Seven important Off Road driving Tips
Now we’ll talk about what you should know when drive on roads of low quality in the country side and in the woods – in other words, about off road driving. Of course it is not possible to tell everything, besides theory can never replace real off road experience. While reading, remember that all the advices given in the article have one common leading-motive: SAFE off road driving. Safe, meaning proper and accurate driving, assures the biggest probability that you will reach your target fast and successfully and make as little damage to your vehicle as possible.
First Important off road driving tip: Drive slowly
When you participate in off road driving and the area is unknown, don’t drive fast. You can simply not notice a rock or a log in the grass. Besides you wil not see the beauty of the nature that surrounds you.
Second Important off road driving tip: Concentrate on the road
The deeper and complex is the off road you drive, the more serious attitude it requires. If you hold your cell phone in one hand and try to find the right radio station with other, your off road driving will end soon – your carelessness will not be forgiven. And you can consider yourself lucky if you are only “seated”, it’s much worse if you have “caught” a rock in the axle or some trunk has run through the cooler.
Third Important off road driving tip: Pay attention to the indications of your 4×4 SUV’s measurement devices
Don’t forget to check the indications of the measurement devices of your car from time to time. It is not very funny if during your adventure tour you run out of the fuel in the middle of the woods. It is even worse if you overheat the engine because of insufficient attention.
Fourth Important off road driving tip: Use low RPM
When driving in the off road area use low gear to drive with the optimal speed. Unless you have an obstacle to overcome, engine RPM must be low. A good off road driver knows when to push and when to let go the accelerator pedal.
Fifth Important off road driving tip: Don’t hold your thumbs on the inside of the steering wheel
Don’t hold your thumbs on the inside of the steering wheel during the off road driving tour, especially if your car doesn’t have a steering booster. If any of the front wheels gets stuck on an obstacle, there is a risk of “turning” your thumbs in a new direction in case you can’t hold the steering wheel.
Sixth Important off road driving tip: Get out of the vehicle before the obstacle
If you are not sure of how to overcome the obstacle that is in front of your road, get out from the car and make the decision after a walk. Swampy places often have well beaten roundabout routes.
Seventh Important off road driving tip: Don’t change the gear in the middle of the obstacle
In the off road driving it is important to estimate immediately what gear you should use to overcome the particular obstacle. For example, if you shift gears in the middle of the deep puddle, you would, first of all, at the moment you press the clutch pedal, loose even more of your already low speed. And secondly, after shifting the wheels would inevitably start to skid. Both these factors can make your car to stop.
For the cars with automatic transmission it would be important to put the gear stick from the position “D” to position “3” or “2”. So that the gearbox wouldn’t shift to higher gear when you overcome an obstacle and also so that it wouldn’t shift to lower gear when the load is higher – cars with automatic transmission can also loose part of the traction and the necessary power if you shift the gears.
