Building a 2WD off-road rig..recommendations?

[TheEnder]

Hi everyone!

I want to build my 2x4 truck into being as capable of an off roader as it’ll ever be. I have 17” rims on it with i think corsa tires on it which are almost completely bald. I would love to have the beefiest off road tires possible for my rims.

Any recommendations on tires, front bumpers (with LED fogs if possible, truck doesn’t have fogs at the moment but i will be adding the OEM wiring) and transmission upgrades? I was thinking a higher stall converter on the RFE with an external transmission cooler & a e-fan tune to run it on max at lower temps.

 

[kurek]

A higher stall won't significantly help you that's just going to make even more heat when you lean against it.
A more deeply geared axle will help a lot if yours isn't 3.92 (or more). Since you don't have a low range you'll want the extra leverage back there to relieve your transmission and help you stay in control on slow crawls. I'm fairly certain the 2wd's have BLD (obviously only on the drive axle) so if you have or get a limited slip back there it'll take you about anywhere - BLD + LSD isn't quite a locker but it's pretty hard to put yourself in a situation where the difference matters. Swapping an entire junkyard axle isn't that hard and usually a lot cheaper than having your own regeared, but regearing your axle opens up the possibility of much deeper ratios.
Might want to consider a winch too, and solid recovery points fore and aft if your truck isn't already equipped.

 

[indept]

A front diff & a transfer case ( with all the required attachments) would help greatly. Just sayin'.

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

To give you the best advice I would also want to know what type of off roading are you doing? What terrain, what speeds, etc....

 

[crazykid1994]

You do not need to worry about the efan tune. If it is a big concern for you then you could go the route I went and install a fan speed controller. If you want info on that just PM me. Low gears are better. Higher stall will just slip more and cause excessive heat which is the opposite of what you want for an off-roader. You want a high numerical gear set (really low gears) 4.56 would be your best friend or 4.88 if you can find them for the rear. It will make the transmission a lot happier with bigger more aggressive tires as well as your engine since you have it listed as the 4.7. A rear locker would be a must in my opinion since you are only 2wd but any LSD would be a great start. The truck already has a trans cooler but you could look to see if it has the factory installed thermostat and install a bypass for it. Being that your truck is a 4.7 there are not a huge amount of options engine wise but usually more reliable is better. I have a 2017 5.7 and I did the efan swap and long tubes. I still run the stock airbox setup but upgraded to a larger style filter. Not sure if that’s possible on the 4.7 engine but worth looking into. You also want to upgrade the suspension which honestly being 2wd I always suggest maxtrac but look into upgraded shocks. @Nick@GotExhaust is a forum vendor so if he you talk to him he should be able to help you with the suspension.

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

You do not need to worry about the efan tune. If it is a big concern for you then you could go the route I went and install a fan speed controller. If you want info on that just PM me. Low gears are better. Higher stall will just slip more and cause excessive heat which is the opposite of what you want for an off-roader. You want a high numerical gear set (really low gears) 4.56 would be your best friend or 4.88 if you can find them for the rear. It will make the transmission a lot happier with bigger more aggressive tires as well as your engine since you have it listed as the 4.7. A rear locker would be a must in my opinion since you are only 2wd but any LSD would be a great start. The truck already has a trans cooler but you could look to see if it has the factory installed thermostat and install a bypass for it. Being that your truck is a 4.7 there are not a huge amount of options engine wise but usually more reliable is better. I have a 2017 5.7 and I did the efan swap and long tubes. I still run the stock airbox setup but upgraded to a larger style filter. Not sure if that’s possible on the 4.7 engine but worth looking into. You also want to upgrade the suspension which honestly being 2wd I always suggest maxtrac but look into upgraded shocks. @Nick@GotExhaust is a forum vendor so if he you talk to him he should be able to help you with the suspension.

Great advice here. As mentioned the stall is not a need. It wont help you in what you are doing. Maxtrac is pretty much the go to for 2wd

We can help with suspension, lighting, gears, and bumpers. Feel free to message me for a quote on anything. We can help steer you in the right direction once we know what the goals and budget are.

 

[TheEnder]

A higher stall won't significantly help you that's just going to make even more heat when you lean against it.
A more deeply geared axle will help a lot if yours isn't 3.92 (or more). Since you don't have a low range you'll want the extra leverage back there to relieve your transmission and help you stay in control on slow crawls. I'm fairly certain the 2wd's have BLD (obviously only on the drive axle) so if you have or get a limited slip back there it'll take you about anywhere - BLD + LSD isn't quite a locker but it's pretty hard to put yourself in a situation where the difference matters. Swapping an entire junkyard axle isn't that hard and usually a lot cheaper than having your own regeared, but regearing your axle opens up the possibility of much deeper ratios.
Might want to consider a winch too, and solid recovery points fore and aft if your truck isn't already equipped.

