Hi

I just bought a '99 C-RV ES and im wondering is it a true 4wd. Can i
take it though a quarry or drive it through water eg 3 foot deep etc?
Please let me know as i dont want to wreck my new car within the
first couple of weeks.

Thanks

Davin

Hi David,

I feel like I'm being baited, but on the off chance you're serious,
I'll bite. It's your car, so you can do what you like, but I hate to
think about a nice CRV getting trashed.

The CRV does have 4-wheel drive, so yes, it is a "true" 4wd, but I
think you mean is it a "true" 4wd like a Jeep or Land Rover (which some
might question if they are even "real" 4wd's anymore).

Anyway...in a word...NO. It's basically a tall Civic. It doesn't have a
low-range transfer case, locking differentials, rock guards, etc. If
you're running the stock all season radials, you'll find they work fine
on the pavement, but don't have much grip on the loose stuff.

It kinda depends on the quarry whether your CRV would make it, but it's
your comment about the water which makes me question whether you're
serious or not. That's a lot of water. Odds are good a trip into 3 feet
of water would be a one-way trip for your CRV. Three feet of water is
over the front of the hood...the air intake is only 24" off the ground.

Generally you don't really want to take even "real" 4wd's into running
streams deeper than mid-axle. Once you get into running water higher
than the bottom of the vehicle, things get dicey. Check this out:
http://www.suvone.com/suv416.htm

Anyway, congratulations on the new CRV. You might drive it around at
least a few months before taking it down to the quarry.... ;^)

Karl

ooops...make that "Hi Davin"...

Take care.

Karl

Very good advice so far. My definition of what we can do off-road is
more than my old station wagon but less than a "real" 4X4 off-road
truck (like a lifted Ford F150 with a granny gear, winch, roll cage,
etc).

Look around the http://www.suvone.com/ site that was suggested by
Karl. I've read it before and it's quite good as introductory
material.

I've seen lift kits, and you could get real tires (I agree with Karl,
the stock tires are nice on the highway, but not in mud), and a
winch, but ultimately you still won't have all you need to go through
deep water. You really have to be careful with water, especially if
cannot clearly tell how deep it is. Getting water in your CR-V and
engine can be an expensive mistake (that probably won't be covered by
insurance too).

I do have a manual transmission, 1st is gear is very low. It's good
for much less than 5mph. But still not enough for serious hills,
though I was on a steep rocky access road yesterday in 2nd gear, so I
had some room left in the transmission to go lower...

Some of the CR-V sites have people with lifted CR-Vs (even 2WD!) in
deep mud. See
http://www.gocrvclub.org
http://www.hondasuv.com

I have a Dodge Ram 4x4 & a CRV & I wouldn't take either one in 3" of water.

But I do like plowing snow with the CRV as we have some tight turns in the driveway 

I drive the Ram in the mud!

We have around 19,000 mi on our CRV & had approx 800lbs in it on a recent trip & got 26 3/4 mpg it's a 2002 auto.

We like it!  ;-)

Bob--happier than a Ram in mud!