL beat the heel out of your rig, but you can still go out and play in the goo and survive.

In the Pines, you generally don't need four low. Four low is where you put the most torque to the ground. It's used for activities like rock crawling and serious hill climbs. You may need it to power out of a stuck, but don't go crazy. Four low and high RPMs...not a great combination for drivetrain longevity. Four low is magnificent for compression braking. Say you're descending a serious hill. Riding the brakes all the way down can cause the truck to slide down despite the wheels being locked up, especially on a slick surface. If you are in four low and first gear, the truck will only roll as fast as the gears are turning. Oftentimes, you don't even have to have your foot on the gas or the brake. Keep in mind that this works a little better with a manual trans with a lower first gear than an auto.

Here are a few tips:
1. Keep your thumbs outside of or along the steering wheel. Should you hit a deep enough rut that jerks the wheel one way or the other and your thumbs are inside the wheel, they can be injured when the wheel goes where it's going to go.

2. Don't wheel alone! Always wheel with a buddy and carry recovery gear (Tow strap, high lift jack or equivalent, a winch if someone can afford one, a shovel, maybe a block of wood or two to aid in traction getting out of a hole). Think worst case scenario: Bring along water and some grub in case you REEEEEALLY get stuck.

3. Wheel responsibly and pack out what you pack in! Stay on the marked trails, don't make your own. That kind of crap is what causes the liberal, tree-hugging, sandal wearing, beard-growing, granola eating hippies to get their tye-dyed panties in a bunch and start petitioning for our trails to be closed. Same thing with litter. Don't be "that guy." Not a bad idea to have a sealable container to catch spills should any occur.

4. Should you find yourself powering through one of those lovely water crossings, take it slow! If you power through it and have water splashing all over the place, there's a good chance it will get into your engine via the intake and you'll flood the enging and stall. If you do stall, DON'T TRY TO START THE TRUCK!!! You can (And probably will) hydrolock the engine. You'll most likely have to pull the spark plugs first and bump the starter to eject the water from the top of the pistons (Those in the know, please elaborate here...I'm not entirely sure how this works). You'll also probably want to drain and replace the oil. Bottom line, don't try to cross any water that you don't think you'll make it through. Test it first with a stick or branch and avoid the situation in the first place.

5. Don't let your ego write checks your rig can't cash. If you don't think you can do it, DON'T. It will probably save you a lot of heartache and money!

Now, I'm not a mud guy anymore. I've already lost a transmission and a radiator to the slime. Cost me quite a bundle. But for those who are, you can do this every weekend if you want, just make sure you earmark some time to maintain your vehicle afterwards. When you get home from a good romp in the mud, powerwash the truck from top to bottom. If left unchecked, that black mud WILL stain your paint. Also, jack the truck up and spend a good amount of time powerwashing the undercarriage and the axles and suspension. When you're done, grease everything with a grease fitting. If you're submerging your differentials, be sure to change the gear lubricant once in awhile (The more time you spend in the mud, the more often you should be doing this). This also applies to your transmission fluid, transfer case fluid, and of course, engine oil and coolant. Periodically inspect your drive shafts, especially if they are double cardans or CVs. Mud can destroy universal joints if they aren't maintained (Greased).

Going off road is a blast. Just use your head. Never go alone and don't be an idiot. Welcome to the club!

[Mulletbird]

Mudding is definitely fun. Now, as far as 4Lo, I've only used it once (on solid ice, and I just couldn't move without low). I've heard if you don't use it, you will lose it, so I just occasionally (every 2-3 months) shift into 4lo, let it engage the electrical side, and then back to 2h or 4h. However, it is there for when you get stuck in 4H, which with the looks of those tires, you could do rather easily. Personally, I'd go get a beefier tire if I were you (even my street cooper discoverer ATR tires are a bit beefier than it looks like your tires are, the SST's are real nice) - something with deeper treads to help give you some bite. Nothing wild like Mickey Thompson or Super Swampers, but yeah.

