2WD-er asking for a few tips

Alrighty guys, I know I'm not really welcome here on this board with only two wheels of mine being driven, but I thought I'd venture here anyways and see if you couldn't give me a bit of advice. =P

I've got an '09 PreRunner, 2WD. It's a 4 cylinder 5-spd and I do love the thing. Took me forever to find one and I got a wonderful deal on it. 62,500 miles or so.

I mainly use it for daily driving around Atlanta and I sometimes use it to haul my street bike up to the mountains and I'll be getting back into dirt biking eventually where it'll be hauling that as well. Kayaking is a thing I do occasionally. My girlfriend and I also like to hike around the N. GA mountains when we both have a weekend off.

I keep all of my "toys" (street bike, a few project bikes, project car, kayak, etc) at my parents place in a 2nd garage they have with a dirt drive. Recently it had rained a day before I went there and my pitiful 2WD truck, which I had previously never had any cause to doubt, couldn't make it up the drive. It was heavily wooded and shaded so it hadn't really dried out from the rain and there is a lot of our lovely Georgia red clay back there. I was able to make it back out okay, but I need to be able to get up the drive. I've never had any problems previously with it, but that was when it was dry.

And thus I've come here for advice. I'm not willing to pony up the difference in cash to get a 4WD version of my truck as I got such a great deal on it, even if I could find an example for sale. I know that'd be the ideal situation but it's just not going to happen, unfortunately.

The options I can think of:
Am I doing this wrong? Do I need to air down the tires or something? What do you guys use to air them back up later on?

Winch + cheap bumper/front hitch to mount it to?

Better tires? (I have Firestone Destination LE tires at the moment on stock wheels. I average 21 or so MPG with mostly city, but not very wide and not overly aggressive.)



Again, this isn't going to be some crazy trail rig and I really just need it to be able to go up a dirt drive in the rain while still being a nice and tame daily driver as that's mostly the purpose it serves. The worst the truck will ever see will likely be Forest Roads when taking it to a trailhead to go hiking or finding a place to park to unload a dirt bike.


Thanks!

 

Airing down will give you way more traction. I use a Vair air pump to air back up. Putting weight in the bed will help too. But there is no replacement for 4wd when you need it. A winch is overkill for what you need.

 

First off welcome from GA aswell and you are 100% welcome around here being that I have a 2wd aswell. A winch is overkill or what you need since there is no trail riding in your future. First off get you some all terrains there are plenty of ATs that have great raod manners and will still get decent millage such as dynapro atms. Air down and you will be supprised at what a 2wd will do.

 

Maybe a locker would be good for your needs? Either swap in a factory e locker or an air locker?
Not a cheap solution but will literally double your traction

 

Thanks for all the suggestions, looks like I need to just air down next time I have issues. I'll need to look into that Vair air pump or something similar to keep in the truck for just those times I suppose.

These tires are around 70% tread left, once they're a bit further gone I'll look into better A/Ts as well.

Btw, what are your suggestions for a good PSI to not air down past? I have stock PreRunner alloys, no beadlockers or anything. 20? 15?

Thanks. =)

I don't have a locker technically, but I do have the gimmicky thing where it will apply the brakes on the wheel spinning more. It's better than an open differential at least. A poor man's LSD I guess.

 

2wheeling Offorad on the Cheap…

First let me say it's all about good tires. Good tires appropriate for the situation, and you're unlikely to get stuck. Tires make the difference. I have AT tires and pretty thin ones (some call them pizza-cutters) and they work great for trails, sand, etc. Just need good deep tread. Don't buy cheap tires.

X2 on the weight in the bed. A few hundred pounds, 150-200lbs sitting over the rear axle or just ahead of it will give you more traction.

You may not need a winch. I used a manual 5ton "come along" cable rachet for years with my truck to pull it out of ditches and tough spots. Also, a farm jack "hi lift jack" can operate as a "come along" to pull your vehicle out. And these are cheap compared to a winch, under $100

Airdown depends on terrain and situation. When I get stuck I drop it way down, around 10 PSI. I use a $15 12v 100 PSI electric air compressor I got at Wallmart to air up my tires. It takes a long long time. But that's extra incentive not to get stuck in the first place I guess. And it's small enough it fits in the far rear bed storage bin. Great for occasional use.

