My first real mud pit experence, had a blast, but got some questions...

[WannaXP8]

Well lets just say I had a blast, and I got pics,of the aftermath mud covered explorer but not on here yet, but I have a few questions for yall, I have the AWD, as probably alot of you know, and I was wondering, when hitting a thick souppy mud hole, what gear do you think I should run it in, I had it in drive at one point, and it was shifting into 2nd and was hitting like 3000 rpm and staying steady at 3000, wouldnt gain more rpm(not to sure why though) with nothing but tire spin, and it kinda got stuck, but then I put it in first gear, and it bogged on though with no problems..so what do you think I should use..but in first gear you hit some high rpms...

 

[XplorerKid]

i dunno since ur all wheel drive. In my 4x4 i jsut put it into 4x4 than put it in drive and jsut gun the gas pedal.... thats all i do for mud ......
srry i couldnt help u

get some pics up i wanna see


PEACE

 

[Alec]

First or second. Sustained high rpms for a minute or 2 at a time is not too bad for the truck, just a little unnerving if you're not used to it. I find I usually go into a pit in 1 and if my revs are too high I shift into 2. The only thing is with the auto shifter upshifting isn't that easy. You can try the other way, go into it in 2 and if it's not enough revs go into 1.

The thing is sometimes when you lock it in second gear the truck only uses second. And sometimes it uses first and second. I don't know when it decides either.

 

[FourXFred]

Yeah, mine will stay in second if it put the selector in second, so i usually do what Alec suggested and start in first, then hit second if ive got enough momentum to keep going through. Mud is easy stuff, just need lots of momentum, and you are either going to make it or you arent. I quote a big lifted crappy chevy driver one day that i met on a trail:
"Just put her in low 1, Four Low, and mash her to tha boards!"

 

[Majisto]

On the 5R at least, when you put it in 2nd selector, it goes into 3rd gear and stay there. It will even launch from that gear instead of first. Never had it launch with 1st and then shift upto 3rd gear and hold there. It always starts in 3rd, and stays there.