4x4s give you an incredible amount of driving freedom. Not only do they allow you to traverse the roads in style, but they, of course, equip you to tackle even the toughest terrain types with relative ease. However, driving off-road isn’t always the same, and your exact habits will be dictated by the terrain you’re crossing. Here are a few terrain specific tips that’ll let you dominate off-road driving.
Shifting Surfaces – Sand, Snow and Mud
- Air your tyres down. This will spread the weight of your 4×4 and give you more traction.
- Consider balloon or paddle tyres. Both of these work well on deep or shifting surfaces.
- Keep your pace steady. If your tyres spin, slow down to regain traction, but otherwise maintain pace.
- When you drive through a rut, keep your tyres pointed ‘into’ the trench, and don’t let them slide to point in another direction.
Rough and Ready Obstacles – Rocks, Logs and Ditches
- Don’t approach an obstacle straight on if you can help it. This will let you keep the maximum amount of tyres on solid ground.
- In addition to the above point, take obstacles at a gentle pace; you don’t want to damage the underside of your vehicle.
- Just because you’re in a 4×4 don’t tackle anything too steep. If you have to get out and construct a makeshift ramp as a helping hand, that’s all part of the fun!
Ascent and Descent
- Use the highest gear you need to make comfortable progress when going up a hill.
- Approach hills as straight and as parallel as you can, and ease off the power when you reach the crest.
- If you fail a climb, simply apply the brakes, put your 4×4 in reverse, remove your feet from the pedals and descend using only the engine at a safe pace. Never try to turn on a steep slope. You may roll your 4×4.
Riding Through Water
- Turn off your headlights; cold water can crack the glass.
- Don’t navigate water that is higher than your engine air intake.
- Cross shallow water slowly, and steer in a straight line at a low gear.
- Faster flowing shallow water should be tackled at an angle, and you should try to drive ‘upstream’.
- Dry your brakes out by applying them several times after a crossing.
Because of the nature of off-road driving, your 4×4 will inevitably be put through its paces, but here at CWS 4×4 we supply all of the 4×4 parts that you’ll need to keep your 4×4 at peak performance, no matter what sort of off-road exploits you’re planning. To find out more, feel free to contact our professional team by calling +44 (0)1458 834930 or emailing [email protected] today.