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View Full Version : TOTM: driving styles, techniques and tips.



rstrucks
12-01-2011, 10:43 PM
Every region of the country is a little (or a lot) different so what works in your neck of the woods? What have you learned that you can pass on to others? We'll try to keep this from turning into a "wheelin' in X region is more difficult" argument. After all we all know southeastern wheeling is the most challenging. :)

I kid, I kid.

ATL ZJ
12-01-2011, 11:41 PM
The key is to use as little throttle as possible but as much as you need [/thread] :mrgreen:

TN_WJ
12-02-2011, 12:09 AM
The key is to use as little throttle as possible but as much as you need [/thread] :mrgreen:
X2....slow as possible, fast as necessary. Of course there's always some exceptions

SirFuego
12-02-2011, 12:39 AM
There is no replacement for seat time.

If you drive an automatic, learn to drive two footed when crawling (especially if you are undergeared). Keep your right foot as steady on the skinny pedal as possible, but keep the RPMs low enough so you can still completely stop your rig with your left foot on the brake. Then you can vary your speed with the brake, which makes your movements much more controlled.

When in the rocks, plan your line at least 20-30 feet in front of you, so your best bet is to not ride the ass of the guy in front of you.

Avoid hitting trees whenever possible, but use them to your advantage if you want to turn sharply.

In east coast wheeling, the trail often picks your line for you.

Never drive with your thumbs inside of the steering wheel.

Always have an "oh shit" plan in place. If you are on a tough climb, be ready to slam it in neutral or reverse if you feel like you are going to endo. If there is a possibility of a flop, be aware of which way to turn the steering wheel and nail the gas if there is a way to possibility save it.

Always listen to your spotter. If you aren't sure what he's telling you to do, ask him to clarify what he means or to make his hand/arm motions more exaggerated. If you don't trust what he is asking you to do, ask someone else to spot for you or discuss other options. Always designate a single person as your spotter. 20 people telling you 20 different things to do is just asking for trouble.

Always look at your spotter unless there is a specific obstacle he tells you to avoid. I usually don't even look at the trail if I'm getting spotted through a nasty rock section unless my job is to nail the gas and avoid certain obstacles.

rstrucks
12-02-2011, 01:14 AM
Few things to keep in mind to help limit breakage.

- When the rig starts hopping, stop! The cycling of traction, no traction, traction leads to parts becoming multi-piece.
- When giving it "a bump" let off the throttle (a little if you think you are going to make the obstacle and totally if you're not) before the weight of the vehicle comes down on the front end.
- Limit the angle of steering during bound up situations.


Sometimes wheel speed is better than crawl gearing. Don't always assume the low(est) range in the t-case is always the best bet.

This stuff might seem elementary but less breakage is always better - to me anyway.

One more thing. Don't do front digs on D44 axles. :)

BigClay
12-02-2011, 08:50 AM
I'll throw my $0.02 in... don't try and do a three point turn at the top of long hill, barrel rolls can happen :D

SirFuego
12-02-2011, 12:35 PM
When giving it "a bump" let off the throttle (a little if you think you are going to make the obstacle and totally if you're not) before the weight of the vehicle comes down on the front end.
This is exactly how I blew up my HP30 last time I wheeled (which was too long ago to admit :-().


Sometimes wheel speed is better than crawl gearing. Don't always assume the low(est) range in the t-case is always the best bet.

In all the setups I've run so far with my 5.2 (3.55 gearing with 31s and 4.10 gearing with 33-36" tires) I'd usually do most slick hill climbs in 2nd gear. Sometimes I'll just put it in D and let it shift if it's a longer climb and 2nd doesn't give enough wheelspeed.

Some other things to add:

If you are on a hill climb or in the mud, do NOT let off of the gas pedal quickly if you still have momentum. Gravity and friction is often working against you, so you need to keep momentum going. I'm not saying to mash the pedal to all hell, but make sure you have enough to keep up controlled momentum. Those are sometimes situations where if you are done if you let off of the gas even though it may seem as if you don't "need" to stay in the gas. It's moreso of a "feel" thing, so it's difficult to describe over the interwebs.

