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2 Parter: 1. I love my truck! 2. AWD does not = offroad!!

2243 Views 15 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  ATLtoCO Frontier
Yesterday I went up to Evans Creek ORV. Myself, my wife, our mutt, and our friend in my truck and my parents in their Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Spent a good portion of time on the FS roads just enjoying the scenery. But eventually I found a trail entrance I wanted to try and up went went. Quick side note, my truck is bone stock except for a steel rear bumper, some Dick Cepak M/C's and an AirRaid air filter. But anyway, I've always known my truck is very capable but I also fully understand it is not as capable as something like my dads jeep.

But I was proud of how it did. For a couple main reasons. Fronty's aren't exactly the shortest wheel-base vehicles out there. And I ended up at a couple pretty tight turns. But a little 3-point turn type manuvering and was able to keep on going. The second tight turn I was actually pretty sure I would end up having to back down off the trail (not fun) for the simple fact that it was a tight turn over some pretty slick rock face. But I popped on the rear locker, took it slow and steady (tires were also aired down to about 15 psi) and made it up just fine.

I don't take my truck off road too often cause I don't see too many trails in W. Washington that allow for my truck's size. But like I said, the truck performed flawlessly! Anyway, went along that trail and it put us back on the same FS road. Now we had been for a little while and I had other stuff to get done so we started making our way back. That's part 1.

Part 2 happened as we were making our way back. We get a couple miles from where we left the trail on our way out when we see a guy and a girl walking along the FS road. Now, we saw these people earlier in the day on the FS road driving a brand new (still had dealer plates) Honda Element. Now I of course recognize that the average car can handle these FS road so I didn't think anything of it when we first saw these people. So we pull up along side them and find out that the guy/driver was trying to get up to the peak. Apparently he wanted to treat his girl to a picnic at the peak. Couple side notes. It's not his Honda Element, it's hers. Also, he proves to be ambitious in his driving of her car.

So anyway, he was trying to get to the peak. And decided to try one of the trails as the FS road wasn't leading to where he wanted to go. Now I will say this. I tip my hat at the guy and even the Honda for how far they got. The trail was not hard at all, but it was peppered with larger rocks and slightly off camber parts. And the fact that he got as far as he was truly impressive, stupid, but impressive. Anyway, they got up on the trail to a point where the trail was more like the FS road, expect that it had a few inches of snow/slush/ice. But it was a fairly straight shot for at least 50 yards so he kept going. He got a point where he couldn't go any farther so he started backing up to a point where he could turn around and head back down. He got within about 15 yards of that place to turn around and head back down when he started to slip to the right. Now, on the right is a pretty steep drop. Probably a 70 degree angle.

Now I'll give credit one more time that he was able to keep the Honda from going over the edge and he did have the sense of mind to tie a strap from the car to a tree to keep it from sliding further. And I imagine the girl was more than a little pissed. Not only were they stuck, but she's the one in the passenger seat so she had a great view of the drop.

So anyway, with these two in the bed of the truck we got to where he was stuck and I pulled in front of him and pulled him free. He thanked us (although curiously didn't offer an e-mail address for me to send the pics too..) and they headed back down the trail. We hung around a little while longer joking about this poor bastards drive home. Haha. Anyway, that was my Valentines Day store. My truck rocks and AWD does not equal off road!!

P.S. I'll get pics up in the next couple days.
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Pretty cool story, I guess the element is only good for some elements!
When i get back you should come out with me. Ill show you some good spots a stock frontier can do.
needs more pics..

When i get back you should come out with me. Ill show you some good spots a stock frontier can do.
I think I will be up at Lewis in July.. Might not be 4wd if they don't come out with 4.56 gears for the m205.. but will be geared and locked in the rear.. can't wait to meet you guys.
When i get back you should come out with me. Ill show you some good spots a stock frontier can do.
Definitely, I've only been to Evans Creek and Tahuya so far.
youd be suprised at some of the places that awd crossovers suvs or whatever they are can go
My wife drives an 08 CR-V AWD. I keep waiting for the phone call....'I'm stuck!!!'
Great story.
A stock nismo is impressive on the trails. Everyone should take them out before modifying one.
My Rubicon was a hell of a lot more capable than my Frontier is, it made any trail I took it on a cake walk, but my Frontier has taken me everywhere I want it to so far. I'm pretty impressed with the brake limited slip system and it has almost as much ground clearance as my Rubicon did. Just a longer wheelbase and it doesn't turn nearly as sharp. The IFS doesn't really limit me in the type of offroading that I do.
cool stuff man
My Rubicon was a hell of a lot more capable than my Frontier is, it made any trail I took it on a cake walk, but my Frontier has taken me everywhere I want it to so far. I'm pretty impressed with the brake limited slip system and it has almost as much ground clearance as my Rubicon did. Just a longer wheelbase and it doesn't turn nearly as sharp. The IFS doesn't really limit me in the type of offroading that I do.
I agree 100%. My dads Rubicon didn't even stutter in the places I wasn't sure I was going to make it through. But he also paid like 35K out the door and has put another 5K at least into it. I'm not interested in any kind of real hardcore 4x4ing so I'm perfectly content with the trails I go on.
Here's some pics of the poor S.O.B. who got stuck.

AWD does not equal off road pictures by jfrussell - Photobucket

And some other pics from Evans Creek.

2-14-2010 Evans Creek pictures by jfrussell - Photobucket
nice pic's
thanks for sharing, good pic's.
I agree 100%. My dads Rubicon didn't even stutter in the places I wasn't sure I was going to make it through. But he also paid like 35K out the door and has put another 5K at least into it. I'm not interested in any kind of real hardcore 4x4ing so I'm perfectly content with the trails I go on.
Mine had a $34k MSRP, but I bought it when my old dealership group's Chrysler store was in trouble so I paid $23k for it. I drove it for a year and traded it in for several thousand more than I paid for it new.

It was bone stock, but extremely capable in stock form. I'll miss the removable top this summer, but I'll live. lol.
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