Mud
For more than half the country, mud is the type of terrain that you'll find at your local off-road venue. And to drive on it, er...in it, successfully, you'll need a combination of techniques from rock crawling and sand. You'll also need a boat-load of quarters for the coin-op car wash.
First, you need to understand that there are hundreds of different types of mud. Each requires a little different approach. And your mud hole can change as more vehicles drive through it and as it dries up. So think of it as constantly changing terrain that you can't really accurately read. And things hide in mud. Enjoy gambling in Vegas? Good, then you'll love 'wheeling in mud!
Before getting into the mud hole, you'll need to pick your line. Watch someone else go through first to see how deep it is and what lies on the bottom. If they bounce around a lot, there are probably rocks or logs, or at least huge ruts in the bottom that you'll need to drive around or over. Something very important to watch is how high the water comes on the vehicle. If you have an electric fan on your 4x4, you can break fan blades, or if the air-intake is low, you can suck water into your engine, which leads to bent engine parts, leading to a very bad time off road.
Next, figure out how much speed you'll need coming into the mud hole in order to power through it and drive out. One thought is that you can drive through any mud hole if you hit it going fast enough. That may be true, but it's not necessarily the best approach. For one thing, a lot of speed means a lot of bouncing over bumpy terrain. And your tires don't do much to keep you moving forward if they are in the air.
If mudding is your sport, plan on changing every lubricant in your 4x4 a few times a year. Hot metal parts hitting cool water sucks that water and mud past the seals and mixes it with truck fluids.
 Like sand, momentum is your...  Like sand, momentum is your friend in mud. Not so much that you bounce all over the place, but enough to keep pushing your 4x4 forward as your tires claw for a bit of traction. Really soupy mud calls for more speed, while mud holes with a decent bottom can be driven through with more finesse. |  Generally, you'll want to...  Generally, you'll want to keep at least one tire on or up against a surface that provides traction. Even though there is no water here, the mud was slimy. The position of the driver-side rear tire kept the back end from sliding over farther. This tire plus the sidewall of the front passenger-side tire provided enough traction to keep driving forward. |  This is the terrain where...  This is the terrain where mud-terrain tires got their name. The large, widely spaced lugs on this BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM sling mud when you apply some wheel speed. This lets the lugs clean out and grab some more when they comes around to the ground again. Unlike sand, you can often power and dig your way through mud. Especially by steering from the left to right to try to let the sidewalls grab something to hang onto. |
Snow
Okay, technically, snow is weather, not terrain. But it can be a blast to drive on. Especially if you have a good heater and a Thermos of hot coffee. It can also turn what would be a scenic drive in the summer time into one of the most challenging trails you've ever been on.
So, what do you need to know? First, the Eskimos supposedly have over 1,000 different names for snow, each depicting a slightly different type. We can't vouch for the validity of that statement, but the important thing is that not all snow is the same. Powder snow is more like sand to drive on, and wet snow has some characteristics of mud. You'll need to take a few tips from each of the other sections in this article, and apply them to the type of snow you find yourself in.
Moderation in speed is the key to driving in snow. You'll need a bit of momentum to keep moving, especially if you're climbing a hill. But snow is slippery, making turning and stopping extra challenging. Too much momentum and you'll end up somewhere you didn't expect and certainly don't want to be.
 One technique in snow is to...  One technique in snow is to steer your front tires as they spin. This will grab some of the snow stacked up along the sidewalls. If you lose all momentum and you're not hitting ground when the tires dig down, stop before the entire chassis is sitting on snow. Sometimes you can make progress by driving back and forth for a bit. |  Once again, mud terrain tires...  Once again, mud terrain tires rule. In snow, these tires can clean themselves with some wheel spin, and they provide pretty good grip as they compact and move gobs of snow. Airing down doesn't have that much affect when driving in snow. Let some air out, but not as low as you would go on rocks. | |