Off-roading is the most thrilling “put” adventure you can experience in the Middle East!
How to drive off-road?
For many people who own SUVs, off-roading is something unknown and scary. Are you surprised? After all, why then an SUV. But it just so happens that many SUV owners, who spent a lot of money on an all-wheel-drive car, never went off-road in their lives and never even turned on a lower gear to overcome difficult road sections.
Most of the time, a considerable number of SUV owners drive their vehicles on asphalt. Let’s try to fix this with the help of basic rules and skills that can be mastered by SUV owners who do not yet know what off-road is. Maybe our article will help someone allay their fears and finally start using the all-wheel-drive car for its intended purpose.
What is 4WD, and how does traction help off-road?
The term “four-wheel-drive” actually misleads motorists. Many car owners believe that since their car is four-wheel drive, the car will quickly get out of the wrong road after driving into the mud since the torque is transmitted to all four wheels.
The all-wheel-drive system in the car means that the engine torque is divided between the front and rear wheels using differentials, which transmits the received power to the wheels.
When you turn on a car, your outer and inner (concerning the steering angle) wheels move at different speeds. The outer wheels need to travel more distance when turning than the inner ones.
The system for transmitting torque to the wheels is tuned to transfer power to the wheel with the least resistance. On an asphalt surface, this is an irreplaceable thing. But when the car goes off-road, transferring power to all four wheels (albeit with different torque) will not help drive through a difficult section of road without problems.
This is interesting: How to disrupt wheels into slipping.
For example, suppose you will be driving through a rocky, uneven section of the road. When some SUV wheels may not have traction, then without a differential lock.
It will be difficult for you to drive uneven road without problems.
For your SUV to feel confident off-road, the car must be equipped with a system of front and rear differential locks. Unfortunately, not many SUVs are equipped with such a system. Some of the four-wheel-drive cars sold on the market can be equipped with such a system only as an option, for which you need to pay a lot of money.
But don’t worry. Many modern SUVs and some crossovers are now equipped with emulated differential locks. Typically, such a simulation system determines which wheel should be sent maximum torque and which wheel should be completely disconnected from the power transmission. The electronics of an SUV independently determine which wheel at a certain point in time needs power the most.
The slowest possible movement on off-road
The biggest problem when driving off-road is driving too fast. Remember that the faster you travel on a bad road, the greater the risk of the car being damaged and stuck.
To understand why it is necessary to drive at the slowest possible speed off-road, let’s imagine that you are running over a speed bump. If you eat too fast, your harness may not cope with the softening of the bump, resulting in a hard bump and discomfort. When passing a speed bump at a slow speed, the suspension will easily absorb bumps, making your ride comfortable.
The same thing happens with off-road bumps. For example, if you need to drive over a large bump or stone, then driving this section at high speed is likely to damage your vehicle. If you drive up to a rock off-road at a slow speed, your vehicle’s suspension can adjust to the roughness and maintain traction.
Land Rover’s Off-Road School teaches this rule, “Drive as slowly as possible, but not less than necessary to drive.”
Attention: the choice of tyres matter a lot more than you think. Make sure to equip your ride with the best suitable tyres. You can buy tyres online in Dubai.
For example, you do not need to drive through any bumps on the road when you need to operate at the slowest possible speed, and you are going to climb some mountain or hill through the mud. Most inexperienced drivers will press the pedal to the floor and skid in the dirt for this, in the hope that thanks to the power of the SUV, they will conquer the hills.
If you still want to climb a hill on a muddy road, you must know the correct off-road driving technique. The most important thing to know when driving off-road uphill is choosing the right (but not maximum) speed.
The speed should not be slow (there is a risk of stopping halfway, and then everything will have to start over) and too fast (too high a speed can lead to wheel-slip, which, accordingly, will lead to building up the car).
