Running those back trails....

takza · Post by **takza** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 5:40 pm

This will be an ongoing work in progress.....cause it takes a while to upload the pictures. And a while to write it out.

This won't be an authoritive treatise on offroading...just some of my limited experiences and interpretation specific to the 4WD Tercel....I know a little more than I did before....at least.

<span style='color:blue'>Drivng in the sand......</span>

This is an illustration of how easy it is to get stuck in dry sand. I was checking this area out for a camping spot and was going fairly slow in 1st gear (2WD) and before I knew it I was stopped. Put it in 4WD and EL and tried to go but couldn't...car just lugged and stopped. Then tried backing up and managed about 1/2 foot to the rear. Then went forward in EL and managed to lug it out of there...barely. Might have gotten out a little faster by slipping the clutch more...but maybe not. Deep, dry sand is serious stuff. And this is at about 600 ft above sea level and with ignition advanced...if you were at 5000 feet with 5 BTDC...you wouldn't make it?

The four deeper holes are where the car was stuck.

Conclusion: The Tercel just doesn't have the power to deal with deep dry sand from a stop. Moral of the story..........keep it moving.

This was part of the trail into biting fly beach. If you look down at where the shadows of the trees cross the trail...you see some DEEP sand. If you got stopped in this stuff...it's doubtful if you could get going again. If you had straps and a winch you might gradually be able to pull it out to a place where you could get moving again. This deep sand road was about 2 miles or so long.

This is a hill I drove DOWN trying to get to the lake and the beach....this only shows about 1/2 of the hill. Problem with trail drivng is that in most cases you will need to plan on drivng back the way you came in...unless you are real lucky. Easy to get down...more difficult to get back up....especially in deep sand.

This is the top half of the hill....notice the real deep stuff in the middle of the picture. Even though I was in EL at around 2500-3000 RPM the car slowed quite a bit thru this stuff.

I stopped to camp only half way down to the water after walking down to look at this part of the trail...decided I might not make it back up this one.

In my mind...I could hear my spiritual advisor...Clint Eastwood...saying..."feel lucky punk?"

Sand drivng conclusions:

Best bet with the Tercel is probably to keep it in 4WD around any deep sand.

Watch what is going on and be prepared to give it the gas when needed.

Best gear is going to be EL and RPMs up to 3500 in most cases. This amounts to around 10-12 MPH on the speedo.

Staying in EL range allows you to keep the car's speed down and still have the torque needed to keep moving.

My guess is that depending on the type of dry sand you are in and the tires you have...that there is a speed.......say above 3-5 MPH where the tires will "plane" and stay on top the sand...if in 4WD. Below this it takes raw torque to move...that the Tercel just doesn't have except at higher RPMS.

You can go TOO FAST...as I found out when leaving biting fly beach on the 2 mile trail where I was in first and at some higher RPMS....hit an area of SAND WAVES (about 3-5 ' apart-not washboard) where I was giving the suspension a little too much of a workout....not good. KEEP IT IN Extra Low!

Part of trail drivng is psychological where you have to make continual decisions that might affect how you will be spending your time in the near future....digging out of a hole...or just cruising along. Or hiking out to find a tow to the nearest garage for a repair. A lot of decision making...many times on the spot.

Too slow and you might get stuck....too fast and you might break something.

Good idea to miss those rocks, roots, and stumps too.

If there was much doubt...I got out and walked the doubtful section of trail to find the best route. Even marked the spots to miss and did some trail grooming to boot.

A lot of fun and adventure if you keep it cool and do it right. I was cool about 1/2 the time and made a few mistakes...none fatal. This place was probably 30 miles from the nearest gas and who knows how far from the nearest mechanic...except for the idiot driving. B)

arbskynxnex · Post by **arbskynxnex** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 7:09 pm

Ugh, a hill and sand together, I think I'm gonna go hide.

