4WDing is one of the most fun things you can do in the family car (assuming you own a 4WD)!

But do you really know what you are doing when you are on the tracks? We are going to run over some of the basics for ensuring that your 4WD Stays planted on terra-firma and give you a stack of tips and tricks for getting the most offroad performance out of your 4WD! Many 4WDs are extremely capable straight out of the box and typically it is the driver that will hold the vehicle back.

So, pull out your pen and paper and take some notes – these tips are a serious game changer and a sure way to take your 4WD abilities to the next level!

KNOW YOUR LIMITS

We’ve all seen the ads on tv where the brand new 4WD is flying through dirt tracks in full control with dust, dirt, mud and sand spraying up the sides – this looks appealing, but it is hardly an appropriate way to treat your 4WD. Whilst your vehicle may be capable of this kind of driving, you must take caution to ensure you are not going to lose control, or even damage suspension components.

Typically, when tackling offroad tracks, particularly when approaching tough obstacles, we want to approach in a controlled speed that won’t require any dramatic adjustments. This means you can focus solely on the track up ahead and not panicking when you start to bounce around and lose your line!

With this being said, your speed driving through obstacles is more critical than you think, too fast you will lose control but too slow and your 4WD will get bogged down and stuck. So finding a steady equilibrium whilst driving will definitely get you further down the line!

SET YOURSELF UP!

As with everything in life, having all the gear doesn’t mean you know what you are doing. When we talk about setting yourself up, we are talking about making sure your vehicle is ready for the trip. You wouldn’t cross the ocean in a leaky boat with a dodgy motor, the same logic should be applied to your 4WD, making sure your maintenance is up to date, and that all of your components are fresh and lively – this will make sure that no matter what you encounter on the tracks that your 4WD is as “seaworthy” as it could be!

Don’t let the pressure get you down!

Whilst it is important to stay positive, it’s more important to drop your tyre pressures when you start driving off road – your tyre pressures will impact your driving experience much more than you would imagine.

When we think of the ultimate all terrain vehicle, the first thing that comes to peoples minds is a catapillar track, or an army tank, there is a reason these vehicles take advantage of a tracked driveline instead of pneumatic tyres, first and foremost is the massive amount of surface area that contacts the terrain, this is highly important due to the decrease in pressure on the soft surfaces, allowing a 40 tonne vehicle to float above soft terrain.

Whilst your 4WD hardly looks like a tank, (even if it is a mad weapon offroad) but to give your 4WD the best advantage off road.

To turn your 4WD into a bit of a tank you only need to do one thing, that is to drop its tyre pressures down, it sounds counter intuitive but by releasing the air pressure inside your tyres you allow your sidewalls to sag, and a longer cross section of your tyres tread to contact the track surface. We’ve done some testing and found that by decreasing your pressure by approximately half, you increase your tyre’s surface area by nearly 300% that means that from a palm sized contact patch you gain an additional 2x palms worth of grip on each corner.

There are numerous benefits to this additional surface area such as “floating” above sand and even over mud additionally the reduced pressures in your tyres means when your tyres have to climb over uneven surfaces, as opposed to bridging the gaps between the uneven surface, they conform to the surface resulting in less wheel spin and more traction, perfect for hill climbs over tree roots and sharp rocks.
Thanks to the tyre carcass conforming to the surface, your vehicle is also less likely to encounter a puncture!

So next time you head offroad, drop your tyre pressures down with a purpose made device like the Kwiky Tyre Deflator, and plan ahead so your speed and vehicles momentum match the obstacles you are tackling.


For more information head to www.4WDSupacentre.com.au or call us on 1800 88 39 64 to speak to one of our 4WD experts for a better idea on how to get further offroad for less!