And now I go on to say that what I said above is not always applicable in deep snow. In the snow, while wheelspeed and low pressures are often the key, you sometimes have better traction letting off of the gas a bit and steering left/right/left/right/etc. Again, it's a feel thing and honestly snow driving technique varies based on the type of snow on the ground, but just keep that in mind as something to try if you are having difficulty.

If you are in deep snow, stop as soon as you lose momentum. If you don't you could just be digging yourself deeper.

In the east coast, snow can actually HELP traction (it can be deep enough to where your tires aren't digging down to the slick mud/dirt) -- at least until it turns into ice and makes the trails a throttlefest.

I absolutely love snow wheeling. It's basically all about "feel" so what works one time doesn't necessarily mean it will work the next time.

ATL ZJ
12-02-2011, 03:28 PM
Keep your tires on top of the rocks when you can.

Try not to hammer on it full lock. not only hard on ujoints but steering pumps too.

If you live on the right coast get comfy gassing it and steering uphill when things get hairy

In certain circumstances you can turn tighter by breaking the front end loose than you can reversing and 3-pointing, especially when you have little traction

Learn how to see where the trail will throw you and plan that line in your head. Sliding sideways is fine and usually fun if you expect it

Ken L
12-02-2011, 03:53 PM
If you need a spotter, trust your spotter.

Airing down increases traction most of the time.

Follow the Tread Lightly! principles and stay on the trail.

Cody
12-02-2011, 08:44 PM
I think seat time creates familiarity with your vehicle, and at that point you start to drive by feel. If you know your vehicle well enough, you have a pretty good idea what/how you're stuck, and how your vehicle reacts to things and will react to things. That's when you can start pushing yourself a little bit, and it gets fun.

Oh ya, if you don't have full hydro, keep your thumbs on the outside of the steering wheel ;)

...and keep your chicken wing in the rig.

ratmonkey
12-05-2011, 07:07 AM
Get comfortable driving over the hood. Poking your head out to watch a tire not only distracts you from what the vehicle is doing overall, it also puts your ugly mug outside the safety of the box you're riding in. same as not hanging a wing out. Not cruising the strip here.Trust your spotter to put your tires right.As elementary as it may seem, your arm is not going to stop your rig from tipping into a tree, it will snap nice and clean for you though. Seen too many new trail riders try to push their rig over from the drivers seat, at lest no once has broken an arm yet.NE trails really do dictate their own lines, I've ridden quite a few miles with no steering input.

SB406
12-05-2011, 03:17 PM
If it's not your first trip, you should at least attempt to not use an external spotter. If you are using a spotter, pick your own line and discuss it with them. You won't learn anything if the spotter is just driving the truck from the outside. Have your passenger talk to you.

BigDaveZJ
12-05-2011, 03:35 PM
For Moab and some of the CO stuff, the "Moab Bump" is a required technique, and really emphasizes momentum as opposed to speed. The mistake I see people make the most on the Moab Bump though is waiting too long to give it some throttle. Usually the front end gets pushed up the ledge or up on to a wall, and then you want to bump it when the ledge or start of the wall is about halfway between the front and rear tires.

Dels383TA
12-05-2011, 08:41 PM
When in doubt hit the gas, it may not solve anything but it will end the suspense.LOL

dyn0mitemat
12-05-2011, 09:28 PM
For Moab and some of the CO stuff, the "Moab Bump" is a required technique, and really emphasizes momentum as opposed to speed. The mistake I see people make the most on the Moab Bump though is waiting too long to give it some throttle. Usually the front end gets pushed up the ledge or up on to a wall, and then you want to bump it when the ledge or start of the wall is about halfway between the front and rear tires.

I'm pretty good at this, ledges and small steep hills (shorter than the wheelbase of the vehicle) don't give me any toubles, my hardest thing is figuring out how to get my front tires exactly where I want them when crawling sections of rocks. I usually hang my noggin out the window and check driver, and then can estimate where the passengers will land, but I know that's not a good way of doing it. If I keep my head in and don't have a spotter I usually hit too far inside/outside of where I'm trying to put the tire when off chamber or on a bunch of rocks flexing the suspension.

