# Suggestions for off-road driving? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 2, 2025, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035 "2025-03-02T22:29:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2025, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/21 "2025-03-03T16:42:03Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Except for sand. In sand drive like a bat out of hell. That’s how I almost got stuck in my '92 Wrangler: the guy in front of me stopped. Aaaauuuughhh! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2025, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/22 "2025-03-03T16:58:09Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Since this is going to be one of my last posts for a long time, possibly ever, I will just say that off-road driving is one of the most destructive things you can personally do to the land. You might think about that, serenely, as you enjoy your hobby. Well, ya might as well go out with a giant thread shit. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2025, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/23 "2025-03-03T18:51:55Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Got a link for that? [Marston Mat - Effective, but Serious Overkill!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marston_Mat) I think I misspoke. Seems they came in 10’ sections. I got two that I cut in half, so I only tote around 20’. Hey, what’s another 130 lbs? 😉 There are better options out there, but I got this stuff free and it looks pretty cool hanging off the side of the Jeep. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2025, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/24 "2025-03-03T19:09:43Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Well, ya might as well go out with a giant thread shit. Yeah, that’s what I thought too. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2025, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/25 "2025-03-03T19:20:00Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Since this is going to be one of my last posts for a long time, possibly ever, I will just say that off-road driving is one of the most destructive things you can personally do to the land. You might think about that, serenely, as you enjoy your hobby. > > Some joyrider did circles in a piece of my neighbor’s unfenced pasture on a wet spring day, a few years ago. You can still see it. In the dry west, it takes much longer to heal than out east. > > Have fun ruining everything for everyone else. it was an event similar to this, that took me out of this hobby … lots of redneck-petrolheads, stupidly revving and redlining, and when one of those drove into a marshish-grass-patch some 10,000ft up in the Andes, doing donughts there and flipping his 4x4, I broke away from the group, drove home and never went off-road again (15-20 years since then). Let’s face it … it simply is not compatible with what is going on on the planet in 2025 ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2025, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/26 "2025-03-03T19:20:41Z")
Keep your thumbs on the _outside_ of the steering wheel (ie, all fingers lined up on ‘the same side’ of the wheel). Don’t hook your thumbs under the wheel’s rim. Hooked under, if you hit a big rut or rock and it cranks the wheel over hard and suddenly, it can rather easily break, strain, or otherwise injure your thumbs. Good tires and good ground clearance are often more important than 4WD. Basic recovery gear is pretty much essential. Examples: > **[Off Road Recovery Kits | ARB 4x4 USA](https://store.arbusa.com/recovery/off-road-recovery-kits/)** > > Keep recovery equipment at-the-ready with our offroad recovery kits and be prepared for uninhibited off-road adventure. Though it can be counterintuitive for some, get your tire(s) _on top of_ the big rock or boulder. Don’t try to straddle the thing that’s likely to do potentially crippling damage to your chassis, suspension, or drivetrain. Learn how and when to decrease your tire pressure and have a good gauge and compressor to manage PSI. Don’t forget to air back up when you return to terra firma. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Blaylock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_blaylock/32/3235_2.png) [@Bob\_Blaylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Blaylock)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/27 "2025-03-03T23:35:42Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Bob, what kind of 4wd system does your Cherokee have?   It’s the Trailhawk trim, so whatever the best 4×4 system is that Jeep offered on the fifth-generation Cherokee. two-speed transfer case, locking rear differential.  Full-time 4×4, no 2WD mode at all.  I didn’t realize until a few days after I bought it; I don’t think the dealer knew either, or else he would have priced it higher, but it’s got about a two-inch aftermarket lift, and slightly larger tires than stock. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Blaylock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_blaylock/32/3235_2.png) [@Bob\_Blaylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Blaylock)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2025, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/28 "2025-03-03T23:37:35Z")
  Keep in mind that cargo space is finite, and that whatever you do carry needs to be firmly strapped down. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2025, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/29 "2025-03-03T23:46:34Z")
my general advice would be: DONT!!! I have been doint 4x4 wheeling for many years and have seen many people in SUVs poking around off-road - _don’t worry I won’t be doing any extreme stuff!!!_ … you are just one small mistake away from “nothing extreme” to complete loss. FWIW, - I have seen: offroad vehicles getting carried/floated away by a river in a crossing that looked knee-deep. They panicked, had trouble “reading” the river and lost their vehicle - I have seen at least 3-4 SUV drivers taking home their front or rear fender in the trunk (a classic) - I have seen SUV drivers ripping off the whole exhaust system on a rock (there is a reason why real 4x4s have the exhaust being run ABOVE the rear axle, not below!!! - I have seen 4x4 tumbling in an ocean bay for 2 days like socks in your washing machine, with one of those “one in a 100 waves is way bigger than the 99 ones before” accident - complete loss. My best advice: get a basic beater 4x4 and well, beat that, instead of “4x4 pinstriping” your nice car-based SUV [![](https://i.redd.it/th8sxcwh6uab1.jpg) ](https://i.redd.it/th8sxcwh6uab1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/30 "2025-03-04T07:15:35Z")
