First time off-roading

[PyrPatriot]

So for Christmas my father-in-law took me off-roading in my Jeep Gladiator Sport S Max Tow. I have to say, it was GREAT.

The terrain was the mountain coal mining roads of Eastern KY. They are usually wet, covered in fallen leaves, and rutted. You will sometimes find jagged rocks pocking out, or roots/branches big enough to bump you off the ledge if you hit them right. It doesn't look like it in the video, but the climbs/decents got to about 23 degrees according to my pitch/roll display.

I was running a stock JT, the tires were Falken Wildpeak M/T in 255/75/17 specifically bought in that size and mounted on a spare set of wheels to have just for off-roading purposes without affecting the speedometer/odometer to where it need re-calibration. They were bought used, with with about 3000 miles on them (had 17/32 tread left, factory is 18/32). I was slightly concerned here as these are C-rated tires, and with 4 men in the truck and tires down to 37-40psi, I actually had a concern they would fail if we hit rut/hole too quickly. They didn't.

This was my first time off-roading period. Prior to this the most I had done is gone through a muddy grass field in a Honda Element (and got stuck in a lower area because of worn tires). I was both nervous and excited, because if I hit mud and went sideways causing me to go downhill (as was my previous experience with the Element) I'd be going down a mountain side. The roads had not been used by coal trucks for several years at this point. They usually saw side-by-sides and when I had ridden up them the little vehicles struggled on sections and slipped/slid sideways a bit. Not as much of a concern with a 2-seater ATV-type vehicle, much more concerning (I thought) with a near 5k lb vehicle.

The Jeep made it up everything like a champ! At no time did I feel I was losing control. It climbed when I needed, had good traction. Downhill it slid ever so slightly (noticed in the videos when I am going particularly slow) but not where I was concerned. Uphill was done in 4H. I couldn't get it to get into 4L right, part way up a hill early on it went out of 4L and into N so I went 4H up until I got to a flat spot to get it into 4L, and even then it took a little distance to coast long enough to get it in 4L. Should get easier with more shifting. Downhill was 4L. I went up another similar path in 4L, and that seemed too easy for the Jeep!


After the mud roads, we went up an old strip mine. Jagged rocks and ruts galore in parts where the gravel wore out. But we did fine. I got the 4H going to about 35mph and it did fine. The M/Ts DO NOT do well on corners at speed on small/fine gravel with damp under layers.

The JT needed a bit of a cleaning after that. But well, it was Christmas so all the places were closed. So we drove down a ROAD that was actually a creek. Now this is where I got really concerned. Not for being in any danger of sliding off or not having control, but because rocks there are sharp, and I was praying I didn't slice a tire open on a path that was taken by smaller vehicles. We did fine.

Yes, the creek video is upside down. I will try to fix it

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[Sx3]

So for Christmas my father-in-law took me off-roading in my Jeep Gladiator Sport S Max Tow. I have to say, it was GREAT.

The terrain was the mountain coal mining roads of Eastern KY. They are usually wet, covered in fallen leaves, and rutted. You will sometimes find jagged rocks pocking out, or roots/branches big enough to bump you off the ledge if you hit them right. It doesn't look like it in the video, but the climbs/decents got to about 23 degrees according to my pitch/roll display.

I was running a stock JT, the tires were Falken Wildpeak M/T in 255/75/17 specifically bought in that size and mounted on a spare set of wheels to have just for off-roading purposes without affecting the speedometer/odometer to where it need re-calibration. They were bought used, with with about 3000 miles on them (had 17/32 tread left, factory is 18/32). I was slightly concerned here as these are C-rated tires, and with 4 men in the truck and tires down to 37-40psi, I actually had a concern they would fail if we hit rut/hole too quickly. They didn't.

This was my first time off-roading period. Prior to this the most I had done is gone through a muddy grass field in a Honda Element (and got stuck in a lower area because of worn tires). I was both nervous and excited, because if I hit mud and went sideways causing me to go downhill (as was my previous experience with the Element) I'd be going down a mountain side. The roads had not been used by coal trucks for several years at this point. They usually saw side-by-sides and when I had ridden up them the little vehicles struggled on sections and slipped/slid sideways a bit. Not as much of a concern with a 2-seater ATV-type vehicle, much more concerning (I thought) with a near 5k lb vehicle.

The Jeep made it up everything like a champ! At no time did I feel I was losing control. It climbed when I needed, had good traction. Downhill it slid ever so slightly (noticed in the videos when I am going particularly slow) but not where I was concerned. Uphill was done in 4H. I couldn't get it to get into 4L right, part way up a hill early on it went out of 4L and into N so I went 4H up until I got to a flat spot to get it into 4L, and even then it took a little distance to coast long enough to get it in 4L. Should get easier with more shifting. Downhill was 4L. I went up another similar path in 4L, and that seemed too easy for the Jeep!


