Jump to content

Mexico via 2wd? Rough roads and air bags!


purplecaman

Recommended Posts

  • 2 years later...

Well he might not answer but I can give you a little info. I have not done it but a friend Tony has traveled extensively in Mexico with his 18ft Sunrader. He does not have a 4x4, just 2wd and he hasn't had any problems that I know of. One time he was even towing a 1000 lb trailer. Another member either here or the toyota campers group drove to Guatemala or Honduras with a 21 foot Sunrader. When he got there he took the camper shell off and used it as a house and drove the truck part around. There were pics but it was quite a while ago and I don't remember where they are. I'll check and come back here

Linda S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You don't need 4wd as you can get to remote places without, but it definitely makes life easier. Clearance might be a bigger issue (especially for longer vehicles) if you plan to do much driving off the highway. Baja's coast is mostly only accessible by traveling off the highway (sometimes for many miles) on road conditions that can vary from day to day. Coastal mainland is a totally different story and is much more populated/traveled.

Where things get messy offroad is when it rains. Veteran campers (even with powerful 4x4's) have to make decisions when it rains. Either pack up and hightail for the highway or sit put and plan to bunker down till the roads become negotiable again. Once the dirt roads turn to diaper mud, you're in trouble.

From my experience, the biggest obstacle might be washboard and salt (at least to the arid regions (baja in particular & coast camping). Both will beat your car to shreds eventually.

@ information on the internetz:

The world sure seems a lot more accessible these days and a lot flatter/smaller with the internet and information sharing/blogging. There are so many ppl out there writing about every little detail of their travels down to the GPS locations of their favorite spots. If there's something to blog about some destination, it is guaranteed to be documented somewhere in the e-universe. Most of us old salt dogs were of the opposite school of thought, and struggled to keep our favorite surf spots from being overrun or even "discovered", but that is ancient dinosaur thinking now so it seems.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Steve, I'm one of those old school dinosaurs that agrees with you about not blabbing about the secret spots you find in Mexico. One of my favorite Baja trips had us surfing perfect waves with just the four of us out and when it got flat we bailed for San Felipe. My friends old Corvan broke down in the middle of the desert between Ensenada and the Sea of Cortez so we spent two nights camping with not much to eat but mucho cerveza while the other two hitch hiked back to the states to get a vehicle to tow the Corvan back. The stars were so bright you could almost read by the light they cast and to this day I've never seen anything close to how spectacular those stars were. Then my friend and I hitch hiked our way down to San Felipe for a couple weeks and hitched a ride back to San Diego. It was a great trip and only one of many memorable Baja trips. Lots more great trips were made surfing and windsurfing in Baja too. Now I'm on the prowl for a Toyota or Nissan motorhome so I can boondock for extended periods of time in Baja and mainland Mexico and surf perfect uncrowded waves and fish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is a good winter!

There's a lot of great places to kyak on the gulf side that's for sure! Long extended kayak trips are quite common and I'm sure there are all sorts of outfitters running package deals and group adventures. And of course the Pacific has the whale breeding bays that can make having a kayak a real bonus.

Surfing and Mexico can be a great combo that's for sure, but even those die-hards that bunker down for 2+ months down there, probably only spend a fraction of their time surfing as ideal conditions usually don't last past 10 a.m due to the wind. Tho to be fair, other places don't get started till after 10 a.m. because that trade wind is favorable for those facing SW, but that's not the norm. The majority of a "surfing" trip is not surfing tho and not the end-all.

A name like Buzzy just sounds legendary!

btw, I think bajanomad is one of the better forums for all things baja related if you're looking for info/conversation/sharing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Steve, or anyone else that wants to chime in, I have some questions please...

1) I was thinking an automatic transmission would be better for driving on those washboard roads in Baja so I could maintain a steady speed and float over the bumps without the lugging and constant shifting that would be required with a manual transmission. What do you think?

2) Was your rig equipped with solar panels or did you use a generator?

3) How many house batteries do you use when long term boondocking?

Thanks

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is a good winter!

There's a lot of great places to kyak on the gulf side that's for sure! Long extended kayak trips are quite common and I'm sure there are all sorts of outfitters running package deals and group adventures. And of course the Pacific has the whale breeding bays that can make having a kayak a real bonus.

Surfing and Mexico can be a great combo that's for sure, but even those die-hards that bunker down for 2+ months down there, probably only spend a fraction of their time surfing as ideal conditions usually don't last past 10 a.m due to the wind. Tho to be fair, other places don't get started till after 10 a.m. because that trade wind is favorable for those facing SW, but that's not the norm. The majority of a "surfing" trip is not surfing tho and not the end-all.

A name like Buzzy just sounds legendary!

btw, I think bajanomads is one of the better forums for all things baja related if you're looking for info/conversation/sharing.

I used to windsurf a spot about 9 hours below the border that faced directly South which made the prevailing winds blow side offshore there (great for wave sailing). Go a little North or South of that spot where the coast faces West and it was totally blown out victory at sea conditions.