That’s what I thought you had. My diesel Grand Cherokee was every bit as capable, and with 420 lbs-ft of torque with that engine it was even more capable. That thing had an amazing setup. It wasn’t the Rubicon package that some Wranglers had, but it was very impressive with what it could do. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/31 "2025-03-04T07:48:50Z")
I use my rigs to go exploring and overlanding. I don’t need to rock crawl. I love road trips, and off-roading extends the places I can go. And I am almost always alone. Driving solo, with just me and my wife inside. We love the remote and quiet places. We’ve camped alone many miles from anyone else. Complete solitude. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/32 "2025-03-04T15:14:27Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Marston Mat It this something you can get in bulk, by the inch or square foot? I have a similar shitty version of that in yellow plastic, and they help for getting unstuck from snow and mud, but they’re so fragile and break after a single use (if even that). Is there a heavier duty bulk version I should get instead? Edit: Nevermind, sorry, just saw [Suggestions for off-road driving? - #23 by Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/23) ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/33 "2025-03-05T13:42:58Z")
Some friends of mine go to a dedicated off-roading centre in Wales a couple times a year. Their vehicles of choice are various models of Land Rovers. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/34 "2025-03-06T02:03:34Z")
I saw a Rover Defender 90 2 door the other day and was quite intrigued. I stopped in at my local dealer and took one for a test drive. I’m not in the market as my OBW is only 1 year old, but it is tempting! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/35 "2025-03-06T02:10:47Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > my general advice would be: DONT!!! Yep. Stick to bad or dirt roads. Dont damage the environment. We were out rockhounding in the desert where Patton did training maneuvers- and you could still see the damage the vehicles did to the desert varnish/terrain. We also found a ww2 jeep upside down in a dry gulch. We snagged the tools- shovel, pick- but the wood was not good. I get mad when i see Jeep commercials of them blithely driving thru delicate lotic ecosystems. Incidentally the Land cruiser and the Bronco aare just as capable as any Jeep. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/36 "2025-03-07T11:34:04Z")
My wife and I both have 4x4s because of the insane amount of snow we get. I still have to winch them out a couple of times a year. As well as other people. When I had my my hip replaced I hired someone to plow for me. Had too winch him out a number of times. He did not ask to renew the contract 🙂 Winters are loooong. With the snowiest months being March and April. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Blaylock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_blaylock/32/3235_2.png) [@Bob\_Blaylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Blaylock)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/37 "2025-03-07T19:14:41Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > One basic tip for anyone who is stuck anywhere is to lower your air pressure (if not already lowered). IME you can safely lower most tires on basic rims down to 20 PSI, or even down to 15 or even 13. Lowering to less than 13 might be doable. I haven’t tried it.   _“Airing down”_ is a technique that I haven’t yet tried dealing with.  At this point, all I have is a fairly feeble air compressor, so airing back up again would be much too slow.   I saw a demonstration, some months ago, of the [MORRFlate system](https://morrflate.com/), and have it in mind that if we get to where we can afford it, I want to get that for my Jeep; including their air compressor.  Until I have something much better than what I now have, airing down just doesn’t seem feasible. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Blaylock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_blaylock/32/3235_2.png) [@Bob\_Blaylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Blaylock)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/38 "2025-03-07T19:23:26Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > …I will just say that off-road driving is one of the most destructive things you can personally do to the land.   Not every piece of untouched land needs to be left that way.  There is plenty of land that is better used however humans can get the most enjoyment out of it, than to worry about whether anyone is going to leave tire tracks on it or how long those tracks will last.   I’ll agree with condemning assholes that trespass and vandalize private property, or certain public lands that are specifically meant to be preserved, but most of the wilderness, nobody cares.   Posts like yours are why most people regard you extreme environmentalist-whacko types as worthy of nothing more than mockery and ridicule.   What do you think it does to previously-untouched land, to use it for farming, or, heaven forbid, to built houses and stores and factories and such on it?  Surely, from the attitude that you’ve expressed, that must be much worse than someone driving over it in a Jeep and leaving tire tracks behind. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Blaylock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_blaylock/32/3235_2.png) [@Bob\_Blaylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Blaylock)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/39 "2025-03-07T19:32:14Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > [Reddit - Dive into anything](https://i.redd.it/th8sxcwh6uab1.jpg)   _“Pinstriping”_, that’s called.  It proudly shows that the vehicle bearing it is one that is being used the way it was built to be used; and not just being treated as a deliciated pavement princess. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035/40 "2025-03-07T21:10:37Z")
> [@Bob\_Blaylock](#): > > _“Airing down”_ is a technique that I haven’t yet tried dealing with. I never need to worry about it. I’ve only ever got about 10 lbs if I’m lucky. 😆 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-off-road-driving/1015035.md?page=3)