After the mud roads, we went up an old strip mine. Jagged rocks and ruts galore in parts where the gravel wore out. But we did fine. I got the 4H going to about 35mph and it did fine. The M/Ts DO NOT do well on corners at speed on small/fine gravel with damp under layers.

The JT needed a bit of a cleaning after that. But well, it was Christmas so all the places were closed. So we drove down a ROAD that was actually a creek. Now this is where I got really concerned. Not for being in any danger of sliding off or not having control, but because rocks there are sharp, and I was praying I didn't slice a tire open on a path that was taken by smaller vehicles. We did fine.

Yes, the creek video is upside down. I will try to fix it

You will never forget the first time.

 

[jurfie]

You will never forget the first time.

Indeed! It's always fun seeing people get bit with the bug. You'll gain more confidence as you get more experience, @PyrPatriot and be looking for more opportunities to get stuck!

 

[PyrPatriot]

Indeed! It's always fun seeing people get bit with the bug. You'll gain more confidence as you get more experience, @PyrPatriot and be looking for more opportunities to get stuck!

Once I get a winch! I asked if anyone would be able to get me unstuck if I needed, I was told no! No tow truck would make it up until dry and I swear I have never in 3 years seen a single winch on any truck there, and only one Jeep wrangler

 

[WhatExit?]

Great to see you getting offroad and learning to enjoy that experience. In time you will get better at it. If you have already take a look online at tips and how to drive Offroad.

One thing I can tell you is we often don’t need four-wheel-drive when off road in these vehicles but it’s never a bad thing to be in four high when wheeling. I typically go into 4WD when I know I need to shift into 4 Wheel drive. But you don’t wanna wait too long to do that -just keep an eye on the terrain and the Jeep’s performance on the trail.

 

[PyrPatriot]

Great to see you getting offroad and learning to enjoy that experience. In time you will get better at it. If you have already take a look online at tips and how to drive Offroad.

One thing I can tell you is we often don’t need four-wheel-drive when off road in these vehicles but it’s never a bad thing to be in four high when wheeling. I typically go into 4WD when I know I need to shift into 4 Wheel drive. But you don’t wanna wait too long to do that -just keep an eye on the terrain and the Jeep’s performance on the trail.

In dry weather yes I would do this in 2WD but mud and first time I thought to err strong on the side of caution

Also, this proves that Destroyer Grey is the best color, look at how it fits in with the surroundings

 

[sass JT]

Awesome man! Congrats on your first time out. You will never forget, I don’t mine lol

a tip for getting into 4 low. While in 4hi, stop, go from drive to neutral, shift from 4 hi to 4lo, if needed let off the brake(barely) to roll a little fwd or back and pull into 4lo, when engaged into 4lo got back into drive and go. This has never failed me yet.

Enjoy!

 

[PyrPatriot]

Awesome man! Congrats on your first time out. You will never forget, I don’t mine lol

a tip for getting into 4 low. While in 4hi, stop, go from drive to neutral, shift from 4 hi to 4lo, if needed let off the brake(barely) to roll a little fwd or back and pull into 4lo, when engaged into 4lo got back into drive and go. This has never failed me yet.

Enjoy!

Yes I knew all the theory. In fact the manual says not to depress the accellerator at all, but to coast at 2-3mph. It was hard to do going up hill through grass and gravel with only about 20ft between pavement and ruts in the hill to climb.

 

[Gobi Wan K]

Glad you had fun. I'm sure you will keep going and enjoying it.
Some things to think about. Your C load range tires are just fine. But consider airing down before hitting the trail. You should be good at 15 to 20 psi. This will help the tires mold to the obstacles and can actually help keep them from getting punctured.
There may be some differences here based on the terrain but when I hit a "trail" for wheeling I am in 4 lo. I would say that there are exceptions to this in that you seemed to be on Forrest roads. But either way the best advice is to be in 4 lo before starting an obstacle like a hill. Like you found out it will be nearly impossible to get there once you have started. The same goes for lockers if you ever add them.
Stay safe wheeling. Progress at your own pace. As someone who has egged on my buddies don't fall to the pressure.

 

[PyrPatriot]

You should be good at 15 to 20 psi. This will help the tires mold to the obstacles and can actually help keep them from getting punctured.

Per Falken's chart at 35psi these tires support 1870lbs each. While that is still about 7500lbs with 4 tires, and the vehicle weighs about 4700lbs, plus 800lbs of 4 guys in the car, and 150lbs of gear/stuff, that leaves under 2000lbs of weight support left. Normally I would say that's fine, but I don't know the weight rating below 35psi, and I don't know how much weight shifts on the front two tires when the Jeep slips going down hill and the full weight comes down suddenly, causing a higher weight than just the mass of the vehicle. Again, played it super safe given the conditions and circumstances.

