Just thought i would share some of what ive learned in the past year:
The key to having fun wheeling is not needlessly breaking something.
The key to not needlessly breaking something is to become a better driver.
The key to becoming a better driver is to "learn" your rig and its limits.
How to "learn" your rig:
1) practice practice practice, besides knowing specs (hp,torque, wheelbase, width, gearing, etc.) its important that you eventually feel as though you are "wearing" your rig like a piece of clothing.
2) Start paying attention to what objects look like from the drivers seat through the windsheild when they are certain distances away from your bumper.
3) What is the order of gears for high and low (for me it goes something like 1st low, 2nd low, 1st high, 3rd low, 2nd high, 4th low, 5th low, 4th high/6th low, etc.)
4) What pressures do you run to make your tires behave the same (i.e. for me i run 30 front and 29/28 psi rear and usally one less psi in my right rear, that seems to keep the open diff from misbehaving on rainy days).
5) Learn when and how to use your mirrors (they can get knocked off but they also serve as convienant gauges for seeing if your vehicle can fit between two trees for example.)
6) Also, evaluate everything you can, once you know you made it between something, use your mirrors to see by how much you cleared either side. Are you closer on one side or the other? (usually i am on my drivers side b/c i figure if i suck up as close as i can on my side then im safe on the pass. side). 7) Evaluate turns on the street, did you bump a curb?
8) Whatever tires your running, exploit their strengths (i.e. I have swamper LTB's, so i make sure that unless im in mud, i keep the wheel speed low b/c they have big side lugs and are meant for mud whereas when i had MTR's i wasnt afraid to buildup some heat on a wet rock face to burn off the moisture b/c they are meant for dry rock (something about their silica content %)
9) Dont go nuts out on anything unless its a must......unless you've got dana 60's or above, you'll probably break something.
10) unless you trailered your rig in.....check your pride at the door. (i.e. this wknd, i tried to weasel my way down a small hill, as soon as i saw that the trail was going to do nothing but kick me to the side and potentially ruin my mirror, i went straight to the winch backwards.
Hope these tips help, i know they help me alot. feel free to add.
thats my :2cents:
The key to having fun wheeling is not needlessly breaking something.
The key to not needlessly breaking something is to become a better driver.
The key to becoming a better driver is to "learn" your rig and its limits.
How to "learn" your rig:
1) practice practice practice, besides knowing specs (hp,torque, wheelbase, width, gearing, etc.) its important that you eventually feel as though you are "wearing" your rig like a piece of clothing.
2) Start paying attention to what objects look like from the drivers seat through the windsheild when they are certain distances away from your bumper.
3) What is the order of gears for high and low (for me it goes something like 1st low, 2nd low, 1st high, 3rd low, 2nd high, 4th low, 5th low, 4th high/6th low, etc.)
4) What pressures do you run to make your tires behave the same (i.e. for me i run 30 front and 29/28 psi rear and usally one less psi in my right rear, that seems to keep the open diff from misbehaving on rainy days).
5) Learn when and how to use your mirrors (they can get knocked off but they also serve as convienant gauges for seeing if your vehicle can fit between two trees for example.)
6) Also, evaluate everything you can, once you know you made it between something, use your mirrors to see by how much you cleared either side. Are you closer on one side or the other? (usually i am on my drivers side b/c i figure if i suck up as close as i can on my side then im safe on the pass. side). 7) Evaluate turns on the street, did you bump a curb?
8) Whatever tires your running, exploit their strengths (i.e. I have swamper LTB's, so i make sure that unless im in mud, i keep the wheel speed low b/c they have big side lugs and are meant for mud whereas when i had MTR's i wasnt afraid to buildup some heat on a wet rock face to burn off the moisture b/c they are meant for dry rock (something about their silica content %)
9) Dont go nuts out on anything unless its a must......unless you've got dana 60's or above, you'll probably break something.
10) unless you trailered your rig in.....check your pride at the door. (i.e. this wknd, i tried to weasel my way down a small hill, as soon as i saw that the trail was going to do nothing but kick me to the side and potentially ruin my mirror, i went straight to the winch backwards.
Hope these tips help, i know they help me alot. feel free to add.
thats my :2cents: