Offroad Driving Tips

Are 4wd trails graded? As in easy, medium, moderate, difficult, extreme etc? If so it would be good to know what limitations our cars have based on experience from ppl on this forum. I'd be guessing anything beyond moderate for, an OB for example, would be a no-go zone?

Great thread btw.
 
Depends on the terrain to whether Auto or Manual in a Subi. ( My experence of non turbo model 1st & 2nd Gen Foresters) This is with out a body lift or bigger tires.

For sand, beach and dune driving I woulds say that manual is better, firstly you have the advantage of the drual range gear box. With it you can get the revs high and are able to hold them there when tackling boggy sand, steep hills and/or deep tracks. Also letting the tires down between 13-18psi, depending how boggy. I air down to 15psi before entering any sand tracks. The only issue is taking off in boggy sand without spinning the wheels and without loosing revs and stalling, but it can be done with practice.

For rutts, rocks and crawling an Auto is best as you dont have to be on the clutch all the time. Letting the tires down to about 20-22psi.
 
hey guys - I was reading through all of the great tips here and started compiling a list to keep in my car (as a novice, wannabe, hack off roader) glovebox for future reference. So here's everyone's tips all in one easy to read (and print) list. Apologies if I missed anyone's suggestion.


Dirt (bush)
keep the vehicle as flat as possible without wheel lifting is most important
for mud - a slower approach, but still with some momentum
wheel placement
Picking the right line, especially in an AWD, is the best way to get past a challenging track without damage.
Take your time.

Water
get out and determine how deep
check surface underneath use a stick as a dipstick or walking throught it.
Maintaining momentum is critical, not too fast water goes everywhere but not too slow you get stuck
make sure the water is not flowing too quickly

Sand
Lower tyres to 18 psi to begin - lower if the sand is very soft (but no lower than 10 psi)
No sharp turns
No sharp braking - this will bog you; just let the car roll to a stop
No heavy acceleration from a standstill
Never transverse a dune or hill; always straight up or down.
Better to stop when level or facing downhill; restarting uphill can be difficult
Keep an eye on your temp guage - stop if necessary to cool down
Have a sump guard or take the plastic guard off.
Also take off those little wing things in front of the front wheels
If stuck uphill, drive the vehicle down in reverse; as little braking as possible.
Most important thing about sand driving is keeping the revs up and not losing momentum. The more power on tap to play with in the soft stuff, the less you will get stuck (or shouldn't get stuck if there's clearance).
Make sure your vehicle is in excellent condition as sand can be the hardest strain your vehicle may face
steady on the gas and try not to stop in the real soft stuff

General
do not wrap your thumbs around the steering wheel
Lower tyre pressures produce a smoother ride on any rough surfacethe main idea behind lowering PSI is that you create a longer foot print longer foot print = better floatation = traction = further along the track or beach
Don't go alone when wheeling, and always let someone know where you're going and when you're expecting to be back
Don't go unprepared, even if the trip is supposed to be a short one - $hit happens even in your own driveway
Wheel placement is crucial as is knowing the vehicle's weak points (capabilities too, but it's more important to know what the vehicle can't do

Handy stuff to have….
a shovel (with a telescopic handle are easy to pack)
2 snatch straps (in case one breaks)
1 tool box with as many tool as you can carry without being too heavy
1st aid kits
1 vehcle fire extinguisher
warm clothing
sleeping bag (incase you get stuck over night)
enough food for 24 hours (if out with family take enough food)
plenty of water
camp chairs
uhf hand helds in case 1 in vehicle in inoperable due too failed elctrics of vehicle
a few good quality wind up torches (much better than a battery operated 1)
2 x D Shackels (rated)
an equallizer stap (not that I know what it is or what it's for)
flat block of wood for a jack base in case you need to lift the car on sand/mud.

Recommended PSI's
28 for bush tracks
25-30 for moderate offroading
20-22 bush/mud
15-18 for sand
13-18 for sand

Cheers,
Skender :)
 
Well done Skender :yourock:
May I suggest one thing you missed though. In the handy stuff to have you should add 2x D Shackels (rated) & an equallizer stap aswell. :iconwink:

Apart from that I think you've nailed it. :bananatoast:

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
With water crossing I'd make sure the water is not flowing too quickly. Good idea- perhaps we could make this a sticky in some way?
 
mr turbo said:
Well done Skender :yourock:
May I suggest one thing you missed though. In the handy stuff to have you should add 2x D Shackels (rated) & an equallizer stap aswell. :iconwink:

Apart from that I think you've nailed it. :bananatoast:

Regards
Mr Turbo
Click to expand...

Ahhh, yes Mr T - good pick up. I rember reading that but didn't put it in for some reason!

No probs guys - as I said, was doing for myself so just thought I'd share :cool:

I'll edit to include the D-shax and the new water tip.

PS: really!'s a equalizer st(r)ap??
 
Great work! I made a couple of minor mods.

An equalizer / distribution strap connects to 2 recovery points to share the load of the recovery. A snatch strap or winch cable is attached to the equalizer strap.

The recovery load needs to be distributed because the Subi has a monoque body, i.e. no chassis, so the body could twist if recovery is attempted from a single point.

A tree trunk protector also makes a good equalizer strap.
 
Kevin said:
Great work! I made a couple of minor mods.

An equalizer / distribution strap connects to 2 recovery points to share the load of the recovery. A snatch strap or winch cable is attached to the equalizer strap.

The recovery load needs to be distributed because the Subi has a monoque body, i.e. no chassis, so the body could twist if recovery is attempted from a single point.