When I was young and foolish surfing was the "end-all" of our trips. Now that I'm older and foolish, surfing is still the focus, but I also want to fish and just chill while taking in all the beautiful peacefulness of nature.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1) I was thinking an automatic transmission would be better for driving on those washboard roads in Baja so I could maintain a steady speed and float over the bumps without the lugging and constant shifting that would be required with a manual transmission. What do you think?
I never had any luck w/ automatics esp on hills. They eventually all had shifting problems and didn't like not being in control of my rpms/shifting. That being said, an automatic is probably easier to "creep" and pick your way on really rough roads if you don't have the low granny gearing such as the typical 4x4 has.
2) Was your rig equipped with solar panels or did you use a generator?
Never felt the need for a generator. I do have about 150W of solar (mounted flat for the majority of the time tho eventually they always end up tilted after a few days. Just make sure they are really well fastened down. I've seen many a solar panel blow off rigs in the wind tunnel that is baja.
3) How many house batteries do you use when long term boondocking?
My previous setup was 2 Trojan 105 6v, and that seemed to be plenty of storage. Don't recall how many amp hours that equated to (maybe 100?). Now have a single 12v AGM battery, but have room for a second one (which prob will need). I run lights, listen to radio and occasionally fire up laptop (tho might force myself NOT to carry laptop next trip) There used to be a famous bumper sticker that read "Throw your TV away!" Probably the modern version of that is "Throw your laptop away!".

Again, you should check out bajanomad forums if you haven't already. Really everything you could ever want to know about that part of the world from veteran travelers and ppl living on the penninsula.

I never got into windsurfing. Fun stuff tho and wish I had! Those kite boards sure look like a blast. "Victory at sea!" pretty common down there that's for sure!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another draw back of the auto tranny. Built in stall speed. You got the gas to the floor and it won't move. Got stuck in the Sierra's near Mono Hot Springs. Just didn't realize how steep the hill was going in cause my brakes were really good. Couldn't get out. Would not move. Couldn't back up cause there was a narrow one lane bridge behind me. Either side was drop off into the San Joaquin river. Dumped my gray water, kicked my passenger out and reved it in neutral and threw it into gear. Every time I jumped few feet and I finally got up the hill. Anyone think I should try Rubikon?

Linda S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steve H and Linda S....

Thanks for the info Steve.

Linda, that is shocking that your auto trans couldn't get you up an incline! Was it a super steep rough road or a smooth paved hill? If that was a smooth paved road then I'm going to have to bail on the plan of getting an automatic. Has anyone else experienced that with an automatic?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maximum grade just over 19%

Anyway, I've attached part of your route from this cool mapping website I just discovered called Ride With GPS. One way from Fresno to Lake Edison, makes it a 91 mile ride with 13,163 feet of climbing and a maximum grade of 19.3%. Interesting that this map also shows Kaiser Pass Road ending at Florence Lake!

Copied from motorcycle site

Linda S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When you stall the torque converter in an automatic, you have 2 choices more HP or steeper rear gears. Another 50 hp will help or/and going from a 4.10 to a 4.88 will help a bunch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Linda - I had a similiar incline in SE Ohio - very steep. (I swear I was looking straight up thru the windshield.)

In this situation, I'm thinking that the Auto is a better choice over a Manual. The 1st gear ratios are similiar.

In the Auto, the Torque converter will "slip" and allow the engine to rev to a higher rpm, higher rpm means more power.

You would do something similar with the Manual,i.e. "slip the clutch" to get the revs up. The only difference, in the Manual, the clutch will overheat after a few seconds of "slipping" and then will loose its effectiveness and potentially burn out.

John Mc

88 Dolphin 4 Auto

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i went there years ago. was pulling a 19 foot trailer with full size gmc, was so steep at times the rear wheels lost traction pulling at less than 10 miles an hour. very steep gravel road at the time. was very scary as there was no where to go but off into a canyon if it had started to go backwards. but a beatiful spot once we made it :o)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't imagine how you got around the many hairpin turns. Hill I'm talking about is right after you leave Mono Hot Springs to go back to the real world. Your Dolphin would probably do better cause it has a v6. I plan on going back in my Nissan cause it is a v6 too. Yes one of the nicest places I have been. Fishing at Edison lake is awesome too.

Linda S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...
On 10/25/2012 at 2:10 PM, linda s said:

I can't imagine how you got around the many hairpin turns. Hill I'm talking about is right after you leave Mono Hot Springs to go back to the real world. Your Dolphin would probably do better cause it has a v6. I plan on going back in my Nissan cause it is a v6 too. Yes one of the nicest places I have been. Fishing at Edison lake is awesome too.

Linda S

Sorry for raising this thread from the dead.  I have been trying to figure out if I can drive my 92 Dolphin up to Lake Edison.  I love, love, love it up there and need to take my son (who is 10) to the places my Dad took me.  I've driven the road in a pickup, and 2 different SUVS, and it seems doable provided you drive slowly.

Thoughts??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well you have a V6 and I'm sure it would make it. Some tight turns but I saw work trucks on the road as long as a Toyota motorhome. RV's up to 25 feet are allowed. The only place I had a problem was the hill coming out of Mono Hot springs. The 4 cylinder just didn't have enough power. Go for it. Spectacular place. Your son will never forget it

Linda S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, linda s said:

Well you have a V6 and I'm sure it would make it. Some tight turns but I saw work trucks on the road as long as a Toyota motorhome. RV's up to 25 feet are allowed. The only place I had a problem was the hill coming out of Mono Hot springs. The 4 cylinder just didn't have enough power. Go for it. Spectacular place. Your son will never forget it

Linda S

Thanks for the quick reply.  I hope to make a trip up there after I finish my rehab on the camper.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...