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.
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