Give me a driver with a LOT of off-road, 4x4 experience and they can estimate how far to go with a 2WD; any 2WD. In fact, the best time ever was off roading with a tiny Japanese rental SUV. "4 wheel drive will just get you farther before you get stuck" is an old wives tale repeated by people who have never been hard core enough to understand the dynamics of off road. The secret is meeting the edge of stuck, over and over again. In my 1.5 million miles driving some kind of four wheel drive, only a small fraction of those miles were actually in 4WD. The better my technique got out in the goo, snow, or the rocks, the less I actually used 4WD, instead relying on my experience to "feel" and massage the traction and put the tires in exactly the right place to have dependable forward motion. With experience you know when to stop: just before you get stuck. Here's the partial list of 4-byes:
1949 Willys Ute Wagon with Chevy V8, SOA, and overdrive.
1966 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ-40 with factory PTO winch.
1970 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ-55 with Chevy V8, Power Lok, and Warn 8K winch
1973 Jeep J-4000 Gladiator Pickup. sturdy drivetrain.
1980 International Traveller, 118" w.b. with factory Nissan 3.3L turbo diesel, tracklocs, SOA and T-19.
1982 Jeep CJ-8, SOA with only the tub and most of the frame stock original. About a dozen roll overs.
1989 Jeep XJ, Renix 4.0L, I-6
1990 Jeep XJ, Renix 4.0L, I-6 (rolled this one off a cliff in Telluride, CO)
1999 Jeep XJ, MPI 4.0L, I-6 with lockers and a 3" lift
2001.5 Dodge 2500 4x4 Cummins with True Tracs, both ends.
2004 Nissan Murano SE package with the maximum traction additives.
2008 Kioti 4WD, 35 HP, 3 cyl, normally aspirated diesel tractor with foot pedal rr locker.
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with actual low range.
jefe