There is this small dirt road that goes behind some schools where I live, and I decided to take my Element down it. There are quite a bit of deep puddles out thay way, and I decided what the heck, it's already over 24hrs. old... so I went straight through them. It made every single one without a problem. I had a "roostertail" (in jet-ski terms) of water being trown up in a continous stream that was well past the roof of the Element. :grin: All though I had a running start everytime, I was still impressed on how well it managed itself. At one point, it felt as if the water was up near the headlights, but it was probably just right under the door... which is still pretty damn deep.

Then, off of Manheim Rd. there is a huge dirt pit with a steep dirt hill to conquer to get to the entrance. I never really thought my Element could make it up there. Afterall, my buddy has a 1994 2dr Yukon (wid a tree-fitty (350)) and a real transfer case for it's 4WD... and has had trouble making it up there before. Well, I had someone with me at the time to get out and observe my ground clearance when I gave an attempt. First time, not enough momentum and all my wheels spun. Second time, just enough with only a slight wheel spin got me to the top! I've been so impressed with this AWD system and the unsuspecting might of the K24 motor.

Next stop... the beach! Here in New Jersey, the sand is very soft and light. I was wondering if there was anyone from the area who may have ridden they're Element/CR-V on NJ's beaches and could tell me how it is. I have seen CR-V's do it before, but I've never had the chance to talk to them. I'm just curious to see how hairy or confident they feel in taking it out there. Afterall, I've seen blazers and even some of those old Bronco-like blazers stuck before.

well ive been to a beach here in Cali, but not NJ.... u might want to do a serach next time on your question but thanks for enforming us of how well your element did in the mudd

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6799&highlight=pismo

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3920&highlight=pismo

Hey I was a gradaute of Stockton College, and at that time I had a dodge Ramcharger. Those dirt roads down there are great! Boy do I miss it. i use to volunteer for Gallaway recycling and we use to have to drive back in the woods looking for illegal dumpers. Did plenty of off roading

Hey I was a gradaute of Stockton College, and at that time I had a dodge Ramcharger. Those dirt roads down there are great! Boy do I miss it. i use to volunteer for Gallaway recycling and we use to have to drive back in the woods looking for illegal dumpers. Did plenty of off roading

thats a great job... too bad u didnt get paid :(

I just got back from the Ramada express hotel and casino international rally and did the reconissance in my E. Well, the first day of recce was a total mud bog as the rescent rains had truned the roads into mush. I was about 10th in line and as I came around one of the many croners, I came across some of the previous victims of the muddy staight-a-way which was about 1/2 mile long. I came across the first victims stoppping me on the road to tell me that it is pretty much impassable, but I looked over to my girlfriend and told her "Let's see how far she can go!" and decided to keep going. Man, the mud kept getting deeper and deeper as I crinnged hearing all sorts of things hitting the undercarrige. But the little E kept going until I had but passed everyone that was in front of me stuck in the mud. :shock: I even pulled out a 3/4 ton 4x4 dually out of the side of the mud hole along the way. Just having purchased this "car" a week ago I could not believe that an Element with no low range or proper tires could get through this stuff. after we got back to the hotel everyone could not believe that this is the only vehicle from the group that did not get stuck at least once during the day. To be honest I could not believe it myself. Although I got two flats going over some pretty tame gravel roads the next day, I am still in amazement that this little thing could get through some stuff that the "real 4x4's could not get through!! I should be getting some photos developed so that everyone can see where this little thing has been within a week of its ownership. By the way, my Element has been to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and the top!! How many peopel can say that!! At the west rim of the grand canyon, on the Hualapai indian reservation there is a road about a car and a half wide that you can take to the bottom of the grand canyon. The river rafting tour uses this road to get the rafts in and out of the canyon. Just so happens to be part of our race couse. Its about 18 miles from the top to the bottom. You can take a look at some of the race photos at WWW. RALLYUSA.COM. :evil:
PS: It took me almost $30 in quarters at the coin op wash to get most of the mud off !!!

Enjoy the ELEMENTS. :lol

i wanna see pics

That sounds awsome! hey maybe inform us nextime and maybe it could be some kind of meet... sounds like loads of fun! :) how deep was the mudddddd???

Actually we can use the Adventure rally portion of the events to have the meets at the same time. There is going to be another adventure rally happening around March. For further information log on to WWW. RALLYUSA.com . That rally should take you through the mojave desert from the palmdale area touring mines and other points of interest. All of the road that they use are pretty tame so it should be no problem for the E's to get through. We could use this event as part of the so cal E meet. I look froward to getting the film developed so that we can all enjoy what the E can do. :lol:

Enjoy the ELEMENTS

I look froward to getting the film developed so that we can all enjoy what the E can do. :lol:

Oh yeah, pics! pics!

