[socalixterra]

As the subject states, how difficult is it?

 

[ChrisHaynesUSA]

If I had a nickel for every time someone with a manual stalled out on the trail, I would be a millionaire......

YMMV.....

 

[CThoreal]

I feel this one is largely based on the driver and type of terrain. There are folks out there that can hit the roughest trails with a manual and make it look like art. Others can wreck a new clutch before getting to the trails. Check out the "Trail Mater" youtube channel for an example someone who knows how to drive a manual in the conditions they struggle the most.

I personally enjoy the manual everywhere but in long slow sections of rock crawling. For most part you learn to maintain a tiny bit of momentum and flow through obstacles without actually stopping and working the clutch, avoiding jerky stop and go motions. But when you do find yourself hung up or on a big obstacle like ledges, it can be real hard on the clutch. If your style of off-roading is less slow rocks and more 'desert' like. They're great. Just my opinion, and Im sure opinions will vary on this.

 

[eighty]

👆what he said.

I've been driving manual cars all my life and objectively it's a poor choice for city or off road driving.

That said, unless they become completely unavailable, I will continue driving MT cars.

 

[87iroc]

I have a jeep friends that says when he was offroading a manual...he'd change clutch out 1-2 times a year. Have another jeep friend that says his manual driving offroading jeep buddy has had same clutch for years.

I have only done harder core stuff in an auto. Did some lighter OR in a manual. I'm fairly good at driving a manual...but I'd hate to think the damage I'd do to a clutch climbing rock shelves.

 

[Brunnie]

To answer your question, as we all drive differently, As hard as you make it.

 

[BeardnBrew]

My X is the only real off-road vehicle I've had with an automatic. I only burned up one clutch when I was a teen and it was in an old yota pick up on 35s with stock gears. Had a jeep for a while, rock crawled the heck out of that bad boy. At that time I made fun of every automatic driver out there. Nowadays, I love my automatic. The X allows you to lock it in 1st gear and easily switch back and forth between 1st and 2nd. I would not go back to a stick, but I'm old and already had a ton of fun in manuals. Which one is better? Depends on who you ask, what you are doing, what your experience level is and what you like to drive.

 

[Wiggs227]

The only time it's been a nuisance for me is slowly crawling over large rocks. Otherwise I much prefer the manual. I dont have to worry about trans temp when in a low gear for long periods of time with the manual.

 

[Wiggs227]

The only time it's been a nuisance for me is slowly crawling over large rocks. Otherwise I much prefer the manual. I dont have to worry about trans temp when in a low gear for long periods of time with the manual.

 

[OklaYeti]

What I noticed on hells revenge in moab last year was I didn't have the ability to use the finesse midway up an obstacle that automatics have.. i was worried about not stalling and didn't have those extra moments to stop midway to work on tire placement.

 

[Tlrtucker]

No, it's not difficult. The real question is whether or not you would LIKE to off road with a manual. I've done both and would choose an automatic every time, but a manual has it's advantages.

It's not difficult to learn the engagement point of a clutch and not burn it up. Combine that with the fact that Xterra's have a hand lever for a parking brake and it becomes more manageable, where you can hold the truck still with the parking brake while you engage the clutch - not nearly as easy when you have a pull release down by the pedals. A manual will allow you to help control your speed with going down hill a little easier, but the X's auto trans is pretty much just as good.

For me, the driving/wheeling experience is much better with a manual.

 

[mojavedesertman]

I have never wheeled an automatic trans vehicle but in the last 8 years of wheeling my manual X there has been maybe 2 or 3 times an auto would have been easier.

 

[Old Army]

I had a CJ on 35’s with a manual. It wasnt geared terribly low, but I wheeled it everywhere without issue. My manual Xterra is the same story, just on less extreme terrain. The harder the wheeling, the lower the gearing needs to be with a manual. Autos are so much easier to wheel, but in my opinion, less rewarding. I also hate riding the brakes down inclines. With enough gearing a manual is not hard to wheel. In an Xterra, if it’s close to stock, you are not going to wheel it hard enough to not have enough gearing. So if you find a manual Xterra hard to wheel, then you need more practice. Also, if you don’t stall a manual every once in a while, you are slipping the clutch too much.

Save the manuals!

 

[OklaYeti]

Gearing and the ability to go slow without stalling is important.. relying on your parking brake is not the best in truly sketch situations and roasting your clutch isn't an option if you want to drive home.. learning gas and brake at the same time to keep your engine alive is important..

 

[mojavedesertman]

Personally I do not find a manual difficult to wheel.

