Besides tires, I would use lowgear (1st/2nd) assuming you have an auto I forget. Besides that a semi-sideways technique when in trouble as you did is really all you can do.
Driving tips welcome: Muddy hill and sliding
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Unfortunately, mud traction is 99% about the tires. Most tires will just pack with mud and basically turn into a slick, which really just makes it impossible to do much no matter how good the car or your skills are (its like driving on ice with all seasons).
Depending on how deep/thick the mud is, you want to keep the revs up so you don't bog down and keep your momentum up (with the AT, 2nd works pretty well in most cases). If you stop, you might not get going again. If you do get stopped, you don't want to keep spinning the tires as it will just dig in, you have to rock back and forth, or saw the wheel back and forth while feathering the throttle. Going downhill you'll probably want to use engine braking and give it gas to keep it straight.
Dont do this lol (on all seasons, he got himself dug in, the ground is much softer than it looks, I didn't even attempt to bring the forester back there, just got a friend with mud terrain tires and a winch!):
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Car was never the same again lol, but it gave him the chance to get an 06 forester instead!
Up here pretty much all the "offroading" is mud, as theres not much in the way of rocks. You learn very quickly that its all about the tires, unfortunately tires that are good in mud generally aren't the best anywhere else.
Depending on how deep/thick the mud is, you want to keep the revs up so you don't bog down and keep your momentum up (with the AT, 2nd works pretty well in most cases). If you stop, you might not get going again. If you do get stopped, you don't want to keep spinning the tires as it will just dig in, you have to rock back and forth, or saw the wheel back and forth while feathering the throttle. Going downhill you'll probably want to use engine braking and give it gas to keep it straight.
Dont do this lol (on all seasons, he got himself dug in, the ground is much softer than it looks, I didn't even attempt to bring the forester back there, just got a friend with mud terrain tires and a winch!):
Car was never the same again lol, but it gave him the chance to get an 06 forester instead!
Up here pretty much all the "offroading" is mud, as theres not much in the way of rocks. You learn very quickly that its all about the tires, unfortunately tires that are good in mud generally aren't the best anywhere else.
2
Things I learned on this day;
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-a week of rain and poorly drained clay roads result in slick snotty mud.
-2nd gear and lots of quick steering worked to keep things straight.
-point where you want to go and give it gas to keep momentum up.
we were on an uphill slope though so there wasn't a worry of it getting away from you, just the worry of getting pulled into a ditch. :biggrin:
not everyone managed to stay on the road; but Duct tape makes it better..
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-a week of rain and poorly drained clay roads result in slick snotty mud.
-2nd gear and lots of quick steering worked to keep things straight.
-point where you want to go and give it gas to keep momentum up.
we were on an uphill slope though so there wasn't a worry of it getting away from you, just the worry of getting pulled into a ditch. :biggrin:
not everyone managed to stay on the road; but Duct tape makes it better..
Two methods for handling really slippery slopes; 1 - stay in existing ruts as that will give you directional control and just let it slide down; 2 - if no ruts then you need drive to obtain steering control and with an auto you can drive through the brakes to achieve this, one foot on the brake and the other on the throttle, enough brake to just hold the car then accelerate.
Now that you've done that - do it in reverse!
Now that you've done that - do it in reverse!
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