4x4 Driving Tips
Driving tips acquired from 20 years giving 4X4 tours.
Hi, my name is Clay and yes this summer was my 20th year of giving 4X4 tours in the San Juan Mountains of south western Colorado. As the summer winds down and the snow settles on the mountain passes, I have been reflecting on all I have learned about driving and would like to pass some of this on to others. Some folks may disagree with me but remember, my job has been to get folks up into the high country, then back in one piece, not broke down or stuck at 13,000 ft.
#1- Driving on narrow, cliff hanging roads.
It never ceases to amaze me where you can squeeze two vehicles by each other when you have to, after awhile you develop a sense as to if you can fit or not, but it is sometimes hard to convince the other guy, especially if they are a novice. In general, the uphill driver has the right away, but common sense is still the most important rule. If you have the right away, but meet some one coming down in a narrow stretch and you find a wide spot, of course pull in to the wide spot, wait and give them the right of way. If you are forced to pass in a real tight spot, it is best to pass on the wrong side ( unless you are English ) this puts the drivers on the critical sides, so the drivers can see exactly how close to the edge they are, it is better to scrape a little paint then drop a tire off a 600ft drop, don't you think? But do watch the clearance between the vehicles, especially the roofs and roll bars, the edges of the roads tend to be higher then the center so the vehicles want to lean in at the tops, sometimes crossing the roll bars into each other or into a roof so be careful. With practice you will get a feel for where you can fit and it is less then you at first imagine.
#2 When in Doubt, Punch it out, Not!
That was our favorite saying in high school, it sounds pretty macho, but not real practical unless you are a mud bogger I suppose. I always think of the Chevy, like a rock commercials, if you drove your rig like that for very long you wouldn't have a working rig for very long. What you need to learn is finesse, for example one of my favorite things to do in the spring I call drift busting. The key is busting through a snow drift without getting stuck, you start into the drift with a little momentum, but let off as soon as you feel yourself start to dig in, then gently back your self out while you still can, each time working your way further in until your through, without stranding yourself at 13,000 ft.
Another trick I learned will help you on real slick/icy roads, once your tires start to break traction, instinct would have you hammer down, which multiples the problem. Instead if you force yourself to hammer up you will find that often the tires will start grabbing some traction if given them half a chance. Raw horse power is not the answer to all situations.
#3 Manual VS. Auto Tranny
I am kind of old school, I like a manual transmission because I like to "Drive" the vehicle. I like to pick the gear and know that it will stay in that gear till I change it. I like the direct connection of a manual and how it holds you back going down hill and the feel of letting out the clutch, knowing exactly when the vehicle is going to move and being able to have control of the power being applied to the tires.
Auto fans tell me how much safer an auto is in tight situations, only having to deal with 2 pedals, I tell them they need to learn how to toe & heal. Toe & healing means turning your right foot in such a way that you can hold the brake with your heal and apply the throttle with your toes, slowly releasing the clutch, then the brake, and with a little practice this can become second nature.
All I know is that in all my years of driving ( mostly with a manual ) I have only been stranded by a manual once and I have literally lost track of how many times with a auto. When an auto takes a crap, there you sit, but even if the clutch goes out you can still nurse a manual down the mountain.
#4 The Tire Debate.
When I first began the tour bizz 20 years ago, I remember my boss always ran bias-ply tires on our rigs. The reason being was that the sidewalls are stronger because the plys ran from rim edge to rim edge, so you are less likely to put a rock through the sidewall, which in theory ruins the tire ( I'll tell you about my good luck with plugs in sidewalls some other day ). The problem is that with the belts running that direction they don't want to roll as well as a radial, where the belts run in the direction that the tire rolls. Bias-ply tend to wander and get worse mileage, so unless you are off-road all the time a radial is more pleasurable to drive, and because of their nature, they do place more rubber on the ground which equals more traction. Now, over the years I have had some sidewall damage with radials, but very little. A way to help prevent side-wall damage is to keep them aired up, to keep the sidewall up and away from rocks as much as possible. There are a
lot of folks who like to air-down for traction, which it does provide more traction but is it worth the risk? I find it funny to watch the super rigs airing down to go over Black Bear Pass. I have successfully driven this road hundreds and hundreds of times and I only felt I needed to air down once, because there was 6 inches of fresh snow on top of the pass and I was worried as heck the whole time that I would get a flat on the Stair Steps, lucky I didn't, but for crying out loud, these roads are solid rock, take it easy on your tires.
#5 Beware of heavy rain.
Beware of driving in the high country during heavy rains. I am not worried about mud, once again we are talking rock or broken rock ( gravel ), which rock is rock no matter how wet it gets. The problem comes from the rain loosening up chunks of rock on the steep slopes and cliff-sides and sending them down hill, so try to keep clear of these areas. I had a close call this Summer as the rain sent a big old rock down right in front of the Pinzgauer I was driving, it then bounced up into the undercarriage making an awful loud KaBoom. Thank God nothing or nobody was hurt, but another gentleman was not as lucky this summer as a rock fell right through the soft top of his Jeep, crushing his head, killing him instantly. Try to get away from the steep stuff, out into the flats and wait it out if you can.
Well there you go, what I call advice, some of you may disagree, and I would love to hear why, email me at clay@alpineparadise.com. Please come visit my web site - alpineparadise.com
You all have a fine winter now, and I'll see you back in the high country next summer.
Clay Greathouse
Colorado, USA
