Two Part Post - Off Roading and Aftermath

[ScottSad]

Wasn't sure where to post this one, in the photos section or the off-road section, but decided here because that's what I did with it, and I have some questions that may start a conversation. I'll start the first post with my experience driving off-road and follow with another post on the aftermath.

I finally was able to take my truck off-roading last Friday. I took the day off for my wedding anniversary and convinced my wife to go. I headed up to place not too far away called Holly Oaks ORV Park. I guess it's an old sand/gravel quarry that has been converted to off-roading. Since it was earlier on a Friday, the place was empty and I had a blast. I was using this trip to learn the course, and get accustomed to the capabilities of the truck, so I didn't push too hard, and stayed to main roads in the park. There are some that aren't even road vehicle capable, and I didn't want to get stuck in a situation I couldn't get out of. I tore through a lot of mud, tried my hand at flexing on a couple mounds and a steel track, and took some decent hills.

A couple items stood out to me. One was that the truck had no problems at all from a power perspective, which I expected. I never once had trouble getting out of mud, up or down a hill, or anything else. Again, I played it conservative, but still. Another thing was that I did get a bit nervous on some steep hills. It felt like the truck was tilted more than it seemed to be at times. I guess it's how high it sits coupled with the weight, but there were times I actually reconsidered a route because of the slope and the way it felt. Does anyone know where this thing might tip? How much grade can it handle before it does? I had my wife take picture while I was on one hill that seemed steep, and it didn't seem so bad once I looked at the picture, so maybe it's a perception thing.

Another aspect I didn't think about were mudflaps. I installed the weathertechs over the winter and didn't think about them before I went. Once I was there, I had to avoid a few things because I seriously thought they would bottom out and rip off. One obstacle was a giant set of stairs, another was a nice rock crawl. Do those of you with mudflaps take them off when doing this kind of activity? They were a pain to put on, so I'd hate to do that, but would if needed.

The last thing I wanted to mention was the suspension/shock system. It really is something else. I went tearing across some really rough, uneven terrain, and I expected it to be bone-jarring at times, but the system really came through. It was unbelievable how well it took some of the rough road at speeds that were pretty wild. So, that was my experience and initial thoughts, but I'll probably add more as I go. Some pictures attached.

 

[ScottSad]

The second part of this post is about the aftermath, and the last picture I posted above was meant to go with it. The truck got really, really dirty in my adventures. The outside was caked up, inside the wheel wells especially, and all underneath. I took a powerwasher to it the next day, and got a lot of it off. I followed that up the next day (Sunday) with another wash, and the exterior is looking decent. The ceramic coating came up strong here and all painted body panels came clean really well.

But I have issues with other areas. Number one, it seems all of the black trim pieces got stained pretty bad during the run. The rubber trim around the windows is especially bad, as is the trim on the top of the bed sides. The trim around the wheels stained a little, but I got that off. The other areas, I'm having to scrub pretty hard to get clean. Anyone else run into that issue? I was surprised to see it.

And lastly, the engine compartment. I expected it to get dirty, but damn, it went way up there, splashing the supercharger, the decorative cover, and a whole lot more. I need to get this cleaned up a bit, and wondered what you all do. On the side with the battery, there is a little "no powerwash" warning sticker, so I'm hesitant to do that. That side isn't too bad, and I can wipe it with a damn rag. The other side, the more open one, is worse, and I was thinking about hosing it off a bit, not with a powerwasher, just a hose sprayer. Anyone have experience with this? I'll get it cleaned up, but wanted to get it done the best way possible. Thanks.

 

[Phillytrx]

Following.
I would think a garden hose would be better than using a pressure washer under the hood. I’ve clean the engine compartment before but didn’t have caked on mud.
I used a degreaser a soft bristle brush and then rinsed with regular garden hose.

 

[Dudebro]

Glad you had a blast with the truck and got some real use out of it. Highly recommend removing Weathertechs. @Fifty can attest as he broke stuff on his front fender. There are some less rigid options out there that would be better for offroading.

 

[Fifty]

Yea. Take the flaps off. They will destroy our fiberglass fenders. The flares don’t have any give. So a mediocre hit and the fiberglass gives.
The fenders are cheap enough, but paint is not.

 

[Phillytrx]

So I guess the weathertechs won’t make it through normal driving in snow ?

 

[OnTheReel]

So I guess the weathertechs won’t make it through normal driving in snow ?

They made it through fine on mine last year. We had a few pretty decent snow falls I went fooling around in.

