2003 Mountaineer for Off-road

[BulkTank]

Hello gents!

First time poster here, long time forum scavenger.

I know this has been a topic of discussion for some time but I haven't really seen any real "talks" about it from those w/ AWD that does small-mild off-roading. I could be blind tho.

My question; what has others done to overcome the limitations of the AWD for this purpose?

My intentions; off/softroading w/ overlanding. My fiancee and I like to camp and we love going where not every civic or minivan can get to.

Recently done Medano Pass, here in Colorado and got bogged down by softsand. Bit of traction boards, shoveling, and throttle control got me out to reset. Made it through on my second attempt, then clear sailing afterwards.

I know, the best thing is to just get 4x4 vehicle and be done with it. It's paid off, so this is not something I'm willing to do, not until the 200k mark (currently almost 160k).

Here are pics for the curious mind.

 

[Rick]

A rear locker would help with traction offroad and a small lift to allow larger tires would help with ground clearance. The AWD system should be fine for mild offroad use. The biggest drawback is the lack of low range.

 

[BulkTank]

Thank you for your response. I do have oversized tires, being 255/70r17 KO2s. They added maybe a 1" lift to the stock suspension. I've also removed the running boards.

I do still have the stock VLSD on the rear, but was looking into either torson LSD or air lockers. I feel the former might be better for ease of use.

 

[Rick]

Torson style diffs do work well without the complexity of an air locker.

 

[BulkTank]

Torson style diffs do work well without the complexity of an air locker.

Would it be beneficial to look into getting disco's or rock sliders, or is that just throwing money into the wind?

 

[ernzo]

Is it possible to swap in a LSD on that AWD?

 

[BulkTank]

Is it possible to swap in a LSD on that AWD?

From what I have decent through several weeks of research, my AWD has a D4 LSD on the rear (read on the door sticker) and open front. D4 = 3.73 VLSD.

Front what I have seen, there are plenty of LSDs that can replace the VLSDs, so long as the shaft is a Dana 8.8 and the gearing can be mated.

I've never done this nor plan to do this myself, I don't have the space or the equipment to attempt this.