4wd is completely optional
Posted by Hairlesscat645@reddit | overlanding | View on Reddit | 18 comments
2wd ‘86 F150 I’ve daily driven since highschool. 300 straight six and a C6 automatic. $20 camper shell, used 10 year old Firestone destination m/t’s and a lot of right foot gets me just about anywhere I wanna go. No limited slip, no locker, no nothing.
ThisOriginalSource@reddit
I’m guessing your trips don’t see any snow, otherwise you’d know that a lot of right foot and 2wd don’t get you where you wanna go.
Great truck though! Bring what ya have and have fun doing it. It’s all about getting out there and if this does it for you, then that is all you need!
Hairlesscat645@reddit (OP)
No this truck does absolutely horrible in the snow 😂 It does semi-alright with 4 semi brake drums in the bed but if not, I’m getting stuck on flat ground
ThisOriginalSource@reddit
One day you’ll get into something with 4WD. The FX4 trim on F150s (I think started in 04) has a rear locker and that is a game changer for off-roading.
One thing worth noting is that a 2WD vehicle will cause damage to steep trail sections, or switchbacks, more frequently than a 4WD would. All that wheel spin disturbs the trail which causes more erosion than normal and that is from personal experience. I had a 15 mile maintained/unmaintained “road” that a farm I worked was on. There was a more direct road to the farm but people still used the trail frequently enough. That trail had multiple creek crossings and signs that said please use 4WD. It was obvious when a 2WD vehicle came through because of all the spun gravel. We made repairs annually, but it would always get bad enough that we’d find someone stuck a few times a year. Every time it was a 2WD vehicle.
Danger_Dave4G63@reddit
Or mud that is slicker than ice lol.
Hi-Point_of_my_life@reddit
My buddy and I used to explore around Arizona in his 2WD Sierra. His dad’s philosophy when he bought it for him was that a 2WD prevented him from getting too stupid and getting really stuck like you might in a 4WD. And to be fair, we got stuck plenty of times but were always able to stack rocks, dig, or just bounce it out.
MilitantPotato@reddit
2wd does better than you'd expect, but when it's not eenough, it's really not enough. Getting a tow out of the back country can cost 3000+, and take a couple days.
You also need to use momentum to get through rougher stuff vs just crawling, which can break stuff really quickly.
That said, a 2wd you don't care about will do some crazy stuff as long as you have speed, not too much elevation gain, and a somewhat solid surface. Loose gravel, sand, mud, snow uphill is a great way to get in a bad spot.
Informal_Ruin_9152@reddit
Honestly if it works for your use case then go for it. I think a lot of the crap I have on my vehicle is mostly for peace of mind.
dbigjaybowski@reddit
Thats a great truck and a great motor. You will hate yourself if you ever get rid of it.
Autoimmunity@reddit
It obviously depends on where you are and what' you're doing, but I love seeing posts like this. It's a fact that you don't need a lifted rig kitted out with everything under the sun to get out there and enjoy yourself.
NoteFuture7522@reddit
Idk what your definition of trail is, but a subaru with stock tires could access 95% of what I see people doing on this sub.
Autoimmunity@reddit
I'd consider a trail any unmaintained road. Subaru's can certainly get to a lot of places with their AWD but clearance is the thing that becomes a problem as soon as you go anywhere with ruts or obstacles
Aromatic_Sound_5173@reddit
You’ve never gotten stuck?
Advanced_Tackle_9723@reddit
Dude, I had a 2wd 78 f-250 with a shell. Loved it and had a lot of fun camping in it.
But....That was the most get "stuckenest" truck I ever had! All the 2wd trucks get stuck pretty easy where I grew up.
Someday, when you get 4wd you're going to be amazed!
LiveMarionberry3694@reddit
I mean yeah, these photos show it on roads
Hairlesscat645@reddit (OP)
I don’t worry about taking pictures much so yeah
Hell-Yea-Brother@reddit
I've always told people they can access 70% of all roads and trails in a regular vehicle. Beyond that is the high clearance stuff.
If they want to install a couple strike plates that would be safer.
Hairlesscat645@reddit (OP)
I have gone through a couple deep sections of craigs creek and had a couple scrapes on rocks and such but other than that I’ve never had a clearance issue. Forest roads aren’t some crazy off road trail where I’m at so I’d rather enjoy the simplicity of a 2wd than worry about having a 4wd everywhere I go.
Von_Satan@reddit
For you maybe.