Soft Roaders (and other stuff!)

Our beloved and highly esteemed editor – Mr WH - as we call him, has been barraged with queries from the owners of what are lovingly termed ‘Soft Roaders’ in the glossy press.

Firstly I don’t like that phrase. Anyone who has driven any of the bulk of this relatively section of the 4x4 world should know that these vehicles are very capable within their design parameters. I place all such ‘Off Roaders’ in the SUV category.

Secondly, thanks to pressure from ‘Himself’ and natural curiosity I have – for you dear reader – put together some basics on "Off Roading with an SUV"

Before we go any further this is the first of several articles on this subject and as such you will have to put up with my lack of Photo’s!

Shock Horror where’s the huge heavy beam axle and under-body armour plate!

The suspension and drive train on an SUV is predominantly car based, relying on simple strengthening and wishbone/radius arm relocation to give slightly more articulation. The transfer box is usually replaced with a lower first gear and a multitude of traction control devices are incorporated.

Thanks to this, most SUV’s are considerable lighter than their hardcore 4x4 cousins, this has both good and bad points for the casual off-roader.

Good

• Getting stuck is never quite so serious
• Recovery is easier
• Less Surface damage is caused
• Better power to weight ratio

Bad

• The underside is more prone to damage
• Recovery/jacking points are less common
• Repairs are generally more complex
• More bushes and linkages mean more wear and tear

ALL THESE BAD POINTS ARE SURMOUNTABLE WITH A BIT OF THOUGHT

Note the vulnerable exhaust on this RAV4 – but also note how protected the drive shafts and the diff’ are.

Note how the rear silencer is the first thing to hit the ground….

I have mentioned many times before the importance of legwork when driving off road, along with a good knowledge of the underside of your vehicle – this is especially important when driving an SUV. If you plan your route with the limits of the vehicle in mind than you will avoid damage! If you charge in like a 16-year-old boy invited into a girls changing room – you deserve what you get. Even the driver of an all singing all dancing hard core ‘for wheeler’ is a fool if he doesn’t think first. And he’s usually got a tonne of armour plate underneath….

Tyre choice is very important here, almost as important as clutch control. Don’t go for the all singing ‘superdoopermudshagger’, it is far better to find a quality ALL Terrain tyre – remember you can go faster ON the road than the average 4x4. Our friends at Monex 4x4 (01495 712608) recommend the BF Goodrich All Terrain (215/70x16 for the RAV4).

Another useful tip is the use of ‘Left Foot Braking’ (as discussed in last months issue so I won’t go into more detail ‘cos you should have read it). This will help those of you without the wonderful all sing all dancing traction control that Solihull put on their vehicles.

Recovery is much the same, you will however have less ease fitting recovery points. This is due to more plastic or bodywork getting in the way. The best way round this is to take a drive down to your nearest motor sport preparation emporium. These guys fit recovery points to road going vehicles for a pastime.

Recovery is made much easier by the lightweight of the vehicle. Forget the 35kg winch capable of stalling at 4100kg! There are many excellent lightweight DEMOUNTABLE electric winches on the market. With training these are ideal for the lighter off-roader, as are the smaller Tirfor, Pull Pal and Brano hand winches. Sadly the mighty High Lift is almost redundant (except as a winch) – but this can be replaced with a decent hydraulic jack (with a base plate) or one of the superb bag jacks.

Next month we will go into more detail in the variations on off road driving required when driving an SUV as compared to a dedicated 4x4.

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