Traction, technique, terrain

Offroad

Offroad driving is not about horsepower. It is about knowing what the ground under each tyre is doing, and choosing the line, the gear and the pressure that keep all four of them working. Most of it is learnable in a weekend and improves for the rest of your life.

Every technique in this department comes down to two questions. How much grip does this surface offer, and how much of my weight is on the wheels that need it. Answer those and momentum, gear choice and tyre pressure stop being folklore and become arithmetic.

Start with reading terrain if you are new. Then sand, then water, then recovery, in that order, because that is the order in which a trip usually goes wrong.

All stories in Offroad

Offroad · Technique Reading the Ground Before You Drive It Every surface tells you what it will do under a tyre. Learning to read it, fifty metres ahead, is the skill that separates a driver from somebody steering. 9 min read

Offroad · Technique Sand Rewards Patience and Punishes Power Nearly every vehicle that gets stuck in sand was driven by somebody who applied more throttle. Here is what works instead, and the one number that matters most. 8 min read

Offroad · Technique The Water Line Water is the obstacle that turns a good day into an insurance claim and a written-off engine. Almost all of it is avoidable with a stick, a walk and a wading depth you actually know. 8 min read

Offroad · Recovery Getting Unstuck With Nobody To Pull You Most recovery advice assumes a second vehicle. Here is the sequence that works alone, in the order that costs the least effort, with the kit that makes each step possible. 9 min read

Which surface makes you least comfortable?

Questions we get asked

Do I need a locking differential?

For tracks, forestry roads and sand, no. Good tyres, correct pressure and technique cover far more ground than lockers do. A rear locker earns its place when you regularly drive rutted rock or cross-axle terrain, and it never compensates for a bad line.

How much lift does a travel vehicle need?

Usually less than the internet suggests. A modest suspension upgrade that restores ride height under load and improves damping is worth more than a big lift, which raises the centre of gravity, strains driveshafts and makes the vehicle worse on the ninety percent of a trip that happens on a road.

Are all terrain or mud terrain tyres better?

For nearly everybody, all terrain. Mud terrains are noisy, wear quickly, aquaplane earlier and only pay off in deep mud and sharp rock. Tyre construction matters more than tread: a reinforced sidewall survives what a soft one does not.

Field notes

One letter a month from the track

New long reads, new routes in the Route Book and the occasional hard-won lesson. No advertising, unsubscribe in one click.