[Scooby]

How many outback owners drive offroad mud, dirt, sand, snow and how often?

 

[The_Lizard]

I've been on a few beaches and cobbly riverbeds, and many miles of hilly gravel roads which are a BLAST in an OB. We get a few good snowstorms in central Ohio, plus a few rounds of ice most winters. Haven't done a whole lot of mud, but lots of grass/weeds on friends' private property or various campouts.

The OB is nice on wet grass, it doesn't fuss and kick up grass as easily as other vehicles. You just sort of glide to where you want to go.

 

[bheinz57]

I've driven in just about everything except beach sand. Heavy snow, four rallycrosses, mud, dirt/gravel roads...I don't hesitate to take my little Outback anywhere. I've even had it offroad at 8,600 feet up in Colorado on the Bureau of Forestry land. Fun. Brian

 

[Jondalar]

I've done dirt very rough gravel and course sand, some very steep climbs on dirt that my 12yo son assured me was "straight up" and the OB handled it all fantastically. Not that keen on doing mud due to the amount of cleanup needed afterwards.

 

[wasubie]

I mostly drive in sand when i go off road, but living in Western Australia i don't really have a choice, there is sand everywhere and to my delight the outback has had no problem, except for a few clearance issues with the front bumper in the really soft stuff.

 

[The_Lizard]

I haven't found sand soft enough to give me trouble yet. At Vilano Beach near St. Augustine Florida, the woman working the guard booth warned me to "stay off that red coquina" which is not sand but finely ground seashells. But even that was no problem.

 

[MAF]

Got my outback at the begining of winter and had lots of fun with all the snow we had this season. Gravel and dirt is pretty much a day to day thing for me now that summer is here cause I live out in the county.
So many long and windy dirt roads around here, all of you off roaders would love it cause there is no trafic at all and you can see the road for miles since it's all fields.

 

[Rivalred]

Do not have an Outback yet, but live in the country and have off roaded my fair share a few years back.

 

[Kevin]

Hold on now scooby, you're trying to ask two separate questions in one poll. No biggie, if you'd like to rephase your poll questions I'd be glad to change it for you

It may be better to change the thread title to, "Do you drive offroad? How Often?" And then change to poll options to something along the line of:

1. Every week

2. Every month

Etc, etc... its your poll so I'd let you decide of course

Then in your first post ask what people drive offroad in; ie mud, sand, snow, etc. I only say this because there are so many variables

Of course this is only a suggestion, but if you need my help I'll be glad to lend my services

 

[PTinVT]

Umm.. I've only had mine a couple weeks now, but yesterday, doing a U-turn at the hardware store parking lot, my front right wheel went into the gravel. And I thought to myself, "ooh... I just went of-road - I'm so extreme!!!"

I'm answering "snow only" (i.e. not off paved roads, just in heavy winter snow) - I guess that's not offroad, I'd agree with the moderator's comments about too many variables in one poll, frequency vs. type.

-Peter

 

[roo]

Pretty funny, PVnVT.

Looks like I just 3-way tied the once a month, couple times per year and snow.

Went with the "couple times" answer because I do get into places that are considered off-road sometimes, just not each month.

Funny non-Subaru story: I had a '69 Toyota Corona I drove across the shallows of a river once, trying to get to where some people gathered by either wading across or driving big 4X4 trucks. A friend was with me and we noticed a couple girls wanting to get across but looking at the swift-moving water hesitantly.
I asked if they would mind sitting on the car to help me get through, weighing it down. They got onto the trunk, which was big for such a small car but they were worried about falling off so I assured them they could sit on the roof like in a chair. You might wonder why not inside the car... afraid it would fill with water.

Couldn't have been any more than a 8 inches at deepest and ankle deep mostly. I just worried about the traction on the rounded stones. Mission accomplished 100 feet later. Got back across later on, somehow.

I also took that car onto the logging roads near Mt. St. Helens a few years after it erupted. Gravel the size of grapefruit on those roads.

Basically, I've been a part-time off-roader with the wrong equipment. I think I'll fair pretty well now. Especially since I've gotten more cautious.

