How do you off-road?

Random question but here we go!

I was doing some beach driving on the 4x4 only section of St Augustine beach beach driving.

I did parts of it in 4H and others in 4L with Locker and A-trac on and sand mode.

just out of curiosity, what would be better to avoid getting stuff in sand or mud.

would it be, roll in 4L or even 4H and if you do get stuck then turn on A-Trac and the locker or should you already be in those modes and hopefully it cuts down on your changes to get stuck?

I just drove 6 hours home and it was on my mind the whole drive, just hope it makes sense to you all lol

 

A-TRAC and locker are only available in 4L and those are good to use/have at the ready before being stuck. Of course, both help prevent being stuck and help get you unstuck.

Momentum is key but of course mud can get dicey fast.

Just in case, airing down tires and turning off traction control (likely already done by sand mode) is most important on sand.

 

So if I’m cruising through let’s say miles of potentially deep sand. I should have all my available assist on and rolling to make sure I don’t get stuck.

Thanks!

 

2wd until I get stuck or can't get past something.

Unless it's super obvious I won't get past it then maybe put it in 4wd first.

 

Air down to 10 psi
4L and locker on before you even hit sand
A-Trac should be off
Keep a low gear and don't be afraid to hit redline.

Remember your engine and transmission prefer to rev, as that keeps the water pump, oil pump, and ATF pump spinning quickly, to avoid overheating.

 

Same. The 4R, with decent tires aired down to the appropriate pressure, is extremely capable in 2wd. So usually I’m in 2wd until I see a need to go to 4hi. Then I’ll shift to 4lo when I see the need to do so. I usually only use atrac and the locker if I get go through the obstacle without them or if it’ll be too sketchy to back up and I want to be safe and do it on the first try

 

thats always been my thinking as well. Something Learned as a kid in winter driving, the 4x4 is to get you out of the the mess, not get you into. I think it was really more, if you need 4 wheel drive to be driving in the weather, should you be driving. However, wen off roading, you need to know the limits of your ride in 2 or 4 hi/low, and use what needs to be used for the obstacle. Make sure it works before you need it, and why not use it if you think it will help keep you from getting stuck and spending time get unstuck.

 

Lots of sand driving in Florida. I've found that my transmission temps stay cooler in 4Lo, especially in thick stuff that's more than a couple miles.
On a side note: One practice people do here is try to get through obstacles in 2wd, just to say they've done it, but that helps erode the trail and in National and State Forests, that will get them closed down.

 

Are you trying to avoid getting stuck in mud/sand? A-Track is ok but if you have MTS set to mud or sand both allow for extra wheel spin because the idea is to clear mud from the tread blocks to claw your way out. If you don’t have MTS you could simply turn traction control off. Never go too slow in mud or start in 2WD as you may just end up getting stuck.

A good use case for A-trac is when you have wheels in the air or climbing steep grades with loose surfaces (or similar conditions where traction is required) so that you can force the tq to the wheel with the most grip.