I agree, EL is a must. I've found that letting some air out of the tires (down to 10-15psi) helps with sand driving. The tires spread out instead of sinking, ergo you have more grip and more ground clearance (for the really deep stuff). If you're stuck, try getting some wood or something hard under the tires so you get some grip, and go hell bent for leather once you're free. If you're at the ocean, don't drive into the surf, cause you will be walking home and buying a new car (stupid city people).

takza · Post by **takza** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 8:03 pm

To get up that hill...I dropped the Kumhos to 30 PSI or so...from 44 PSI. These tires tend to bulge a lot even at higher pressures.

I have 3 squares of wafer board that I carry along to put under jacks and tires. Lucky for me I didn't get to use them.

I once borrowed a 2WD Corolla and drove up Padre Island (near Brownsville, TX) on the beach for 25 miles on a windy day where the wind was from the ocean and blowing about 25-30 MPH. Kept in the wet sand near the water and kept moving.

It was a real blast...except that I had no water or provisions and was way the hey up there...a wild & beautiful ride. Saw that the tide was starting to come in and decided to head back. Made it.

Usually there were a couple of Federales on the beach...so that if you drive past them heading north they can and will tear your car apart on the way back.....looking for drugs or people?

Guess it was so rough they weren't out that day...thinking that no one could land anything in the surf anyway.

Once saw a van that got in real deep at the edge of the surf...it was up to the frame. About the only way they could get this out would be to pull it out in pieces due to the suction effect.

tercel4wdrules · Post by **tercel4wdrules** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 1:22 am

Well now that the government is getting involved with the preservation of the wild-life and those forests, etc. fun stuff like this will disappear because some areas prohibit off-roading and I have seen this here in California. So I'd better hurry up and explore nature while it still is available.

takza · Post by **takza** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 6:32 am

The government has almost always been involved in this area. When I go camping or offroading...I try not to tear things up (including my car)...leave no trash behind...stay on current trails, etc. You can't help trashing some ground plants if you camp in remote areas...but this should be it.

Of course I'm drivng on a trail made by somebody, in a car made and shipped from the other side of the planet, running it on gas refined from oil shipped from over there, and eating food....grown, processed and preserved...then shipped cross country.

The Forest Service has closed a lot of smaller roads...though they can't seem to avoid making new ones so they can get to what little is left of the old growth trees.

The National Forests are really managed on a local level. Mainly for timber, mining, and ranching. The locals don't see the forests as national. Get off the main roads in most National Forests and you will see the clearcuts. Same thing in the north west...walk back past the 150' strip of trees along the ocean or highway and see the mess.

If you are younger...the best way to see nature is to backpack thru it. The less crap you have surrounding you...the better? Take a hike thru the redwoods or sequoias...or along the Oregon/Washington coasts.

Just my opinion.

3A-C Power · Post by **3A-C Power** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:13 am

Takza, you are the offroad king! I just went along the train tracks through gravel, and was dumb enough to bend my front crossmember. I think Canada has worse regulations about driving off-road, at least in southern Ontario. Driving up to James bay last winter was pretty good though, and we saw miles and miles of barren land that used to be forests.

DaveG1 · Post by **DaveG1** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 10:29 pm

I just drove my car through some pretty gnarly sand at work the other day. 4 lo and it pulled right out. I had stuck my econoline in the very same spot not a month ago and had to dig and run the tires down to flat to get out. 'yota just drove right out with full tires. Stoked! BTW, we run our lifeguard trucks w/ about 20psi and I can for the most part run in 2wd most of the time even in really deep sand. Deflated tires are key in deep sand.

tercel4wdrules · Post by **tercel4wdrules** » Wed Aug 04, 2004 5:41 pm

takza wrote: If you are younger...the best way to see nature is to backpack thru it. The less crap you have surrounding you...the better? Take a hike thru the redwoods or sequoias...or along the Oregon/Washington coasts.

I'll have my dad drive

and I'll do the backpacking. So does that sound better?

Maybe once he gets off the car... (wheels spinning) 1,2,3k rpm in EL? No just kidding, let the off-road driving to the experienced. The car isn't supposed to be driven so no fun for the both of us besides getting stranded in the middle of nowhere.