-brendan

got the pics in yet???? :) im dyin to see... how many u got

:evil: :evil: I know that I should have known better than to let Sav-On try to develop my film. They are telling me that they accidentally exposed the film into ambient light so none of the photos My girlfriend shot of my car going through the roads last week is gone. So now I am relegated to finding others that were with the event to get some photos that way. UGH!!! :evil: :evil:


enjoy the ELEMENTS

:evil: :evil: I know that I should have known better than to let Sav-On try to develop my film. They are telling me that they accidentally exposed the film into ambient light so none of the photos My girlfriend shot of my car going through the roads last week is gone. So now I am relegated to finding others that were with the event to get some photos that way. UGH!!! :evil: :evil:


enjoy the ELEMENTS

Did anyone else read the above with a raised eyebrow. Now, I'm not accusing anyone of anything... especially not lying... but I say 'No pic... no trick.' You know?

:evil: :evil: I know that I should have known better than to let Sav-On try to develop my film. They are telling me that they accidentally exposed the film into ambient light so none of the photos My girlfriend shot of my car going through the roads last week is gone. So now I am relegated to finding others that were with the event to get some photos that way. UGH!!! :evil: :evil:


enjoy the ELEMENTS

i smell bs :)

Me too...

"Put up or shut up"

is the phrase that comes to my mind.

I even pulled out a 3/4 ton 4x4 dually out of the side of the mud hole along the way. Just having purchased this "car" a week ago I could not believe that an Element with no low range or proper tires could get through this stuff.

Here's the part I go:

Ummmmm...... no way!

I have 10 acres of farm land in NYC I would like to sell too. There is a money tree and it has a stream which flows with crude oil and is lined with gold rocks the size of your head! I had pictures of this wonderful land but Habibis Quickie Mart on the corner ate my film.

ok guys...lay off the weed

Here are some shots of the mud on my Element after a drive along Kingsbury Rd in the hills above Wenatchee, WA. This was a 'native surface' road with lots of dried mud ruts, and a few remaining snow patches and mud holes.

The worst of the mud was from the last significant mud hole, in which I managed to pull an unintentional 90deg powered drift. That produced some large mud spatters as high as the roof and skylight. The fenders and wheel wells have a good layer of mud and pine needles. The steering gear doesn't look too bad. For some reason, despite the mud flaps, there is more mud on the sill under the front doors, than under the rear side doors. The rear view mirrors also got their share of decoration.

paulj

[QUOTE=paulj]Here are some shots of the mud on my Element after a drive along Kingsbury Rd in the hills above Wenatchee, WA. This was a 'native surface' road with lots of dried mud ruts, and a few remaining snow patches and mud holes.


hey paulj-

my E looks WAY worse than that during mud season just driving into and thru my driveway!!!! :shock: :-D

For a resident of the we(s)t side of the Cascade Mtns, muddy roads are something of a novelty :) Here a forest road has to have a good gravel base and regular maintenance, or it doesn't last long. Mud, brush and landslides all take their toll. The east side of the mountains is much dryer, at least once the snow melts. This past week was right at a transition point, when most of the roads are dry, though rutted, but with just enough snow patches and mud holes to add some challenge.

I tried to cross Colockum Pass between Kittitas and Wenatchee. This a historic wagon route, now designated as a primitive road, not for passenger cars. From the south side I was able to drive up to the pass (a broad area about 5000 ft). However enough snow remained in the shade areas and on north facing slopes, that I decided not to go further (see 1st attachment).

The next day I drove part way up the north side. Here it was paved up to the last residence, and then quickly got narrow, steep and muddy. I turned around shortly beyond a spot where a bunch of ATV trailers were parked (3rd attachment - the E handled the mud in the foreground nicely). This was about 5 miles from the previous day's turn around point.

