Just curious if anyone out there is riding trails with a 2wd with a locker. Would this be as capable as 4wd with open diffs?

 

Some deer hunting trucks here in the south are 2wd with a locker and aggressive mud tires on the back and claim they never get stuck. You also have to know your limits.

I have a'99 2.8L (used be a 2.4 before it was bored .030) 2WD 2 Door with a manual trans refurb project that is90% complete. I will add locker in the rear and have a 6000# trailer hitch mounted winch. This jeep is my (TOAD) tow behind for the motor home and has a rated trailer hitch in the front and rear. I won't be entering any rock crawling events but it should handle most of the places I intend to visit.

 

Ive found the definition of trail can be a maintained gravel rd to water ledges on a buggy run.

one needs 4wd one doesnt

 

Gambler500 folks are running 2wd vehicles all the time - momentum, a winch, and a complete lack of care of the mechanical wellbeing of the vehicle can get you far.

I personally don't get it. I've ridden with people who brag about getting over obstacles in 2wd but they're raising hell doing it. I'd rather just use 4wd and not tear the rig and/or the trails up.

 

On my xj I don't have the option of using 4wd so I added a locker just to keep me from getting stuck in that nice Georgia clay we find on most if not all backroads. When I'm riding the grape I use my 4wd because I have 4 wd. But my 2 wd is one that is set best for flat tow behind the coach.

I'm not a fan of beating the sh@t out of my vehicles.

 

A 4x4 with open diffs is more capable than a 2wd drive with a locker in 90% of situations.

 

Good AT tires will make difference in traction for both 2wd or 4wd - but the best combo and most capable XJ will have AT tires, 4wd and a locker

 

Ive found at tires are realy street tread with fancy names to market to the jeep street crowd.

 

AT tires are terrible off road, you need MT tires.

 

Need a 4wd. LOL

 

Where I wheel my Jeep AT BFG KO2's are an excellent choice. I have a German friend that that loves to play in the mud on his Cooper SST PROS and when I slid CJ's around a wet red clay track years ago MT's were the choice

 

AT tires are fine for dirt roads like in the picture, but MT tires would work just as well and they would do better when you decide to take it off road.

 

True, except that the 6-hour drive on pavement to get to the trail-head is MUCH quieter on all terrain tires then on mud tires - which is why Over-landers use AT tires almost exclusively. BFG makes both and where one wheels his jeep should influence that choice. If I still lived in the land of red clay, I'd be on MT's

 

I think the overlander crowd likes the Maxxis razer because its lack of noise. For as aggressive as they are im always amazed how quite they run

 

I can't hear my MT tires over the exhaust and wind noise, they aren't that loud at all, and a modified Jeep XJ isn't really a quiet vehicle to take on road trips.