Thoughts on 2WD vs 4x4
 

I've been reading some of the posts about shipping from Europe to Egypt. I'm currently in Montenegro with my small camper, a Toyota Lucida Estima (2WD). I see the mountains along the coast of Egypt, the deep red sands in Sudan etc. on Google maps. Must be pretty.

The car has reasonable ground clearance, uneven gravels roads are no problem, but I'd feel bad about abusing the car in deep mud, I don't think it would like soft sand either, it's not made for that.

What do you think? Would you be limited by 2WD? Can't go out into the wild? In most parts of the world 4x4 is rarely an advantage, but I have no experience in this area.

Western Saudi looks mind blowing, look at the photos at this spot: https://goo.gl/maps/fnBAmvuiHaE2

Maybe could convert to Islam and go on the Hajj? No, really :-) Edit: Nah, there are Quotas and waiting lists and probably large fees and tours etc.

Hi David,

A 2WD vehicle being driven by a skilled driver will nearly always beat a 4WD driven by somebody who is less able/experienced.

In Mauri, Mali, Niger, Sudan etc I have seen quite a few 'westerners' get stuck in their 4WD whilst locals zoom through in their 2WD - even in pretty deep sand.

You can definitely go out into the 'wild' in a 2WD as long as you have half-decent clearance.

90% driver, 10% vehicle.

For the vehicle ... suspension plays a large part in performance. Then you get into the tyre grip, 2WD not being 2WD but because of the differential 1WD ... put a specialised differential in and you get true 2WD.

For the track ... divers (edit from rivers) can and do improver the track before they tackle it - filling holes is a big part of getting vehicles over difficult sections. Sand is simply tyres - good tyres that deform when deflated to make a large footprint so the vehicle stands tall in the sand is the way to go.

Thanks for the replies.

I posted this in the North Africa forum, as I really wanted to know about driving in Egypt / Sudan / South Sudan / Ethiopia in my van.

I think it's not realistic to go poking around here for example, 100km from the nearest road, unless you have a strong vehicle with sand ladders, two spare tires etc: 23.388819, 34.348140 (see satelite view on google maps) (fun, but I guess that's a good walk if there's a breakdown..).

But there's a road here that goes through a similar looking area, so I'd be content to stay mostly on the road: 23.388819, 34.348140

In this instance, I don't miss out too much. I think I'm answering my own question. :-)

Any other insight welcome.

use chains in the mud, valid for 2WD and 4WD, just put them on before the mud, tighten them after 150 yards, and wash them well before storage, if not they will be a rusty mess when you need them next.

See quite a few Toyota Taragos (Aussie version) on dirt roads in Australia. They seem to cope OK but I'd be wary of deep sand or dunes. You may do better getting a wider tyre for sand, but that will make mud/wet dirt driving a bit harder without chains.


Probably best thing is to be prepared with additional equipment that will get you out of strife - waffle boards, Tirfor style winch, long handle spade, snatch strap, high lift jack, blocks of wood, jerry cans for fuel as you will use more in sand.


Beef up your emergency towing points to cope with a snatch recovery.


Have a look at some websites that teach sand recovery techniques, burying the spare tyre for the winch to pull on, etc.


See a bad patch, get out and walk through first, if in doubt reverse out.

You could do it. I'd put the following in order of importance with true 4WD not at the top:

Good ground clearance
Good tyres
Being able to lock your axle or limit the slip
4WD

Iif you are unsure about a particular route, then pair up with another vehicle for that part. That's generally important for roads/tracks without much traffic.

Hi David,

Is your Toyota auto or manual? this will be the deal breaker for me, with no low range gears and a manual box, its very easy to fry the clutch driving in sand - this is where an auto box shines, but you still have to be careful not to overheat an auto gearbox too.

For tyres, you can gain some ground clearance and make the vehicle better on sandy tracks by using slightly taller tyres - not wider, wider will increase your rolling resistance. Taller and possibly narrower tyres aired down will elongate the footprint and decrease resistance. For instance you could go up from a 65 to a 70 or 75 profile as long as you have enough wheel arch clearance on full suspension compression. If your vehicle has a manual gearbox, you do have to be careful not to change the gearing excessively with much taller tyres though.

Some BFG all terrains would probably fit ok if you are looking to use a good, fairly tough tyre on sand and rocky pistes.