A Few Dumb Noob Questions

[zzdocxx]

Hi everybody, Happy Monday !

Just a few things I have been pondering.

1. Downshifting manually. 5-->4-->3 is all pretty smooth, but then when going from 3-->2 it seems there is a much bigger difference in the gearing and there is an abrupt deceleration unless going pretty slow. Why do they do that? Maybe they should have had 6 gears instead ?

2. Had it off-road in the desert for the first time last week. I was just poking along on the dirt roads like we used to do in our jeep when I was a kid so long ago. Then a couple of guys in an XTERRA left ahead of me and were hauling ass over some roads that were actually only moderately bumpy and sandy. So I decided to try to keep up with them, which I almost did. I guess I was going about 40mph whereas before I was more in the range of 15mph. So does this cause a lot of extra stress on the vehicle? It sure felt like it. Also, the back end really tossed from side to side a bit and I imagine it would be pretty uncomfortable for back seat passengers. So how do you guys drive and what do you recommend? It was sure great to save a bunch of time coming back in the late late afternoon though.

3. There was this place where there was a very wide wash/stream bed and a fairly huge sand embankment. I sort of crawled up the thing in 4WD ATRAC as I had seen in a training vid someone had posted. The same guys were behind me at that point and I pulled over to watch them. The took like a 30-yard running start at it and came up it at speed. I don't remember the reason the instructional vid said it was better to sort of crawl up, maybe so you don't break something ? Can any of you address the various issues involved in this?

I have a few more questions I can't remember right now but will post as I think of them.

Gracias ! ! !

:usa2::hatsoff:

 

[zzdocxx]

PS Dang this website is addicting ! ! !

 

[RockyMountain]

No need for speed

re: questions 2 & 3 - IMO, simply put, unless you need the extra velocity/momentum to clear some part of the terrain, it's probably not worth the risk. The physics are pretty simple. The more velocity you are carrying when you hit an opposing force, the more wear and tear your vehicle will take.

 

[Teamoatmealpie]

#2 - if you're blasting 40-50 plus in rough dirt roads the rig will do much much better if you air down.
Huge difference in comfort factor doing that speed with street tire pressure versus say 25 psi -

 

[mteolus]

Agreed, the more wear and tear you will get the faster you are going, but the 4Runner is by far the most reliable 4x4 you can get so it would probably less likely to break than a XTerra.

It is more reliable than a Jeep, but because a Jeep has a solid front axle it will be less likely to break hitting something hard at speed.

Speed all depends on what you are driving over. Rock crawling especially you would want to drive very slow unless you are stuck and need some momentum. Momentum will cause you to bounce and that is usually not a good thing. If you can't make it up something slowly using A-TRAC, engage the rear locker but turn it back off when you make the obstacle.

Momentum in sand may be good, but it can also be bad. The faster you go the more you may get stuck.

 

[Angelo]

1. Downshifting manually. 5-->4-->3 is all pretty smooth, but then when going from 3-->2 it seems there is a much bigger difference in the gearing and there is an abrupt deceleration unless going pretty slow. Why do they do that? Maybe they should have had 6 gears instead ?

On a level playing field (i.e. with the reliability being kept at it's current level) I think most of us here would take another gear or two being thrown in the mix. It is what it is.

...a couple of guys in an XTERRA left ahead of me and were hauling ass over some roads that were actually only moderately bumpy and sandy. So I decided to try to keep up with them, which I almost did. I guess I was going about 40mph whereas before I was more in the range of 15mph. So does this cause a lot of extra stress on the vehicle? It sure felt like it. Also, the back end really tossed from side to side a bit and I imagine it would be pretty uncomfortable for back seat passengers. So how do you guys drive and what do you recommend?..

I agree with the previous answers to this question regarding airing down, and I'd also point out that the XTERRA is / was a decently popular offroad vehicle to modify- it's hard to know what exactly might have been done to the one you came across that would make it more capable offroad. Shocks built and valved for high speed offroad driving increase speed and stability in ways that the OEM suspension on the 4R can't keep up with. These obviously exist for the 4Runner if you're willing to fork out the dough.

3. There was this place where there was a very wide wash/stream bed and a fairly huge sand embankment. I sort of crawled up the thing in 4WD ATRAC as I had seen in a training vid someone had posted. The same guys were behind me at that point and I pulled over to watch them. The took like a 30-yard running start at it and came up it at speed. I don't remember the reason the instructional vid said it was better to sort of crawl up, maybe so you don't break something ? Can any of you address the various issues involved in this?

I think the take away point is that while there are obstacles where a little speed / momentum can help, your margin for error is better when your reaction time is increased, which obviously happens when you're going slower. You have to drive for the obstacle, I guess. As a related point, it's easier to stay on and respect the trail, your surroundings, and the safety of your truck if you're able to control your movements better. I'm not saying speed isn't fun and necessary, just thinking about what the video you saw was trying to say. It's certainly possible to break something even with a massively upgraded rig at any speed, but I think if a video was giving you "go slow" advice it was more about safety, control, and trail respect than breaking stuff.

 

[mteolus]

This is what happens when you go too fast.

Driving too fast - YouTube

And the negatives of not having a solid front axle:

Go to 11:35 of this video Broken tie rod

 

[zzdocxx]

OK thanks everyone!

Another noob question:

Does driving in dusty off road conditions in any way get my oil dirty, or does it mean I should change my air filter more frequently?

:llama: