- Hey, what's up guys?
Josh from TrailBuilt.
So we finally get to the point in our lives
whether it's intentional or unintentional,
where we have this four wheel drive rig,
but there's only one problem,
you've never been off-roading before.
So in today's video,
we're gonna cover the top five rookie mistakes
while off-roading,
so make sure and hit that subscribe button
so that way, you guys can hold onto the ride with us.
(upbeat music)
In no particular order,
first and the all too common rookie mistake
while off-roading is faking it.
And we've all been there, right?
It's our first time off-roading, we're nervous,
we're really not sure what the heck we're doing.
There might be a whole bunch of bystanders around watching
and our anxiety is through the roof.
And the next thing we know,
we're mashing the gas pedal holding on for dear life.
And then next thing,
there's parts and carnage flying everywhere.
Maybe your rig gets a little loosey goosey on you
and you slide straight sideways into a tree or rock ledge
or some kind of body damage happens,
or maybe even brain damage happens, I don't know
because we didn't take the time to get some seat time
and get comfortable with our rig first
before picking the hard line.
I know this firsthand because that's exactly what I did
the first time I went off-roading.
It made for a hell of a great show for everyone
that was standing around,
but it also cost me a set of gears and a rocker panel.
Sometimes all it takes is a little seat time first,
and then once you hit that first obstacle,
a little finesse picking the right line
and listening to your spotter
can get you through some of the most precarious situations.
And guys, if you're beyond your comfort level,
well, sometimes we just have to swallow our pride,
ask for some help,
or take the bypass if there's one available,
or maybe it's just having someone experienced jump in
and take over for a bit
until you get through that tough situation.
There's no shame in learning how to swim
before diving off the deep end.
And number two,
forgetting or not even knowing you have a low gear
in your transfer case.
When you take your rig off-road for the first time,
a common mistake we see is
when people use four wheel drive high in their transfer case
while trying to crawl rock gardens, rock ledges,
downed logs, or other various low speed obstacles.
In four high, the engine is working overtime
and the wheels just aren't providing
the forward momentum speed needed
to get over some of those obstacles.
How the transfer case works in four wheel drive
is it transfers power from the engine
through the transmission, into the transfer case,
and then to both the front and rear axles
via the driveshafts.
Four high, we'll split that power evenly from the engine
in what's called a one-to-one ratio,
meaning the same speed that the transmission is spinning
at the output shaft is the same speed that is being sent
to both the front and rear axles.
When the transfer case is shifted into four low,
the gear ratio changes to typically,
either a half, a third, or even a fourth of the speed
of the engine through the transmission output shaft
which multiplies the amount of torque to the wheels.
This allows the tires to spin at a slower speed
allowing the driver a more controlled speed
to conquer certain rock crawls, ledges,
or various other obstacles,
where increased torque and slower speeds
would be beneficial.
So make sure you know how your rig functions
before going out to go off-roading
and you will not only save yourself
some wear and tear on your rig,
but also some embarrassment as well.
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Number three, probably one of the biggest mistakes we see
while out on the trails is running street pressures
in the tires while off-roading.
Running a lower air pressure in your tires
is probably one of the easiest and most effective ways
of increasing traction while off-roading
before upgrading to new tires, wheels, or suspension
at trailbuiltoffroad.com.
Lower tire pressures will increase
what's called the footprint, allowing the tire to grab
and grip more of the surface that you are driving over
because the tires will be softer and more pliable.
Airing down will allow the tires to conform or envelope
to the shape of the rocks,
improving traction and even helping smooth out the ride.
Remember that with airing down,
you'll also want to decrease your speeds as well
since the tires will now be a lot less responsive
when it comes to steering and also to air back up
to street pressures before hitting the highway.
That way, you don't run the risk
of heating up your sidewalls,
which is what causes tire blowouts.
If you're unsure as to what you should air down to,
either ask someone experienced
or air down to about 15 PSI,
as that is usually a pretty safe tire pressure
in almost all circumstances.
And for the love of all the instruction,
make sure an air down as soon as you get to the trail head.
Number four, another major mistake
is to go off-roading by yourself.
This was a major mistake that I made myself
right after getting my 94 Grand Cherokee.
It wasn't more than a week after getting it
that I got the itch to take it and go off-roading.
Well, that proved to be a huge mistake
because low and behold,
I ended up getting stuck in high centered on a hill.
I had no recovery gear and was in some rock quarry
with nobody around for miles, no water, no food,
and it was about 100 degrees that day.
After what seemed like an eternity in hell
stacking rocks under the tires,
jumping up and down on the bumpers,
shoving logs under the tires to try and free it with it,
not even budging an inch,
I ended up having to call my dad who was about an hour away,
and fortunately, he came to the rescue
and once we got everything hooked up,
it was a quick pull on the strap.
And within minutes, got the Jeep freed up
and learned one heck of a valuable lesson
and promised myself that I would never do that again.
Well, not without the proper recovery gear
like a winch and proper toll points,
shovel, high lift jack, and recovery straps.
We never anticipate that we're gonna get stuck,
but if you get the itch like I did to go off-roading
with your newly acquired four by four,
do yourselves a huge favor,
call up some friends first to go with
or maybe even find a local off-road club
and go with them the next time they have any event,
but just don't go wheeling by yourself
if you're not prepared.
And number five,
spending a ton of money on aftermarket upgrades
before knowing your rig.
There's probably no situation more embarrassing
than driving a high dollar rig
with thousands and thousands of dollars in modifications
and upgrades only to be out wheeled by a stock $500 beater.
You've got all those fancy light bars, but no lockers.
The best thing to do is after you have decided
to go off-roading
with whatever four wheel drive rig you have
is to get to know your rig first.
Take it out with a group of experienced off-roaders
as many times as needed to get as much seat time as needed
to really get to know your rig and how it performs off-road.
Now, I don't wanna discourage you
from purchasing thousands of dollars
of aftermarket upgrades as we sell them,
but until you really feel comfortable with your rig,
then head on over to trailbuiltoffroad.com
for a fresh set of wheels, tires, suspension,
and accessories as well.
That way, the next time you hit the trails,
you'll be conquering every obstacle with ease
because if you can off-road your rig successfully
while it's still relatively stack,
then adding upgrades will only increase your driving skills
and your rigs off-road performance.
Now, guys, we realize that there is a whole bunch of you
that are new to off-roading
especially with how popular it has become in recent years.
So hopefully, these top five rookie mistakes
will help you out in one way or another.
And guys, there are definitely a lot more tips and tricks
or do's and don'ts for off-roading, not only for beginners,
but for everyone that is into the off-roading sport.
So if you guys have any other recommendations
as to what advice you would give while off-roading,
just let us know in the comments below,
that way, we can cover those in a future video.
And guys, also don't forget to hit that subscribe button,
thumbs up to like the video,
and guys, as always, we appreciate all of you for watching
and all of your support.
I'm Josh from TrailBuilt,
and we'll see you guys out on the trails.
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