On the way back down I turned up Kingsbury Rd, which I successfully traversed, though with a bit more mud play than I planned on.

paulj

It saddens me to think people just don't believe anymore. If that's the general thought pattern, here's the ul;timate put up or shut up. Come on out to the Rally this december. And try to follow me in your E. The types or road that we do the pre-run on requires more of the driver than the equipment. Also another thing that I find amusing is that the people who are trying to yank my chain are mostly 2wd owners who sacrificed their ability by going 2wd? that's like putting a road slick on a downhill style mountain bike. So again I officially challenge you to come out and try to road for youself. Then again it's mostly typing here. :lol:

KENGORALLY
Do you have suggestions on handling an Element in mud? On my recent trip I felt like I was crossing the mud holes on the edge of control. A couple of times the car abruptly turned to the side, and I had to quickly brake, and then resume. Actually one case was a combination of mud and rutted snow. In the other, the back of the car actually spun around. It wasn't quite like a skid on an icy surface, since the turning stopped as soon as I let up on power.

paulj

Paul, the only suggestion that I can come up is to try to stay on the throttle while counter steering, and don't let side ways E intimidate you. When I'm teaching rally driving courses, that is one of the biggest fears that the students have to get over. The general public reaction to your car getting sideways is to panic and to apply brakes. In reality, that is about the worst thing that you can do. If the space allows, once the vehicle is in a skid, counter steer gradually, apply more throttle, and you would be amazed at how far you can go. Remember, when you don't have the power or the ground clearance, momentum is your friend. Also the reason that you don't want to apply brakes is that as soon as you stop the wheel, you lose control of where you are going. The same reason you can't turn while the brakes are locked up on pavement, the same applies on dirt. Also when the wheels are stopped you have a higher chance of chanching on a rut and flipping you over. If the tires are still moving, you have a chance or rolling over the rut and keep going. The only time you want to stop your wheels on dirt is when you want to come to a stop. stop your wheels while in motion are a bad thing. If you get a chance, watch one of the footages from a rally on Speed channel and see how they take the corners. They pitch the car sideways before the turn to slow the car down, the counter steer and apply throttle at the same time to make the turn. It's sort of like scratching you way around the corner. I could probably explain better on a graph sheet, but I don't have the time or the computer know how to do it for you. The drawing I use during the classroom session is worth a thousand words. physics- x&y vectors. maybe later or on another thread.

LOL KINGSBURY ROAD!

guess what my last name is :)

KENGORALLY
Do you have suggestions on handling an Element in mud? On my recent trip I felt like I was crossing the mud holes on the edge of control. A couple of times the car abruptly turned to the side, and I had to quickly brake, and then resume. Actually one case was a combination of mud and rutted snow. In the other, the back of the car actually spun around. It wasn't quite like a skid on an icy surface, since the turning stopped as soon as I let up on power.

paulj

Sounds like what your talking about is when the rear wheels are getting more power then the fronts. Remember the rear can get up to 70% of the power from the engine when the fronts are slipping. I think the thing that I had to get used to when i went out playing in the snow was that the element changes its behavior. with a front wheel drive, you know its gonna understeer, rear wheel drive you know its going to oversteer. with the RT4WD its going to at first act like a front wheel drive, then switch to similiar to a rear wheel drive. I agree with KENGORALLY with not braking, but countersteering. I'd try easing up on the gas when it happens too.

Someone feel free to correct me if i'm wrong, i'm a n00b to offroading, just basing this on how the E felt to me in the mud and snow.

-gaz

I didn't know you were related to Boog!

you gays... this is a figure of speech anyone under the age of 30 would feel compelled to use given the right situation.

I know there are lots of old geezers here who are dumbfounded with those expressions, and I know that you know that I know. So don't act so surprised everytime someone whips out the gay-card. It really gets old.

Yeah, I'm familiar with how the term could be used, but let's just say that that use has fallen out of favor with most respectable individuals. You could end up using it around the wrong people, and it could be someone with a bit of power over your fate and it has an effect on how others perceive you. So, if you want to be held with any respect at all, I wouldn't personally use it that way. If you wish to further your education in respect and discipline, I can suggest several individuals to help you.

Yeah, I'm familiar with how the term could be used, but let's just say that that use has fallen out of favor with most respectable individuals. You could end up using it around the wrong people, and it could be someone with a bit of power over your fate and it has an effect on how others perceive you. So, if you want to be held with any respect at all, I wouldn't personally use it that way. If you wish to further your education in respect and discipline, I can suggest several individuals to help you.

:shock: lol, what is that... :lol: You cant be serious, are you??? :confused: And this is coming from someone with the name "chimphappyhour"

If you can say what you just said, then one could come back to you somewhat the same way, that no respectable person would ever condone "monkeys drinking" given this name you chose. I would suggest some individuals for you as well, you may have heard from them, they are called PETA.

OK, so now you see how rediculous what I just said was??? Now go look in the mirror. Its a freakin interent forum where it is difficult to understand ones intentions as emotion is removed from all logic. Seriously, get a grip and stop the preaching.

