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.
Going low when the stakes are high?
Something I hear around the traps with 4WD communities; “I only use low range 4WD when I’m bogged.” Are you kidding?
If you’re stuck, it’s probably too late, especially if the chassis is now touching the ground. The advantage of low range is torque multiplication and using it early will keep you mobile. It’s pretty likely no amount of huffing and puffing in low is now going to get you out of that bog.
The best solution, is prevention. Read the terrain and anticipate what’s coming up and make an earlier decision to engage low range. Using the full spread of gears in your auto or manual transmission will provide you with plenty of speed in an off-road situation and keep you moving with double-or-more the torque you had in high range. Couple that to some pressure reduction (how much? Read the 20 per cent rule) in your Toyo Open Country A/TII’s and you won’t be getting stuck anytime soon.
