How far can you get with a 2WD and a shovel?

Scrapdaddy

Adventurer
I know your question wasn't about 4wd, but I'd be looking at an older 4wd truck, etc. and not worry about the small difference in fuel mileage. You'll be a lot happier when trying to explore the back roads. High ground clearance and 4wd will take you trough all the back roads.
 

trasko

Adventurer
OP: You seem to want to "explore" with your vehicle but then not get a vehicle appropriate for exploring. I've learned over the years to stop trying to be more clever than everyone else and just use the right tool for the job. The right tool in this case is a 4x4 with low-range/transfer-case, real recovery points and decent clearance. Pretty much any 4x4 truck or SUV with a transfer-case is good. If you're heavily slanted towards fuel-efficiency then a Subaru is a very capable compromise.

Short of a Suby (or equivalent) or true 4x4 I really don't think you'll be satisfied with what you end up with.

I mean, the true answer as someone already said: you can take any Honda Civic or minivan anywhere you can get it. I've seen both in crazy places. But if you actually go on a couple of trips you'll quickly realize the stress and potential downsides of getting stuck/stranded/damage far outweigh the downsides of driving the proper vehicle.

My advice: use the right tool for the job.
 
I take my yj in the woods all the time in 2wd, sometimes I'm surprised where it will go, with that said, if you get stuck in the middle of nowhere, the tow bill will make up for the fuel you saved.
 

TJRICE3333

New member
Get what YOU think think will be fun and get out there. I've taken my 2wd drive Chevy Colorado on back roads from Montana to Maine, my Subaru Forester has been on trails from NJ to WI and my new Silverado 4wd has been in the woods from VT to WI. (All on various trips for each, not one big one!)

They obviously all have various capabilities but they were all fun. I've taken the Colorado thousands of miles off pavement and never had to get past 1/4 throttle in a sticky situation. In my humble opinion, anybody who drives off the beaten path like an idiot can/will get really stuck or tear up a trail in a ************ 4wd. A person who's practical and prepared can go really far in 2wd.

Got me thinking... my wife's "new" 2004 Volvo XC70 hasn't seen dirt since we got it last summer... I know what we're doing this weekend!
 

SnowedIn

Observer
The question is how far you'll get with 2wd and a shovel; I'd honestly take a pair of Maxtrax over a shovel if it came down to one or the other.
 

broncobowsher

Adventurer
Growing up it was amazing where I could take a '78 camaro on 205 street tires. A gutles 305 V8 and 2.41 highway gears kept from ever putting any good torque to the ground which kept the tires from ever breaking loose and spinning. Mushy 70's suspension also helped keep even ground pressure on the wheels.

But if it got stuck a shovel would have been all but useless. Something like Maxtrax would be way more effective. Digging holes doesn't help when you are already in a hole. It's hard to fill a hole when there is a tire stuck in it.
 

DRTYTOY

Observer
I'm assuming you still live in Tucson by your profile. Tucson has some great trails pretty close to town that I wouldn't bring any thing 2wd on. Maby buy a cheap car and a decent dirt bike? You could use the car to tow the bike close to the trail. Just my opinion.
 

comptiger5000

Adventurer
The better you know the terrain you'll be exploring, the less vehicle you can get away with. If I'm going somewhere new, I'd rather have a bit more vehicle than I expect to need just in case things aren't quite what I expect.
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
I drive a jku rubicon for work and occasionally a patriot with the offroad package thingy. So far the patriot has gone everywhere the rubi has except one truly awful old atv track. Fact is, there are very few places you need the full capablity of something like a wrangler. I will say fuel economy on the Patriot is less than impressive.

The off road package on the pat is the cause of the piss poor mileage. I have a 2015 without it, and it's MUCH better. I have had a 2010 with it and the CVT is JUNK. to the OP, do NOT buy a CVT equipped patriot. they are terrible. Buy the 6sp auto, and add the skid plates and maybe the transmission cooler from the FD II package. As an owner of both, you can get into some pretty creative places with the pat. Much better than a CRV, rav and on par with the Subaru setups. There is a small lift available, as well as a winch mount for the front if you feel the need. I off road a lot here, I used to own a Wrangler with lift 33s etc and the patriot is more than enough for our off roading needs.
 

