When my Duster got stuck in mud again…
The dry hills
On the first Sunday of March 2020 we decided to take advantage of the short time I had in the morning and go for an offroad drive on a new trail I just discovered a couple of day before. At a first look the trail seemed to be dry and easy for the Duster.
The main concern was not to hit the ground with the EGR shield therefore I didn’t want to lower the tire pressure. I kept it how it was, at 2.2 bar. The tires I am using right now are Nokian WR Suv 3 and I think it’s their last winter of usage.So all the way up untill a muddy part of the trail the ascend was relatively easy, I just had to be careful and keep the car away from tiny trees that are grown all over the hill and not scratch it.
The narrow mud hole
And we got to a point were I knew I would have to run by some branches hoping the Duster won’t scratch. Not to mention the fact that it was mud and some water that made the passing thru even difficult. In that moment the shape of the front bumper really helped and by that I mean I could pass without hitting the front or rear bumper. The car was suspended on two wheels and I had to make 3 tries before getting on the right path. Any other SUV from the Duster’s class would have demaged the front bumper. I’m sure of that 😀
The big mud trail
After that section another tricky one came. This time it was an old trail that need it a longer time to dry that the rest of the road and I thought it won’t be that slippery. That the reason I didn’t make more efforts to go on the left side from the begining so the left wheels to have more grip on the grass.
Mud is somehow easier than snow. Read this and this to see if I’m rigth!
So I ended up not getting enough grip and I tried getting some momentum to reach the left side with the grass. Instead the car kept digging and after a few back and fourth movements I knew I can’t take the car up that hill from the mud. So I tried going in reverse to put the left back wheel on the grass and get out from the mud ditches.
After putting the car back front facing the hill, with full throttle ahead, I managed to get the left front wheel where it had better grip, got some momentum and I was back on business.
This is the video with the whole climb. Don’t forget to leave a Like and Subscribe!
Further uphill
From that point the road ahead was very easy, I thought we could get all the way to the top but at some poit the hill was too steep plus we had to enter the main trail which had many big rocks and a muddy texture that would have made the car slide very easy. We just turn around and our trip back was about to begin.
The descent
On our way back we had to face the same trails as before so I was expecting some difficulties. On the part with the big mud I just hit the ground a little with the aluminium shield and the side right side of the front bumper, causing the cover in the bumper to move from its place. I’ve decided to take it off so it won’t be lost. That cover is very hard to find. You have to buy the whole front bumper for that piece.
Muddy Hole Part 2
The biggest problem on our way back was represented by the trees I had to drive by. Mud made the car slide closer to those trees and the branches did scratch the Duster. The scrathes are not deep but they are easy to see when the car is clean. I’m thinking of wrapping the hole car in some scratch resistant sheet. I noticed that in similar conditions, when the road is slightly inclined to one side, it’s more convenient to use the 2WD Mode because when the rear wheels are spinning, the car goes side sliding easier. One good lesson we learned with this offroad drive.
Anyway besides those branches, the trail back was easy and much shorter and after an hour and half we were down to the base of the hill. The Duster had mud all the way up the roof but it was happy. Really felt like it was in his element. 😀
Here’s the link for the video. Like and Share! Cheers!
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