Do you drive on the dirt?

[Hydrocket]

I was at a car meet & drive yesterday, and during the drive I notice some fantastic dirt roads off the side of the highway. I asked a bunch of the AWD car owners (STi, TT-RS, etc) if anyone wanted to come down the roads with me. They "politely" declined, and could not believe I would take my car down those roads. Honestly, I think they were the best roads I drove all day. Beautiful, picturesque, tight and very fun and challenging.


Does any else enjoy dirt or unimproved roads in their car??

Here's a couple of pics from the day:

[dhagood]

no. dirt roads are hard on the paint. plus, they're, you know, dirty, so you get dirt packed up in the odd corners of the car. unless that is promptly cleaned out, the next time the car gets wet the dirt traps the moisture next to the body panels. galvanized steel only affords so much protection, and this is how rust breeds.

come to think of it: hell no.

[Quicksilver]

Nope... It has never been done!

[Targalid]

Yes. We have dirt. And gravel. The only problem I have with driving on gravel roads, which is what you show, is that gravel gets caught in the treads of the tires. When you get back to the pavement, driving at highway speeds, the gravel is slung from the treads at high speed. I have some large dents in the front fenders from these wayward chunks of rock. The rocks bubble the fender outwards because the 911 does not have fender liners. With more modern cars this is not such a problem because they come with some sort of inner fender protection.

[Hydrocket]

Well with 250,000 miles on the clock, I certainly won't lose sleep over a teeny ding here and there. And a little dirt won't hurt...give you a reason to detail the car!!

[Wiese]

Gravel is fun. Makes drifting much easier! Also, you can go slow and enjoy the scenery. But I agree, washing out the wheel wells afterwards is a good idea.

[81 SC Ray]

Really guys??? I would never drive a car I care about on a dirt road - they don't call it sand blasting for nothing. Dirt and small stones are thrown up onto your lowers, literally sand blasting your paint. You will never get the grit out of the nooks and crannies. When you do get your hose in there, all you will do is wet the packed in dirt in the hard to reach areas and then it will dry and be like cement that holds moisture and promotes rust. Not to mention you get grit in everything!!! Get a 10 year old Honda Civic if you want to hit the dirt roads.

My two cents for free......and you know the saying about opinions!!!

Ray

[Hydrocket]

It's funny how I always hear how 911s are some of the best built cars..EVER. But as soon as you mention "dirt" or "gravel"...911s suddenly become the most fragile cars in the world...

I enjoy my car so much, I want to enjoy it in all weather and on as many types of roads as I can...

[pete3799]

Got no choice.....i live on a dirt road. While i much prefer the black top roads dirt roads can be a lot of fun. Around here the shortest route from A to B is a dirt road in fact their IS only one black top road in town so it adds to the miles if i stay on the good roads. Not that i'm complaining.

[tomphot]

Originally Posted by 81 SC Ray

Dirt and small stones are thrown up onto your lowers, literally sand blasting your paint. You will never get the grit out of the nooks and crannies. When you do get your hose in there, all you will do is wet the packed in dirt in the hard to reach areas and then it will dry and be like cement that holds moisture and promotes rust.

Agree - I try not to - after removing the rear tail lights and seeing how many small bits keep falling out from everything, and trying to clean the rear tire wells, I agree.

[regency]

no.

Steve

73 911 T MFI Coupe, Aubergine

[dhagood]

Originally Posted by Hydrocket

It's funny how I always hear how 911s are some of the best built cars..EVER. But as soon as you mention "dirt" or "gravel"...911s suddenly become the most fragile cars in the world...

I enjoy my car so much, I want to enjoy it in all weather and on as many types of roads as I can...

and more power to you.

personally, i don't have any particular urge to have to repair rust problems on my 28 year old car, so i do what i can to ensure i won't have to do any. i plan to pass on the car to whomever comes after me in the best condition i can afford.

few things would make me happier to know that my car was still running in 2113.

[ivangene]

not with the R888's on
but SURE with the A/S tires

I dont seek out dirt roads but certainly would drive on them and if my paint wasnt so nice i would drift on them

[Oh Haha]

I avoid dirt roads in all of our vehicles. Heck, I don't even like the 500 feet of dirt road that our daycare is on.

Our vehicles are always clean, (except winter when it's more difficult).

While I think driving a 911 in the dirt would be hoot, it won't happen with mine.

[porterdog]

Absolutely; the C4 was made for it and it shows. Keep your foot in it!

[mystro]

No way....in fact no way in heck! I also won't be buying any 911's that regularly travel on gravel/dirt roads. I live very rual and I know all about what gravel roads can do to a sports car. That's what pick-ups and SUV's are for.

[pfs]

It seems like there's definitely two opposing camps, and I can see both sides. I guess it just depends on the condition of your car. If it's pristine, it's not going to stay that way on dirt. Personally, I buy cars for specific purposes: off-roading, street, and racing. The only ones I "cross-purpose" are my 4x4s which I drive on the street. This philosophy has gotten my into the seven car mess that I'm in, so maybe it's a good strategy, not a great strategy.

[Hydrocket]

The road itself was almost as hard as cement. Very hard packed dirt. The stones were mostly on the center and the edge.

Will definitely do that road again if I'm even near.

[LanceGT4]

Dirt's great! but with the H&R springs and the 19" Champions I usually turn chicken on the short routes up and over the hills around home. You should see some of the looks i get from the hunters in the fall:-)
And sometimes PSM is not your friend, especially when you forget to turn it off before you start the drift.
I bought an old Triumph GT6 to run the dirt roads on and haul the mountain bikes on. The potholes are getting worse and the C4 probably will stay on the asphalt in the future.

[Noah930]

So does Roger Penske have you scouting out possible venues for next year's IndyCar race in Detroit?