4 Wheel Drive Zone

What is Off-Roading?

Off Roading is a term for driving a specialized vehicle on unpaved roads, such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks and other natural terrain.

What type of vehicles are used for Off-Roading?

These terrains can sometimes only be traveled by vehicles designed specifically for off-road driving (such as heavy-duty trucks and equipment, SUVs, ATVs, snowmobiles, motorcycles, mountain bicycles) or vehicles that have extra ground clearance, sturdy tires, and in some cases, front and rear locking differential. Examples of vehicle manufacturers notable for producing types of off-road vehicle (ORV) include AM General, Land Rover, Jeep and Toyota, although most vehicle manufacturers have some sort of off-road vehicle in their current range. These are usually rather expensive cars, but there are exceptions, like the Citroën 2CV, which is actually a budget car (for farmers). Trucks are often fitted with these extras by default. Furthermore, the military usually design their vehicles with off-roading in mind, such as a Jeep or HMMWV, or buy them from off road manufacturers, such as Land Rover, which has produced cars for the armed forces of many countries.

What is Formula Off-Roading?

Formula Off Road is a high powered version of off-road competition. Vehicles are highly modified or specially built using sand drag tires and long travel suspension components that allow jumps and rough handling and long axle articulation, highly tuned 8 cylinder (V8) engines with superchargers & nitrous oxide injection systems and a secure roll cage for the driver. High torque/high speed operation is needed for Formula Off Road tracks. Formula Off Road originated in Iceland and has since spread to the other Nordic countries. Competitions are often held in sand and gravel quarries where courses are laid out up near vertical pit faces. The vehicles utilize paddle-like tread of sand drag racing tires.

Why Large tires are used for Off-Roading?

A quick and easy way to gain ground clearance is to increase the size of the tires on a vehicle. One advantage over body and suspension lifts is that larger tires will improve ground clearance under all parts of the vehicle, including the axles and differentials - typically the next lowest points after the tires. While some vehicles can have larger tires added without a lift kit, such as a Ford F-250/F-350 pick-up truck (they can usually take 33-inch (840 mm) tires before lifting is required), most will require a lift kit in addition to larger tires, and in some cases bodywork modification (cut back wheel arches) may also be necessary. Many off-roaders will combine different aspects of each of these vehicle lifting techniques, with the more experienced combining all of these items for a vehicle that could be lifted over 12 inches (300 mm) from its normal ride height