 

[Scooby]

Loowit

Ah yes touring the aftermath of 'Loowit"(Indian name for Mt.ST.Helens) . Those grapefruit were probably pumice stones throne from the eruption otherwise just big stones. I drove up there alot before they paved everything. I've even hiked to the top of what's left too & great views! Lot's of elk there. I remember watching the blast from Portland,Or it looked like someone dropped the bomb!!! I have a friend who survived the blast!!!

 

[roo]

Re: Loowit

Those grapefruit were probably pumice stones throne from the eruption otherwise just big stones. I drove up there alot before they paved everything.---8<---I remember watching the blast from Portland,Or it looked like someone dropped the bomb!!! I have a friend who survived the blast!!!

Not sure if memory exagerated the "gravel" but it was definitely just rock put down for the logging road I was on. I didn't get too close, this was in 1983 or so. Was somewhere between Spirit Lake and Mossy Rock.

I had watched at least one eruption from the Green River valley at Kent WA, 82 miles to the north. Flat landscape running north and south there. And it was an unusual and impressive sight to see from so far away. Well, the ash plume anyhow.
Lucky friend. A lot of lucky people, and some unlucky ones.

You must have seen it from about 50 miles, about what Mt. Ranier (or Rainier, depending on how you spell it I guess) was from me there in Kent, or 42 miles.

The talk of volcanoes always revolved around Mt. Baker and Ranier but not St. Helens so it was a surprise. Good thing it took almost a year for 'the big one'.

Back on topic: I'd like some mountainous terrain to drive around in again now that I finally have AWD. Most it gets around here is real hilly.

 

[bheinz57]

The wife and I just got back from vacationing in the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota. We took her Baja where is was never meant to be. I was spinning tires on big rocks crossing a dry creek bed at at least 7% grade. The smell of burning rubber was great. Then after we passed the cattle guards, a GMC Jimmy was there with a flat---couldn't take the heat! The 4EAT Baja did great offroad. Brian

 

[The_Lizard]

Here's the old Buick fart spouting off again...

My family took a vacation to the Black Hills in 1977, in a 1975 Buick Regal 231cid. Stop laughing at me! Because we crossed South Dakota at 85 mph or so (even when Mom drove) we were able to get some pics at the Badlands as the sun began to set, and I can still put those shots in chronological order by the color of the sky.

I was 16 years old and driving when I hit a bump in Indiana and the Firestone 500 on the left front began to develop tread separation. We changed it out in Lafayette IN and in the lot I got a sting from a yellowjacket that climbed up my pants leg.

Am I off topic yet ... well, we did pound that Buick down some washboard gravel roads to get there. And in the Black Hills, I told Dad to lock the tranny in 2 so it would stop hunting through the hills and curves, and just drive at one gear ratio.

He did try to order that car with a manual tranny, and the salesman talked him out of it.

 

[Karl_at_VanBortel]

I took my 2002 OB Limted off road. Did very well, but a lot of residual BS down the road. Everytime I had it in for service (which was way too often) we would find more mud up somewhere it didn't belong!

 

[FMGreen]

Yo NYC, where'd you take it off road? Somewhere in Monroe County (or nearby)?
I've been looking for places to go driving but I can't find any place that's not someones private land...

 

[Karl_at_VanBortel]

Out by VBS. THOUGHT that was friend's land, but it ended up being their neighbor's field! Nice sloppy fall mud. Ended up with mud on the roof. Haven't ventured off road in the new one yet. Any suggestions???

 

[FMGreen]

I wish I could suggest something, but like I said, it's all private land which is risky. I'm sure the farther you head into the southern tier the easier it would be to find a place, but I'd rather keep it close to home in case I get myself into something I shouldn't have (read: deep mud).

Once I get some new tires (soon) I'll start looking more seriously, but for now my baldies will have to stick (barely) to the pavement.

 

[CPToversteer]

i probably get off road every week or so, and on gravel roads almost daily. desert here is hard packed sand and lots of rocks. i mentioned my one unintended adventure in a water crossing. so far, car has done great in everything i've gotten into. we're planning a trip to Mexico for beach camping over Xmas so if that comes off, i should have more info on this