[GP99GT]

4 low is for when youre stuck....i use it all the time when plowing in dually dump body F550s...they suck in the snow

[bad64chevelle]

79 T/A Pretty much hit it dead on. Be smart about it and it will be fun. Ive used 4low a few times in my Ram, but I was really really stuck. Always remember when entering into any mud hole, puddle...that there could have been some prick with 44" swampers who went through there and just dug some ruts, so if you go flying into them, remember not only can you suck up some water, but you could come to a nice abrupt stop to which you are high centered (or worse) and wont be getting out without some help. Just be smart, there is always that one hole thats a bit deeper than you thought that drops off to about 4' deep, or the trail you thought was solid really wasnt and you find yourself sinking to the axles....ask me how I know those two Have fun doing it, its really a blast but just be careful.

[ta350]

if you ever wanna go out in wharton let me and ls14good know... we live right there and have been off roading there for years, ls14good knows all the trails like its his hometown... well it is sorta lol

[LS1 4Good]

Originally Posted by ta350

if you ever wanna go out in wharton let me and ls14good know... we live right there and have been off roading there for years, ls14good knows all the trails like its his hometown... well it is sorta lol

hahah i spend so much time off road it isn't even funny.. like 14 hours in early february LOL long story but really funny. (I started dating my gf cuz of this incident hahaha) anyway.. I've always went by the rule of don't use 4wd unless it's absolutely necessary. Basically try not to cruise in 4wd when you aren't in any mud or sugar sand. I don't even use it until I get stuck (more fun that way). There are a bunch of nice places you will find out there like apple pie hill and hidden lakes. I'd be willing to ride along and show you the trails. Unfortunately I just got rid of my truck for a GTO so I can't wheel with you.

One more thing.. Wheeling can get expensive! Like stated above.. Make sure you do NOT try to go through anything that you aren't sure you can make it through if you can't afford to fix your truck if something breaks.

[Mulletbird]

Also, I'd recommend getting a winch. Or at least make sure you have good places front AND back to strap to another truck (that can take the weight of your own truck) so they can drag you out. I've been up in the "mud pits" (very good description btw - my truck framed out because I was in 4H and just dug right through the mud like quicksand) and had to get pulled out - if I didn't have a good/accessible place to attach a strap, I would've had to call a tow truck (and they probably wouldn't come out, either).

Here's my friend's truck, stuck in the mud:


If he can get a 4x4 with BFG M/T's, and a 3/5 lift stuck in the mud, you can get your truck stuck. Believe me.

[r0nin89]

If I were you I'd stay away from holes in Lacy and Sarco if you've heard of those spots. Every year us kids feel the need to out-do each other and build bigger and bigger trucks and every year the wholes get deeper and deeper as said. This is the reason I dont like mud too much. I'm on 36in Super Swamper TSL's with a 4" lift and I've had water in my cab before. 44in Tires are not uncommon anymore and the ruts even less uncommon.

As for the cold water on the hot engine I've always wondered if it could ever cause damage. Alas being a dumb kid I just said F it and nothing bad has ever come of it.

On the 4lo topic. The best uses of 4lo are A) Pulling something B) Good down hill control on a surface where the brakes would lock you up and slide C) Uphill climbs where you have traction D) Rockcrawling (doubt you'll ever see rocks in NJ though). I use 4lo all the time when I wheel simply because its ridiculously low and in my truck 4lo + granny gear equals gobs and gobs of torque.

Just some general tips would be:
If you think the hole is deep, chances are its deeper. Back half way in first theres no motor back there to hydrolock.

Getting stuck sucks but it happens. Have good pull points FRONT AND REAR. A hitch with a pintle hook in it is the best removable method for the rear. The front is a real toss up but is definitely necessary. If you dont put fronts on you'll get to a point where you'll say "Damn it this would be 1000x easier if I could pull from the front."

Bigger is NOT better. I still regret lifting my truck so much. I'd love to have it lifted an inch on 34in tires but you cant really go backwards. Your front suspension is independent. Not really ideal for off road but is totally usable. I had an IFS truck and from experience don't ever let anyone tell you cranking the torsion(idk if that truck is torsion of coil) bars for lift is ok. Also dont waste your time and blow a lot of money of whats know as a bracket lift 4"-6" it makes your frame and front suspension weaker.

If your going to lift it put on a leveling kit and some 30x9.5s or 31's BFG AT's and MT's are both a good choice for the road and so are Goodyear MTR's.

