Off-roading adventures are becoming increasingly popular these days as more and more people invest in 4×4 bakkies and SUVs. Luckily for us, South Africa is blessed with many off-road trails, leaving 4×4 fanatics spoilt for choice.
One does not need a special licence to go on an off-road adventure, just the knowledge of many various techniques, practice, and more practice. Other driving techniques and features assist in your safety of your 4×4 off-road adventure.
Here are some 4×4 off-road hints provided by the experts:
Drive within your ability: When driving in soft sand at a beach or washes, your speed needs to be kept at a pace where the wheels move slowly with just enough torque to get through mud or snow. By taking your time on a 4×4 trail, easier paths are chosen and it gives you time to battle the terrain thrown your way or moving rocks or logs under the tyres. If your vehicle has ground clearance, going over obstacles slowly helps. If the rock is hit with the differential or another rock grabber, the vehicle will either stop or light scrape over it, but if you were going at a tad bit too fast and hit a rock or other obstacle, you could knock a hole in the oil pan, differential, or knock the oil filter off.
Check the road ahead before proceeding: It is important to walk your 4×4 trail first to get an idea of where to place your tyres and differentials, and to make sure the trail has no backside to the hill (cliff) or ends.
Drive diagonally: When driving down hills or any steep off-road, always drive straight. Some 4×4 terrains may even require off-camber driving. Off-camber driving is when the road slopes in the opposite direction of the way you are turning, and you cannot drive too fast. When the road is off camber, gravity works against you, and may pull you off the road. You therefore need to not brake too hard and a lot sooner to slow down your entry speed and keep the car at bay. Always keep your tyres on the tracks and keep at a slow pace. Try not to ascend on a rock or stump while on a hill.
Reduce your tyre pressure: By reducing the tyre pressure of your vehicle, it increases traction on gravel and sand roads. If you are not sure, always read your cars manual from the manufacturer. The air pressure in the front can be different to the air pressure at the back due to the tyre and auto manufacturers’ experimentation for over/understeer and load variances.
What to do when crossing a ditch or log: Crossing at an angel and allowing one wheel at a time to go over an obstacle is your best and safest option. A tyre in a ditch or crack may cause a very big and dangerous problem. In some cases, the vehicle pitches and one tyre or two will be in the air. It is important to be cautious at this point. A log may bounce up and hit the undercarriage, so always approach these obstacles carefully and slowly. The vehicle should be turned at an angle to allow one tyre at a time to cross the obstacle/ditch. Do not allow one of the front tyres and one of the rear tyres to get in the ditch at the same time.
Here are four common 4×4 driving techniques to take note of:
Hand Position
When driving off-road, do not put your thumbs on the inside of the steering wheel as the vehicle may turn if you drive over a rut or pothole. Keep your thumbs on the outside of the steering wheel. Of course, 4WD models have power steering which helps for sudden steering wheel movements, however, vehicles with no power steering will react in a much dangerous and different manner.
Diff Position
Always knows where your front and rear differentials are as this is the lowest ground clearance point of your 4×4. Your spare tyre and exhaust should also be taken into consideration. If you come across a big rock or any other off-road obstacle, avoid driving directly over it with the lowest ground clearance point of your 4×4.
Braking
When you brake too hard, the front suspension usually compresses, and you will end up using the most of its suspension travel. If you happen to brake hard and cannot stop in time to go over an obstacle or pothole, release the brake pedal before hitting the obstacle. This allows the front suspension to switch to its usual height, giving more suspension travel when hitting an obstacle.
Vehicle Limitations
When it comes to cornering, a 4WD 4×4 is not the same as a normal car. Four-wheel-drive vehicles will roll much easier than a normal car if the cornering is taken too fast. This happens not only on gravel roads, but paved roads too. Even though a 4WD has better traction on gravel than a car, taken a corner at a speed is never the best idea.
Do you have any 4×4 off-road experiences to share? Do you have any other safety tips and techniques to share with the other fellow SA 4X4 readers? Let us know what your opinions are in the comment section below.
