David Wilson, director and lead instructor at Adventure 4WD has been a 4WD trainer since a time before the internet. He lives and breathes life off the beaten track and is passionate about sharing his knowledge. We want to help Dave spread the word, so every Wednesday; Toyo Tires will be sharing one of his snack sized 4WD tyre tips.
You can tell whether a 4WD has been driven poorly or neglected by looking at the condition of its tyres.
Are you a tyre abuser? One really common mistake is to use 2WD on dirt roads. Not only are you greatly increasing your risk of a crash, you’re beating the living daylights out of your back tyres.
With all of the vehicle’s energy exiting the back wheels, they’ll inevitably be spending time spinning, chewing precious and expensive life out of those tread blocks way before their time. Additionally the risk of oversteer is greater in 2WD on the dirt resulting in poor handling and a huge risk of a rollover if the vehicle gets seriously sideways.
Braking distances will be longer, as the braking effort isn’t as effective as it could be when compared to 4WD usage. Heaven forbid too if you don’t get them aligned correctly. Have a look at the shoulder of this poor thing in the picture! Be kind to those tyres and they’ll love you in return!
