Colorado County Roads and Forrest Roads

Hello all!

I recently moved from Missouri to Colorado and have loved having places to get the 4Runner into! However I had a couple simple questions about y’all’s preferences.

The roads I mainly drive on out here are county roads or Forrest roads with hard packed sandy soil with large partially exposed boulders and rocks making up the surface. Also many surface level unpacked golf ball to softball sized rocks on top. Makes for a very bumpy ride.

Now maybe I baby my rig more than I should. It’s pretty much stock except for some 265/70/17 at3w tires. However I see stock tacomas and Subarus cruising down some of these roads. I’m talking wayyyy faster than I’d want to go. What gives? Am I too nice to my rig or are people out here freaking crazy!?

I have aired down the at3ws from 35 to about 22psi and that made a world of difference. I was able to comfortably do 15-20 instead of 5 lol Sure doesn’t seem like anyone else is doing this tho.

Also, as a novice off roader, I’ve been wondering if I should use 4 high when these hard packed roads start getting bigger rocks, ruts, and holes. I wouldn’t need to because I’m breaking traction in 2wd, more so to help the front tires lift themselves over obstacles. Do yall have any experience in conditions like these?

 

You're probably going easy on it. I mean I don't go fast if there are golf ball or softball size rocks, but on those hard packed forest service roads grated with gravel I go 60 normally. In 4H to keep good grip when turning, but not aired down. On the badly rutted roads you mention 20-25 is probably ok and airing down should not be necessary.

 

Thanks for the input! There is no way I’d do 60 on these roads hahah! I’m not saying it’s wrong just not comfortable with that in my rig yet. You do that bone stock? Is there any harm in airing down to 25psi or so for the added comfort?

 

Change of speed changes frequency. There is a sweet spot where these roads seem to magically smooth out.

 

I routinely use 4 low in similar terrain but in a higher gear like S3 or S4. Less work for the transmission and I'm not going fast anyway. Once you get the feel for your rig the rest will be fairly obvious.

 

I am highly modded now, but I have done it that way with stock suspension and 285's(I drove right from the dealer to discount tire) when I first bought it. You will get a feel for it over time and become more comfortable with driving those roads and how they handle. As @Agent_Outside mentioned, it actually can get smoother with speed and becomes more comfortable to drive.

There is no harm in airing down other than inconvenience, but at 25psi I don't think you are low enough to gain full benefit either. You probably would feel full benefit around 15-20psi to get more tire cushion and conformity. If it's roads that subarus are doing quickly though you probably just need to get more comfortable with driving the terrain and you will naturally understand how to drive it more efficiently. I guarantee subarus aren't airing down. I have rarely ever had to air down unless it was extremely rocky technical crawling type terrain.

 

Sometimes slower is better, even if others are flying by. This spring I was cruising along at 30 on a nice dirt road in Canyonlands when I suddenly went fully airborne (although not very far). I had just crossed a little drainage cut that had barely perceptible launch ramps on either side that made it look like only a gentle rise. Fortunately, I didn't gain enough altitude to bottom out on landing, but it inspired me to decelerate a bit.

 

I am cautious about airing down that much except in deep sand. Airing down a lot gets the side wall closer to the road surface which is the purpose of airing down, and if that road surface has sharp broken rocks you may get a sidewall flat, which pretty much ruins the tire. We have those kinds of roads here: limestone surface containing sharp fractured chert stones. On one vehicle with 8 ply tires I got a sidewall puncture. I've see vehicles with two flats.

But maybe the roads where you are just have nice smooth, round friendly rocks

 

Thanks for all the input! Anyone have thoughts about using 4wd to help climb steeper rocks and ledges with ease? Truck can do it in 2wd obviously but is it easier in the front suspension to help lift itself rather than “slam” into and over obstacles?

 

Use it: better traction, less slipping around, more even wear on tires, etc.

 

I switch to 4hi as soon as I leave pavement - 4hi gives you better control and damages road less due to less slippage. Besides you need to keep transfer case lubricated and drive minimum 10 miles a month in 4 hi but I guess more is better.

 

4 mph or 40 mph

 

We live in Central Wis., on a gravel road, and the roads you're describing are 99% of the roads we go "exploring" on. 1st, on the gravel roads that surround us we might go 35 mph, no matter what we're in, the 4Runner to my beater Trailblazer to my dump truck. I've seen rock/stones flying off vehicles tires going the
"gravel road speed limit", which here in Wis. is 45mph, causing cracked windshields and dings in body panels. I've also looked at friends vehicles that like to do the gravel road speed limit, looks like a sand blasting occurred on their vehicles, not my problem I guess. As for the roads with rocks like you're describing, we run 275-70-17 LT tires, 10 ply rating, we had a rock related flat once and ever since ran 10 ply tires, don't air down unless we're hill climbing or doing heavy deep sand running, then it's to about 28psi. While we are not hardcore off-roading our 4Runner this is the formula we use and it works for us. Good luck out there in Colorado.

 

Go do MSV/Coney flats and see how many subies are back there, the gatekeeper will keep them all out. Colorado trails aren't really made for speed anyway, generally they are old narrow mining roads. Save the speed for the desert when you can see what is coming at you and not around a blind corner on a shelf road.