What to do to 2wd to avoid getting stuck

That's helpful.

Lots of 2wd trucks out there that get used and abused as a truck should. I'm reminded of my grandfather's old 2wd Ford work truck that used to spend the winters going up and down unmaintained forest service roads in winter with a pair of chains and a hand winch in the back. I guess that was a car too in your opinion.

 

Yup, 2WD trucks are worthless. Someone needs to notify the Baja racers of this.

 

Ever since I got stuck going downhill on a muddy rutted road in my 2wd and the pulled out backwards by a 4wd I believe in 4wd. The 4wd was an old K5 Chevy Blazer which was driving uphill when he came to my stuck 2wd and climbed a 2 foot high bank went around me then drove back into the road and stopped. Hooked a chain to my hitch and dragged me uphill out of the mud.

Remember I had Gumbo Mudder tires on my 2wd and got stuck going downhill on the same road the 4wd had no problem driving uphill and then towing my truck out.

That was the day I decided 4wd was for me but just the aggravation of getting stuck with 2wd so easy and needing recovery equipment was too much.

 

If you can afford a Baja racer you can afford a spare 4wd vehicle. I don't believe the OP was asking for a comparison between a Baja racer and a 4wd.

Back to topic now.

 

Exactly what I was thinking. The price adds up fast when you starting adding those features. Spend the $3-6k difference ( just a guess) and get a 4x4. You probably financed right? It'll be like $30 more a month probably? Obviously not what you want to hear but each time you keep getting stuck you'll wish you had a 4x4.

 

You missed my point. My summer students aren't trying to get through a mud bog at high speed. They are usually collecting samples and what not so they have to stop often in some sticky spots. If they used 4WD all the time it gives them a false sense of security. If they are in 2WD they usually get in enough trouble to know they should back out rather than continue.

BTW while high speed approaches might work in your neck of the woods out in the rockies that gets guys killed... 4WD is worth every penny in those spots.

 

I was not blessed with the choice of 4x4 due to a $4,000 budget so I'm not quite in the same boat as the OP however I did end up with a truck I didn't particularly want. Like everyone has said already tires, locker, suspension so you can carry speed in rougher places, winch, and a good recovery bag. Learn your truck and you will be able to get through anything so long as you don't stop in a bad place. Rock Lobster spindle lifts are awesome. Just ordered mine and will probably run bilstiens with them so you can imagine the clearance.

 

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Yea and km pretty sure he was asking what he can do to get the best out of his 2WD. So instead of being up on your horse of 4x4, why not try to he instead of just saying "get a 4x4" like everyone else. Kthanx

 

So your solution is to get a Baja racer. Now he can go anywhere. Glad you cleared that up. Works for me.

 

No, I was pointing out to you enjoyable fellows who said 2WD's are worthless, that the rest of the world apparently hasn't caught on to that information. You're the one that decided to get all hostile and run your mouth.

 

HAHAHHA true

 

Last 2 times I went wheeling, I was very impressed with what the 2wd trucks could do! they obviously have there limitations, but as long as you air down & keep your momentum up you will be able to make it through a lot of stuff

 

Not hostile at all. Have owned 2wd and 4wd. If you make modifications to a 2wd they are capable of good performance off road. With the same modifications a 4wd will have superior traction. A little time watching some YouTube videos of vehicles in snow, sand, mud, and rock climbing will quickly reveal which system has superior traction.

Now if you are asking which covers a Baja course where speed is more important than traction then 2wd wins. Take the Baja to Moab or a mud bog and it is a different story, 4wd rules.

I get the momentum thing with 2wd but rock crawling is a good example where momentum tears up a lot of equipment where slow and easy with a 4wd gets the job done.

If you are still convinced that 2wd is the way to go, that is fine with me. I have nothing to prove but will just keep driving my 4wd and don't mind towing or being towed when needed by either 2 or 4wd.

At this point we can probably just agree to disagree.

 

This.

Yes, 4wd is better overall. Gives more options to do more things in different ways.

But driving skill matters. For the inept, 4wd can just get you further in and 'more stuck', making it harder to get out.

I've won a lot of lunches from engineers by driving an underpowered vehicle in 2wd through places where they would get stuck in a newer model, more powered version of the same vehicle, in 4wd. After winning that bet, they'd then buy my supper to pull them out.

Practice does help. I was a cross country land surveyor at that time, and had literally tens of thousands of miles off practice offroad. Most of them had none. Or very little.

Practice includes screwing up, getting stuck and learning how to get out, and then learning what 'not to do' the next time. Working your way out of a mess with only one vehicle, 2 men and a decent winch will teach a lot. So you don't have to do all that work the next time.

 

I made the same mistake when the 1st gen came out I bought brand new 01 dcab and later down the road I decided to hunt wild games my prerunner got stuck left and rite it was annoying and suck being pulled by others 3-4 times a day. after I paid off I end up buying a 4x4. After 13 yrs I decided to sas my prerunner to a 4x4 from auto to 5 speed manual its does run like a champ. Before and after pics.

 

Thanks everyone for the many replies and food for thought, I really appreciate all this discussion. I agree with those saying that I should have just eaten the cost up front and gotten the 4x4, but now that I'm stuck paying off this truck, I feel like I'd lose a good amount of money trading up.

To clarify, I don't go wheeling and don't have plans to, so I typically won't be intentionally driving on difficult terrain. When I got stuck in mud, it was from having parked in an area that later got lots of rain (just took a little push to get out). The sand was just ignorance, the person driving (not me) didn't understand the limitations of 2wd and parked in deep sand Really wish I'd known about airing down then!

 

I just wheel with 4x4 guys so when I get stuck they can pull me out. No need for recovery tools haha

 

If you have 2WD and no locker or limited slip, here is a trick to make your rear end act like a limited slip in soft sand/mud/snow. With your right foot on the gas, use your left foot to modulate the brake to slow the spinning rear wheel. Use enough gas to overcome the brake and you should get traction out of both wheels. I have had lots of 4WD trucks, gotten stuck badly in all of them, but have used this trick many times in a 2WD vehicle. 4WD makes you brave. 2WD makes you smart.

 

Stop buying 2wd truck and trying to pretend they're 4x4s.


I'd like to junk punch the guy at Toyota that came up with this PreRunner crap. It's just selling people a false sense of security.

Flame away, I have no love for the PreRunner

 

If you are not offroading then good tires and a limited slip differential, like a tru trac, will solve your issues. No need for 4WD to get out of a muddy or sandy parking lot.