Thank you for this - I have a 3.55 open diff at the moment. I know for off-roading in a 2WD that an open diff is a no go for pretty much anything.

I am planning on adding a new front and rear bumper with tow hooks.

 

[TheEnder]

To give you the best advice I would also want to know what type of off roading are you doing? What terrain, what speeds, etc....

Slow speeds, id like to do just basic rock crawling & being california there’s gonna be some mud so that’s what i’m worried about.

 

[TheEnder]

You do not need to worry about the efan tune. If it is a big concern for you then you could go the route I went and install a fan speed controller. If you want info on that just PM me. Low gears are better. Higher stall will just slip more and cause excessive heat which is the opposite of what you want for an off-roader. You want a high numerical gear set (really low gears) 4.56 would be your best friend or 4.88 if you can find them for the rear. It will make the transmission a lot happier with bigger more aggressive tires as well as your engine since you have it listed as the 4.7. A rear locker would be a must in my opinion since you are only 2wd but any LSD would be a great start. The truck already has a trans cooler but you could look to see if it has the factory installed thermostat and install a bypass for it. Being that your truck is a 4.7 there are not a huge amount of options engine wise but usually more reliable is better. I have a 2017 5.7 and I did the efan swap and long tubes. I still run the stock airbox setup but upgraded to a larger style filter. Not sure if that’s possible on the 4.7 engine but worth looking into. You also want to upgrade the suspension which honestly being 2wd I always suggest maxtrac but look into upgraded shocks. @Nick@GotExhaust is a forum vendor so if he you talk to him he should be able to help you with the suspension.

Appreciate this a lot! Yes, it’s a 2013 4.7L. The trans as it sits right now doesn’t have a transmission cooler thermostat and runs very cool (the most i’ve seen it in the past few days with it being beat on it 105°F).

I am going to be doing the 4.56 LSD swap no matter what, but i do think getting lockers would be better.

 

[kurek]

Thank you for this - I have a 3.55 open diff at the moment. I know for off-roading in a 2WD that an open diff is a no go for pretty much anything.

I am planning on adding a new front and rear bumper with tow hooks.

Bumpers are mostly cosmetic, recovery hooks affix to the frame. Depending what your budget looks like you might want to go recovery hooks first, gears/LSD(or locker) second, bumpers last. You might be able to pick up a 3.92/LSD axle for a thousand bucks and sell your existing axle for a few hundred, which is certainly the lowest cost/lowest effort means of improving your truck. Going from 3.55 to 3.92 is about a 10.4% change so you would have 10.4% more effective torque at the wheels in any given situation, take that much load off the transmission, and run that much higher RPM on the highway. Or offset a 10% difference in tire size (going from 31" to 34", roughly)
Going from 3.55 to 4.56 is a 28% difference. If you run 4.56 gears with 35" tires you'll wind up with about a 16% mechanical advantage compared to where your truck started. That's not bad.
Make sure to correct your speedometer for the ultimate difference in gear ratio and tire size using jscan or alfaobd since the throttle and transmission behavior are also predicated on that value.

 

[Dean2]

Hi everyone!

I want to build my 2x4 truck into being as capable of an off roader as it’ll ever be. I have 17” rims on it with i think corsa tires on it which are almost completely bald. I would love to have the beefiest off road tires possible for my rims.

Any recommendations on tires, front bumpers (with LED fogs if possible, truck doesn’t have fogs at the moment but i will be adding the OEM wiring) and transmission upgrades? I was thinking a higher stall converter on the RFE with an external transmission cooler & a e-fan tune to run it on max at lower temps.

Save all the money you would dump into this and use it to buy a 4x4. A max built two wheel drive pickup will still suck off road for mud and rock crawling. A completely stock 4x4 will far out perform your max built 2 wheel drive, unless you go full Baja, high speed, pre-runner build on it and then you aren't going rock climbing or mud bogging.