Have fun and stay away from jeepers :P

[r0nin89]

Btw I can tell you were offroading cause your front plate is screaming to come off.

[miketa95]

for now I'm going to stay real soft core with the off roading. I just bought the truck so I'm out a lot of cash. Right now the main thing I wanted was one of those spacers for the front so it doesn't "lean forward." Maybe in a year or so I was thinking about getting a 3-4 inch lift/some beefier tires if the financial situation allows for it.

[Tru2Chevy]

Originally Posted by r0nin89

Have fun and stay away from jeepers :P

Jerk.....

- Justin

[HeadlessNorseman]

Having 2 come-alongs and a lot of chain/tow straps is really handy if you cant afford a winch. And the key to not breaking anything is to go slowwwww as possible, but the key to not getting stuck is to not stop or spin wheels. This is where 4 lo can help. Much easier to go slow without riding on/off the slippage point of the converter. I try to avoid mud whenever possible. If you cant see the bottom = no go for me. And like said above, only use 4wd when you need it. If you have an LSD/locker and decent tires you wont even need it 95% of the time. Maybe a little less so in a pickup thou. I had a 4runner with 31s and a ton of stuff in the back and i hardly ever needed 4wd. BTW that 3.0 v6 is not nearly enough to pull that truck around. It was stupid slow and had no pulling power at all

[7998]

Alot of good advice esp. 79T/A. Watch out for the water holes some of them are really deep. I always destroyed my trucks taking them muddin, but damn it is fun.

[79T/A]

Have fun and stay away from jeepers :P

Boooooo!

[r0nin89]

Originally Posted by miketa95

for now I'm going to stay real soft core with the off roading. I just bought the truck so I'm out a lot of cash. Right now the main thing I wanted was one of those spacers for the front so it doesn't "lean forward." Maybe in a year or so I was thinking about getting a 3-4 inch lift/some beefier tires if the financial situation allows for it.

Leveling kit I would go for. 3-4in lift not way in hell. Like I said with CVs theres just too much geometry problems. Your best bet would be a leveling kit, and maybe do a 1 or 2" body the right way and throw some 31 or 33's on it. Money saved on a showy lift kit can be spent on a nice rear locker. Lockers are what really get you places.

[sweetbmxrider]

offroading....yeah enjoy that.

[HeadlessNorseman]

while were on the topic, is there any good places to go in monmouth county? I know of 2 spots, both illegal but ive never been bothered. One in wall twp and one in tinton falls

[79T/A]

There is NOWHERE legal to go wheeling in New Jersey except for the Pine Barrens. I'm a member of a Jeep club, and some of our members are working feverishly to try and change that a little, but unless it's private land that you have permission to be on, the state rangers will find you and ticket you. It's a real shame too as there are a ton of places with good wheeling potential in this state.

I urge anyone into wheeling to resist the urge to wheel illegally. Every time someone is caught doing this, it's another piece of ammo for the liberal tree-hugging granola eaters. If you gotta have a fix, head for a legal park (Such as Rausch Creek in PA, which is pretty much the only game in town right now). Our public wheeling spots are closing all over the country (The Hammers in CA, Tellico in TN, there's even rumor that some trails may close in Moab, UT, the wheeling capital of the US). If you do go to the Pines, be responsible. Okay, enough

[miketa95]

Originally Posted by Mulletbird

Mudding is definitely fun. Now, as far as 4Lo, I've only used it once (on solid ice, and I just couldn't move without low). I've heard if you don't use it, you will lose it, so I just occasionally (every 2-3 months) shift into 4lo, let it engage the electrical side, and then back to 2h or 4h.

Today I tried to engage 4lo on my driveway just to test it and i think it doesn't work. It says on the 4wd shifter to put the parking break on, so i did that, i shifted up to neutral and put the transmission in neutral then when i tried to put it into 4lo all you hear is a grinding noise and i couldn't get it anywhere but neutral. Thinking I was doing it wrong, i put the truck in park and tried again with the same result. Then with the truck in park it wont go back into 2hi, i have to put it back in neutral. Is my truck broken or am i doing something wrong? If it's broken luckily it's still under warranty.