WestBoundDave

Observer
I had VW Brasilia in Bolivia.
Same platform as VW beetle (the old one). Rear wheels, no diffs, independent suspension. Plenty of clearance, and fairly light, and good tires. I got to places where even 4x4 had trouble to get into (jungle, mountains etc). It would slide over mud, float over water, jump over rocks. I loved it. However it was a workhorse, no heating, no air, everything manual, no good seals. No electronic assistance for anything. Could be fixed with bit of wood and wire. Air cooled engine so no water issues. It was like driving kubelwagen, which actually had lots of common with it. Only problem I got, was that eventually all driving on bad roads started to show up in metal fatigue, started getting cracks here and there.
Got stuck in river beds now and then, but that was due to wrong air pressure, I did not know much about air pressure then. Here are some pics from Amazon jungle on my way to Noel Kempff National Park, getting stuck crossing dry river beds, fixing bend steering rod, and up in the Andes
Jeste Kousek kurnik.JPGkurva tudy cesta nevede.JPGVvw38.jpgVW05.jpgVW07.jpgVW09.jpgVW17.jpg
 

NevadaLover

Forking Icehole
I had VW Brasilia in Bolivia.
Same platform as VW beetle (the old one). Rear wheels, no diffs, independent suspension. Plenty of clearance, and fairly light, and good tires. I got to places where even 4x4 had trouble to get into (jungle, mountains etc). It would slide over mud, float over water, jump over rocks. I loved it. However it was a workhorse, no heating, no air, everything manual, no good seals. No electronic assistance for anything. Could be fixed with bit of wood and wire. Air cooled engine so no water issues. It was like driving kubelwagen, which actually had lots of common with it. Only problem I got, was that eventually all driving on bad roads started to show up in metal fatigue, started getting cracks here and there.
Got stuck in river beds now and then, but that was due to wrong air pressure, I did not know much about air pressure then. Here are some pics from Amazon jungle on my way to Noel Kempff National Park, getting stuck crossing dry river beds, fixing bend steering rod, and up in the Andes
View attachment 413410

Now that's cool! Looks like a modified squareback front end, and I agree about the offroad prowess of veedubs, there was an old guy here in town for years that hunted and prospected all over the state in a bug he converted to a flatbed, it was pretty cool and the old fart saw more of this country than just about every one of these fools driving around in their big jacked up bro trucks ever will, it's all about getting out there, not about how you get there or what you get there in, if you only have 2wd then go and be careful but for gods sake go!
 

Happy Joe

Apprentice Geezer
David.L; nice 2wd, though bumpy, roads...(the sand would likely be fun)...

Personally; I have always viewed getting back safely, under my own power, as the more important...
Where cell service is nonexistent you either make it work or are dependent on the kindness of strangers...(better have good walking shoes).

Enjoy!
 
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unkamonkey

Explorer
Yes, you can get an old VW into places you probably should not be. They do slide across mud well and at times I had to stand outside of the door and stomp on the floor to take out the bends that going over too big of a rock caused. I did tow a Scout for a bit on a mountain trail, he broke an axle shaft and we needed to get him out of the way. Fun, 3 people, all of our camping gear and a large dog in a 1964 VW. We made it home.
 

rruff

Explorer
You can off-road quite a bit with a one-legger. You'll learn a great deal about picking a careful line, conservation of energy and momentum, some finesse with the throttle etc etc. And about getting unstuck. I think it's a great way to learn how to drive off-road. You'll be more cautious and do less damage that way, too.

Good Times.

I lived in a loaded down 2wd '84 Toyota pickup for 13 years (and ~150k miles) and spent most of my time in the wilderness, far from humans.

Air down for sand. Way down (near flat). It works really well.
Momentum. I had no skids or armor of any kind, but managed to bash my way over steep rocky trails on many occasions. The underneath of the truck looked like hell (including big dents in the oil pan and gas tank), but nothing ever broke. YMMV.
The clutch was my low range gear. I wished for a lower gear. I had a 5spd, but 1st was still way too high. I slipped the clutch a lot, but surprisingly it lasted 200k miles before it needed replacement. No joke.
Avoid mud and ice. I camped in the west. S AZ and Baja in winter, west coast mountains in summer. Sunny, pleasant, and little rain all year. If you are east of the Rockies, I feel sorry for you.... ;)
 

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