California 4x4 Dirt Roads

FAQ What's New

Table of Contents [show]     1 Gear     2 4x4 Techniques     3 Scenic Dirt Roads in California Copyright Information This article is licensed under GNU Public License. Contact webmasters for more information on copyright issues. 1 Gear Things you'll need when taking your 4x4 onto the dirt roads: Pump, Upright bicycle pumps are cheaper and are more reliable than cigarette lighter plug in pumps. [44] Puncture Repair Kit. [44P] A hammer. If wheel rim is bent and the tire doesn't hold air any more, you could bend it back as a last resort. 2 4x4 Techniques Rule #1: drive slowly when you are off road, use common sense, and if something seems dangerous, it is dangerous. If you aren't 100% sure you can avoid a rock, drive over it with the center of you tire. Compression cuts on tire sides kills tires [44Avoid] When to engage 4 wheel drive? In short, never use 4x4 on dry pavement, only used it on loose surfaces, otherwise you might damage your drivetrain[RTbind]. You want to use 4x4 off road for sure[44engage], avoid using 4x4 on rain-slippery road. You might be able to use 4x4 on snow surface because it is actually loose. On slippery pavements, you might use 4x4 when going uphill, however, return to 2wd as soon as that's over and your vehicle is running on a flat road and a down slope. Using 4x4 on dry pavement might damage powertrain, and also cause danger because it causes much wider turns [RTTP]. Use 4x4 low for steep slopes offroad and other offroad conditions requiring high torque. 4x4 low gives twice the torque, however, it is also significantly slower. 4x4 creates more torque, but still the same amount of traction![RT] 4x4 causes wide turns (understeer) all the time, whether on high-traction surface like pavements or soft surface (sand, mud, snow, gravel). However, the reason why you could use 4x4 on soft surface is because it allow wheels to skid. Keep this in mind when you drive with 4x4. Unless you have AWD, never engage 4x4 on dry pavements: The main reason being: 4x4 forces front and rear wheel to turn at exactly the same rpm. When you make turns (or if you are going straight but your route is not a perfect line), you front wheel will actually rotate faster then rear wheel. On soft surface, this can be compensated by wheel skidding a little. On high-traction surfaces however, your powertrain will be under extreme pressure because high traction makes it super hard for your rear wheel to skid. Full-time 4x4 vehicles (AWD vehicles), however, has a center differential that allows front and rear wheel to have different rpms. 3 Scenic Dirt Roads in California La Gloria Raod near Gonzales CA Some fairly old discussions on bayarea offroad rides Carolyn's bike trips Comments References [44] http://www.4x4abc.com/jeep101/cactus.html [44Avoid] http://www.4x4abc.com/jeep101/avoid.html [44P] http://www.4x4abc.com/ML320/ml320_puncture.html [44engage] http://www.4x4abc.com/jeep101/engage.html [RT] http://www.rubicon-trail.com/4WD101/difference_4WD_awd.html [RTTP] http://www.4x4abc.com/4WD101/def_turnpart.html [RTbind] http://www.rubicon-trail.com/4WD101/driveline-bind.html