Driving Tips Post

[78Suburban]

I am sitting inside bored because it is going to rain soon. I thought of something today. There are lots of posts about building rigs and places to wheel, but I haven't seen alot of posts that talk about HOW to wheel. I know there is no substitute for practice, but I would really like a few of you veteran wheeler to impart some knowledge on me. I would like to hear about skills/ tips from all avenues of wheel.

I'll start it off with one: When driving through the mud, it can be a good idea to saw the steering back and forth to catch a bit more traction.

thanks,
James

 

[dhcomp]

"As slow as possible, as fast as necessary"

But when it comes to mud, and you vechile is on the less capable side (read: stock, $hitty tires) wheelspeed is your friend.

 

[Dain Fraser]

Know your tire placement. The only way to get this down is with practice but I've seen guys who were good with tire placement conquer obstacles in 2wheel thst other guys have to drop into 4

 

[dhcomp]

Know your vehicle and its limits. If you are trying to not damage the body, those limits are significantly less.

Carry Recovery equipment....and don't wheel alone.

 

[Janitorjim8]

don't try to impress anyone (especially a female) with something beyond your limits, then you start to get into big trouble

 

[dhcomp]

don't try to impress anyone (especially a female) with something beyond your limits, then you start to get into big trouble

haha, good call. Cause you'll probably end up stuck, or breaking something, and then you really look like a moron....


what happened to the smily that falls on his face?

 

[hack500]

another one that has been mentioned a bunch of times... if you're in mud with no forward or backward movement and you keep trying the only movement you'll have is down.

as for the trying to impress women... it's nice when you don't have to try.
I didn't even know they were there until after.

 

[1-ton]

Know your tire placement

I second this! Understanding how to pick your line through a trail is the most important thing to know. I have found riding dirt bikes is a good way to hone this skill.

 

[jk3078]

When atempting to scale an obstical pic a line you think will work and try it slow and easy the first time, this will tell you how your rig is going to react and what you need to do to make it. Trying it balls out the first time can leave you out of shape on your line and/or busted on the side of the trail. You can almost allways backout and hit it harder if it feels like it might help.

In the mud, when making a run carry some speed into the mud hole but not so fast you blow water or mud all over your motor/air filter/ dist./ starter/ radiator. Momentum is your friend but to much speed over rough pits will bounce tires in the air and a tire in the air gives no traction.Spin those tires the more they clean out the more bite they get.

 

[BigOrange90Jimmy]

Know your tire placement.

I'm gonna add some to this as well. Don't only know your tire placement, but know the underside of your truck. Know where the diffs are in relation to where you're sitting, and where the transfer case crossmember is. Knowing where which things are that will hang you up most often will help greatly.

NEVER TRUST YOUR PASSENGERS! If they say, "You got this, cuz. Hit it!", don't listen. Go with your instinct. It will keep you alive longer than your friend's opinions will.

In a stock vehicle, the tires with least traction will always get the most power. The more you can keep the vehicle level, the further you will go.

Never cross gullies or ditches with both tires on an axle at the same time. In other words, don't pull straight up to a ditch an expect to get across. Angle the approach as to put only one tire in the ditch at a time. This will take practice, but will greatly benefit later.

 

[Brocky]

If you have a gov-bomb or similiar in your rig and you want it to lockup, slightly hold the brake and apply throttle to assist it to lock up.
Remember to use the engine for breaking in downhill accents. 1st gear and low in transfer case and you wont have to use as much brake.

 

[thezentree]

Since most of the people who actually need to read this are probably pretty new to wheelin, and most of us started out playing in some mud puddles, remember that that mud puddle you're haulin ass towards may actually be 4ft deep and contain things that aren't so truck-friendly....like washing machines.

And the "don't try to impress girls" advice may well be one of the smarter things I've heard on this board. My Yukon ended up 4ft in the air because I thought my girlfriend would think it was cool. She laughed at all the broken parts.