Inching Forward
 

I've seen a lot of pics of G Wagens and MLs inching forward over rock crevices and other cracks, large and small. The drivers seem to have a foot on the brake at all times as they inch forward. What I want to know is if you guys are ever gassing it or on both brake and gas at the same time when crossing level crevices.

First off, serious four wheeling with an auto trans is like cheating a bit. You can go REALLY slow when you need to. I used to have a five speed G. With that one you sometimes had to plan your line and just go for it. Slipping the clutch is just not a good idea.

So sometimes I use two feet. If and when I do, it is under very light throttle, and just to get through the hairiest sections. Both the G and ML are geared low enough that you shouldn't have to make this a common practice.

Regardless of the claimed merits of electronic traction control, using left foot braking can be helpful in an open diff rig like the ML. Light brake application is often all that is needed to transfer torque to a wheel with traction. In theory, you should not have to do this with the ML. My biggest concern with the ML system is its reaction time. Using a little left foot braking may bridge the gap between the need for the system and its actual interaction.