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Jack Malone

How To Survive Your First Off-Road Adventure

Most people who own 4×4 vehicles love them f or their looks and they like the idea of going of f -road butdon’t. The majority of 4x4s are used f or the daily commute and shuttling kids to soccer games. But if you ownone and you’ve caught the of f - road bug and want to give it a try, we’ve got some tips that will help you makethat f irst outing an adventure rather than a disaster.

Bef ore we get to the tips it ’s important that you set your expectations where they need to be. Just becauseyou have a mean looking 4×4 with big wheels and high clearance does not mean you can go charging downhills or climbing boulders on your f irst t ime out. Of f -road driving is a separate skill set that needs to be learnedso in the beginning the rule is slow as you go.

Planning and Preparation

You plan f or your f irst of f - road drive just like you would f or your 50th. Thelist may seem long but when your vehicle breaks down, or t ips over, our getsimpossibly stuck in the muck you’ll be glad you have the items on board.

So here we go:

Take your cell phone. If your vehicle does not have an adapter thatallows charging, make that the f irst modif ication that you do to thevehicle. Your cell phone gives you communication and your exact GPSlocation.

Take a f riend. Pref erably one who has experience of f roading but in anycase never hit the trails solo.

Tell at least one person where you are going and when you expect to getback.

Know your vehicle and its equipment. Know how to engage the 4-wheeldrive, the location of the jack and how it works, and where the towpoints are.

Let some air out of your t ires (25 psi is recommended) bef ore you start the trail.

Bring basic tools like pliers, wrench, screw drivers, bailing wire or duct tape, f olding shovel, axe andf lashlight (with extra batteries)

A tow rope or strap. Even better…a winch.

Make certain your battery is f irmly secured in its housing. The tossing it will take sometimes throws thebattery out of the housing tearing the cables and this is not a good thing.

Bring enough f ood and water to last 48 hours longer than your planned outing.

Spending a cold night in the woods or the desert is not pleasant. Buy a f ew inexpensive survival blanketsand bring matches in a watertight container or baggie.

OK now you are all tricked out, the gas tank is f ull and you’ve checked all your f luid levels so the only questionis…

Where to Go On Your First Off -Road Outing

First you don’t just pick out a piece of private property andgo ripping of f on it. It ’s against the law and it ’s dangerous.

We think the best place to start is locating an of f -road clubnear you. Almost every community has one and of ten theyare clubs f or specif ic brands so you will be among driverswith experience on your vehicle. These clubs know where thetrails are and what their degrees of dif f iculty are and will behappy to share the inf o. Better yet you might be able to joinone of their outings which means you are travelling in aconvoy of experienced drivers.

Aside f rom the clubs you can look up the location of the nearest Off-Road Vehicle Park (ORV). These arepay f or use parks f or all types of of f road vehicles including of f road buggies, ATVs and motorcycles. They allwill have beginner trails that you can start out on.

If you are f ortunate to live near a national f orest the f orest roads are excellent “beginner ’s” trails. They aretypically well-def ined but still give you the experience of driving on dif f erent surf ace materials and grades. Inaddition, there’s usually a Ranger Station that you can get maps and inf ormation on trail conditions.

Of f -roading is a lot of f un and as you develop conf idence in your driving capabilit ies the level of excitementgoes up markedly. The key to having a great t ime and keeping saf e is staying within the limits of your skills andleaving the cowboy hat at home.

We hope you have f ound these tips helpf ul. If your 4×4 is a Jeep, you might f ind these Jeep modificationsinteresting.

Photos: Squeaks2569, Indigoprime

About Me

I grew up in the age of muscle cars – the Z28 Camaros, Dodge Chargers with their 420 Hemi engines,Pontiac’s “Goat” and of course Shelby Mustangs. I love perf ormance driving and getting elbow deep in theengine compartment tweaking, tuning and experimenting with ways to get more out of my ride. That’s why I’mliving my dream as editor of Perf ormance Parts Direct.com. Driving is still the thrill it was when I was a kid andmy cars are most def initely the hottest and meanest in the neighborhood!