Yeah, I'm familiar with how the term could be used, but let's just say that that use has fallen out of favor with most respectable individuals. You could end up using it around the wrong people, and it could be someone with a bit of power over your fate and it has an effect on how others perceive you. So, if you want to be held with any respect at all, I wouldn't personally use it that way. If you wish to further your education in respect and discipline, I can suggest several individuals to help you.

Your gay-ass lecture is duly noted...

:shock: lol, what is that... :lol: You cant be serious, are you??? :confused: And this is coming from someone with the name "chimphappyhour"

If you can say what you just said, then one could come back to you somewhat the same way, that no respectable person would ever condone "monkeys drinking" given this name you chose. I would suggest some individuals for you as well, you may have heard from them, they are called PETA.

OK, so now you see how rediculous what I just said was??? Now go look in the mirror. Its a freakin interent forum where it is difficult to understand ones intentions as emotion is removed from all logic. Seriously, get a grip and stop the preaching.

Ahem, my user name is actually a reference to a hobby I used to engage in. I used to set climbing routes at a climbing gym. :) My user name is actually a term we came up with to describe a type of climb, something fun to just move around on for all levels of climber, something a monkey might just move through like it was nothing.

Now, lwclancers, I'm used to reading your posts as being intelligent contributions to the boards, you are a huge wealth of information here, show me that I don't have to change that idea.

As for you booggreg, all you do is label everything like you do, and it doesn't really contribute to anything positive (the point of this kind of forum?). It is offensive to some to use the term in that manner, just like you can't use the n-word like it used to be used. I'm sure there is a code of conduct on this forum and if asked to, the moderators will enact it. They want everyone to feel welcome to post contributions that will have a positive impact on the boards. What you say and what is allowed to be said, does have an impact on how other perceive/feel about this place.

This is an objectional forum.. I give my opinions on various topics. Some negative and some positive. Just keepin' it real yo. If the admin asks me to stop using certain terms then I will. Ain't no freakin' way some chump on this forum is gonna convince me what to say and what not to say(just keep that in mind guy...). I can think of worser replies to say without using any swear words or the word "gay".

Girls, girls..... you're both pretty.

Ahem, my user name is actually a reference to a hobby I used to engage in. I used to set climbing routes at a climbing gym. :) My user name is actually a term we came up with to describe a type of climb, something fun to just move around on for all levels of climber, something a monkey might just move through like it was nothing.

Now, lwclancers, I'm used to reading your posts as being intelligent contributions to the boards, you are a huge wealth of information here, show me that I don't have to change that idea.

As for you booggreg, all you do is label everything like you do, and it doesn't really contribute to anything positive (the point of this kind of forum?). It is offensive to some to use the term in that manner, just like you can't use the n-word like it used to be used. I'm sure there is a code of conduct on this forum and if asked to, the moderators will enact it. They want everyone to feel welcome to post contributions that will have a positive impact on the boards. What you say and what is allowed to be said, does have an impact on how other perceive/feel about this place.

Again my point was I felt you went overboard on your observation given the fact emotion and logic are oftentimes removed when reading a flatbased text message. Now granted, we all know booggerg can be "troublesome" :-o at times, however his intentions are RARELY meant in a harmful or derogatory way. How do I know? Because I have been here long enough to understand (considering I have felt the wrath of booBerg more than once myself).

Thus I feel your responses were too quickly decided to simply base an opinion and start "preaching" based on one post, or even a handful of posts. I still believe this based on my previous example where I supplied a quick judgement on ur screen name as evidence, and in return you had to supply a detailed explanation to the contrary....thus the whole argument about being quick to judge. Thats all I was trying to say :)

Alas, I must thank you for your kind comments :grin:

Oh and technically there is nothing wrong with saying "gay."


Case in point, the definition:
gay
adj. gay·er, gay·est
1 Of, relating to, or having a sexual orientation to persons of the same sex.
2 Showing or characterized by cheerfulness and lighthearted excitement; merry.
3 Bright or lively, especially in color: a gay, sunny room.
4 Given to social pleasures.
5 Dissolute; licentious.

4 of the 5 meaning are merely about feelings of joy and happiness.

I can think of worser replies to say without using any swear words or the word "gay".
LOL, I cant believe I defended you and then you say something like that :lol: :lol: :lol:

I havent heard the word "worser" in a LONG time

probably because it's not a word but.. it really should be a word because it sounds so damn natural.