 

[drmack70]

I feel this one is largely based on the driver and type of terrain. There are folks out there that can hit the roughest trails with a manual and make it look like art. Others can wreck a new clutch before getting to the trails. Check out the "Trail Mater" youtube channel for an example someone who knows how to drive a manual in the conditions they struggle the most.

I personally enjoy the manual everywhere but in long slow sections of rock crawling. For most part you learn to maintain a tiny bit of momentum and flow through obstacles without actually stopping and working the clutch, avoiding jerky stop and go motions. But when you do find yourself hung up or on a big obstacle like ledges, it can be real hard on the clutch. If your style of off-roading is less slow rocks and more 'desert' like. They're great. Just my opinion, and Im sure opinions will vary on this.

I love TrailMater!
To the point of this post, if you are not comfortable driving a manual IRL then it will be difficult to properly use it on the trail. I wheeled old Jeeps for years with 3 and 4 speed manuals. Loved it and still prefer a manual. My X is the 5AT and my wife said I can't get a manual since she never learned to drive one. I'll just get her an MT Miata and fix that! LOL.

 

[MikesDad]

Thanks for imput everyone. I've been thinking about this but never questioned it. I've had the 6mt pro-4 for a few years and haven't hit and real trails yet. Hoping this spring or summer to get her nice and dirty.

 

[AlbatrossCafe]

also hate riding the brakes down inclines.

I will say, with the right gearing, you don't have to do this in an auto, either. My auto Xterra with 4.10's and 35s and 1st gear easily keeps me rolling slow without the brakes.

 

[careyj]

Lots of good input on this. I have wheeled the mortal soul out of mine and back in the last 3 years and it's a tossup, cliched as it is to say. It really depends so much on what type of terrain you're in. In terms of trail crawling it's ok. It's a pain but just fine if you're really good about not slipping the clutch. But you will have to ride it sometimes. I did one ridiculous trail that's really a sxs trail now, because that's what they do to trails, and it was a double whammy: my gears were just a little too high for the conditions so I did a bunch more spinning than the gx I was with. Steep, bouldery, and shale. I had to be pretty violent to get over some obstacles (unlocked, non OR gearing, 32" tires). THEN, the worst part, on the way down my idling speed in 1LO was still about twice as fast as the JK in the front of our group. So for like 3 hours I had to clutch in, roll 200 ft, clutch out and wait for space, and repeat. On flat dirt. I even stopped to wizz and get some space ahead of me and have a cigarette and the twits came back to find me after 90 seconds. Like I was going to get lost on a trail 20 miles long with no forks. It was a fun day, but absolutely brutal. I felt like I had a kidney stone and a torn meniscus by the time I got home from the clutching. But the vehicle worked. Keep in mind that was a trail with about 7000 ft elevation gain.

Slickrock obstacles haven't been an issue. You just need to be confident, act like you've been there before and punch it.

All that said, having the direct power of the manual has absolutely been a benefit in saving my butt on other types of trails, and it's a lot of fun even if you're not in trouble. I took a wrong trail recently and found myself in a really tight mooondust/baby powder track. I found a place to turn around and knew I needed to murder my way out since the dunes were steeper and more uphill. I'm not sure I'd have made it out in an auto without a lot more power. It was really dumb of me since it was well over 100 and several miles from even gravel. But I just matted it in low 3rd and rode a tiny bit of air and made it out.

It's fabulous in mud, absolute joy.

Not having to worry about transmission cooling in a hot state is really nice.

Bottom line: don't pass over one because it's a manual. Don't avoid wheeling it if it's what you have. But it does have some medium benefits and real drawbacks.

 

[Jestep]

I've basically only purchased manuals my entire life and started driving around 12 years old, both my xterra and frontier are manuals, as is our family '80 CJ7 as far as 4wd stuff goes.

With that said, I'm definitely in the "manuals are not ideal for technical offroading" group even though shifting is so second nature to me I don't even think about it anymore. Beyond that, unless you really mess with the gearing, I think they become a liability in many low gearing situations. Made the mistake of taking the CJ over black bear pass about 10 years back and that is something I will never do again under any circumstance and to me is the extreme epitome of why manuals suck for real off roading. For normal non crawling stuff, manuals are totally fine IME and way more fun to drive, but some water situations and stuff that needs really low gearing or where stalling or even braking can put you in major trouble, they're just not fun or safe in some situations. If I had a dedicated offroad rig to mess with gearing I might change my own mind but for non purpose vehicles I vastly prefer an automatic for a lot of stuff.