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Off-Roading 101

Tips on tackling the trails with TLC

Enamored by the freedom and capability of a 4x4, you went out and bought an SUV. It looks great and holds everything and everybody you'd ever want to share a drive with. Now you've grown restless with pavement. The only dirt your SUV has seen is from a distance. You crave a new adventure, but have no idea where to begin. You've checked out the off-road magazines and sense the pictured terrain goes beyond the concept of mere adventure. Plus your showroom new ride bears little resemblance to the featured vehicles.

Terraining Wheels

The key to entering this new world is to start easy and build up your skills. You didn't learn to drive in a Ferrari, and the Rubicon should not be your first off-road experience. With the popularity of 4x4 vehicles, many outdoor tourist areas, such as the Eastern Sierra, provide trail maps specifically designed for today's SUVs and less experienced drivers. The alternative for first-time treks is to ask the folks at your local 4x4 shop or known enthusiasts. If you're stuck with alternative two, proceed with caution. One person's "easy" trail may be another's "disaster."

Start this adventure prepared. For advanced off-roading, this could mean carrying a winch, but (for you) a shovel and/or pry bar, and the kind of provisions you'd normally take for a long drive, should suffice. The best-case scenario is to caravan with other SUV drivers, even if it's their first trip as well. The adage about two heads being better than one applies here and, if the worst-case scenario hits, at least you've got a ride home.

Check the local weather reports, especially if you're heading into altitudes or the leeward side of altitudes. One tricky thing about the dry side of a mountain range is that the weather sneaks up on you—you'll be basking in sunshine one minute and in the middle of a storm the next.

So you're prepared, the weather is cooperating and now you're at the trailhead with your front tires tasting real dirt. While many designated SUV trails can be done without four-wheel drive, go ahead and put your vehicle in 4x4 mode. Basically, it's easier to avoid loss of traction by proceeding in the 4x4 mode than it is to get out of a two-wheel drive mess.

Take It Slow

Avoid the urge to go racing down the trail with a plume of fine dust in your wake. Fast doesn't cut it. Vehicles behave differently on an unpaved surface and, until you're familiar with these differences, go slow.

On washboard roads, a faster speed reduces the impact of the kidney-jarring bumps, but the downside is you're basically hydroplaning on dirt and vehicle control is only an illusion. If your particular washboard is wide with excellent visibility both to the roadside and ahead, you can experiment to find a good compromise between jarring and control, but you may want to save that experimentation for trip two. The force that will carry you through mud, loose dirt or water crossings is momentum, not speed.

On steep grades, the old rule of thumb was to use the lowest gear for the best traction. A wiser rule of thumb is to choose the highest gear that allows for steady progress without lugging the engine. If you make the ascent in low gear, you may have too much torque and end up with wheel spin and loss of both traction and control.

On the other hand (or side of the hill), when you're headed down a steep grade, use a low enough gear to allow the engine to slow the vehicle. If you're riding the brakes, they can lock up and you might end up feeling like you're in a luge.

Know Your Limits

For those equipped with an SUV trail map, you can relax and enjoy the ride. For those following someone else's idea of an SUV trail, scouting what's up ahead may be your safest bet. We're not talking about truck trails through relatively gentle terrain, but narrow trails that wind around the sides of mountains or through rough, rocky, sandy terrain. The emphasis here is on "narrow." As long as you've got room to turn around, you're in good shape. Once that option is removed, your choices may be "scout," or hone your skills at off-roading in reverse.

Perhaps the most important lesson in Off-Roading 101 is to know the limits of your vehicle and your own driving skills. Some stock 4x4s, like Jeeps, can handle really rugged terrain, assuming the driver has the skills. But on this first trip, let's face it: You have no skills, so you're entirely dependent on your vehicle. Understand what kind of clearance you've got before you dive into a rutted road or straddle rocks. If you're not sure if that rock won't take out your vehicle's underbelly, drive over it by feathering the brake and accelerator so each wheel is eased up and over.

The second most important lesson is to have fun. Go ahead and test your vehicle and your skills; it's the best way to learn. Just give yourself and your vehicle a bailout option in case you fail that test.