How to Stay Safe and Confident on the Trail: Off-Road Basics

Common Sense Driving Tips for the Off-Road Novice

Anxiety is the enemy of the newbie four-wheel driver. I’d venture to guess that it’s the number-one reason we see so many mall crawlers roaming through Costco parking lots, rather than America’s extensive and vastly beautiful trail system. If we’re being honest, it’s relatively easy to understand why—four-wheel drive vehicles aren’t cheap, nor are the accessories you outfit them with.

But with a bit of basic understanding, you can turn that anxiety into common sense—the most important thing to remember when you’re heading out on the trail. Think your vehicle is going to roll after it takes an aggressive line on an off-camber turn? Well, maybe it will—so you should probably set aside your ego, and get out of your vehicle to check. Worried about your truck breaking? Maybe you shouldn’t be using all of the 300-horsepower the factory gave you.

Wherever you lack skill, (which you can acquire through an accredited four-wheel-drive training course) you’ll be relying on common sense—which believe it or not, doesn’t come standard on humans these days. So here are some tips to help you keep your vehicle (and its occupants) damage-free.

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Lowering tire air pressure when driving in soft surfaces, such as sand, can greatly improve a vehicle’s performance.

As Slow As Possible, As Fast As Necessary

It’s good to remember that trouble happens when you drive fast. If you work your vehicle too hard, you increase the risk of damage when you hit something. For a visual, let’s imagine going over a speed bump in a car: If you go too fast, your suspension bottoms out and sends you flying out of your seat; drive over it slowly, and your suspension absorbs the bump, keeping you and your vehicle comfortable.

It works the same way with off-road obstacles: If you need to drive over a boulder, and you hit it going too fast, you’re not only likely to damage your vehicle, but the boulder will probably send you back where you came from. Rocks are funny like that. If you approach it slowly, your vehicle’s suspension can flex over the obstacle, keeping your tires in contact with the ground, and allowing you to move forward without issue.

Land Rover likes to teach the idea of “As slow as possible, as fast as necessary,” and it’s a good thing to keep in your head when driving off road. Let’s say we don’t have a boulder on the trail you need to skillfully climb over, but rather, a muddy incline. In such a situation, most would just slam the skinny pedal and hope for the best—and while, sometimes, that works, one really shouldn’t do it that way. If there were a steep, muddy drop on the other side of this incline, you wouldn’t want to go flying off into the distance, would you? Proper technique is to have enough speed to get to the top, but not so much you can’t stop to negotiate the next obstacle.

In the case of too little speed, you add more; the worst case, of too much speed, often ends in a broken vehicle or a dangerous situation.

Understanding Your 4WD System

Four-wheel drive is actually a bit of a misleading term. You see, just because you have a 4WD vehicle, doesn’t mean that, when you’re stuck, four wheels will actually be moving and have grip. Four-wheel drive means the power is split between the front and the rear differentials—which is where things become tricky.

When you go through a corner, your vehicle’s outside wheels will travel further than the inside wheels. A standard differential allows the wheels to move independently of one another by sending power to the path of least resistance. On pavement, this is a good thing; but when you’re axle-deep in mud, or have one tire with slightly less grip than the other on a rocky climb, this just means that power goes to the tire with the least amount of grip—which is less than ideal.

Essentially, when you need it most, 4WD, as we know it, really only powers two wheels: one front and one rear.

Blasting too quickly through trails and over obstacles can be very dangerous. Avoid breakages and accidents by simply driving slowly.

Plan Your Lines

So before you’re sitting there, stuck on an obstacle with your tires spinning—stop what you’re doing, and evaluate the situation. Consider multiple driving lines through the obstacle, and evaluate how each one will affect your vehicle’s traction.

The worst-case scenario, and what you want to avoid, is getting the vehicle cross-axled. That is, where one tire on each axle has no grip and you can’t move forward or backward. Try stacking some rocks under the tires that have lost grip—but remember to be considerate of the trail’s environment before doing so.

No-Spin Zone

To move all four wheels at once in 4WD would require the vehicle to be outfitted with front- and rear-locking differentials, which, unless fitted aftermarket at a substantial cost, are only available on select new vehicles. But don’t worry, these days, off-road traction control can somewhat emulate a locking differential by braking the spinning tire and sending power to the other side, which presumably has more grip.

Low Range is Essential

Driving off-road puts your vehicle into situations it wouldn’t encounter in the paved world. Not only do you have to deal with reduced traction, but you’ll also have to overcome the occasional big rock or steep incline. The best way to get through these extreme situations is in low range; if your vehicle doesn’t have a dual-range transfer case, you’ll want to use the lowest gear available to you.

