Off Road / Wet Weather Performance!

[mydoghoser]

Just got back from fishing in northern New Mexico and I am impressed with the off road performance of my Rogue (2009 S AWD). Right after I bought the Rogue I swapped the stock wheels and tires for some cast aluminum 16" and a set of General Grabber HTS 225/70-16's. I wanted a little higher ground clearance and all terrain performance. I probably could have gone 235's, but the 225's are performing well. We were off road every day (poorly maintained dirt/gravel roads, rocks, holes, etc), and spent time backing into good spots and climbing out with nary a glitch. I'm not real familiar with the CVT, but in the really tricky spots (muddy holes and a "ledge" back up to asphalt) it seemed to optimize torque to avoid wheel slip. On the way back, we hit thunderstorms at the TX border and the Rogue sailed along like it was on rails. Having owned 3 cherokees, a grand cherokee, a wrangler, a quattro, 4wd expedition, and a forester XT - I know what AWD/4WD stability feels like and the Rogue was aces. Happy trails - mdh

[kerrton]

Hey man thanks a lot for sharing that, really cool to hear and I don't think many people go off road so we don't often get a chance to hear reviews like that. One thing, did you noitice that the front suspension was kind of noisy when going over rough spots, like several wash-baord-type bumps in a row would cause it to make a knocking or dull thuding type noise? Mine seems to make a "knock" type sound in these situations, but it could just be normal for this car, unlike you I don't have a lot of past vehicle experience on rough roads.

[mydoghoser]

With just over 4300 miles, I'm starting to hear different knocks, whines, etc. Since the suspension is not tuned for off-road, I'm sure the knocks I heard were minor complaints from some of the more dainty suspension components. During our off-road segments, I took it pretty easy and didn't notice anything that would lead me to believe component failure was imminent. I don't mind a stiffer ride on the asphalt, so I am researching replacement shock/strut options. Maybe I can find a bigger sway bar for the rear. However, even if I do stiffen up the suspension, things like the super-skinny CV shafts on the front drive will keep this vehicle in the not-so-much-for-off-road-use category. I'm happy with it no matter what. Best, Mike

[Nick 568]

Here's a short vid of some mild off-roading in the Rogue. If you look closely, you can see the Rear passenger-side wheel lift off the ground a tad! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omX28uM7_i4Oh, and yes, I did first make it up the hill. Mostly with speed though since the stock tires are bad for off-road. Also made it up that same hill in the winter as it was completely iced over. Again with speed and studded tires, lol.
Modified by Nick 568 at 12:44 AM 8/25/2009