A tree trunk protector also makes a good equalizer strap.
Click to expand...

Thanks Kevin - Great explanation... two questions though, one dumb and one not-so-dumb.

The dumb one first....
1. What's a tree trunk protector? :neutral: I'm assuming you're talking about a bull bar?

2. Sooooo, the OB only has ONE tow point, correct? Seems a pretty silly thing for Subaru to do if that's the case.

That then means, to have an equaliser strap, you should also have a 2nd recovery point fitted right?

Again - apologies for the dumbar$e questions ... I'm still getting my head around all of the nuances of Subaru....If anyone wants to know anything about mini's on the other hand I can help with THAT!! :poke:
 
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but an Outback of your model has 2 recovery points at the front, however, the eye on one of them isn't large enough to fit a shackle through it (to fir the distribution strap), as found a few months ago in the Watagans.

Regards,

Joel
 
Skender said:
Thanks Kevin - Great explanation... two questions though, one dumb and one not-so-dumb.

The dumb one first....
1. What's a tree trunk protector? :neutral: I'm assuming you're talking about a bull bar?

2. Sooooo, the OB only has ONE tow point, correct? Seems a pretty silly thing for Subaru to do if that's the case.

That then means, to have an equaliser strap, you should also have a 2nd recovery point fitted right?

Again - apologies for the dumbar$e questions ... I'm still getting my head around all of the nuances of Subaru....If anyone wants to know anything about mini's on the other hand I can help with THAT!! :poke:
Click to expand...

Skender, we all asked these questions - or just remained ignorant until someone else did :iconwink: - when we were starting out.

Tree protector: A strap that goes around a tree being used as an anchor for a vehicle recovery. The winch hook / shackle or pulley block (aka snatch block) attaches to the loops on the end of the tree protector strap. The is is much better for the tree than running the winch cable around the tree, which will ringbark it.

The tree protector can be used as an equaliser strap by connecting it to both sides of the front suspension.

Tow points: Up to Gen3 Outbacks had bolt on tie down points, which can be replaced with bolt on SubaXtreme tow points. (It may be the tie downs to which Joel was referring.) The Gen4 (late 2004) onwards outbacks have welded on tie downs, so the bolt ons cant be used. :( Tie down points are not suitable for vehicle recovery, as they are not designed for that purpose.

The Outback (and also the Forie, I think,) has a single screw in front eyelet which uses a screw thread on the right hand side of the bumper. There is a push / pry out blanking plug in the bumper. The screw in eye is probably in the pocket in the rear quarter panel storage area, or bouncing around in your wheel well.
The eylet is fine for pulling the car on-road, i.e. bitumen, gravel or hard packed dirt. They are all low friction situations, and all that is needed is to overcome the inertia of the stationary vehicle. However mud, sand etc is a different story, the car is stuck and needs to be un-stuck. It is the 'unsticking' that will bend your car if you just use the single tow point. That is when you need the equaliser strap / tree protector.

Regarding rear extractions, if you have a tow bar just fit a shackle through the hole the ball bolts to. The bar is attached at a number of points on the rear of the 'chassis' and is the best possible option for a rear extraction.

BTW, if anyone wants to know about VWs, ...;)
 
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Great and very useful information Barry - thanks for that.

I am still a bit confused though.

Is the tow point/eyelet the same thing as the "tie down points" you refer to?

Sounds like these SubaXtreme tow points are a worthwhile investment.....

Cheers,
Skender.
 
ok .... I think I get it now .... the SubaXtreme towpoints are seperate to the factory standard "tow point" eyelet which is behind the panel on the bumper.

Barry said:
BTW, if anyone wants to know about VWs, ...;)
Click to expand...


Thanks again.
skender.


PS:

Barry said:
BTW, if anyone wants to know about VWs, ...;)
Click to expand...

I'll show you mine (mini) if you show me yours (VW).
 
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Skender said:
ok .... I think I get it now .... the SubaXtreme towpoints are seperate to the factory standard "tow point" eyelet which is behind the panel on the bumper.


Correct ! :monkeydance:



Thanks again.
skender.


PS:



I'll show you mine (mini) if you show me yours (VW).
Click to expand...

Mine is a bit the worse for wear!, but still registered and she WILL rise again! :lildevil:
 
Here's a little tip I learned of an old bloke a couple of months ago, if you have an open or even a viscous diff and are in a sticky position......Bogged......Pull your hand brake on a little so it loads up both back wheels, this should even out the pressure on the drive shafts and help you get out a bit easier.
Oh, and disconnect your ABS in soft sand, mine is a dangerous pig in the dunes unless I pull the relay out.
 
d_generate said:
Here's a little tip I learned of an old bloke a couple of months ago, if you have an open or even a viscous diff and are in a sticky position......Bogged......Pull your hand brake on a little so it loads up both back wheels, this should even out the pressure on the drive shafts and help you get out a bit easier.
Oh, and disconnect your ABS in soft sand, mine is a dangerous pig in the dunes unless I pull the relay out.
Click to expand...

Great tips d_g! These should be added to "the list". I don't think I can edit it so a mod might need to add.

I'd like to know more about pulling the ABS relay out. How hard/easy is that?

Cheers,
Skender.
 
On my MY94 it's a 3 second job, flick a plastic cover off on the ABS unit & pull it out, I have a feeling it's a little harder on later models though just a matter of locating & possibly re-locating it I suppose.

It's a bit like getting your electric windows to work without the ignition being on, find the window relay, unplug it & forget the plug then make a short spade ended bridge & put it between the two parallel female(maybe male.. the outer ones) pins on the relay........No more keys & a 10min job.
 
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