4X2 Advice

[FLTundra]

Hi all,
I've been looking into the idea of overloading for awhile now, and would like actually get into it. Unfortunately, my truck is only two wheel drive, and I'm a poor college kid (so I can't just go out and buy a new truck). I've been looking into new tires and a lift, but is that a smart investment or should I just hold off and wait until I can buy a 4X4?

Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

 

[BPaulin_]

Dont let that keep you from going out and exploring. know your limits. do your research on trails. get a/t or m/t tires. invest in recovery gear. go out with other 4x4 vehicles. start with fire roads.
stay away from snow and mud, if you find yourself in snow, carry chains. know how to put them on before leaving home. drive in low gears.
if you find yourself in sand, drop your psi, and stick to the skinny pedal, just feather it, dont go flat to the floor.
like i mentioned, Know your Limits and dont be afraid to go out and explore!

 

[FLTundra]

Thank you for the advice! There are some fire roads near me, so I'll get out soon and see how it goes.

 

[BPaulin_]

Thank you for the advice! There are some fire roads near me, so I'll get out soon and see how it goes.

Good Luck!

 

[dblack]

I rocked a 2wd Chevy for decades in the bush, exploring back country. Found a ton of trails for later and had a lot of fun dispersed camping.

Tire chains are amazingly good in the winter. And if you're hard up they will do an amazing job in the mud too. They're a bitch to get on and off in the mud, but very handy to have. Save the long travel kit for later.

If you want to do a budget boost, then that's good, and tires will help immensely, but don't get too spendy.

Off-roading a 2wd will be a challenge. Be smart, pick your lines and know your vehicle.

 

[Louie559]

i use to offroad in a 1993 jeep cherokee 2wd, through deep mud and heavy snow, like the member mentioned above, i would know your limits to where you want to go, i have bought recovery straps for just in case and maybe a portable air tire filler, uncase you need to air down your tires, so you can air up, good luck amd safe travels

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

Unless you're doing some wheeling, you can get by with 2wd just fine. I have done a lot with my truck in 2wd, but having the 4wd option gives me hope that I can get unstuck if needed. It truly depends on what you want to do with the 2wd rig.

 

[canadianoverlanders]

Hi all,
I've been looking into the idea of overloading for awhile now, and would like actually get into it. Unfortunately, my truck is only two wheel drive, and I'm a poor college kid (so I can't just go out and buy a new truck). I've been looking into new tires and a lift, but is that a smart investment or should I just hold off and wait until I can buy a 4X4?

Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Don't let 4x2 stop you. There is a thread on Overland Canada of a couple guys leaving Calgary Alberta put a basket on the roof of his BMW coupe and drove across Canada to do the Trans-Labrador trail. Then later did a trip from Calgary to Vegas then north up the Demster Hwy to Inuvik then chartered a plane to Tukryuktuk to dip their feet in the Artic Ocean. All in a front wheel drive BMW coupe.
Micheal has a great videos on the OB website like the Boot camp series. Every now and then I watch those videos to bring myself back to reality, and realize we have everything we 'need' and just go out and see the world. I used Micheals 3 Plano box method to get out of town quick.
Get the basic equipment that won't break the bank like shelter, clothing, first aid, food, cooking, recovery gear like a shovel and tow strap. A good set of light truck AT's to start and just get out. There is more stock trails than hard core technical ones that you can legally get at alone. Explore the stuff you can get at safely and save up and build a overland rig if you want when you have the money. I agree with the others, you have to decide what are you wanting to do with your rig and you can even trail run in 4x2. Here is the inside baseball. Most of us don't wheel in 4x4 all the time. Time and place. Most of North America is paved or gravel and stock doable.
It's taken me over 30 years of wrenching jeeps since I was 17, building, breaking, fixing slowly adding and buying the best gear available at the time to get to the point where we are now.
Rome was not built in a day, niether will your truck or your experience. Take your time and do it right. It's cheaper over the long run.
That is part of the whole overlanding experience. You don't get that from reading a blog or forum, you get that experience buy going out exploring and traveling, breaking things, evaluating and then fixing or even scraping and starting over again.
Get out and see what is out there. Explore for a bit then build. Final piece of advice, don't compare yourself, your situation, your vehicle to others. Don't try to keep up with the jones'....that will ruin overlanding for you.
Enough said. I hope that helps.



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