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Basic driving principles

YotaAtieToo

Thick skull
Joined
May 19, 2020
Member Number
142
Messages
11,075
Loc
Bonners Ferry, ID
We often go on for pages on a single part, but I haven't seen much on how to drive these rigs. As built rigs have become so easily accessible, it seems driving skills and principles are all but gone. A recent trip to the snow really baffled me at how bad people are at diving. Everything from mild to fully built rigs on 42+ tires.

Maybe we can all add basic rules and tips we've learned over the years here.



SNOW



-Rule #1 MOTHER FUCKING AIR DOWN! If you won't go down to 5 psi, stay home, you're just fucking up the trail for everyone else. I cannot believe how many times I've passed people on 40-44+ tire on my current 33s or my last 4runner on 35s because they were at 8 lbs. The bigger the tire, the lower you'll need to go, even more so with bias. Every tire, rig and condition is different but usually 3-4 psi on radials and 1-3 on bias tires works well. Sometimes lower will float better, but sometimes it can also be too low. I've successfully ran 3 psi in multiple sets of 285/70r17s on stock 4runner wheels, so I don't want to hear the blown bead excuses.

I usually start at 5 psi when I go into 4wd. Sometimes the trail is already packed or the top has a crust and this works fine. If it seems like it's wanting to dig, I'll go lower.



- Momentum is your friend, wheel spin is not. At least not in the deep Sierra powder. Once you aren't moving stop spinning your tires, it just makes it harder to pull or dig you out.

Another part of this is that when making runs into fresh trail, let of the gas when you start to slow down, again, momentum, not spinning tires. Sometimes depending on conditions I'll let off right before the tracks end.

When you back up to get a run, back up at least far enough that you're front tires pass over where you're rear tires stopped. This helps keep your tracks packed.


- Keep your lockers on. The stupid thing where you wait till you get stuck to turn them on just fucks up the trail and may not actually help you get unstuck. The exemption would be if you're just driving down the packed ruts.

On the a similar note, think about the guys behind you. I've been the guy with the smallest tires in the group many times. Usually the thought is to put you in the back. This can work as the guys in front of you pack the trail more and more. It doesn't work when the one guy thinks he doesn't need his lockers and/or doesn't need to air down very much because he's on big tires and has to bang up every hill.



Descending a steep slick hill -

-Don't stand on the brakes going down hill. you can easily end up in a slide without steering or control. When you lock the tires up, and now you are skidding or sliding down the hill you have no steering. Then when you let off the brakes and the tires start to rotate you will suddenly start turning in the direction the wheels are turned, the back will start coming around and when you panic stamp the brakes now your headed into a down hill spin. You want to use gearing and engine braking when going down hill. This way your wheels are still turning and you have steering. Brakes are always a last minute option. Put it in low & first gear and use the gas slightly if needed. You are better off going slightly faster down the hill with a little throttle because you will be able to steer.

I'll add more as I think of them.
 
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How about splitting the trai in the snow? When there is only one track through the road and when 2 rigs are going the opposite way, they share the road and keep one tire in the groove and one tire in fresh powder. Helps keep momentum and keeps vehicles from fucking up the trail more and from getting stuck and stopping traffic or messing up the trail to get unstuck.

I've noticed this alot lately, people practically play chicken with us because they won't split the road. I don't know if it's because people have no trail etiquette anymore of they aren't confident in their rigs or driving. On top of that, most of them have their tires at 30+.
 
YotaAtieToo copy this into your saved spot because its very important and I've seen people screw this up more than anything else.

Descending a steep hill -

-Don't stand on the brakes going down hill. you can easily end up in a slide without steering or control. When you lock the tires up, and now you are skidding or sliding down the hill you have no steering. Then when you let off the brakes and the tires start to rotate you will suddenly start turning in the direction the wheels are turned, the back will start coming around and when you panic stamp the brakes now your headed into a down hill spin. You want to use gearing and engine braking when going down hill. This way your wheels are still turning and you have steering. Brakes are always a last minute option. Put it in low & first gear and use the gas slightly if needed. You are better off going slightly faster down the hill with a little throttle because you will be able to steer.
 
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YotaAtieToo copy this into your saved spot because its very important and I've seen people screw this up more than anything else.