Most older 4WD SUVs and trucks will have low-range transfer cases, usually activated by a lever or switch that’s often integrated into your 4WD system. Low-range transfer cases work by using a secondary set of gears to multiply your vehicle’s power at lower RPMs. When you’re off-road, the extra low-end grunt, when paired with some skill, can allow you to take a vehicle to places those without low range could only dream of going. Combine this with the “As slow as possible, as fast as necessary” mentality, and you’ll be looking like a pro in no time.

If you’re in a situation where you require control, such as climbing up a rocky slope or ledge, you need to use low-end power. If your car is big, heavy and slow, you might need it more often. Don’t forget that low range isn’t just for climbing over things—it’s also for going down them. On steep descents, you can use low range to help with engine braking, which prevents your brakes from overheating.

However, it’s a fairly common mistake by new four-wheel drivers to “set it and forget it” in low range. If you are cruising down a fire service road, or driving across the occasional small ditch, you don’t need to use low range. It tends to put excessive wear on your drivetrain, and often runs your engine at a higher RPM, wasting fuel and reducing all-too-precious fuel range when you’re on a longer trip.

A combination of the right gear setting and properly aired-down tires can give you control over even the most demanding terrain.

Air Down

When a basketball is properly inflated, it bounces. It does this because the high pressure inside causes very little of the basketball to touch the ground, ricocheting the energy away from what it just hit. When it’s low on air, it won’t bounce very well; without enough pressure, more of the basketball’s surface area touches the ground and absorbs the energy, requiring you throw it towards the ground with more effort to get the same return.

When you’re just driving around town, it’s best for your tires to be like a properly inflated basketball. It means they roll around on the smooth, paved surface with ease, and require relatively little energy to move. This also means better fuel economy and more predictable handling. But when you’re off-road, away from the perfectly groomed pavement, higher pressures mean your tire will bounce like a basketball, which means a rougher ride.

A tire with less pressure not only rides better off-road, but it can also absorb more impact, reducing chances of harm to the tire or the vehicle. And just like the basketball, it also means that more of the tire is touching the ground at lower pressures. This is important if you’re driving on soft surfaces, like sand and mud, where you want to distribute the vehicle’s weight over as much surface area as possible. More tire on the ground also means that more of its lugs can grab hold of something in low-traction surfaces—giving you the grip you need to avoid getting stuck.

A good starting point is to run your tires at about 75 percent of your vehicle’s recommended street pressure. Generally, this means you’re still okay to drive a short distance on pavement until you can fill them up again. Be careful not to deflate them too much, because pressure is what holds your tire on the rim, and without enough of it, it’ll come off—and that’s just depressing. In an emergency, you can lower your tires beyond what’s usually recommended—let’s say when you’re stuck on a beach or in deep snow.

If you are uncomfortable with a particular section of trail, turn around and avoid it. Being safe is the number-one rule.

Don’t Be Afraid to Turn Around

Some think the mark of a real off-road vehicle is one with body damage or “battle scars.” Personally, I just think that’s the mark of a village idiot who can’t drive. Vehicle damage is one of the main reasons people tell me they don’t want to take their vehicle off-road, but it’s completely avoidable if you use a little bit of common sense and take your time.

It’s normal to be nervous when you’re driving through a technical section of an off-road trail, but if you find that you’re uncomfortable, just don’t do it: Turn around. Most people will run out of skill far before their vehicle will run out of capability—and the best four-wheel drivers know where they sit in that balance.

Extra Eyes

Also, don’t forget that as the driver of said off-road vehicle, you’re within your power to immediately employ anyone and everyone in the vehicle to be a second or third set of eyes. If you’re worried about hitting your bumper on a tree, get a second look. If you’re worried about running out of ground clearance, have someone watching, ready to tell you to stop before you cause damage. Four-wheel drivers call this “spotting,” and the main rule is to provide direct, concise information. If you’re not sure what was said, ask again—you can’t hurt the vehicle if it’s not moving.

Conclusion

There’s little question that getting your truck off the road is fun—that’s what it’s made for, after all. Armed with these common-sense off-road driving tips, you’ll be safe, while having fun, too.

These basic tips are just that, basic. There are plenty more off-road driving lessons to be learned—some of you will learn firsthand, and some of you will learn from others. Drive slowly, keep your momentum going, and most importantly, be safe. We’ll see you out on the trail!

Which Tire Pressures Should I Run Off-Road?

Full-size trucks and loaded SUVs will require more pressure than a comparatively lightweight Jeep, which makes it difficult to toss out a general figure of how much PSI to run. Here are some general guidelines, but remember, every vehicle is different.