And I agree with all of the above in that:
If you need a spotter, trust him (and use only one)
If you start bouncing let off the skinny pedal
Momentum is key for some obstacles

What gears (transmission) are you guys using for crawling/offroading? I usually have transfer case in low and keep the shifter in 1 for crawling, then for hills where you need some more speed or just cruising the trails i bump it up in to 2


And any advice on those side hill situations when you cant get out of big ruts (or something similar) and a tree/bank/rock is about to attack the downhill side? This is my biggest problem right now, there's only two xj's in our group and they have wider axles so the tires hit before the body, everyone else has wranglers so no one has a problem. Then here I come and either need everyone to push the roof and tilt the truck away as I crawl past, or hammer it through and beat the doors to crap. I figure after my axle swaps I'll get rims with more backspacing or spacers to help out, as well as bump the rocker rails out some too

Heres a pick of my two fucked doors from this weekend from above bank rubbing the side. Hard to tell but both look like bacon right above the cladding strips :p
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-VPGdEzg_Zbw/Ttwew2ipsPI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/7cFuC_hdbKw/s800/IMG_20111204_200109.jpg

SirFuego
12-05-2011, 11:11 PM
And any advice on those side hill situations when you cant get out of big ruts (or something similar) and a tree/bank/rock is about to attack the downhill side? This is my biggest problem right now, there's only two xj's in our group and they have wider axles so the tires hit before the body, everyone else has wranglers so no one has a problem. Then here I come and either need everyone to push the roof and tilt the truck away as I crawl past, or hammer it through and beat the doors to crap. I figure after my axle swaps I'll get rims with more backspacing or spacers to help out, as well as bump the rocker rails out some too

Yeah -- don't let your rig slide into the rut. :smt116

Seriously, though, it sounds like that falls into the "trail picking your line for you" category. ZJ bodies are a lot wider than XJs and TJs, which (coupled with the wheelbase) makes it very difficult to get through some trails without damage. In terms of getting out of ruts, the huge side lugs on my old Swamper LTBs were great for doing that, but there were just some ruts that it wasn't possible to get out of because there just wasn't enough traction.

SB406
12-06-2011, 10:20 AM
For Moab and some of the CO stuff, the "Moab Bump" is a required technique, and really emphasizes momentum as opposed to speed. The mistake I see people make the most on the Moab Bump though is waiting too long to give it some throttle. Usually the front end gets pushed up the ledge or up on to a wall, and then you want to bump it when the ledge or start of the wall is about halfway between the front and rear tires.

I've never been to Moab, but we have similiar problems on the East Coast. You'll see guys roll forward and then get some when the back tires hit. You need the momentum before the back tires hit. I usually get lined up with the front tires up the obstacle, brake torque it in drive, then slip my foot off the brake, & stab the gas.
You also need to be careful not to overspin the tires. Wheelspeed is sometimes needed to clear mud, but other times, too much wheel speed just prevents the tires from hooking up. I often roll in & out of the throttle on loose hill climbs.

BigDaveZJ
12-06-2011, 11:26 AM
Good point on two footin it, I'm almost always doing that when crawling.

K2
12-06-2011, 12:42 PM
On a side hill avoid staying to the high side. It feels more comfortable but if you lose traction you will have momentum and slide through or past the edge. Ride in the ruts or near the low side lip. Plus great advise above.

Also I will add, even small hops can cause damage with god traction. Ask me how I know (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnRqFHicMs0).

Cody
12-06-2011, 05:26 PM
Also, be conscious of the "closer to danger, further from harm" lines. Sometimes, the easiest and least risky line is the one that will feel the worst because it's closer to the cliff/ledge/rock/tree etc. I can think of more than a few obstacles that people make way harder than they need to be because they try to stay far away from something (usually a 1000 foot cliff..don't be a pussy)

ATL ZJ
12-06-2011, 09:50 PM
even small hops can cause damage with god traction.

Where do I find this god traction

rstrucks
12-06-2011, 10:59 PM
Where do I find this god traction

Moab

K2
12-12-2011, 06:20 PM
Where do I find this god traction

Same place they keep punctuation. :flipoff2: