Newbie off roading questions

[crushinit]

First Jeep here (besides my WK2). Starting to get more confidence with going off roading but not sure of generally when to use what...I have a JLUR with stock wheels and 35” KO2’s and a Tazer.

Here is what I do when I leave the pavement:
Air down to high 20’s
Switch to 4h
If going 20 or above leave sway bar connected as it will reconnect anyway. Otherwise disconnect sway bar
Don’t bother going to 4l or using lockers unless on losing traction on a steep grade

Anything I could do to make my experience better or things to practice? Mainly going on easy/medium trails for now.

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[caged]

i always use 4wd when on the trail, this way it does not promote wheel spin.
i always air down, sometimes down to 15 if there are lots of rock/roots. it just makes for a much smoother ride.
i always disconnect the sway bars, again, for a much smoother ride experience.

as for lockers, i will generally leave the rear locked, and front when needed. just remember, locked front can get you into trouble, it's harder to tell when your front wheel is off the ground and climbing. if unlocked, all power will shift to wheel that has no traction, thus preventing forward movement that can make you flip over. always use a spotter.

if auto, use manual shift mode while offroading.

always listen to your spotter.

 

[Goin2drt]

Being new. ALWAYS go out with someone.

I air down to 18. I also just keep it in 2 wd if it is just a fire road. 4low for really slow technically stuff. Lockers come in only when can’t get over or through an obstacle.

I am also a newbie but going with experienced folks you learn a lot in very short order.

 

[DirtRoad]

If I'm pretty sure I'm not going to go over about 25 mph, I just put it in 4lo and leave it. For a pretty smooth fire road, I'll usually use 4hi as much to work out the 4wd as anything. It's good for it to get used once in a while.

You should be able to air down lower if you want. 20 psi or even a little less shouldn't increase your risk of losing a bead but that's up to you.

 

[caged]

if you go out with a group, (never go alone, as in just one jeep), and if you leave your tires at street pressure, you will only be slowing down the entire group. so do everyone a favor and air down.

also, it's proper etiquette to use your own gear if you were to get stuck. so bring along a 3 inch by 30 foot recovery strap and a couple 3/4 inch shackles.
never use chains. those only belong on tow trucks and no straps with hooks, only looped ends.

and when wheeling, always keep the guy behind you in your rear view mirror so you don't leave anyone behind if they were to get stuck/stopped.
invest in a cb radio

there are lots more, but this will get you started.

 

[kkuntz01]

As others have stated, never go out alone. If you get stuck, run out of gas it could be a long to get help. Also if things were go sideways (which they can) it could mean the difference between life and death. Of course having said that, should you ever choose to venture out alone (lets face it, people do it) make sure you have the skills and equipment to get yourself out of any bad situation you may get yourself into. Ideally in these situation you avoid getting into situations that put yourself at risk.

Speaking from my own personal experience I’ve gone out alone many times over the years, and while on the whole I’ve been lucky and always have gotten of the trail, there have been a couple of times where I almost didn’t. One situation that immediately come to mind is 10yrs when I was a total green horn not knowing anything about off reading and venturing off on a side trail in our Z71 Tahoe in the Black Hills. I saw a big mud pit and thought “I want to drive through that!” After what seemed like an eternity and lot of skinny pedal I finally managed to ease back out of the pit. More recently (last month) we had a scare running Top of the World in Moab. We start the trail with a half tank of gas, yet after we getting to the top and beginning our trek back down the fuel gauge was showing a 1/4 tank (mind you we had about 10 miles to get to the trail head and another 30-32 miles of driving in a canyon with no services). A short while later the fuel gauge dinged low fuel and we still had another 8 miles to the trail head and by this time the sun and already dropped below the horizon. After what seemed like an eternity we got the the trail head, shut down and started airing up the tires. After two of the tires were aired up I had to start the Jeep to give the battery a boost. A moment later I asked the wife to check the fuel gauge and much to our surprise it was registering over a 1/4 tank (yeah that whole gravity thing as the Jeep is decending over 3200 feet in elevation). For me, that served as a reminder that if I’m going out, always have a full tank of gas and if I’m going to travel to somewhere remote, be sure to carry extra gas.

Now as far as airing down, if all you are planning to run are planning on running are easy/moderate trails, 20psi should be fine, however you can realistically take it lower if you want (13-15psi easily). Going lower has two advantages, a better contact patch for your tire resulting in better traction when you need it as well as the side benefit of softening the ride. When I was on 35’s I ran 13psi regardless of the trail I was running and never had any complaints. Now that I’m on 37’s, I still run 13psi.

Now as far as 4H, 4L and lockers go, my 2¢ (and I’m sure people will disagree) is that it’s all dependent on the trail, terrain and conditions. Not every trail requires the use of 4WD. If it’s a simple forest road or two track on level terrain, with no loose soil, sand or mud 2WD might be sufficient (however if any of those conditions are met then it’s just a simple flick of a lever into 4H). Now once you start getting into terrain that has up and down grades, or starts to get a little technical you’ll want to make sure you’re in 4L. While it is possible in some situations to muscle through something in 4H, the extra torque generated being in 4L allows the vehicle to not have to work as hard ascending grades, crawling over rocks or up ledges or making use of its crawling ability and not having to use the brakes as much descending grades. With regards to the lockers, the best piece of advice I got from someone when I picked up my first Rubicon 9 years ago was to learn how to wheel before relying on your lockers. With so many people buying Rubicons, the factory lockers have become kind of a crutch with it being one of the first things people press before ever starting a trail (regardless of how easy or hard it is). The advice I was given when I first started out was to use the three strike rule. Make three attempts to get over an obstacle without your lockers (meaning trying different lines or different approaches), if after three attempts you can’t conquer without lockers, hit the switch and try it again. While this approach may not work for everyone, it’s something that has worked well for me and I’d like to think it’s helped improve my off road driving skills.

 

[caged]

my three strike rule, is you're going on the end of a strap, or you're pulling cable. we don't have all day.
but yes, lockers can help or hinder, so you better know how your vehicle works with and without them.
you can watch videos all day long that have newbs in rubi's locked, heading up hells revenge or the like, and suddenly going over backwards. thing is, when locked, it's hard to tell when your front end is in the air, your lockers will drive you up and over before you know it.
use a spotter, and listen and watch closely and do exactly what he/she tells you.

once you're seasoned with lockers, and offroading, you can usually choose your own line.

and have only one spotter giving you direction, too many telling different directions will get you into trouble quick.

kkuntz has a very good point. fuel up before heading out, whether you think you need it or not. don't head into the trail unless you have at least a full tank. you never know when you will be staying the night.

if you ever go out alone, do not try anything that may get you into trouble, unless you have the equipment and knowledge to get you out/back on four wheels or whatever. it's better to just turn around.

 

[coneklr]

I have a noob question (Jeep is the first 4WD I have owned). I went and did a moderate/easy trail today and I couldnt seem to figure out the right route going up. In CO, it can obviously be pretty steep and this was pretty rocky/rooty and I originally put it in 4L but was going at speeds that required me to shift into 2nd (manual rubicon). So because of this I figured, well I must be needing to be in 4H. But when I did this going around switchbacks if I wasn't slipping the clutch the Jeep kept wanting to die around the slower switchback turns. Should I have just left it in 4L?

 

[kkuntz01]

I have a noob question (Jeep is the first 4WD I have owned). I went and did a moderate/easy trail today and I couldnt seem to figure out the right route going up. In CO, it can obviously be pretty steep and this was pretty rocky/rooty and I originally put it in 4L but was going at speeds that required me to shift into 2nd (manual rubicon). So because of this I figured, well I must be needing to be in 4H. But when I did this going around switchbacks if I wasn't slipping the clutch the Jeep kept wanting to die around the slower switchback turns. Should I have just left it in 4L?

Yes

You can shift the transmission up as high as you need, though being in 4LO you’re not going to be going much faster than 25 or 30mph.

 

[coneklr]

Yes

You can shift the transmission up as high as you need, though being in 4LO you’re not going to be going much faster than 25 or 30mph.

Thank you! After I was down I thought about the trip up and thats what I was thinking. I had never shifted my Jeep into 4L prior to going up there, need to go do it a few times in a parking lot this week just to get used to it and get the jeep used to it.

 

[kkuntz01]

Thank you! After I was down I thought about the trip up and thats what I was thinking. I had never shifted my Jeep into 4L prior to going up there, need to go do it a few times in a parking lot this week just to get used to it and get the jeep used to it.

Yeah, depending on what you're doing you could very well do it in 4HI, however yeah as you learned you hit a point where the extra torque that being in 4LO provides is the defining moment of being able to continue or having to turn around with your tail between your legs.

I had that last part happen to me back in 2011 when we were running Yankee Boy Basin in our '11 Grand Cherokee. We were probably within 2000 feet of the end of the trail and I just couldn't make the Jeep go any further. I had run most of the trail in 4HI with the Hemi providing the grunt I needed. When I needed 4LO I ran into in an issue trying to get the transfer case to shift so I gave up and pushed on hoping the Hemi would overcompensate for the lack of 4LO. I got to that defining moment where the Jeep just wouldn't go any further. Being in 4HI the TCS system was still partially engaged and with the rock surface wet and slipper from the light rain that was falling I was basically wasn't going to go anywhere. I might have been able to push it and make it up, however being in a fully loaded GC with my pregnant wife and 10yo son it wasn't worth the risk.

Pic for visual, I was hung up near the top of the grade where the trail hooks to the right.

 

[caged]

in 4 low, you can start off in 2nd or 3rd. you don't need to start off in 1st. but keeping it in 4 low will be easier when you do need it.
4 high is for dirt/gravel roads or snow covered roads where you need to do the speed limit.

 

[American Jeeper]

You should be fine airing down to 12-14 psi. Never popped a bead at that pressure. That can make a big difference in traction vs 20 psi. I’d put it in 4LO as well right away when leaving pavement, unless you are just driving on dirt roads...

 

[OffRoadWarehouse]

You should be fine airing down to 12-14 psi. Never popped a bead at that pressure. That can make a big difference in traction vs 20 psi. I’d put it in 4LO as well right away when leaving pavement, unless you are just driving on dirt roads...

I've had the same experience, 12-14 PSI on non-beadlocks without issue. The only time it ever became an issue was during higher speed maneuvers when I forgot i was at such a low pressure and rolled the bead. It's good to find a pressure that works for you, and when in doubt, bring an air compressor!

 

[Billet_JLU]

I just got my first wrangler as well. For all the experienced people here, since my wrangler just got the highway tires I’d like to upgrade before I hit some trails. I got a deal for 5 new 285/70r17 ko2’s mounted and balanced for $987 out the door but I haven’t decided if it’s be better to start with 33’s or 35’s. Any input if you guys could do your first build again? Thanks in advance.

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