When reading 4WD track driving tips, one of the biggest bits of advice that keeps popping up is to keep up your momentum, this advice can be a bit ambiguous. What is momentum ad why do you need to keep it up when the tracks get tough.

Maintaining momentum on the tracks is all about conserving energy, just like in built up traffic, stopping and starting uses a lot of energy, when considering your tare (unloaded weight) of your 4WD will fall somewhere around 3000kg that takes a lot of energy to get moving!

So just like when you can maintain a roll on the highway, you conserve your vehicles momentum fuel, economy, and reduce the need for varied throttle inputs, this is the same goal for when we are driving on the tracks through soft surfaces, and up steep sections of track.

By pushing your vehicle along with some momentum, you can maintain a steady roll up and over all of the tough stuff.

There is more to maintaining momentum on the tracks than just the speed at which you are going or how much right boot you are putting down.

Right line fever!

Just like motor racing takes advantage of the most efficient line through the corners, the best line on a 4WDing track is like gold, once you find a way to pick the best path off-road, you’ll be one over all your mates, by choosing to drive through slightly shallower parts of the rut, and by bridging the higher parts of the track you are less likely to bottom out, or be stopped in your tracks.

Nothing beats a properly prepared vehicle!

As soon as you leave the pavement, you will be greatly benefitted by reducing your tyre pressures, a typical 36psi highway pressure, is often too high for tackling off road tracks and will result in your 4WD bouncing down the tracks and loosing grip.

Over the soft stuff, you will find your highway pressures give you a small contact patch, increasing the PSI on the surface of the track. By reducing your highway pressures to a much more suitable 16-18psi using a purpose made Kwiky Tyre Deflator, you will find your contact patch increases your contact patch length up to 250%. Although your sidewalls bag out, they do not offer much additional tread width, but instead offer much more of the reinforced contact area of the tread to conform to the terrain under the vehicle.

(dont forget a 12v compressor to get your doughnuts back up to highway pressure)

How do I know if I am going fast enough

To work out if you have enough speed off road is easy enough, if you can navigate and control your vehicle easily without bouncing off your chosen line, as well as being able to re adjust your line when you need to, you have enough momentum, if you find that your vehicle slows down lots, is laboring, getting warm or overheating (double check with an after market OBDII computer like the EDS which can give you a massive advantage with a digital temperature gauge, you might even seem to be having a really hard time just handling the ruts and soft sections you should pick up the RPM’s and make sure your vehicle is in the range where it produces more torque. (Don’t forget to pick a good line too)

Don’t just boot it!
The difference between being in control and being “one of those people” is the level of control you have over your vehicle.

Even if you have the toughest 4WD out there with all the best mods, if you find yourself breaking things every-time you go out there, you just may be “that guy” so take a hint, keep in low 2^nd or 3^rd and keep the rpms right where your engine feels comfortable, you’ll have plenty of momentum, and wont need a recovery every 2 minutes.

Be prepared for a recovery

Even with all the mods, and the toughest rig, whilst carrying your momentum and staying in control, with reduced tyre pressures. If you are tackling tough tracks you are likely to get stuck at one point or another!

Always make sure you are carrying a reputable rated recovery kit like the Hercules Essential Recovery Kit, or the Hercules Complete Recovery Kit, they offer all of the accessories anyone could reasonably need to get their 4WD out of trouble on the tracks!

Get more out of your 4WD, keep your momentum rolling, and see as much of this great country as you can, with top quality gear from 4WD Supacentre and Adventure Kings!