Descending a steep hill -

-Don't stand on the brakes going down hill. you can easily end up in a slide without steering or control. When you lock the tires up, and now you are skidding or sliding down the hill you have no steering. Then when you let off the brakes and the tires start to rotate you will suddenly start turning in the direction the wheels are turned, the back will start coming around and when you panic stamp the brakes now your headed into a down hill spin. You want to use gearing and engine braking when going down hill. This way your wheels are still turning and you have steering. Brakes are always a last minute option. Put it in low & first gear and use the gas slightly if needed. You are better off going slightly faster down the hill with a little throttle because you will be able to steer.

That's a good one, but more of a rule for driving on a snowy or icy road, not trying to drive on top of 3-10' of powder :flipoff2:

All though, that does come into factor a lot near me since there is a windy steep narrow road to get to our play area. Many times some idiot slides off the road or into someone else. :rolleyes:
 
That's a good one, but more of a rule for driving on a snowy or icy road, not trying to drive on top of 3-10' of powder :flipoff2:

All though, that does come into factor a lot near me since there is a windy steep narrow road to get to our play area. Many times some idiot slides off the road or into someone else. :rolleyes:

It's something we run into on most rides in the east year round. mud, loose dirt, snow, gravel, etc. I did not see where this was only a thread on deep snow.
 
It's something we run into on most rides in the east year round. mud, loose dirt, snow, gravel, etc. I did not see where this was only a thread on deep snow.

I added it, just giving you a hard time. I know driving in snow in the east is almost nothing like driving in snow in the west.
 
I added it, just giving you a hard time. I know driving in snow in the east is almost nothing like driving in snow in the west.

we very rarely have multiple feet to drive in and we don't have high elevation.
 
I wouldn’t have thought about splitting the trail.

made most people aired up because they don’t have beadlocks? Five pounds of air seems like mandatory beadlocks.
 
I wouldn’t have thought about splitting the trail.

made most people aired up because they don’t have beadlocks? Five pounds of air seems like mandatory beadlocks.

Depends on the tire and wheel. Most of the newer tires fit pretty snug on the wheel and don't really blow that easy. Also, remember you're in snow, so typically there aren't any abrupt edges and the tire is able to slip.

On the other had some tires need double bead locks to go below 8 psi.
 
How about splitting the trai in the snow? When there is only one track through the road and when 2 rigs are going the opposite way, they share the road and keep one tire in the groove and one tire in fresh powder. Helps keep momentum and keeps vehicles from fucking up the trail more and from getting stuck and stopping traffic or messing up the trail to get unstuck.

I've noticed this alot lately, people practically play chicken with us because they won't split the road. I don't know if it's because people have no trail etiquette anymore of they aren't confident in their rigs or driving. On top of that, most of them have their tires at 30+.

The majority of people you'll come across in snow that can be reached in a street rig are either already an NDMF (Non-driving motherfucker) or turn into one as soon as they see snow. They're already scared and don't understand that fresh snow is where the traction is, so those 2 ruts turn into a safety blanket that they really don't want to give up or share.

No trail etiquette because they have no idea such a thing exists. It seems like most guys getting into the sport aren't wheeling with more experienced people like back in the day to learn the ropes, they're buying a rig and just hitting whatever local trail they can find.
 
The majority of people you'll come across in snow that can be reached in a street rig are either already an NDMF (Non-driving motherfucker) or turn into one as soon as they see snow. They're already scared and don't understand that fresh snow is where the traction is, so those 2 ruts turn into a safety blanket that they really don't want to give up or share.

No trail etiquette because they have no idea such a thing exists. It seems like most guys getting into the sport aren't wheeling with more experienced people like back in the day to learn the ropes, they're buying a rig and just hitting whatever local trail they can find.

I couldn't agree more with your last paragraph. I'm glad to see people out and enjoying wheelin, but some think they own the trail or there is noone else on it. Don't get me wrong, I've been the FNG before, but I've never reached the level of ignorance and absentmindedness that some people have. I've learned alot from the old timers because I've been willing to learn and it seems like people just don't care to learn these days.

Rant over.
 
