Driving off-road has been both a hobby and as part of people’s work for years. People have been taking off-road cars and bikes to muddy forests, sand dunes and snowy hills for generations, whilst some use 4×4 cars for their work such as farmers.
Driving off-road can be an incredibly fun hobby and sport, but if you don’t prepare correctly, you’ll be sure to run into some problems down the line. Whether it’s having the right tires, vehicle, or even the right weather conditions, there are numerous things that need to be taken into consideration before going out and having fun.
The difference between a standard car and a car designed for off-road is night and day, with there being numerous differences between the two. For example, you couldn’t hop in your standard everyday run around car and expect to be going over mountains and through rain and mud, as it’s not designed for that and would just get stuck straight away.
Let’s take a look into some of the key differences between the two, what are some of the things you need to go off-road and what your things are likely to look like in the years to come.
Tires
Probably one of the most important pieces of kit you’ll need to go off-road is the correct tires. If you’ve not got the right tires on, you can forget about getting any sort of traction on any off-road surface. Depending on where you’re going will change which tires you’ll need, so it’s important to check beforehand to ensure you don’t make a mistake and buy the wrong ones as you’ll want to purchase the best off-road tires possible for your adventure.
Type of car
Whilst having the correct tires is key, if you don’t have the right vehicle for them, they’ll be basically pointless. Realistically to go off-road, you’ll need a car with four-wheel drive, meaning power is going to all four wheels. This is key because if a couple of wheels get stuck, you’ve still got two or three trying to gain traction, whereas in a two-wheel drive car if even just one gets stuck, your chances of getting out are pretty slim.
You’ll also need to ensure your vehicle has enough power to pull itself out of tricky situations, so a big engine is also normally required for off-roading, whilst it’s not a must have, it definitely helps.
Having the right equipment
Regardless of how good your vehicle is or how experienced you are with off-roading, it’s always good to come prepared. Ensuring you arrive with the required equipment for any scenario ensures you’ll never be caught stuck or in a bad situation.
For example, a great piece of equipment to have on your 4×4 is a winch. This is a great tool as if you find yourself stuck or caught in mud and can’t get out, you can attach the winch to something and pull yourself out, avoiding needing any assistance to get out of the situation.
Where technology goes from here
With technology always improving and evolving, it’s only natural so does off-roading. Companies are constantly looking for new ideas and improvements to both enhance the customer experience whilst also improving the safety features of their cars.
For example, the Mercedes Maybach SUV had a very unique feature to help you if you got stuck in the sand. If you were stuck, you could activate a mode that caused the car to start slowly bouncing using its suspension, allowing you to become unstuck without any issues.
Off-roading has been something people have done for both sport and work for generations. There will always be both the want and need to go off-roading, it’s important we prepare accordingly to ensure we have the best time possible.
If you were going off-roading, which of these features would you want on your car?