 

[crazykid1994]

Rock crawling and mud mean a locker is definitely a necessity. I would definitely add winch to that as well which you can do a vice designs hidden winch mount and use factory tow hooks for a nice clean look. High clearance bumpers that are worth a damn are hard to find in anything that looks nice. If it already doesn’t have the thermostat then you are set with the trans. You could always look into getting a shift kit installed to help it hold up a bit better though. Look into method wheels or any company that sells legit wheels. I have Mickey Thompson 18x9 -12 wheels and Mickey Thompson 305/70r18 tires. I’ll be swapping to 285/75r18 toyo tires when it’s fine time for new tires but these Mickey Thompson wheels are for sure some solid wheels and have taken some abuse. They don’t offer my Mickey Thompson tires anymore or I’d get them again. They have been great in sand and mud and swampy situations

 

[22hemi13]

Prerunner? Look on the fb pages. Lots and tons of great info from people who build and run prerunners. Hell my buddy has a 2wd ram 1500 and runs it. Just can’t crawl and dealing in where you’re at bills can be a a pain. You def need to lay out what your expectations are and BUDGET.

 

[JJEH]

Hi everyone!

I want to build my 2x4 truck into being as capable of an off roader as it’ll ever be. I have 17” rims on it with i think corsa tires on it which are almost completely bald. I would love to have the beefiest off road tires possible for my rims.

Any recommendations on tires, front bumpers (with LED fogs if possible, truck doesn’t have fogs at the moment but i will be adding the OEM wiring) and transmission upgrades? I was thinking a higher stall converter on the RFE with an external transmission cooler & a e-fan tune to run it on max at lower temps.

4x2

Here's my opinion - Don't do it.

I thought the same when I had my 2003 Ram, which was a 4.7L and also a 4x2. What stopped me doing it was that it is not worth it in my opinion. You can add everything you want; engine tuning, transmission oil cooler, rear locker, suspension, tires, beadlocks, winch, blah. In the end what you'll miss is a good 4x4 system and just more capability which it will give you.

If you just go moderate offroad and to the occasional campsite, then the 2WD should be fine. Just don't hit any waterholes, that will stop you in your tracks.



I picked something up from the floor, hit a waterhole, oversteered, did a 180 and landed in the mud.

 

[Socalramfan]

I’m curious…. Are you planning for a ‘dedicated’ off-road truck?

Or one that’s street legal as where?

location?

 

[kurek]

Everyone's idea of off road is something different, these threads always tend to dance around that topic a bit.

If you're used to rolling a moon buggy through rock gardens the idea of a 2wd truck might be a joke and if you're used to blasting dunes at 70mph the idea of dumping trophy money into a ten year old street legal truck might be a joke. Plenty of folks just like a little camping, fishing, hunting and exploring in the fresh air and that's always been accessible in 2wd.

Coming from an open diff and stock tires to a LSD + gears and appropriate tire size will double a basic truck's capability.
Just my humble opinion but I've learned that the right amount is the best amount and using instagram candy as a yardstick is a fool's errand - what looks visually arresting isn't always what works, and what works doesn't always look like much in pictures. An example of that is 35's look great on a Ram but they don't fit the spare tire location so if you can get where you need to go on 33 or 34" tires you'll not only save valuable storage space by carrying your spare where it's made to fit, you'll also save money on tires and fuel. The best tire size is predicated on exactly what kind of terrain you intend to cover and which necessary compromises fit your wants, your budget and your level of medical ability/disability if applicable.

 

[ramffml]

Just my 2 cents; saying you want a "2wd offroad rig" is like saying you want a burger without the meat. 4x4 is an absolute necessity, the very basic foundation. Without it, you're just "playing truck".

So I agree with the others who said don't bother, save your money and get a truck that has some of this already on it otherwise you'll regret it the first/second/third time you're getting stuck in a puddle.

 

[22hemi13]

Just my 2 cents; saying you want a "2wd offroad rig" is like saying you want a burger without the meat. 4x4 is an absolute necessity, the very basic foundation. Without it, you're just "playing truck".

So I agree with the others who said don't bother, save your money and get a truck that has some of this already on it otherwise you'll regret it the first/second/third time you're getting stuck in a puddle.

You don’t need 4x4 to off-road. He need to detail more of what “off-road” means to him for help. Prerunners, desert truck whatever you wanna call em these days are 2wd and do very very well. It’s depends on why op is wanting to do.

 

[Dean2]

OP said he wants to rock crawl and some mud. That is NOT 2 wheel drive country by any means.

 

[22hemi13]

OP said he wants to rock crawl and some mud. That is NOT 2 wheel drive country by any means.

I musta missed that part lolololol. Yeah hell no. Ya need 4x hahahaha.