Safety
when travelling off highway takes many forms - vehicle
prep, mental prep, skills prep, etc. here are some
helpful hints and tips to keep you safe and make the
day enjoyable.
Driving
Safety Tips:
Off-road
driving is not always about big torque and horsepower,
lockers and big 35's. IT IS ABOUT FINESSE. The other
stuff helps some, but finesse is the first and most
important thing to acquire! Here are some hints to help
you out in this area.
1 - Drive as slow as possible, but as fast as necessary
There are times when in soft sand, like beaches and
washes, that speed needs to be moderate and flotation
through mud and snow needs to be kept up, hence "as
fast as necessary." But usually taking your time
on the trail will allow you to pick a smooth path and
allow you time to react/act to the varieties of terrain
like moving rocks and logs under the tires. If you have
a ground clearance deficiency, going slow helps here,
in that, if you do hit a rock with the diff or other
rock grabber, it will usually stop the vehicle on impact
or you will lightly scrape over it. If you were going
too fast and hit a rock or other obstacle, it could
knock a hole in the oil pan, diff or even knock off
the oil filter.
Don't get caught up in the Baja or Camel Trophy syndrome.
They don't use those rigs as daily drivers. At the end
of those events, the keys are handed over to a mechanic
and a corporation that has deep pockets to refurbish
them. Plus, you could get hurt!
2
- Survey the trail ahead to avoid any "surprises."
When in doubt, get out and look
Make sure the trail goes beyond the obstacle, doesn't
become a bottomless quagmire, has no back side to
the hill (cliff?) or just plain ends. You can get
a good idea where to place your tires and the differentials
and have a plan of approach. And follow through to
beyond the obstacle.
Don't stop in the middle of the challenge to check
it out.
Get through it, then walk back and check it out again.
See where you actually went. Observe your tire tracks.
3
- Drive directly up and down hills. Traveling diagonally
may result in a sideways slide -- worst case, a rollover.
Know your approach and departure angles, the bumper
to tire distance. Some trails will require off-camber
driving. Just go slow, keeping the tires in the tracks.
Don't lose attention and climb up a rock or stump
on the up hillside. Vehicles will tend to slide sideways
before rolling over. The tires will slip sideways
a little. Stop if the slide puts you off the edge
of the track. If it is clear downhill and a rollover
is imminent, immediately turn the vehicle into the
slide and drive it down. If that is not an option,
and you are going over, turn the vehicle off and hold
on to your seat-bottom and hope the seat belt works
properly. You did have it on? There are other scenarios,
but this is the least drastic. Use enough momentum
to get up and over the hill. Avoid high centering
on the crest. Use the engine brake method for the
descent. Remember #2!
DO
NOT TURN AROUND WHEN ON A HILL.
Rollover CAN happen. Practice backing down.
4
- Reduce the tire pressure
This improves traction in all conditions, especially
sand. Remember that ground clearance has been compromised.
Reinflate before driving on the pavement for any distance.
The easiest way to improve off-highway traction and
performance is to "air-down." Depending
on the tire you have and type of vehicle, you could
go to as much as 15psi, even lower, if needed; for
soft sand, 10psi.
Be careful to not turn fast and push the tire off
the bead.
Usually, though, for most average 4-wheeling, 18 to
20psi will be enough. I know some folks who run 6psi.
Highway pressure is another thing. The tire is marked
on the side, i.e., 50psi at 3300 pounds. In essence,
that one tire could hold my Defender up. Depending
on the weight of the loaded vehicle and the size of
tire, I have found that between 28 and 35 psi works
in most on-highway applications. Read the manufacturer's
label. The air pressure difference between the front
and rear is due to the tire and auto manufacturers'
experimentation for over/under steer and load variances.
Carry a mini-compressor to reinflate, or know that
an air pump is not far from the trail end. For snow,
on- and off-highway, I like to run my tires a little
hard. It allows the edges to grip better, especially
if I am going to run chains.
5
- Cross ditches or logs at an angle so that one wheel
at a time goes over the obstacle; the other three
help the one wheel to climb over.
Dropping the tire into a ditch or crack in a rock
is scary! Sometimes the vehicle pitches and one or
more tires will catch air. Be very deliberate and
careful when approaching this challenge section of
any trail. Logs can bounce up and catch the undercarriage,
so come off these things slowly and carefully. Turn
the vehicle at an angle to facilitate the one tire
at a time approach. Be careful not to allow one of
the front tires and one of the rear tires to get in
the ditch at the same time.
Vehicle
Check List
Here
is a very detailed checklist of how to check over
your Jeep (or any other 4x4) prior to hitting the
trails. Naturally you won't need to check
everything here each time, but for that once a year
big trip way out of town, chances are you'll find
a couple things on this list you'll need to work on.
|
