Basic 101: Your vehicle is your life

Of course you can also go offroading with a run down ancient truck your grandpa made do to haul fertilizer, but you certainly will not get far. And, you shall possibly return on foot. So if you intend some enjoyable offroading outing, get your vehicle in tip-top condition particularly its motor, frame and suspension. Using% LINK1% is also a positive plus, and using lift kits is positive plus-plus, as they are specially manufactured for offroad driving. Making your vehicle dependable is the first tenet of offroading, because your life depends on it while on the trip.

Basic 102: Get dirty gradually

Seek a location offroad that consists of a dirt road, a hillock or two, mud or waterhole, ruts, loose ground and passable rocks, where you can discern how your vehicle handles. Move to 4-low and drive slowly over the obstacles, keeping your speed below five mph. Select your route mentally and place the wheels on the line you want them for optimum traction. This is called picking the line and it merely means you should choose the easiest path around or over the hazards. Be conscious of how the vehicle performs while you are crossing the hazards, so you can expect them later.

Basic 103: It can be’muddening’

Mud is slippery, wet and constantly moves even without your permission, so as much as you can go around the mudhole. If you cannot, choose a line through the shallowest, hardest part you can determine and try driving through in 4-low with 3rd or 4th gear in use. The plan is to go fast enough that there is inertia and you do not get stuck, but slow enough to be in control. Move fast and you could intake water, drive slow and you can sink and get stuck. But if you did get stuck, back up the way you entered, waggling the steering wheel and with sufficient power to get the mud off the tire tread. Otherwise dig the vehicle out of the mud.

Basic 104: 4-Wheeling on the stones

Deemed the most demanding form, scrambling over the rock piles really tries your vehicle and your capabilities. But there are methods. First, bring down your tire pressure to about half that of usual road driving for better traction. Inspect the underside for any part that may get dinged if the rocks as well as remind you of the ground clearance your way to pick your line and then change to 4-low or first gear. Go over your route slowly, listening meanwhile for the sound of sliding tires or the rock hitting your under carriage. If it proves too difficult, back up and find another way.

Basic 105: Storming the Sandhills

The sand is more shifty during the day and thus more tricky to drive on. Braking and swerving take longer distances so attempt to compensate. Inertia can help you get through problematic passages]; transmission in Drive, going at 10-15 mph, tires lowered to half its usual pressure for footing and to ‘float’ them. Park it on firmer parts of the sand and pointing downhill for [easier|trouble-free} departure. When you are turning tires but not moving, stop and back up.