When tackling the tracks as a beginner it can be quite daunting. With so many different tracks, options, upgrades, its no wonder when people buy a brand new 4WD, they hesitate for a couple of years to eventually take it off road, for fear of breaking things, scratching paint, or getting stuck in their expensive brand new 4WD!

It will come as a surprise to many that a 4WD with standard trim and tyres is more than capable of hitting some of the toughest tracks with a keen eye for lines, and a few helpful tips and tricks. However it takes a bit of time to become accustomed to driving offroad, and whilst you are learning and even if you are a seasoned veteran, there are a handful of items you MUST bring with you offroad to ensure you have a backup plan for getting your 4WD free!

Get a better bite on the surface!

Every time you spin your tyres on the soft stuff you erode the tracks, this does 2 different things.

Firstly, you increase the likelihood of getting the tracks shut by the authorities, which may not have an instant effect on your chosen 4WD line, however it will have an effect on the overall community.
If you are new to 4WDing, you probably don’t want to begin making enemies, and getting more tracks shut down for irresponsible behaviors will probably do this quick smart!

The second thing you may end up doing when spinning them up is burying your 4WD, most tyres, including the ones that came fitted to your vehicle from the factory are designed to pump water from between the tread surface and the road, this works wonders for travelling at high speed over tarmac, it also acts like a pump pushing all of the soft terrain out from underneath your vehicle slowly digging your vehicle down to the frame rails.

There is a simple and speedy solution to gaining more traction and getting your 4WD further offroad, that is to drive with a steady accelerator, this prevents your wheels from spinning up, if you prop your accelerator foot against the firewall of your vehicle, no matter how bouncy the track gets your foot will not punch the accelerator, this can be made even easier by engaging your 4WD’s Low Range gears.

Low range is kind of like shifting into an extra low 1^st gear, allowing your 4WD to stay in the torque of the RPM range, without needing the clutch to be used, and without any shudder or stalling that can occur when you drop the RPM too low.

The next thing to do is to let your tyres down, we’re talking about really low, like between and 50% and 60% of the highway pressures. What this can do is increase your contact area by approximately 200% to 250%, and by doing this you also allow your tyres sidewall to flex and conform to uneven surfaces and grip just about anything you may encounter, by increasing the amount of rubber your tyres expose to the surface, you decrease the likelihood of punctures, and turn your vehicle into an offroad WEAPON!

There are about as many ways to let down your tyres as there are ways to crack an egg, but if you are looking for a way to simply and easily drop your tyres pressures whilst being able to double check their pressures accurately, the Kwiky Tyre Deflator is it, by removing your tyres valve core you easily dump air out of your tyres quickly but accurately, and by capturing the core of the tyre valve inside the device and controlling the release of air you have absolute control of how much air you drop out of your tyre!

You’ll be surprised just how much your stock standard 4WD can do, just by releasing some air from your tyres and by bringing a portable air compressor with you, you’ll be able to pump your pressures back up, quickly and easily, to highway pressures. Although they are only flat on the bottom, by driving at speed with your tyres dropped down you increase the risk of all manner of issues such as decreased braking performance, and the possibility of breaking a bead off the tyre during sharp steering maneuvers. This is why we always pack our Thumper MAX, this is one of the highest output Air Compressors on the market using its double alloy pistons for twice the air output of similar sized units on the market!

If you are new to 4WDing one of the most important things you can do to learn quickly is to head into the bush with your mates, by following those who are more experienced you can see the way they managed to choose a line through the tough surfaces and you may be able to drag your 4WD through some of those same lines without any stress. The other benefit to other 4WD’s being nearby, is the ability to recover each other when things don’t quite go to plan, something as simple as a snatch strap can help pull your tyres into traction and get your 4WD out of some seriously sticky situations.

When recovering from the rear make sure you use a rated Tow Hitch Receiver and never a tow ball (quickly becomes a cannonball with recovery loads), and if you are taking advantage of adequate recovery points on the front, make sure you use an equalizing bridle such as the tree trunk protector from your Hercules Essential Recovery Kit to help reduce the loads on each point for a much safer recovery!

There are dozens of ways to get your 4WD further down the track, but a simple recovery kit, air compressor and tyre deflator, will get you to 99.999% of the places you never thought possible. And all for much much less than you imagined thanks to 4WD Supacentre and Adventure Kings!