how rough does it have to be before its offroad?

[bates]

well i went on my first "trails" today, had a lot of fun. im not sure whether to say it was offroad or not though. can you give me your opinion on it?

heres the link to pictures

http://community.webshots.com/user/batesexplorer

 

[ipozestu]

I've been wondering that for years. I drive the steets of San Francisco, and around the Penninsula and it rocks and rolls me all over. I don't need to go off road for a little wheeling action. lol.

 

[Hokie]

I'd say thats farther than 95% of all SUV's go... So that will classify as off road. As long as you had fun, thats the main point. Besides, on a rainy day, looks like you could have some fun on that road. (Treading Lightly of course )

 

[bates]

ok good i was hoping so, and yes i had a ton of fun and cant wait to go somemore, ill have to find another spot to go too!

 

[Bashman]

If you gotta ask, it's not offroad. (j/k)
Hey man, where'd you find that trail in your area? Are the tracks abandoned or still in use? Glad you took it off pavement, looking forward to further adventures in the Ex.

 

[Muskrat]

if you can get a car down the trail, than it's not offroad

 

[udmsvt]

with one exception, thats about as far as mine has ever made it off road...i took it back onto some property i was looking at one day and ended up in a field of really soft dirt about 16" deep...that day just about did it in for the clutch (although it was already on its last leg)...but had i not had 4wd, i would have never made it out.

 

[Carl D.]

Auto manufacturers say that anything that is OFF the Paved Roadway is Off Roading.

 

[bates]

hmmm....well im gonna go with yes cause it makes me feel special haha

basher, those are and access roads i found on the software my dad has, its gps mapping software that is used by european rally cars, works great with the topographical maps we got!

 

[Sallad420]

If it's "OFF the Road" then it's Off-roading!

no pavement? Then you're off-roading...

Looks like you had some fun. I try to stay away from narrow trails, I've already gotten a few scratches in my beautiful black paint

 

[bates]

i thought about that then saw my ****ty paint, and said no i think ill be fine

 

[leif]

Off-Road Trail Ratings

Here is a list of off-road trail ratings I found on 4x4trails.net I've had my Explorer on a seven a few times but it had a water crossing of over 20 inches of fast current, I'm glad my tires grabbed the rock in the riverbed because I was beginning to float sideways. Anything over a seven or eight and a stock Explorer will most likely have problems and you may suffer some breakage. I've seen a moderatley modded explorer tackle what I would call a 9 with not too many problems. Also if crossing high water raise the air intake, hydrolocking is something that you don't want.

Rating: 1
Graded dirt road. Dry, or less than 3" water crossing depth. Gentle grades. 2WD under all conditions except snow. No width problems, two vehicles wide.

Rating: 2
Dirt road. Dry, or less than 3" water crossing depth. Some ruts. Slight grades, up to 10 degrees. 2WD under most conditions. Rain or snow may make 4WD necessary. Usually one and a half to two vehicles wide.

Rating: 3
Dirt road. Rutted, washes, or gulches. Water crossings up to 6" depth. Passable mud. Grades up to 10 degrees. Small rocks or holes. 4WD recommended but 2WD possible under good conditions and with adequate ground clearance and skill. No width problems for any normal vehicle. Vehicle passing spots frequently available if less than two vehicles wide.

Rating: 4
Rutted and/or rocky road. No shelves but rocks to 9". Water crossings usually less than hub deep. Passable mud. Grades moderate, up to 15 degrees. Side hill moderate up to 15 degrees. 4WD under most conditions. No width problems, vehicle passing spots frequently available if less than two vehicles wide.

Rating: 5
Rutted and/or rocky road. No shelves. Rocks up to 12" and water crossings up to 12" with possible currents. Passable mud. Moderate grades to 15 degrees. 6" holes. Side hill to 20 degrees. 4WD required. No width problems.

Rating: 6
Quite rocky or deep ruts. Rocks to 12" and frequent. Water crossings may exceed hub depth with strong currents. Shelves to 6". Mud may require checking before proceeding. Moderate grades to 20 degrees. Sidehill may approach 30 degrees. 4WD necessary and second attempts may be required with stock vehicles. Caution may be required with wider vehicles.

Rating: 7
Rocks frequent and large, 12" and may exceed hub height. Holes frequent or deep (12"). Shelves to 9". Mud 8" deep and may be present on uphill sections. Grades to 25 degrees and sidehill to 30 degrees. Water crossings to 18" and may have strong currents. 1-1/2 vehicles wide. 4WD required. Driver experience helpful.

Rating: 8
Heavy rock and/or severe ruts. Rocks exceeding hub height frequent. Shelves to 12". Deep mud or uphill mud sections. Steep grades to 25 degrees and can be loose or rocky. Water crossings may exceed 30" in depth. Side hill to 30 degrees. One vehicle wide. Body damage possible. Experience needed. Vehicle Modifications helpful.

Rating: 9
Severe rock over 15". Frequent deep holes over 15". Shelves over 15". Mud bog conditions (long, deep, no form bottom). Over 30" water crossings with strong currents. Steep grades over 30 degrees. Sidehill over 30 degrees. May not be passable by stock vehicles. Experience essential. Body damage, mechanical breakdown, rollover probable. Extreme caution required.

Rating: 10
Severe conditions. Extreme caution recommended. Impassable by stock vehicles. Winching required. Trail building necessary. May be impassable. Impassable under anything but ideal conditions. Vehicle damage probable. Personal injury possible. Extreme caution necessary.

 

[bates]

i think it was probably a three or four in some spots.

i wish there was soemthing harder around here buts most everything is private property. or atv and snowmobile trails.