Cary old carpet remnants (1' x 2-3') and some chain link fencing about same dimensions. Shove under rear tires when they are spinning without traction. I've even sacrificed my floor mats in this way several times.

Get a CB. Don't think it'll help you at all but all serious off roaders have them. And they make you look legit

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the best must have thing of all. A shovel. I'd forgo everything else for a tough shovel. When your stuck it can be a lifesaver.

Have fun!

 

Air down to 25 psi first then lower if it ain't cutting it. I wouldn't go past 12 psi.

 

I'm running a Detroit TruTrac in the rear, open in front and it works very well on most surfaces. I do rocks, snow, mud, sand and gravel.

Does not affect the street behavior, like non-selectable locker would, and a lot less money than an ARB. Even when one tire is in the air, I use the e-brake method to prevent that tire from spinning.

 

Getting good recovery gear would be the first thing I do (snatch strap, shackles, shovel etc. ). Also, make sure you have good recovery points. I'm not sure how all the trucks are set up but I had to add a front TRD tow hook and hitch on mine. I think the hi-lift or come along would be a good piece of mind also. I have yet to drive on a forest road where I really needed four wheel drive.

 

These are some good ideas. I'll try airing down only a bit at first next time then and not go below 12-ish.

I'll be grabbing one of those Viair compressors with some extra long cables.

I'll likely consult the board again when it's time for new tires.

Lastly, it looks like I should invest in a come along pulley for a "just in case" type thing. I'll likely go check out my local Northern Tool for one. Is there a special kind of rope/wire I should use for this or anything that has a good weight rating will be fine?

I think I have a tow hook under my front bumper to connect to (I'll check after work tonight) and I have a hitch in back so I'm good there. I'll throw a foldable shovel in back too.

 

Get a tow strap for use with the come along and possibly a tree strap. For use with a come along do NOT use a recovery strap. A recovery strap stretches and is counter intuitive in a winching style recovery. Still good to have one in the need to be pulled out by another vehicle. 20 foot straps are a good length. A tree strap is just that a strap you wrap around a tree.

Come alongs don't go super cheap. I had the 2ton northern tool special never used it that often but when I did use it broke. I was pulling a broke down car with free rolling wheels onto a trailer. So I would go with the biggest you can afford. Remember just because your vehicle weighs X pounds doesn't mean that's the size come along you need. Being stuck creates forces that add a great deal to the vehicle weight.

Air pumps. I have a super glow mv50. It does great for me. It's not super fast but it's not slow either.

 

Get a full size shovel. A folding one sounds like a good idea until you have to use it. I got a full size one at Lowe's for like $6 and it's easy to get some sort of Mount to keep it out of the way in the bed. Also, a saw is another good thing to have.

 

If you wanna do the best 2wd offroad possible, you'll need good tires, and some kind of diff in the back other then open. I have a Detroit Truetrac like mentioned above and love it. I also have 31x10.5x15 goodyear wrangler authority tires from Walmart. Great tire, cheap, and real aggressive a/t tread, and I just did a highway trip and got 23.5 mpg with them on my v6 auto x-cab. I keep up with 4wds till stuff gets really hairy. Also you can air down non-bead locks to 10 psi. Just do not make sharp turns.

 

When did Toyota put a manual in a prerunner?

 

Are you a prerunner or a 5 lug?

Ive encountered some pretty nasty mud on back roads in my 5 lug and the one thing nobody has mentioned yet is how far a little bit of speed can get you! If you can keep your momentum up, agressive tires help, just like keeping your foot in the gas. Even with my 1 wheel drive 5 lug if I keep it in higher rps in 2nd gear I wont stop moving until it gets deep/soupy.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong

 

One thing I have heard is that if you go into mud at WoT you can suck air into your engine way easier.

 

I didnt mean totally flooring it, I keep it around 2500rpms. I definately see how it could suck in water like that though

 

Thanks for the help guys!

 

The point of offroad is to do all you can without causing harm to the vehicle haha. And high rpm isn't good for any vehicle

 

Update:

Had the chance to attempt to go up the driveway after it had rained again. Wow, deflating the rears even to just 20 PSI makes a HUGE difference!

Definitely getting something to air back up the tires for if/when I have the same problem while not near my large air compressor. Also some recovery equipment for "just in case" airing down the tires is not enough, although hopefully I never end up anywhere that's the case.

Thanks again for all the helpful advice guys.