How to 4WD on dirt roads | 4X4 Australia

Driving on dirt roads is very different to driving on sealed roads, and when doing so you need to take into account all sorts of variables including differing levels of grip, obstacles, uneven surfaces, dust and - when it starts to rain - mud.
Here's Deano's guide on how to drive on dirt roads: www.whichcar.com.au/gear/how-...
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[@sydneyraj]

You are absolutely right about tyre pressures. It is not simple. Respect experience. Thanks.

[@brentmcd12]

very good !!

[@chuckmaddison2924]

Have to do a How to 4wd in Bognor Regis for the Poms ,bless their cotton socks : )

[@Hillbilly973]

Excellent video!

[@rossdrayton5476]

And don’t forget to drop the Tyre pressures on your caravan or trailer to stop it crashing along and bouncing around behind you.

[@nnoddy8161]

CDL is your friend on gravel.

[@maverick2242]

Lol, If you have a 4wd you might eventually get onto a gravel road, dam I hope if you have a 4wd a proper one, you will be on gravel, sorry ai know what ya mean but heck too many Bunnings drivers, had a dud recently leave the car park, and a loud bang insuded in his brand new Pajero, diffs were locked, went over when he stopped and said dude wth are you doing, he had no ideas at all. Def lock the center diff, if have external hub locks, obviously don’t need front and rear or low 4wd, but some need that clarifying as well, like usual drive to the conditions, here we have allot of deep gravel roads, forestry and high country not as clean red like yours, the amount of times I have had to pull others out of a ditch, out of a farm fence even creeks where a bridge crosses a stream, because A: they didn’t have 4wd engaged, somehow thinks it saves them fuel. B: driving beyond skill level and too fast. C: looking at the scenery not the road ahead and I even on gravel or unsealed roads esp ours where sight lines are often reduced by mountains, corners ups and downs in valleys, horizons and sun sheer even the natural terrain blends road and landscape that almost camouflage’s the 2 ahead, not a major issue for those that drive on these roads regularly, but with ever increasing internal loopies ( Native tourists, we don’t have many foreign loonies about these days, though they used to be beyond the worst esp on rental AWDs ) always pulling them out and always seeing some major crash incident. I’d say the biggest reason is not just traction which does lead to my point, it’s safety and the control over the vehicle as soon as you hit unsealed or as we call them gravel roads, 4wd High and lock center diff if you have that if not std auto like these modern fangdangled contraptions come in all this tech for a smart vehicle for dumb people, IMO it also seems to make people even dumber, not safer, worst is it makes us more at risk trying to avoid these modern idiots. Get to know your vehicle basics before hiring leaving the airport or buying from a 4wd regardless of model and age, if it was just them at risk then we could at least weed them out by their own self harm, unfortunately it’s the innocent and people who do the right thing that pay the price for these idiots stupidity. Always clean up, don’t litter the unsealed highways and camping spot either, sick of cleaning up that mess too. Vehicles should, be impounded by anyone caught doing this, the carrot isn’t working, time for some serious stick, I hate regulations but proper enforcement at their cost nit the rest of us is what is needed, use their circles and trailers and boats as payment for the damage and expense they cause and we’ll get on top of the problems real quick and make the roads safer for the rest of us who respect others and the places we call home or we visit. Good video, but safety and proper use is key Keep,up the work def more vids like this to educate the growing moron Pandemic 😷

[@MotorcycleRiderUK]

How does 4 wheel drive reduce braking distance, can anyone explain?

[@arefeshghi]

I don't think it reduces the braking distance on its own. When you are in 4WD, the car needs more energy to go forward since more parts are engaged, so as soon as you take your foot off the accelerator, it reduces the speed. It is the same with AWD systems.

[@KabirDhupelia]

Engine braking

[@arefeshghi]

Unfortunately in my experience, tailgating on unsealed roads is increasing.

[@russellkellermann9846]

That portal'd 79 looks like the most poorly balanced vehicle i've ever seen. Front tyres were nearly off the ground more than they were on... not exactly the best rig to use in this vid, given the core message. hahaha.

[@ScottMurrayBestFamilyCars]

4H does not give you 'more traction'. It simply splits the power between four wheels, instead of two, thereby reducing likelihood of wheelspin. 100 divided by two is 50, 100 divided by four is 25. The only thing that offers 'more traction' is the tyre itself and the road. Instead of deflating straight away, try just slowing down on dirt roads: less speed means less kinetic energy going through the tyres, suspension. Keep as much air in your tyres for as long as possible, your air compressor could fail, and then you're farked. Drive conservatively. Who knew?

[@ayeshanbandara8003]

Reducing wheel spin is giving more traction. :/

[@noelwhittle7922]

the difference between 2H and 4H on dirt roads is quite noticeable. The vehicle tracks better, steers better and if you find yourself unexpectedly in bad conditions you have 4WD traction to pull you through. As for keeping tyres at highway pressures..... hard tyres cause corrugations to start on smooth surfaces and make existing corrugations worse.

[@ScottMurrayBestFamilyCars]

@@noelwhittle7922 Note: I didn't say never deflate, I just encouraged keeping your tyres as inflated as possible for a long as possible and only resort to deflating when it's absolutely necessary. I grew up in the bush driving a 78 Series Troopy with cookie-cutter tyres and zero chance of help - long before getting my Ls. Keeping all your resources available at all times, including inflated tyres, could literally be the difference of saving your arse if your equipment fails. It's called redundancy. Learning how to study the road and drive with pathological caution at all times is far more important, and means you reduce the risk of having to rely on equipment that might fail. Air compressors are a very cheap, easy thing to fail, and not being able to inflate tyres can have worse consequences than just going slower, or getting through tricky roads using momentum only. It takes 1% throttle to get through a slightly muddy track in 2WD, if you practice conservative driving, which my former-army dad taught me. Of course, switching to 4H when absolutely necessary, is right, in some circumstances. But doing so, just because it's what everyone does, isn't.

[@ScottMurrayBestFamilyCars]

@@ayeshanbandara8003 No, it's definitely not. kzbin.info/www/bejne/naW1iphsn7yLgNk

[@noelwhittle7922]

@@ScottMurrayBestFamilyCars No I didnt say 'switching to 4H when absolutely necessary', instead I recommend ( unconditionally) 4H on unsealed roads for the reason I explained. Now, you might argue that your vast experience is greater than my vast experience but I'm fairly confident the best advice is for people to engage 4H on dirt roads. And, there is a lot of criticism to be found on these overlanding & offroad youtube channels of people that drive on dirt roads and soft tracks with their tyres at highway pressures. It chops up the track.

[@bigwilben1710]

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