"argen" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>I recently purchased a 2003 Silverado 5.3L 2WD with a 5 inch lift. I
> know having a 2WD there is limitation as far as going off roading comes
> to, but i wanna see what this truck is possible to do. What places
> would you reccomend to go to near Long Beach area?
>
I see stock 2 wheel drive trucks in the desert all of the time. You'll have
to use power for hills and to clear some obstacles that a 4x4 can crawl over
and your brakes will take a beating where a 4x4 can use low gears to check
the speed but a majority of the roads and trails that I've seen are
completely doable with a 2 wheel drive truck and in your case clearance
isn't an issue. Tires are your biggest priority and you'll need a winch to
tackle anything extreme. I have a stock SUV with only the rocker panels
removed for clearance and I rarely scrape the skid plates. I've thought of a
lift but after 50,000 miles (5,000 miles off road) I haven't run into
anything that I couldn't handle and I've been on a lot of back roads in the
SW desert. I don't go looking for rocks to climb but it's inevitable at
least once on 40% of the trips we take.

Check out Delorme for off road mapping software or go to your local BLM for
area maps. Delorme also makes a series of off road atlases by state and
California is broken up by North and South.

Bob Walker