Off-roading order of operations

[9zero1790]

Is there a constantly recommended tire that will still ride decent highway? I have a bit of a commute and have seen some AT tires ride better than other hwy but still offer decent off-road ability.

Generally the more off road worthy the less highway friendly a tire is. But some mild all terrain tires really will do well off road. Cooper bf goodrich and falken all offer a good in between tire. My favorite is the bfg ko2. People can argue over tires until they fall dead but the bfg all terrains have a well proven record. They are almost always in the top 3 of a/t tire comparisons. I run them and love them. But admit on hwy in the rain im not as confident in them.

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[GTGallop]

don't go alone if you can help it, have a plan, and don't be afraid to turn around if you are unsure/don't feel safe. Your skills will improve with time, but you need to make it home for that to happen

Added emphasis is my doing - but YES! Couldn't agree more. I turned around just this weekend. Calculations of remaining time before check in, available time to enjoy destination, daylight, and road conditions all pointed to increasing risk and decreasing rewards. I folded up shop and backed out. It's a great way to preserve the fun you had.

 

[Friday yet?]

Yeah, I won't pretend to know what magic the servers for this forum do along the way, but the end result is nowhere near what I see on my PC with the original file. You should be able to use the facebook link I provided, which does a reasonable job of reproducing. I think with the FB link you can even see the rain that was picking up as we did this section. A few minutes later it started coming down hard and then didn't let up very much for the next 24 hours. This was a remnant of the same storm that caused massive flooding in Nevada and Arizona. We got off easy with just a single washout. Here's a pic of the section that washed out about 30 minutes after we went over it.

Here we are going over it.

And here is why we went - after 24 hours of rain we hiked up above the lake and got this vista:

What's the tongue weight? Assume it negates a bit of your front traction when in 4x4?

 

[ProtonDecay]

What's the tongue weight? Assume it negates a bit of your front traction when in 4x4?

Heh, oh yeah - as the video shows, we were pulling the front off the ground going over the obstacles with the rear axles. That slope was around 10 degrees. We've pulled 15 degrees as measured inside the truck off-road where the road is fairly even, but very slowly; any steeper and I'd be getting the winch out.

I don't have an actual tongue weight of the trailer, but here are some weights from a local CAT scale. Without the trailer the truck weight with all the toys and a full tank of petrol comes in at 3038 front + 2646 rear = 5684 (with just me, normally better half is along, so figure a bit more)....with the trailer connected and the weight distributing bars raised up I get 2928 front + 3136 rear + trailer wheels 5760 for a GCW = 12003. This is a 4W SuperCab with a GCWR of 12,500, but still a bit closer than I'd like.

We're running 285/70 r17's with Icon +25 offset wheels and full Icon suspension, plus we have airbags to level the truck when towing off-road (airbags negate the WDH so we don't use when on-road)

Now, you might quickly surmise that the truck weight has only gone up by 254 lbs and think "wow, that's not enough weight on the tongue", but remember that the WDH is moving about half of the tongue weight back to the trailer (still low by conventional wisdom). But, the trailer has timbren suspension and is very well sorted in terms of weight distribution (not all BS trailers are like this, but the HQ15 is amazingly well designed).

I have to admit I was kind of white knuckled the first time we got out on I 80 in Nevada doing low 60's mph and had not only trucks blowing by us at the 80 mph speed limit but also a healthy side wind of around 30 mph, but the combination was rock solid, to the point that I no longer even think about it (I do however keep speed at or below 62 even when the limit is 80 or higher).

One change I did have to make for towing is the trailer brakes. We got too hot with the stock trailer drum brakes and ended up overheating the truck brakes a couple of times. I switched out to disc brakes on the trailer and now it can come down steep grades without issue.

 

[12Bravo20]

Generally the more off road worthy the less highway friendly a tire is. But some mild all terrain tires really will do well off road. Cooper bf goodrich and falken all offer a good in between tire. My favorite is the bfg ko2. People can argue over tires until they fall dead but the bfg all terrains have a well proven record. They are almost always in the top 3 of a/t tire comparisons. I run them and love them. But admit on hwy in the rain im not as confident in them.