 

[Rubicon Bear]

I rock crawl Jeeps, and can tell you that based on the width of the truck that at low speeds you will feel on your side before "flopping" the truck, with that being said pictures will never...ever show the true angle that was achieved. Ultimately continue to be conservative with your truck until you get a batter feel for it.

 

[Phillytrx]

They made it through fine on mine last year. We had a few pretty decent snow falls I went fooling around in.

Good, I was hoping I didn’t have to pull them off just for playing in the snow.

 

[Dudebro]

So I guess the weathertechs won’t make it through normal driving in snow ?

Snow should be fine. It's catching them on rocks/objects that don't move that are trouble. Because there isn't any flex, the next weakest point, which is the fiberglass fenders, breaks instead.

 

[Termite]

Vermont winter and no trouble with the snow

 

[PhoenixTRX]

Looks like a great outing!

While I loved the Weathertechs on our TRX, finalizing an alternative (thanks to @Fifty !). We are fortunate to live in the SW where diverse and extremely accessible off-roading is commonplace from technical trails to very desolate/lengthy high speed options.

SIDE INCLINES: Took the Raptor Assault course (free with our 2017 purchase), worth watching many YouTube videos as to how capable a full-size factory long travel truck can be (including the sidehill evolution circa 30d of incline! <- then with Instructor standing on the step shaking it!). It's a shame that RAM doesn't offer similar, as they do for SRT (car) purchases with the Radford Racing School.

Adding to @Rubicon Bear 's comment (and assimilating a tactical/shooting adage "Smooth is Slow, Slow is Fast"). Be conservative, better yet go with some experienced peers when possible (a must I discovered with our RZR learning to interpret and drive dune/sand areas!).

<- stretching our TRX's legs on favorite 40-mile loop

<- SIDEHILL example: random Raptor Assault video, look at 3:30 ->>

 

[Loosescrews]

Spray the engine and everything under the hood with tire foam. Spray it all underneath and on the wheels too.

 

[HeliPilot]

Looks like a great outing!

While I loved the Weathertechs on our TRX, finalizing an alternative (thanks to @Fifty !). We are fortunate to live in the SW where diverse and extremely accessible off-roading is commonplace from technical trails to very desolate/lengthy high speed options.

SIDE INCLINES: Took the Raptor Assault course (free with our 2017 purchase), worth watching many YouTube videos as to how capable a full-size factory long travel truck can be (including the sidehill evolution circa 30d of incline! <- then with Instructor standing on the step shaking it!). It's a shame that RAM doesn't offer similar, as they do for SRT (car) purchases with the Radford Racing School.

Adding to @Rubicon Bear 's comment (and assimilating a tactical/shooting adage "Smooth is Slow, Slow is Fast"). Be conservative, better yet go with some experienced peers when possible (a must I discovered with our RZR learning to interpret and drive dune/sand areas!).

<- stretching our TRX's legs on favorite 40-mile loop

<- SIDEHILL example: random Raptor Assault video, look at 3:30 ->>

Slow is Smooth, Smooth is fast…but close!!!

 

[PhoenixTRX]

Slow is Smooth, Smooth is fast…but close!!!

Haha... what waking after an afternoon nap with our Toddlers does to the mind!

 

[ScottSad]

Yea. Take the flaps off. They will destroy our fiberglass fenders. The flares don’t have any give. So a mediocre hit and the fiberglass gives.
The fenders are cheap enough, but paint is not.

Thanks for the info. I'll be looking into a replacement then.

 

[ScottSad]

So I guess the weathertechs won’t make it through normal driving in snow ?

Mine did fine in the snow last winter.

 

[ScottSad]

I rock crawl Jeeps, and can tell you that based on the width of the truck that at low speeds you will feel on your side before "flopping" the truck, with that being said pictures will never...ever show the true angle that was achieved. Ultimately continue to be conservative with your truck until you get a batter feel for it. View attachment 52429

Thanks for the info. I had meant to post this picture originally. My wife took the picture and that angle is about right. Nothing too severe, but it felt way worse from inside the truck.

 

[@JC]

That's a lot of wet sand man, you wouldn't catch me in my 392 or future TRX running around in sand like that... Took my RZR to the dunes one time, it was an unholy mess to clean, I'd rather clean black dirt mud any day of the week over sand and clay.

 

[nickinfleet]

My detailer uses a Fortador steamer for all the cars. Should work great for cleaning under the hood. You just need to find a local detailer that has one: https://fortador.com/