OFF-ROADING AROUND THE WORLD
Off-roading can take in many different terrains – here’s how to navigate them
WHERE NAMIBIA/DUBAI/DESERTS
Dune-bashing is part art, part skill and part science. But generally on sand, momentum is key and a higher gear than normal for off-roading is appropriate – keep going at all times, and park facing down any kind of slope, or you won’t move again. You’ll also need to air-down your tyres quite a bit. Oh, and you don’t really need brakes – the car will use the sand itself to slow. Recovery is best done with another vehicle, because there’s not usually many objects around to winch from.
WHERE ICELAND/ARCTIC
When we say ‘snow’ we mean serious drifts rather than the two inches of instant traffic killer we get in the UK. And for that, specialist gear is necessary. Usually that means a modified 4x4, with huge 44-inch flotation tyres that can run as low as a couple of psi. Super-low clockwork gears allow the cars to mutter along at half-anmph, crawling across the top of the snow rather than digging into it. Remember; sharp turns are not your friend, and speed very rarely helps.
WHERE UNITED KINGDOM
Something we’re rather good at in the UK, and it’s all about control. If you’ve got diff locks and are on a straight bit of slipperiness, engage them; they keep the tyres turning across axles and front to back, making sure that progress isn’t lost through a solo spinning tyre. An aggressive, open mud-tyre is best here. Be aware where the lowest point of the car is and protect it, and don’t cut up the surface more than you have to – ‘tread lightly’ as much as possible.
WHERE AMERICA
Contact is king when driving on rock – helped by axle articulation, so you want something limber in the suspension department. Approach obstacles – like steps or ditches – diagonally, so that you’re not dropping an entire axle into a feature at once. Use the lowest gear possible for maximum torque. Again, dropping tyre pressures will generally help, and always be aware of your angles of approach, breakover and departure, or you’ll be picking bits of bumper off the floor...
WHERE 71% OF THE EARTH’S SURFACE
If you want to drive through water, then you just need something with decent wading ability and a change of socks. If you want to drive on water, then you need something amphibious. Like a Sherp or Viking BvS10. Or a Prodrive WaterCar. After that, it’s just a matter of closing the portholes, dunking your chosen steed into an open body of water, choosing the appropriate captain’s hat and learning how your water-jet/propellors engage. And steer. Lifejackets appropriate.