Let's start off by saying who this story is not for. If you've worn out three sets of mud-terrains. If you have ever built a lower control arm from scrap iron on the trail. If you not only know how to change a front axleshaft assembly, but can do it in 30 minutes or less. If more than half of your truck's body parts have trail damage on them, then this article is not for you.
Okay - are they all gone? The guys who are already "in the club?" This article is for the rest of you - for guys just starting to explore and enjoy the off-road pastime. And it can be a bit intimidating. First, there's a whole new language to learn - like all of the tech and components, for example. Secondly, it seems like there's some unofficial club that you're only part of if you have a mullet, a tank top, and a truck that loses parts on the freeway. Don't be scared - we've all sported mullets at one time or another, and the tank top is optional. And after you've beaten your truck for a while, parts will just fall off naturally. Like being the stranger at the local bar - it takes a little bit of time before you are one of the boys.
We were reminded of this when we went to the Mounds Off-Road Vehicle Area in Mt. Morris, Michigan, to take some photographs for this article. Not being a regular, and showing up in a nearly new Wrangler with 35s on it, we looked completely like someone we would have nicknamed "Visa" or "Mastercard" a few years ago - someone new to the sport with a few fresh parts bolted onto their new 4x4. We had no idea where we were going, and we had no intention of getting stuck, which made us look even more awkward. So let us guide you, and help you into the unofficial 4x4 club of knowing the basics of off-road driving.
We're going to give you the basics of driving off-road on these four main types of terrain: rocks, sand, mud, and snow. We'll toss out our first disclaimer right now: there are countless variations of each of these terrains. Are we talking Big Bear, California, mud, or are we talking Montgomery, Alabama, mud? While these are totally different, there are some basic driving techniques that will at least get you into off-roading. You'll develop a sense for what works best with your own home grown-flavor of wheeling as you gain experience.
So let's lock the hubs (more of a figure of speech these days) and hit the dirt!
There are a few unwritten...
There are a few unwritten rules of off-roading that we'll write down for you. First, everyone is expected to have their own tow strap and a place to safely hook it on the front and rear of your 4x4. In our dad's day, it was a heavy chain, but that can take out a radiator or windshield, or seriously hurt someone when it breaks. A nylon tow strap is inexpensive, easy to carry and much, much safer.
Universal Advice
One size does not fit all, and generally what works well on rocks doesn't work well on sand. In fact, you'll find by the end of this article, that many of the techniques for sand, mud and snow are very similar. Use these same driving styles on rocks, though, and you'll end up with a whole lot of broken parts. But, there are some things that are universal, or nearly universal. This includes tire choices, running lower air pressure in your tires and basic trail rules. This also includes never going alone. If you're in the middle of nowhere, you can end up stranded and become a statistic in the most extreme situations.
Before you go off road anywhere, there are a few things that you need to make sure you have with you. It's common trail etiquette that you bring your own - even if everyone else has one too.
The first group of must-haves is all about changing a flat tire on the trail, staringwith a full-size spare. Laughing? You'd be surprised how many people lift their truck and cheap-out on buying a full size spare. If you needed four 35s to get into whatever mess killed a tire, you'll need four 35s to get out of it too! Here's another favorite thing to overlook if you've changed wheels and lugnuts - make sure you have the correct lugwrench to actually change a tire. And, the final tire-related tool is a jack. If you have put bigger tires on your truck, the stock jack probably won't lift the vehicle high enough to change a tire. This, and the uneven terrain on which you're usually trying to use a jack off road, is why the Hi-Lift jack is so popular.
In every type of four wheeling, lowering the air pressure in your tires will improve traction. You'll need a few tools to help you do this: namely a gauge that shows lower pressures accurately and a device to release air from the tires more quickly than pushing the ignition key against the Schrader valve. There are quite a few versions of both, including very trick, very expensive tools, and very simple, not-so-expensive ones. How much air you let out depends on what type of terrain you're on, what type of vehicle you're in, and a bit of personal experience. We'll give you some guidelines in each section on specific terrain. If you're new the sport, it's also likely that you don't have an air-compressor on board (and forget about those little electric ones at Wal-Mart - you'll be there for days trying to air back up with these). How much you air down also depends on how far you'll need to drive before you can air back up. If there's a gas station with a working air compressor a block or two away from your off-road spot, you can air down quite a bit more than if your drive includes any highway speeds.
 Running lower air pressure...  Running lower air pressure in your tires is universally good off-road. We'll get into more detail in each terrain section. There are a variety of tools to air down. This is a combo air gauge and valve-core remover from Currie Enterprises. It threads onto the valve stem so you can't drop or lose the valve cover when it's removed, and it allows you to check the pressure as you're airing down. |  If your 4x4 is relatively...  If your 4x4 is relatively new, you may be treated to a low-tire-pressure light on your instrument panel and a very annoying chime. This is set to go off when the air pressure drops below a preset level - usually something above 30 psi. If you happen to own a 2008-to-current Wrangler, AEV makes a programmer that can lower that setting, or turn the system off. If not, you'll get used to the beep. |  You don't have to buy off-road...  You don't have to buy off-road tires to go off road. But sooner or later, you're going to need new tires, and that's when you have your chance to do the right thing. An all-terrain off-road tire like the Goodyear Silent Armor (bottom) are a step up from street tires. The Goodyear Duratrac (middle) is a hybrid with mud-terrain outer lugs and all-terrain center tread blocks. A more dedicated mud terrain tire, such as the Goodyear MT/R (top) has big lugs widely spaced to grip and move larger amounts of mud, sand, snow, and rocks. |
The last items you must have before you go off road are your own tow trap and suitable attachment points front and rear on your truck. While it seems a bit crazy to have so many tow straps on the trail, there are some good reasons for this. First, no one wants to wait while a tow strap is tracked down. Second, you don't want to trust someone else's cut and tattered strap to pull your truck out. Next, things move around on the trail, and you might not come home with your strap if it's the only one on a trail with ten other rigs. Finally, straps get beat up and dirty when used, and it's up to you take care of your own equipment rather than trashing someone else's and letting them clean it up when they get home. For attachment points, a factory tow hook on the front and rear are fine, although tow hooks on the rear aren't that common from the factory. If you truck has a receiver hitch, you can purchase a receiver clevis from an off-road supply company or some hardware and tractor stores. These slide into the receiver and accept a clevis to attach a tow strap. If you don't have a tow hook on the front, do some research and find out how to safely and securely mount one on your truck.
Finally, you don't have to have off-road tires to go off road. But, when you're ready to change tires, here are some things to consider. First, it's true that bigger is better. Taller tires give you more ground clearance. And you'll soon realize that more ground clearance is good. A wider tire helps glide over sand and snow, while a narrow tire will tend to dig down more quickly. Tires designed for off-road use generally have much stronger sidewall construction compared to run-of-the-mill street tires. It was amazing to us when we started off-roading to see just how easy tires get cut on tree roots and rocks. Finally, the lug pattern makes a huge difference in off-road performance. A mud terrain tire is a great all-purpose off road tire, giving a stock vehicle a very noticeable improvement in capability in all types of terrain.