So very true. I have ran the BFG KO2 tires on my 97 F150 and my 2002 Jeep Liberty. They are great ff road tires but are not so great on the highway. The KO2's did not do so well during heavy rain storms on asphalt roads.

I ran the Falken Wildpeak AT tires on my 2016 Jeep Cherokee and they did pretty good off road and deep snow. They also did great on wet pavement during heavy rain storms. When I get around to replacing the craptastic factory Hankook tires, I will be going with the Falken Wildpeak AT3 tires.

If you do a lot of off roading then look at getting a good MT tire. But if you don't get into the nasty stuff very often and want a good tire for paved roads, then get a good AT tire.

Tires can make a difference. I've seen 2WD vehicles get through stuff with good tires where a 4WD with worn out or crappy tired would get stuck. Another aspect of that is also driver's skill level too.

Even when driving Humvee's and other military vehicles, I would hardly ever use 4 or 6 wheel drive unless it was actually needed. I hardly ever used 4L in the Humvee the entire time I was in the Army. And that was to get up some extremely steep and muddy hills. The clay in Germany was some of the worse as far as being both slick as ice and clinging to everything.

IF yo want a vehicle that is extremely hard to get stuck (without being a tracked vehicle) then you will want an old Deuce and a Half truck. Short of swamping the engine, they are hard to get stuck.

I do like others and will exercise the 4WD system at least once a month. Otherwise I don't go into 4H or even 4L until I need to.

Most of my off-road experiences are from mudding through the swampy bottom lands along the Mississippi river as a teenager or while in the Army. I was also trained in vehicle recovery ops while in the Army too. I recovered everything from Humvee's up to M1 tanks and everything in between.

 

[mtbikernate]

So very true. I have ran the BFG KO2 tires on my 97 F150 and my 2002 Jeep Liberty. They are great ff road tires but are not so great on the highway. The KO2's did not do so well during heavy rain storms on asphalt roads.

I ran the Falken Wildpeak AT tires on my 2016 Jeep Cherokee and they did pretty good off road and deep snow. They also did great on wet pavement during heavy rain storms. When I get around to replacing the craptastic factory Hankook tires, I will be going with the Falken Wildpeak AT3 tires.

If you do a lot of off roading then look at getting a good MT tire. But if you don't get into the nasty stuff very often and want a good tire for paved roads, then get a good AT tire.

Tires can make a difference. I've seen 2WD vehicles get through stuff with good tires where a 4WD with worn out or crappy tired would get stuck. Another aspect of that is also driver's skill level too.

Even when driving Humvee's and other military vehicles, I would hardly ever use 4 or 6 wheel drive unless it was actually needed. I hardly ever used 4L in the Humvee the entire time I was in the Army. And that was to get up some extremely steep and muddy hills. The clay in Germany was some of the worse as far as being both slick as ice and clinging to everything.

IF yo want a vehicle that is extremely hard to get stuck (without being a tracked vehicle) then you will want an old Deuce and a Half truck. Short of swamping the engine, they are hard to get stuck.

I do like others and will exercise the 4WD system at least once a month. Otherwise I don't go into 4H or even 4L until I need to.

Most of my off-road experiences are from mudding through the swampy bottom lands along the Mississippi river as a teenager or while in the Army. I was also trained in vehicle recovery ops while in the Army too. I recovered everything from Humvee's up to M1 tanks and everything in between.

I didn't do military time, but I grew up in a military family. Military Humvees are beasts off-road. I got to ride in them occasionally. Uncomfortable as hell, but seriously capable.

When I worked for the USFS, the fire crew got their 6wd engine stuck on a fairly mellow sand road in northern MI. That was pretty funny and the recovery was pretty tough. They had somehow managed to find a patch of quicksand and just buried that thing. They had to get another big 6wd engine out there to pull it out.

I learned to drive 4wd vehicles back when I worked for the USFS. I grew up a flat-land city kid with nothing but 2wd vehicles (which did make me comfortable driving a lot of stuff in just 2wd). My father adamantly refused to buy a 4wd pickup or SUV (he still does), even though 4wd would have helped him to pull his boat out of the water on gravel ramps at minimum. I got a pretty tough crash course in how to drive 4wd when I started working for the USFS and my daily vehicle was a big lifted 4wd suburban in southern Utah.

For what I do, the Hankooks have been okay. I definitely stay away from sketchy stuff when it's sloppy. But I will be shopping for better tires as they get worn out. I do debate on sizing up a touch (without messing with the suspension or a level or anything) when I do that, as well.

 

[Friday yet?]

So very true. I have ran the BFG KO2 tires on my 97 F150 and my 2002 Jeep Liberty. They are great ff road tires but are not so great on the highway. The KO2's did not do so well during heavy rain storms on asphalt roads.

I ran the Falken Wildpeak AT tires on my 2016 Jeep Cherokee and they did pretty good off road and deep snow. They also did great on wet pavement during heavy rain storms. When I get around to replacing the craptastic factory Hankook tires, I will be going with the Falken Wildpeak AT3 tires.

If you do a lot of off roading then look at getting a good MT tire. But if you don't get into the nasty stuff very often and want a good tire for paved roads, then get a good AT tire.

Tires can make a difference. I've seen 2WD vehicles get through stuff with good tires where a 4WD with worn out or crappy tired would get stuck. Another aspect of that is also driver's skill level too.

Even when driving Humvee's and other military vehicles, I would hardly ever use 4 or 6 wheel drive unless it was actually needed. I hardly ever used 4L in the Humvee the entire time I was in the Army. And that was to get up some extremely steep and muddy hills. The clay in Germany was some of the worse as far as being both slick as ice and clinging to everything.

IF yo want a vehicle that is extremely hard to get stuck (without being a tracked vehicle) then you will want an old Deuce and a Half truck. Short of swamping the engine, they are hard to get stuck.

I do like others and will exercise the 4WD system at least once a month. Otherwise I don't go into 4H or even 4L until I need to.

Most of my off-road experiences are from mudding through the swampy bottom lands along the Mississippi river as a teenager or while in the Army. I was also trained in vehicle recovery ops while in the Army too. I recovered everything from Humvee's up to M1 tanks and everything in between.

While I did sometimes work my MOS as a night vision (and other assorted electonic items) repair tech, I also cross trained in drinking beer, raising a bit of hell, laughing and generally having a pretty good time, along with probably setting some sort of record as to the amount of time spent being on TDY. ?

All in all I must have done a hell of a job as a soldier. I mean history supports me and all. While I was in, the USSR never invaded western Europe. And... while I was TDY all over the ROK (rough duty but somebody's got to do it) North Korea never invaded the ROK. Damn, more I think about it I did one hell of a job!

Hoorah!!!

 

[Shoran12]

So very true. I have ran the BFG KO2 tires on my 97 F150 and my 2002 Jeep Liberty. They are great ff road tires but are not so great on the highway. The KO2's did not do so well during heavy rain storms on asphalt roads.

I ran the Falken Wildpeak AT tires on my 2016 Jeep Cherokee and they did pretty good off road and deep snow. They also did great on wet pavement during heavy rain storms. When I get around to replacing the craptastic factory Hankook tires, I will be going with the Falken Wildpeak AT3 tires.

If you do a lot of off roading then look at getting a good MT tire. But if you don't get into the nasty stuff very often and want a good tire for paved roads, then get a good AT tire.

Tires can make a difference. I've seen 2WD vehicles get through stuff with good tires where a 4WD with worn out or crappy tired would get stuck. Another aspect of that is also driver's skill level too.

Even when driving Humvee's and other military vehicles, I would hardly ever use 4 or 6 wheel drive unless it was actually needed. I hardly ever used 4L in the Humvee the entire time I was in the Army. And that was to get up some extremely steep and muddy hills. The clay in Germany was some of the worse as far as being both slick as ice and clinging to everything.

IF yo want a vehicle that is extremely hard to get stuck (without being a tracked vehicle) then you will want an old Deuce and a Half truck. Short of swamping the engine, they are hard to get stuck.

I do like others and will exercise the 4WD system at least once a month. Otherwise I don't go into 4H or even 4L until I need to.

Most of my off-road experiences are from mudding through the swampy bottom lands along the Mississippi river as a teenager or while in the Army. I was also trained in vehicle recovery ops while in the Army too. I recovered everything from Humvee's up to M1 tanks and everything in between.

When exercising the 4wd system monthy, can you do that in your driveway while keeping the wheels straight? Is it advisable to also use the rear locker during this time? I imagine just going a few feet fwd and back may do the trick.

 

[Frenchy]

When exercising the 4wd system monthy, can you do that in your driveway while keeping the wheels straight? Is it advisable to also use the rear locker during this time? I imagine just going a few feet fwd and back may do the trick.

As long as the wheels are straight its fine but its still best to be on dirt of some sort. Even a simple dirt road near by

 

[12Bravo20]

When exercising the 4wd system monthy, can you do that in your driveway while keeping the wheels straight? Is it advisable to also use the rear locker during this time? I imagine just going a few feet fwd and back may do the trick.

You could but you really aren't working the system by doing that. Your best best is to find a dirt or gravel road (preferably fresh/loose gravel) and then run it through the ranges.

Most of the roads outside of town are gravel so I usually exercise the system on the way out to the local conservation area.

 

[Dereku]

Any recommendations on tires? I commute about 50 minutes to work so I would like to find one that will ride decent hwy and still be decent off road if possible.

falken wildpeak at3 i think is the name. Excellent manners all around especially wet and icy. Not too noisy on the highway. I plan on getting a touch narrower and taller than stock. Tire weight will stay the same so less of a mpg hit.

 

[Shoran12]

falken wildpeak at3 i think is the name. Excellent manners all around especially wet and icy. Not too noisy on the highway. I plan on getting a touch narrower and taller than stock. Tire weight will stay the same so less of a mpg hit.

Nice, you gonna use forscan to update the tire size for mph correction on your dash? I would mind going with a bigger tire but would like my speedometer to match.

 

[Dereku]

Nice, you gonna use forscan to update the tire size for mph correction on your dash? I would mind going with a bigger tire but would like my speedometer to match.

That or a tuner. Depends what I need/want first. Tuner is the want tires ill need soon.

 

[jblc]

I read on these forums, that changing tire size in forscan (to have speedometer match) causes other vehicle computer errors (CEL?) that can't be removed for some reason.
So, I haven't made those change yet.

Maybe that's been resolved since those threads...

 

[Friday yet?]

Life interrupted my response to 12Bravo20's post yesterday. It wasn't only my intention to reply with humorous bullshit. I know, shocker.

I've been enjoying this off roading thread. His post reminded me of Army off roading. In today's world we get all worked up about which tire, what shock, winch or no winch, what recovery gear, compressor or not, what beer... oh sorry, that was a slip up on my part. But in the Army we had what we had. In my Army world, our tactical electronic shops were in 35 foot semi trailers. We hauled those with either M52A2's or M818's trucks, 6x6 of course. Ol' skool Army trucks. Rag tops, always nice in the winter. ? 5 speed trans with 2 speed transfers. No fancy autos in those days. Nor did we have any in cab air down systems. Heck with the old "take your head off" split ring rims any air down was simply known as a flat. Nor did we have any fancy radial tires. Everything was the old bias ply with the universal military tread pattern. Don't know how to describe it but you've all seen it. In spite of all of that I was often amazed at where those trucks would drag those trailers, and do it with zero drama. Just put it in low range and go. Use some common sense obviously, but just go. Duals at times would be so packed with mud that it looked like the truck had fat mud brown single wheels, but it would just keep going.

Long time ago but not a doubt in my mind that militaries some where are still using those trucks. Just couldn't kill them. And they'd eat off road and never complain.

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