 

[sass JT]

Yes I knew all the theory. In fact the manual says not to depress the accellerator at all, but to coast at 2-3mph. It was hard to do going up hill through grass and gravel with only about 20ft between pavement and ruts in the hill to climb.

totally understand what the “manual says”. Once you throw it into 4lo a few times you will figure it out and it will get easier.

Per Falken's chart at 35psi these tires support 1870lbs each. While that is still about 7500lbs with 4 tires, and the vehicle weighs about 4700lbs, plus 800lbs of 4 guys in the car, and 150lbs of gear/stuff, that leaves under 2000lbs of weight support left. Normally I would say that's fine, but I don't know the weight rating below 35psi, and I don't know how much weight shifts on the front two tires when the Jeep slips going down hill and the full weight comes down suddenly, causing a higher weight than just the mass of the vehicle. Again, played it super safe given the conditions and circumstances.

airing down does help a lot as explained above. Do some research and asking questions is a great way to understand off roading a little better.
I’ve learned not to over think things, watch a crap ton of YouTube videos and read a lot of posts with replies by many people that offroad as a hobby/ life adventures.

have fun and enjoy.

 

[WhatExit?]

Glad you had fun. I'm sure you will keep going and enjoying it.
Some things to think about. Your C load range tires are just fine. But consider airing down before hitting the trail. You should be good at 15 to 20 psi. This will help the tires mold to the obstacles and can actually help keep them from getting punctured.
There may be some differences here based on the terrain but when I hit a "trail" for wheeling I am in 4 lo. I would say that there are exceptions to this in that you seemed to be on Forrest roads. But either way the best advice is to be in 4 lo before starting an obstacle like a hill. Like you found out it will be nearly impossible to get there once you have started. The same goes for lockers if you ever add them.
Stay safe wheeling. Progress at your own pace. As someone who has egged on my buddies don't fall to the pressure.

I’m not on the same page as you as Jeeps can do incredibly well in 2WD and way, way more in 4H. Depending on the terrain, there aren’t as many times you’ll need 4 Low so to recommend starting in 4 Low is a bit much. But again, the terrain and weather conditions will dictate the range and speed.

Enjoy your JEEP wheeling!

 

[Gobi Wan K]

Per Falken's chart at 35psi these tires support 1870lbs each. While that is still about 7500lbs with 4 tires, and the vehicle weighs about 4700lbs, plus 800lbs of 4 guys in the car, and 150lbs of gear/stuff, that leaves under 2000lbs of weight support left. Normally I would say that's fine, but I don't know the weight rating below 35psi, and I don't know how much weight shifts on the front two tires when the Jeep slips going down hill and the full weight comes down suddenly, causing a higher weight than just the mass of the vehicle. Again, played it super safe given the conditions and circumstances.

I think you are way over thinking your tire load rating. I used to run the 37s on my TJ at 4 psi for off roading. They were on bead locks so I wouldn't recommend going that low on a standard wheel. The load rating is based on highway driving and the temperatures that creates. I have seen many tire failures off road but I have never seen a tire fail due to load.

 

[Mark Doiron]

Air down. 20 PSI. Don't go lower unless you have an obstacle that demands it--such as soft sand. Then, once across that obstacle, bring the air back up to 20 PSI. The reason for not going lower more than needed is because the sidewalls tend to bulge out, which makes them susceptible to damage from rocks. I know this from experience. Having a tire fail, therefore no spare, and you have nearly 400 miles of off-road travel to go, is a bit disconcerting. This happened when I used to air down routinely to 15 PSI ...

8:30 if not forwarded ...


Later on my friend and I would get smarter, carrying two spares. It came in handy twice when we were in the Arctic, once in Canada and once in Alaska ...

7:56 if not forwarded automatically ...

 

[BLK HOLE]

Air down. 20 PSI. Don't go lower unless you have an obstacle that demands it--such as soft sand. Then, once across that obstacle, bring the air back up to 20 PSI. The reason for not going lower more than needed is because the sidewalls tend to bulge out, which makes them susceptible to damage from rocks. I know this from experience. Having a tire fail, therefore no spare, and you have nearly 400 miles of off-road travel to go, is a bit disconcerting. This happened when I used to air down routinely to 15 PSI ...

8:30 if not forwarded ...


Later on my friend and I would get smarter, carrying two spares. It came in handy twice when we were in the Arctic, once in Canada and once in Alaska ...

7:56 if not forwarded automatically ...

I run 8-10psi everywhere wheeling. In 8yrs of rock crawling and off-roading I’ve had 1 flat with 2 jeeps and it was last weekend actually...shaved stem.

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