Two-Wheel Drive Ford Ranger's New $595 Off-Road Pkg Is Touted as a “Hell of a Deal”

[DaveInDenver]

Pretty blurry between what is a course and what is a trail...

IMO it is a different genre of offroading.

Definitely. Lots of regular dudes in the Southwest run deserts with built 2WD trucks. It's just a different hobby from guys with rocks and mountains that build rock crawlers. They are technically "trails" in that they are roads on BLM and state land rather than "trails" that are actually Forest Service roads. The real trails are what people hike, bicycle and take dirt bikes on.

 

[MOguy]

Pretty blurry between what is a course and what is a trail...

IMO it is a different genre of offroading.

maybe it's semantics but I think of a race course and race vehicle something completely different.

 

[MOguy]

Definitely. Lots of regular dudes in the Southwest run deserts with built 2WD trucks. It's just a different hobby from guys with rocks and mountains that build rock crawlers. They are technically "trails" in that they are roads on BLM and state land rather than "trails" that are actually Forest Service roads. The real trails are what people hike, bicycle and take dirt bikes on.

but like a race car their purpose built for particular activity. You could Overland on trails and Roads designed only for two wheel drive so I guess in that case that would be fine.

 

[MOguy]

Pretty blurry between what is a course and what is a trail...

IMO it is a different genre of offroading.

Pretty blurry between what is a course and what is a trail...

IMO it is a different genre of offroading.

defining a trail vs. course vs a road could be an interesting discussion. I think of a course as something you do a particular activity in a certain way.

 

[DaveInDenver]

but like a race car their purpose built for particular activity. You could Overland on trails and Roads designed only for two wheel drive so I guess in that case that would be fine.

That's the real truth about all of this, 90% of what we do recreationally in the U.S. can be done in a 2WD truck that has high clearance. I bet having a decent low first gear and a locker would push that up to 99% of trails/roads/whatever. I think it would be more losing low range than 4WD that would limit a truck like this.

 

[MOguy]

I deal capabilities and requirements for a living so I'm probably over thinking this.

 

[Buliwyf]

Your hard packed, easy dirt trail, and 95% of your overland travel, is perfectly fine for 2wd.........until it rains. Or snows. S10's and Ranger 2wd's are the reigning kings of upside down in a ditch during the winter around here. Tied with Prius's.

Wheelspin is heck on a trucks drivetrain. Sometimes I select 4wd, off road just to completely eliminate it, not because it's needed. Sharp gravel can eat tires when they slip. Ride can be a hair smoother in 4wd sometimes. I didn't bust my butt for all these years to settle for 2wd again.

 

[DaveInDenver]

You're right on every point @Buliwyf with one honorable mention. Here in Colorado it's typically 4WD SUVs that have flipped the greasy side up when it snows due to the "I have 4WD" syndrome. A 2WD pickup is self limiting since it's more difficult to over drive your brakes and high center of gravity if you can't get moving as easily in the first place.

 

[Buliwyf]

I'm betting they slid off the road. No weight transfer because stiff springs and no weight. Tires equal as cheap as a 2wd S10.

Hopefully the 2wd Ranger isn't that bad.

 

[Dougnuts]

I wouldn’t buy a 2wd truck. With that said, I did some ranching this spring on my parents land and was amazed at what my F150 (with the obvious help of computers) did in 2wd and the rear axle locked. For example, it crawled up a 13* grade covered in wet grass and the computers would pulse the brakes to help with traction and it kept climbing. I was shocked.

 

[LimaMikeMike]

That's the real truth about all of this, 90% of what we do recreationally in the U.S. can be done in a 2WD truck that has high clearance. I bet having a decent low first gear and a locker would push that up to 99% of trails/roads/whatever. I think it would be more losing low range than 4WD that would limit a truck like this.

I think it’s a regional thing, I used to see a pile of factory TRD prerunner tacomas for sale in the southwest US.
I’d get get excited about a really well priced Tacoma, only to have my hopes dashed when you read the description and figure out is RWD.
I don’t get it, but seems like others do.

 

[MOguy]

I think it’s a regional thing, I used to see a pile of factory TRD prerunner tacomas for sale in the southwest US.
I’d get get excited about a really well priced Tacoma, only to have my hopes dashed when you read the description and figure out is RWD.
I don’t get it, but seems like others do.

When I lived in SoCAL they were common. People would upgrade the suspension, flair out the fenders and but their spare tire in the bed of the truck. They could haul ass though the dessert, on dirt roads, trails, course or whatever. Speed and suspension travel was the goal, not traction. If you want to overland at a 100mph these are the vehicles you want to build.

 

[rho]

If there is hardcore rockcrawling then the 2wd stays home, otherwise they're more than able to do 99% of what we tell ourselves we need a 4x4 truck to do. Low range is the bigger thing IMO. But then again I'm in CA and its fairly dry out here.

 

[MOguy]

I hate tire spin, wears on tires, wears on the roads and trails and anybody or vehicle behind you. I run in 4wd much of the time when I am not on a paved road.

 

[Cackalak Han]

Only takes a 10-20 ft section of loose gravel, soft dirt, sand to totally stop you in 2wd. Dirt roads can be unpredictable. Maybe with a winch, several max trax, it'd be better, but 2WD wheeling just sounds like an oxymoron to me.