How good are 5.0 AWDs off road? No BS

[Turdle]

ok for clarity. If you were going to be mild wheeling in the rockies, low range is a must. Things overheat even with low range. I would not attempt those kind of high elevation climbs and long descents with a stock AWD , knowing how much I have abused the low range in similar situations.

A half hour trail is one thing, climbing up and up for well over an hour, in very thin air and at very slow speeds, is another.

Which is why you should have your location displayed. It would have made the answer easier. I had to look for a map to your IP address to find out-

 

[Precision]

No I'm dealing with New England mud, rain, snow and elevation. I will encounter rocks, steep dirty and rocky hills etc. I don't think elevation will be a factor and I was told the trans and t case in these was rock solid so I figured I'd be very capable with a set of 21-32s and some other goodies.

 

[Turdle]

Adding a second transmission cooler, or maybe a fan to the stock one will help. Also, I plan to install some "T's" and valves into my radiator transmission lines to bypass that in the summer. Once the radiator is cooling hot coolant, it just warms the transmission fluid under stress.

A scangaugeII is good to have as it has the capability to monitor transmission temperature.
If you still have heat issues you could try lower gearing. The 31's will be on the edge of working well with 373 gears.