I couldn't agree more with your last paragraph. I'm glad to see people out and enjoying wheelin, but some think they own the trail or there is noone else on it. Don't get me wrong, I've been the FNG before, but I've never reached the level of ignorance and absentmindedness that some people have. I've learned alot from the old timers because I've been willing to learn and it seems like people just don't care to learn these days.

Rant over.

when was the last time though that you said “sure, I’ll spend three times as long on the trail getting to my destination so I can teach someone new” or “I’ll take my buggy on 37s on an easy trail so I can be a help to a guy on 31” mall terrains”?
 
when was the last time though that you said “sure, I’ll spend three times as long on the trail getting to my destination so I can teach someone new” or “I’ll take my buggy on 37s on an easy trail so I can be a help to a guy on 31” mall terrains”?

​​​Any time we take someone new to wheelin and any time we meet someone on the trail that's new. I'd rather spend the 3 extra hours helping them out and teaching them what Ive learned rather than leaving them high and dry in the middle of the no where. It's not just the destination, its getting there that's the fun part. Showing the rig on 31s that they can do the same stuff the rig on 37s can do with the right knowledge is just fine with me
 
There's a very, very fine line between not riding the brakes down hill and picking up speed you don't want creating problems at the bottom. If you've got sand/mud to work with often times sliding locked after the first couple feet slows you better than trying to not lock up thanks to the material you wind up plowing and the rust guide you where you need to be.

Though I wouldn't expect people who spend all their time on warm, dry, high traction rocks to understand any of that though.

Also trail etiquette is very different out east when 99% of the wheeling is power line roads and SXS trails that nobody is "supposed" to be on but isn't gated because the landowner would rather have the motorsport traffic than have more nefarious stuff. Places where you're expected to be wheeling are different and you're usually part of a club and wheeling in a group and who gives way for who reflects the members of the group and their capabilities.
 
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You know what will really teach you to drive offroad? An RC crawler. No joke. You will learn more about tire placement in a few hours of playing with one of these than you will learn just taking your rig out for occasional outings. You can have the equivalent of a fully built rock buggy, running nearly impossible obstacles, and you can afford to play around and take risks and "what if?" to your heart's content with no danger to you or your wallet.

Of course it won't teach you everything, but it's a great way to go from nothing to something, especially if you are like me and so many others who just have a DD with mud tires on it and not a dedicated rig. I recommend staring with a "micro", somewhere around 1:24 scale. The random rocks and sticks you find around the yard is plenty to build a course for something that small.

I'm not talking about some Radioshack Christmas toy either, get you one with real axles and suspension. The chassis pictured is an Axial SCX24. I've been out of the RC loop for a few years so I don't really know the market, but this is a good representation of the type of thing you should look for. I do know Axial is a good brand though, my dad has one of their 1/10 scale crawlers, good build quality and good aftermarket.

You can get them with scale bodies too if you'd rather have something closer to your actual vehicle vs getting a rock buggy style car. I see on Amazon you can get these with a Bronco, JK and K10 body. I used to make my own bodies when I was younger, I'd find paper models of trucks I liked online, then I'd print them on card stock, fold them up and cover them in packing tape to make them tougher.



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^^^ I fully agree that an RC Crawler is great for playing with line selection. I've driven 1:10 crawlers for years but the 1:24 scale is much cheaper to get into and easier to build terrain for. I've also been an Axial fan but the new 1:24 Kyosho trucks are cool options ($200), RC4WD makes a nice one ($220), and the new ElementRC option is cheaper but could work ($100).


A built 1:10 crawler is stupid capable, but you can also hit $1k into one pretty quickly. The intro $400 + batteries + charger quickly turns into aftermarket parts and upgrades. Then to really drive a built 1:10 crawler you need some serious terrain. But it's a damn fun hobby to nerd out on.
 
Yeah anyone new to the hobby should find an RTR car, which stands for ready to run. A lot of times the cars geared more towards the diehard hobbyists are just rollers and you are expected to buy your own motors and other electronics. Usually micros are RTR.

Also, I forgot to add. If you go to a local landscape supply (not home depot, an actual yard) then you can get rocks to build a course super cheap. The one I go to will sell you a 5 gallon bucket of rocks for 2-3 dollars.
 
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